myfringe.co.uk

www.myfringe.co.uk brings you all the lastest news from the fringe/comedy/entertainment world.
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OMG! The Official Edinburgh Fringe Festival programme is launched TOMORROW!!
Still haven't had a chance to talk comedy with my new like minded boss but have managed to sort a shift change so I can spend a much needed 17 sleepless hours (after it arrives on Thursday) caressing it from cover to cover before the FotF lines open YAY :o)

CHORTLE FRINGE LIST - Jun 2009
If like me you're climbing the walls waiting for the Fringe prog to arrive, why not go check out top comedy news site CHORTLE's pre launch list. They have a staggering 370 shows (so far) for you to whet your appitite over. Click here for their list.

NO SPIEGELTENT FOR 2009 - Apr 2009
The Famous Spiegeltent will not be at this year's Edinburgh Festival, its owner has told BBC Scotland. The antique tent in past seasons has been pitched in the capital's George Square Gardens and has become a key feature of the Fringe. But now David Bates, who owns the tent, said he was taking it off the road to carry out "essential maintenance". He said the £150,000 renovation of the 1920 tent will involve creating new walls and windows for it. Mr Bates told the BBC Scotland News Website: "I know people will be really disappointed but it is not a simple equation to make it work. It is an iconic piece of the Edinburgh Festival and will be back next year.
Source

ASSEMBLEY LOSES IT'S FIZZ- April 2008
Another sponsor has pulled out of the Edinburgh Fringe, with the Assembly Rooms losing an estimated £60,000 a year from drinks firm Bellhaven. The company has decided not to renew its backing of the venue after four years, in a move venue boss William Burdett-Coutts called ‘a great shame’. The news comes after the main comedy award, formerly known as the Perrier, lost its backer, Intelligent Finance, while the much-criticised Edinburgh Comedy Festival coalition between the big four venues, including the Assembly Rooms, has also failed to attract a headline sponsor. Bill Hughes, managing director of Bellhaven’s drinks division, said: ‘We are constantly reviewing and refreshing our brand sponsorship and marketing, so our commercial decision is not to renew our sponsorship this year.
Source

'IF' PULLS OUT- Mar 2009
Organisers of the biggest comedy prize at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe are seeking a new sponsor after a banking giant withdrew its backing. Intelligent Finance was unveiled as the headline sponsor of the UK's oldest and most prestigious comedy award in 2006, ending a 25-year association with Perrier. But the Edinburgh-based firm – the internet and phone banking arm of HBOS created nine years ago – has decided not to renew its deal. The decision, understood to have been broken to organisers several months ago, is the first major sponsorship blow for Edinburgh's festivals in the wake of the economic downturn.
Source

Here's some of what I've seen lately...
The Fix Presents Fatsmiles - Martin White & The Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra - The 100 Club, London. With Brian Gittins, Mr B, Tim Minchin, Jeremy Limb and Waen Shephard *****
Nine Carols and Lessons For Godless People - Robin Ince - Bloomsbury Theatre, London with Ricky Gervais, Jarvis Cocker, Dara O'Briain, Waen Shepherd and many others. *****
Dylan Moran'What it is' - Journal Tyne Theatre, Newcastle. ***
Ivan Brackenbury 'Hospital Radio Show' - As You Like It, Newcastle *****
Count Arthur Strong 'The Man Behind The Smile' - Journal Tyne Theatre, Newcastle ****
Al Pitcher 'Picture Show'- Nancys Bordello, Newcastle ****
Tony Law - Nancys Bordello, Newcastle ***
The Trap - Hen & Chickens, London *****
David Byrne (Music) The Sage, Gateshead *********** By far the best live music gig I've ever been too!

MINI FRINGE IS BACK- Feb 2009
The Newcastle Gateshead Comedy Festival starts next week. Official dates are 2nd - 8th March 2009. There's some brilliant shows on including Ivan Brackenbury, Rhod Gilbert, Sarah Millican & Al Pitcher. Go to the official website for the full list of shows/venues/times & prices.

THE TRAP ARE BACK - Feb 2009

I dunno about you but I LOVE 'UM.
The Trap - Dan Mersh, Paul Litchfield and Jeremy Limb are back and doing some shows at the Hen & Chickens, Islington on 9th, 16th and 22nd March.
Can't wait to see them again. They are (in my opinion) high on the list of the last decades funniest sketch comedians.

To reserve tickets call 020 7704 2001 or goto www.ticketweb.co.uk

AND THE CHORTLE AWARD GOES TO...- Feb 2009
Rhod Gilbert and Tim Minchin were the big winners at the Chortle Awards, sponsored by FremantleMedia Enterprises, on Tuesday night, scooping two prizes each. Gilbert was named best headliner and comics’ comic; while musical Australian Minchin won best sketch, variety, and character act, while his show Ready For This? won best show. Other winners included Rufus Hound for best compere, Sarah Millican for breakthrough act, Russell Howard for best theatre tour and Dara O Briain for best DVD. John Hegley was honoured for his artistic integrity, while Robin Ince won the innovation award for his Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People shows in December.
Source

NEW FRINGE CHIEF EXEC UNVEILED - Feb 2009
Kath M Mainland is the new Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society...HURRAY! Kath will take up the post following four years at the Edinburgh International Book Festival as Administrative Director. Kath will take up the role in late May. Tim Hawkins will remain as General Manager to oversee the day-to-day running of the festival and ensure a smooth handover in advance of Fringe 2009.
Source

CHORTLE'S FRINGE PREVIEW - 28th May 2008
The UK's top comedy site Chortle has revealed the biggest preview of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, with details of more than 400 comedy shows. The Fringe programme is not officially unveiled until next Thursday – June 5 – but they have compiled early details of around two-thirds of the comedy programme. Go to www.chortle.co.uk for the list.

MARK'S RAMBLE ON - 8th May 08
Bristol based comedian Mark Olver is raising money for a Help the Hospices by walking from Bristol to Edinburgh in time for his Fringe show, which will be all about his experiences on the road. You can support Mark on his Just Giving page and by offering him a 'bed' en route. Details of the walk are posted in various places, his website and on his facebook group. ALSO Mark is having a massive leaving party at Jesters comedy club in Bristol, on SUNDAY 8th JUNE. "Everyone is invited! It's going to be in the style of a summer fete, with a cake stall, tombola and bunting, as well as some amazing comedy acts.". To book online (quickly because tickets will sell out!) go to www.jesterscomedyclub.com

CAMPBELL'S FRINGE INSIGHTS - 4th May 08
Poet, author and storyteller James Campbell has written a very insightful and heartfelt list of hints and tips for a successful Fringe. If you'd like a copy, email Campbell at james@neapolitantheatre.com

FEB & MARCH NEWS
* Ben Gregor and Tim Plester's acclaimed trilogy of short films has been released on DVD through 2Entertain Ltd. 'Ant Muzak'/Blake's Junction 7/World of Wrestling' is fantastic. Trailers for the films starring the likes of Mackenzie Crook, Martin Freeman, Kris Marshall, Nick Moran, Mark Heap, Kevin Eldon and Johnny Vegas can be seen on their site www.blakesjunction7.com and on YouTube. The DVD is available from all good outlets/sites.

* Robin Ince is helping to organise a big benefit for WSPA at the Hammersmith Apollo 24th February. Already on the bill are Chris Addison (Double Perrier nominee, star of the Thick of It and new BBC2 sitcom Lab Rats),
Will Smith (Time Out award winner and South bank award nominee),
Howard Read (perrier nominee and on this year's Royal variety) doing his Big howard little howard thing,
Norman Lovett (outstanding stand up and obviously Red Dwarf star),
Lucy Porter ( Star of Radio 4 and universally acclaimed every Edinburgh),
Tim Vine (of Not Going Out, Guinness record holder for one liners)
and many more TBC. WSPA is a great charity and Robin is determined to sell this gig out. There will be surprises too apparently. 'If you can help publicise this, in one of those Mr Smith Goes to Washington ways, you'll be helping a very important charity. Thank you' - Robin Ince. SPREAD THE WORD PEOPLE.

* And we've been to a few shows since I last updated including Club Fantastico at the Albany, Daniel Kitson at the Hob, Fullmooners at Alexandra Palace, filming of Would I Lie To You at BBC centre and Count Arthur Strong at Tyne Journal Theatre, Newcastle. More on them later.

FRINGE REVIEW
BLIMEY! A week of thrills and (just for a change) no spills. We came home and went straight back to work and the Fringe now seems like a distant memory...ROLL ON EDFRINGE '08
In the week we were there we saw 25 shows. Saw the worst possible side of an entire student theatre company which ruined our first few days and was gutted to learn that one of the things I'd badgered the fringe shop to sell, and they'd actually done it, had sold out before I got there!!!!!
Anyway, here's the list of shows we saw and when...

16th
Mutton - Gilded Balloon ... Great cast, lovely story, fab music ***
Stewart Lee - 41st Best Stand-Up Ever! - UdderBELLY ... Fatherhood seems to have mellowed Mr Stew but brilliant as always *****

17th
Book Club (with Josie Long) - Assembly Mason's Hall ... Ince on top form, great support acts ***
MySpace Bus (with Jarrad Christmas, and Mark Watson) - George's Square ... excellent show & venue, shame Steve Hughes stormed off refusing to do him set LOL ****
Tony Law: Revenge Of The Dog Of Time - Gilded Balloon ... brillant story and fantastic appearances from Cartridge and Eddie themselves! SHAME ON YOU Johnny Candon! ****

18th
Martin Carthy - Acoustic Music Centre ... beautiful, even with a cold *****
Mark Watson - Pleasance Courtyard ... on top form, lovely bloke too *****

19th
Book Club (with Howard Read) - Assembly Mason's Hall ... again great fun especially Read ***
Hamell On Trial - UnderBELLY ... stunning, a dream fullfilled, and such a top bloke *****
Phil Nichol - Hero Worship - The Stand ... brillant as ever, great story and such a sexy guy! plus fab voice ****
Daniel Kitson: It's the Fireworks Talking - The Stand ...what is there to say? utterly outstanding *****

20th
Killer Joe - Pleasance Courtyard ...gritty and fantastic, not at all gratuitous. Loved it ****
Gawkagogo Freakshow - Pleasance Courtyard ...fab fun, loved the organ ***
Peter Buckley Hill & Some Comedians (with Janice Phayre and Tom Deacon) - The Canon's Gait ... PBH - great as ever, Deacon - a worthy winner, whole thing ruined by Phayre's poor and drawn-out offerings. We left after her so sorry, who ever else was on! *
Storytellers' Club at the Establishment (with Mark Olver & Robin Ince) - C baraka ... too tired to properly enjoy this but tbh, Olver was best part of a quite boring show *

21st
Foo Fighters - Meadowbank Stadium *****

22nd
Mark Forde's On Heat - C SoCo ... great fun, wich we'd heard about this sooner and gone to more ***
Idiots Of Ants - Pleasance Courtyard ... funny and filled the void left by The TRAP nicely ***
Christian Reilly: How To Rock - Pleasance Courtyard ... bit of old material but solid story and great songs ***
Tim Key: Slut In A Hut - Pleasance Courtyard ... who didn't fall in love with Tim this year? Excellent ****
We Are Klang Dickparty: A Retrospective - Pleasance Courtyard ... so much fun, great show through-out *****
Gonzo Dog-Do Bar Band - Pleasance Dome ... Dan Mersh was missed but Chas Early filled his 'legs' nicely. Always unmissable ****

23rd
John Hegley: Letters To An Earwig - Pleasance Courtyard ... from the very start a master at work *****
Jason Burne: Telly Idea Which May Also Work On The Radio Show - Assembly Hall ... bit all over the shop but still lots of fun. Byrne's audience banter is unmatched ***
Pappy's Fun Club - C SoCo ... very clever and great fun. Worthy eddies nominees ****

AND NOW BACK TO THE NEWS...

WHAT A RESULT! - 27th Aug 07
They think it's all over....and it really is now as edfringe.com proudly announce that award winning shows and record audiences have made Fringe 07 a 1.7m ticket success. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe closes today with a raft of award winning shows and 1,697,293 tickets sold. The increase reflects a 10.8% increase on 2006 figures, with a 5% increase on ticketed shows in the same period.
Source

AND THE EDDIE GOES TO... 25th AUG 07
Brendon Burns: So I Suppose This Is Offensive Now has won the 2007 Intelligent Finance Comedy Award.
The other nominees for were: Andrew Lawrence: Social Leprosy for Beginners & Improvers, Andrew Maxwell: Waxin', Ivan Brackenbury's Hospital Radio Roadshow, Pappy's Fun Club: Pappy's Fun Club
The nominees for Intelligent Finance Best Newcomer were: Jon Richardson: Spatula Pad, Micky Flanagan: What Chance Change, Zoe Lyons: Fight or Flight, Beating the shortlist was Tom Basden: Won't Say Anything.
Source

LEARNING TO LAUGH - 15th Aug 07
Drama undergraduate Tom Deacon has been named the funniest student comedian in the UK in Chortle’s annual awards.
The 21-year-old, who has just finished his third year at Exeter university, won £2,500 at the final of the Revels Student Comedy Awards at the Edinburgh Fringe. As part of his prize, he also wins trip to Canada to take part in the Yuk Yuk’s Great Canadian Laugh-Off next year.
Source

TATTOO IN GARDENS - 14th Aug 07
PERFORMERS from the Tattoo are set to entertain thousands of spectators in a free hour-long show in Princes Street Gardens. The second "Mini-Tattoo" follows the success of last week's gathering in the Gardens, which attracted large crowds. Around 400 of the performers from this year's sold-out production at Edinburgh Castle will be taking part in tomorrow's event.
Source

SUNDAY BEST - 13th Aug 07
TENS of thousands of people enjoyed free music, comedy, dance and drama when the Meadows became a celebration of the arts for the 27th Fringe Sunday. An estimated 120,000 attended the annual free extravaganza yesterday, which took place under a funding cloud, with organisers warning it could be the last one. Despite the fears, however, the huge crowd got into the spirit as the park was transformed into a tented village providing a showcase for an eclectic mix of 130 acts.
Source

PRESENTING.....SLATER - 12th Aug 07
Hollywood star Christian Slater is to present the if.comedy awards in Edinburgh this year, organisers have announced. He will hand over the award for the best comedy show on the Fringe, best newcomer and the panel prize for encapsulating the spirit of the festival on August 25. Slater said: ‘Having made my UK stage debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in 2004, I am delighted to be returning to Edinburgh to present the Intelligent Finance Comedy Awards. ‘It will be particularly special to be sharing the stage with a fellow Cuckoo, last year’s winner, Phil Nichol.” The awards shortlist is announced on Wednesday August 22, and a Comedy Cuts special about the awards will be broadcast on ITV2 on Sunday August 26th.
Source

FUZZ OFF! - 11th Aug 07
POLICE have been ordered to chase Fringe performers off The Mound after they started drawing huge crowds. Street theatre has officially been banned from one of its most famous homes following the opening of an entertainment zone on the Royal Mile. Now police chiefs and council officials have ordered a crackdown after judging the large crowds gathering on The Mound were a safety hazard. Officers have moved in several times in recent days to clear the precinct of performers and unlicensed street traders after deciding it had become too crowded.
Source

FRINGE EXTRAS...
* Juggling the Fringe and being a new parent must be a bit of a handful. But imagine if you're still pregnant! Shappi Khorsandi is seven and a half months gone and doing a show at Pleasance Jack Dome. Shappi got married in September to fellow comedian Christian Reilly and her first baby is now on the way. Other comedians enjoying the Fringe with baby in tow are Stewart Lee and wife Bridget Christie. Their son was born earlier this year.

Support these new parents (to be) and go see their shows, which are getting rave reviews I might add...
Shappi Khorsandi: Carry On Shappi - Pleasance Jack Dome - 20:10 - 21:10 - £12/£13
Christian Reilly - How to Rock - Pleasance Below - 17:15 - 20:15 - £9/£10
Bridget Christie - The Court Of King Charles - Baby BELLY - 15:30 - 16:30 - £7.50/£8.50
Stewart Lee - 41st Best Stand-Up Ever! - UdderBELLY - 19:30 - 20:25

DON'T BE DAFT - 10th Aug 07
Two Edinburgh comedians are trying to be so offensive their entire audience walks out.
Kieran Butler and Austin Low promise £1 to anyone who stays the course of their show at the Green Room, but their aim is to be so tasteless they don’t have to shell out money.
Source

SISTERS AREN'T DOING IT FOR ANYONE! - 10th Aug 07
An Edinburgh drama featuring 15 female comedians has been axed – after four of the cast walked out.
The production of The Guid Sisters had featured the likes of Rosie Wilby, Jojo Sutherland and Karen Bayley and had intended to give female stand-ups a chance to hone their dramatic skillsk. But earlier this week, Ruth Bratt, pictured, Frances Healey and Julia Sutherland walked out of the production, citing vague ‘professional and personal reasons’.
Source

MORE FRINGE EXTRAS...
* Great music at this years festival include Paul Steel will be playing Cabaret Voltaire on 17th, Martin Carthy at Acoustic Music Centre on 18th & 19th and for you Gonzo Dog Do Bar Band fans, they're doing a special one-off gig at the Pleasance ACE Dome 22nd August....DONT MISS THIS!

* Things to listen to and read - great interview with Christian Reilly and Steve Hughes on the Scotsman website talking about their shows, life, religion, and stuff * Comedian Blogs on Chortle.co.uk * BBC Fringe site (not as packed as previous years but still worth a look.

FRINGE EXTRAS...
* Anyone else dying to get to the Fringe? Gutting isn't it! Anyway, if you want to whet your appitite, check out the excellent edfest.tv for clips of acts, venues and tons more.

* The MySpace Bus is coming to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for an exclusive run of comedy shows. It's going to be located at George Square by the Spiegeltent and it will be here from the 14th – 17th of August. It's open from 2pm - 11pm and the performances are on from 6pm - 7pm and 9pm - 10pm. It's wristband entry and access is first come first served. It's a 20 seat venue so make sure you get there early! Doors open fifteen minutes before performance. Click HERE for more info.
The line-up is below but other names are to be added.
UPDATED
Tues. Aug.14th:
6pm: Andrew Lawrence, Josh Howie, Henning Wehn and Jason John Whitehead, MC - Michael Legge
9pm: The Real Daniel O'Donnell Show + Tony Law

Wed. Aug. 15th:
6pm: Howard Read, Sarah Kendall
9pm: The Real Daniel O'Donnell Show- guest Robin Ince + Phil Nichol (9.30)

Thurs. Aug. 16th:
6pm: Glenn Wool, Martin White + The Real Daniel O'Donnell Show
9pm: Laughter in Odd Places- MC- Terry Saunders + Josie Long + Issy Suttie

Friday Aug. 17th:
6:00pm- Mark Watson, Steve Hughes
9:00pm—James Dowsdwell , Sarah Bennetto, God's Pottery, Reggie Watts, Andrew O'Neill

IT'S ALIVE!!! - 7th Aug 07
Love Frankenstein, Dracula, Ghastly Ghouls, Cartoon Geeks and Unspeakable things from the slab???
Paul Garner, the star of Gawkagogo and artist of the fantastic Pleasance Courtyard sign and Pleasance Dome murals has a monster art exhibition at HULA Juice Bar in the Grassmarket, Edinburgh for the month of August. Twenty of his original monster paintings will stalk the Hula walls all through this year's festival. 'Paul Garner's art peers behind the curtain of a sinister sideshow underworld where cartoon geeks, zombie kids and unspeakable things from the slab mingle menacingly with the ones that the Scooby Doo gang let get away. Spawned by a lifelong obsession with all things dark, Paul's canvases conjure up the cast of a demonic Disneyland in which only Pugsley and Wednesday Addams' dreams could come true; there are portraits of classic Universal horror film icons, grotesques who seem to have leapt from the pages of Famous Monsters magazine, sketchbook renderings of random monsters from Paul's id... and more!'

PAUL GARNER's MONSTER ART at
HULA
103-105 West Bow
(Victoria Street / Grassmarket)
Edinburgh

ORIGINAL ART AND SIGNED PRINTS FOR SALE!
Ask the HULA staff for details!

FAITH BOWS OUT - 5th Aug 07
Veteran comedy impressionist Faith Brown has cancelled her one-woman Edinburgh Fringe show after collapsing on stage. The 63-year-old fell to the ground 25 minutes into the musical revue Faith Brown And Her Boys In The Buff at the Pleasance. The show was halted and she was seen by a doctor. She has been ordered to rest at home and her understudy Anna Stolli has taken over her role. But the one-woman show Faith Brown Up Front, which charts a career best known for her Margaret Thatcher impersonations, has been cancelled.
Source

READY TO BLOW YOUR MIND - 4th Aug 07
The eagerly-anticipated Fuerzabruta opened its doors to the public on the evening of Saturday 4 August after technical issues delayed preview shows. Fuerzabruta is one of the largest Fringe show ever produced; The Black Tent venue located opposite the Ocean Terminal in Leith can cater to over a thousand each night, standing - and perhaps even dancing - throughout. "It's the most expensive show to stage, we're pretty certain, that's ever been to the Fringe," says show press officer Ben Chamberlain.
Source

01/08/07 - Ok firstly, big PC happenings mean all full access to my site has been restored (and just in time too). Including all the reviews the guest reviewers wrote for last years shows. Much thanks to Rich Dudley, Trudy P, Belinda and Kelly, Lise M, and the Callons. Too late to post these now but anyone wanting to send me any reviews from this years shows, please do. Check out My Top Ten, Updates on the MAP and Hot Tickets Pages. More inc Gig Guide coming VERY soon.

Right - to the news...

GERVAIS KING OF THE CASTLE - 31st July 07
Ricky Gervais has said the prospect of playing to 8,000 people at the Edinburgh Fringe ‘doesn’t mean much’ to him.
The Office star has faced criticism from other comedians, who claim such a huge gig is not in the spirit of the festival – and will take thousands of punters away from shows that more desperately need the audience. But Gervais says the size of the audience is meaningless to him, and that he was only driven to come to the Fringe because he would go into the history books as the first comic to play the castle.
Source

CAVALCADE READY TO ROLL - 28th July 07
Sunday 5 August marks the first day of the Fringe with the return of the family-friendly, free event, the Edinburgh Festivals' Cavalcade. The Cavalcade sees the city centre thronged with crowds - over 175,000 in 2006 - to watch a colourful and noisy procession of community and commercial floats - including the entire cast of the Edinburgh Tattoo. Performers from the 2007 Tattoo will lead the Cavalcade, following a motorised cavalcade of Moto Guzzi Trikings, Harley Davidsons and Honda Gold Wings. The Tattoo performers include The Imps Motorcycle Display Team, The Massed Pipes and Drums, the Taiwan First School Band and Drill Team, The Band of the Moscow Military Conservatoire, the Highland Spring Dancers, Middlesex County Volunteers Fife & Drums (USA) and the Trinidad & Tobago Defence Force Steel Orchestra. The main body of the Cavalcade consists of Festival, community and commercial floats interspersed with bands from all over the UK, with over 3,000 expected to take part.
Source

ON TARGET TO SMASH RECORDS - 5th July 07
Ticket sales at an Edinburgh Fringe venue are on target to break all previous records. Box-office returns at the Fringe office and at the Acoustic Music Centre in St Bride's, Orwell Terrace, are almost 25 per cent up on last year, with weeks still to go. A total of 14,000 seats are available in the venue over the three-week festival and nearly 50 acts in almost 100 shows will appear. Organiser Dr John Barrow said: "We believe we have a wide cross-section of talent which will inspire and excite audiences and we look forward to a memorable event. "We've assembled a wealth of talent."
Source

June 07 - More apologies for the updates taking such a long time. My PC is still not fixed so Flash aps for main pages are slow coming but ARE coming - promise. Plus have still been exceptionally busy having more of my house and garden ripped apart (in a good way), winning and selling cars, changing jobs and mourning the partial death, then rejoycing in the partial resurrection of the comedy god that is Gary Le Strange - more on that HERE Anyway...

Anyway, lots of Fringe news has been and gone...

Paul Gudgin is standing down as Fringe Director. Jon Morgan will begin the job as head of the world's largest arts festival in June 2007.

The Edinburgh Festival has been voted the number one tourist experience in the UK according to readers of the Rough Guide series....of course :o)

Two Fringe venues have announced plans to open up new performances spaces in time for this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the space left by the Gilded Balloon fire in 2002, along with a new venue next to them called The Green Room

Ricky Gervais is bringing his sell-out tour FAME to the Fringe. Performing at Edinburgh Castle for one night only - the last night of the Fringe infact, 26th August. Tickets go on general sale a few days after the release of this years Official Fringe Programme on Thursday 7th June 2007

*** MORE NEWS COMING SOON ***

*** DON'T MISS THIS ***
'Resonance 104.4 fm is London's first radio art station, brought to you by London Musicians' Collective. It started broadcasting on May 1st 2002. Its brief? To provide a radical alternative to the universal formulae of mainstream broadcasting. MISSION STATEMENT - Imagine a radio station like no other. A radio station that makes public those artworks that have no place in traditional broadcasting. A radio station that is an archive of the new, the undiscovered, the forgotten, the impossible. That is an invisible gallery, a virtual arts centre whose location is at once local, global and timeless. And that is itself a work of art. Imagine a radio station that responds rapidly to new initiatives, has time to draw breath and reflect. A laboratory for experimentation, that by virtue of its uniqueness brings into being a new audience of listeners and creators. All this and more, Resonance104.4fm aims to make London's airwaves available to the widest possible range of practitioners of contemporary art. '

This fantastic station needs your help as they are desperately short of funding this year. You can donate straight to them via their site - resonancefm.com or/and go see one or more of their brilliant Benefit shows.

Including this unmissable one...
'RESOFIT - A Comedy Benefit for Resonance 104.4 FM At the Bloomsbury Theatre, London.
Thursday 29th March at 8pm - Tickets £15 - Box Office 020 7388 8822
With....
Wil Adamsdale (Jackson’s Way)
Dan Antopolski (BBC2’s Hyperdrive)
King Charles II (The English Civil War)
Chris Addison (The Thick Of It)
Stewart Lee (BBC2’s Time Trumpet)
Gary Le Strange (the 1980’s)
Josie Long (if.comedies award winner)
Isy Suttie (Take A Break Tales)
Merriman Wier (Matt Holness, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace)
And more names to follow'

***NEWS FLASH***
Stewart Lee is guesting on Andy Zaltzman's Political Animal this Saturday 17th Feb at the South Shields Customs House. Tickets cost £10/£8. Should be a great night. Come along if you can. CLICK HERE for tickets.

The unmissable Oram & Meeten's Club Fantastico is on at Lowdown At The Albany on Thursday 22nd Feb. Featuring, amongst others a rare appearance from Gary Le Strange. CLICK HERE for tickets. ALSO ITV2's Comedy Cuts have commissioned music videos for 5 of Gary's most popular songs. Directed by Stewart lee, 'Is My Toaster' has already been on, 'Grey' can be seen on their website HERE and the hysterical 'Seedy Pimp' is on YouTube - check them out.

Matt Berry of The Mighty Boosh and Garth Marenghi fame is performing songs from is album Opium, and songs composed for Garth Marenghi's Dark Place, Snuff Box, AD/BC A Rock Opera and Saxondale at The Spitz in London on 23rd Feb. CLICK HERE for tickets.

ALSO - one of the most incredible, thought provoking play's H & I have ever seen at the Fringe (or anywhere) is touring. Daniel Kitson's C-90 is a beautifully written and performed, heart warming story that should not be missed at any costs. It's just a shame it's not coming to the North East or we'd LOVED to have seen it again. CLICK HERE for tour info. And sign up to Kitson's mailing list for all his lastest meanderings HERE

More Updates coming soon - HONEST!!

***GREAT NEWS***
A must for all comedy fans - the Rough Guide To British Cult Comedy is being released on October 28th.
Focusing on the last 3 decades and covering a gamut of UK comedy talent. Written by Julian Hall - comedy critic for the Independent - it showcases the cultiest comedians and shows to have entered public conciousness, earning in some cases near-regal status. Featuring amongst many other things, the guides Top 50 Icon's: The Faces of Comedy such as Stewart Lee, The Mighty Boosh, Paul Merton and of course the exquisite Gary Le Strange.
Pre-order your copies now from all good book shops/sites........ISBN 9781843536185

ALSO - Demetri Martin has a beautiful new website - check it out, it'll make your heart & head smile :o)

BRANDED A JOCARR - 4th Oct 06
Russell Brand and Jimmy Carr have been named the kinds of comedy in the Loaded Lafta awards. Carr was named best stand-up while Brand was named funniest man. Extras star Ashley Jensen was named funniest woman. But it was the Friday Night Project which was the biggest winner, being named funniest TV show while its hosts Justin Lee Collins and Alan Carr were named best double act.
Source

EZZASTAND-UP! - 30th Sept 06
Big Brother winner Pete Bennett is planning to become a stand-up comic. The Tourette's sufferer reckons he’s what it takes to make audiences laugh – and thinks he could be as successful as his hero, Jim Carrey. He said: ‘I'm looking into becoming a comedian. I am figuring out that you just have to be yourself when you're on stage. And people laugh at me anyway when I'm being myself.’
Source

TENACIOUS D TOUR UK - 27th Sept 06
The duo, made up of Hollywood star Jack Black and Kyle Glass, is responsible for bringing folk metal back into the mainstream (like it ever went away), by way of making novelty music involving demons, swords and the power of rock. Well, Tenacious D are set to tour the UK and Ireland in December! The tour is in support of their new album and movie, both called The Pick Of Destiny and follows the further exploits of the brothers fat as they try to conquer the world with their power chords. The album is released on November 13 and the film opens four days later. So, if you're interested, the dates of the live tour are as follows...

December
10th - Dublin RDS
11th - Glasgow SECC
12th - Manchester Evening News Arena
15th - Birmingham NEC
17th - Brighton Centre
18th - London Hammersmith Apollo
19th - London Hammersmith Apollo
Source

MARENGHI & MOSS DO CHAT SHOW - 26th Sept 06
Richard Ayoade and Matthew Holness are returingn to Channel 4 with a spoof chat show. The pair, who were behind the brilliant cult sci fi/horror spoof Garth Merenghi's Dark Place, will star in Man to Man With Dean Lerner, broadcast on Channel 4 from October 20th. For the uninitiated, you may know Holness better from his turn as the obnoxious IT guy in The Office, while Ayoade recently played the borderline autistic IT geek Moss in The IT Crowd. Both have recently also appeared in Armando Iannucci's Time Trumpet. OK ,so here's the background: the pair rose to fame on the comedy circuit by winning the Perrier award at the 2001 Edinburgh Fringe with their show, Garth Marenghi’s Netherhead. They were then signed up by Channel 4 to develop the character Garth Marenghi for TV, which featured, among other characters, a certain financier turned abysmal actor called Dean Lerner.
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CARR SAVES LIVES - 22nd Sept 06
The bespectacled camp stand up, who also co-hosts Channel 4's Friday Night Project with shouty fool Justin Lee Collins, was in Lancashire filming a pilot with dancer Lionel Blair of all people. According to reports on the BBC website, the pair had just finished filming for Alan Carr's End-of-the-Pier Show at the inexplicably popular British seaside resort, when they heard that one man, who'd obviously had just way too much fun, chose to attempt suicide off the North Pier. By the time the dynamic duo arrived at the end of the pier the man was apparently just holding on by his fingertips, but they managed to grab him and pull him to safety.
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*** MORE DIARY UPDATES ***
Thursday 21st Sept - Christian Reilly, JoJo Smith, Rex Boyd - Hyena Comedy Cafe, Newcastle
Thursday 28th Sept - Jim Jeffries, Brendon Burns, Steve Williams - Hyena Comedy Cafe, Newcastle *
Tuesday 3rd Oct - Danny Bhoy - Hyena Comedy Cafe, Newcastle *
Tuesday 17th Oct - Al Pitcher, Steve Williams - Customs House, South Shields - Newcastle Gateshead Comedy Festival
Thurs 19th Oct - Rhod Gilbert Knockin On Heaven's Door - Caedmon Hall, Gateshead - Newcastle Gateshead Comedy Festival
Sunday 22nd Oct - An Evening With Robin Ince - Funny Bones, North Shields - Newcastle Gateshead Comedy Festival
Wed 1st Nov - Ed Byrne Standing Up And Falling Down - Hyena Comedy Cafe, Newcastle
...see ya there :o) .......... * new

ELDON IN UNDONE - 20th Sept 06
Kevin Eldon, Ben Moor and Richard Herring are to star in a new sci-fi comedy on BBC7. Undone, a rare original commission from the archive-based digital radio station, has been written by Moor and goes out from October 2. It tells of a journalist on a London listing magazine who discovers a parallel city called Undone. She is recruited by the mysterious Tankerton Slopes to help police the 'gaps' between the worlds, which mean, for example, that there is one more step going down to the underground in Covent Garden as there is going up. The full series follows a pilot that was recorded in January for BBC7's 7th Dimension sci-fi strand.
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RHOD ON RADIO - 19th Sept 06
Stand-up Rhod Gilbert has been signed up to host a weekly radio show on BBC Radio Wales. The former Perrier newcomer nominee will take up his Saturday morning job when he returns from performing at the CapeTown comedy festival at the end of the month. He said: ‘I’ve been doing stand-up all over the world for the last few years, so it’s nice to come back to Wales,’ said Carmarthen-born Rhod, who says he’s planning to relocate from London base.
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RIDICULOUS TREVOR LOCK 'NEWS'
I'm sure you've all heard the 'news' by now about what Trevor Lock is going thru at the moment. If you haven't - you wont read it here - I refuse to acknowledge the abhorrent lies being bounded about.

Everyone here at MyFringe.co.uk whole-heartedly believes Trevor is absolutely, without a shadow of doubt, 100% innocent of everything he's been accused of and we truly hope all this dire tripe is sorted out soon. Chin-up Trev xxx

CONCHORDS TAKE OFF - 11th Sept 06
Folk parody duo Flight Of The Conchords have landed their own American TV series. The Perrier-nominated New Zealanders have been commissioned for an 11-episode comedy from the prestigious HBO network. Their show is being described as similar to fellow HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm, as it will be partially improvised around a script and offers a fictional version of the lives of its stars, Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. It will also feature original songs, in a format similar to the pair’s Radio Two series last year.
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MORE COMEDY STORE - 11th Sept 06
The Paramount Comedy Channel has ordered another series of its Comedy Store stand-up shows. Andy Parsons will host the new runs, which will be recorded from next month and aired later in the year. The series is being taped in the London Comedy Store on Mondays from October 2 and November 6, with at least seven acts on each bill. Free tickets – up to four per person - are available by sending a stamped self-addressed envelope, stating which date you would like to attend, to:

Comedy Store Tickets
P.O. Box 21042
London
N1 1WZ
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IZZARD GETS US SERIES - 7th Sept 06
Eddie Izzard’s American TV career is taking off, as his new crime drama has been commissioned for a 13-episode series. The FX channel has given the green light to The Riches, following a successful pilot ordered in December. Originally called Lowlife, the show co-stars Minnie Driver as Izzard’s wife. The pair are con artists who find an upper-middle-class family killed in a car accident, and assume their identities in the suburbs. Production should start in December, with the series due to launch on the Fox-owned cable channel next summer.
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COMEDY ON TYNESIDE
The Newcastle Gateshead Comedy festival is fast approaching. Featuring some great talent including Robin Ince, Rhod Gilbert and Al Pitcher. Full listing are available on the offical website www.newcastlegatesheadcomedyfestival.com
Book early to avoid disappointment.

Ok personal news -
5 days into MyFringe I received a phone call telling me I'VE WON A SMART CAR!
Entered a World Cup comp a few months ago, with ridiculously hard questions like...
'Between 1950 and 1974 the title was won six times out of seven by the team that...
a) Kicked Off
b) Were awarded a penalty
c) Conceded the first goal
d) Got the first yellow card
...And thanks to spending hours online and some help from various footy fan forums I got all the correct answers (the answer to the above Q being c), entered and WON :o) How ace is that??? Especially as I hate football *teehee*
I'll post some pics when I collect it.

*** DIARY UPDATES ***
Friday 22nd Sept - Christian Reilly, JoJo Smith, Rex Boyd - Hyena Comedy Cafe, Newcastle
Tuesday 17th Oct - Al Pitcher, Steve Williams - Coustoms House, South Shields - Newcastle Gateshead Comedy Festival
Thurs 19th Oct - Rhod Gilbert Knockin On Heaven's Door - Caedmon Hall, Gateshead - Newcastle Gateshead Comedy Festival
Sunday 22nd Oct - An Evening With Robin Ince - Funny Bones, North Shields - Newcastle Gateshead Comedy Festival
Wed 1st Nov - Ed Byrne Standing Up And Falling Down - Hyena Comedy Cafe, Newcastle
...see ya there :o)

WHAT A FRINGE IT WAS!!! - 29th Aug 06
The Edinburgh Fringe has sold a record-breaking 1.5 million tickets this year. Box office figures were up ten per cent on 2006 - but the growth in the number of shows means that several productions still suffered low turnouts. Fringe director Paul Gudgin used the conclusion of this year's Fringe to repeat his calls for more official backing for the festival, which is facing fierce competition from other festival cities. He said: 'It is now time for Edinburgh and Scotland to acknowledge the value
of the festivals and act to safeguard their future. The City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Executive must match the ambition shown by 17,000 performers.' The Underbelly venue was hailed as the biggest winner, with ticket sales soaring 35 per cent and the success of its £300,000 'upside-down cow' venue, The Udderbelly, opposite the Gilded Balloon and Pleasance Dome in Bristo Square. Assembly Rooms director William Burdett-Coutts plans to ask the council to close off George Street next year to help counter the Fringe's shift to this part of town. It has also been mooted that a 'tented city' of cheap accommodation be set up in central Edinburgh, possibly on the Meadows, to attract more younger festival-goers who might otherwise be tempted to music events such as Glastonbury or the Carling Weekend.
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IF.COMEDDIES WINNERS
MyFringe.co.uk would like to pass on it's major congrats to Phil Nicol and Josie Long, winners of this year's unofficial comedy Oscars the IF.COMEDDIES. Very deserving winners.

HURT TO SHARE REEL LIFE - 15th Aug 06
Celebrated British actor John Hurt is set to appear at the 60th Edinburgh International Film Festival. The EIFF have announced the addition to its Reel Life strand on August 22, providing audiences with the opportunity to see the acting legend interviewed in person. ** He'll be the second ALIEN star to take to the REEL LIFE stage as actress Sigourney Weaver has her interview on Aug 15th**
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36HRS OF FUN - 14th Aug 06
Mark Watson has launced his attempt for a new world record for the longest stand-up gig – with a 36 hour performance. The comic, who has previously performed Edinburgh Fringe shows lasting 24 hours and 2,005 minutes (or just over 33 hours) started his new marathon effort at midday. His idea for the show is to take a trip around all the countries of the world, and he will be aided by a regular team of collaborators, including his wife Emily and comic Time Key. Guest comedians will also feature, the first was Arthur Smith. The show will also feature a number of stunts. One audience member has already gone out to see how far they can travel in the duration of the show. Regular reviews of the show can be read HERE.
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TORROR THREAT KEEPS PERFORMERS AWAY - 14th Aug 06
The international terrorism alert has caused the Edinburgh Festival to suffer its first loss after a prestigious American orchestra had its flight cancelled. The Orchestra of St Luke's, from New York, has called off performances in Edinburgh and at the BBC Proms after it was unable to reach Britain.
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EIF LEFT MILLIONS - 12th Aug 06
An Irish spinster who travelled faithfully to the Edinburgh International Festival every year from Dublin has left the organisation £3.7 million - the biggest single gift in its history. Léan Scully, who died last year aged 72, had a passion for classical concerts at the Usher Hall and a taste for crème de menthe at Festival parties. She cheerfully promised Festival staff that she would "see you right when I'm gone".
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FESTIVALFM IS BACK
The radio station dedicated the Edinburgh Festival is to return to the city's airwaves next month. Festival FM will provide 24-hour coverage of events with slots for comedians and performers. The station will broadcast on 87.7 FM and can also be heard at their site www.festivalfm.net A full schedule of shows will also be available to view with possibly podcast/downloads of the best interviews.

**FRINGE HOT TIP**
If music and comedy are your 'thing' then you cant get better than Beergut 100. The exceptional punk covers band fronted by Bill Bailey are triumphantly returning to this years Fringe.....but that's not all!! The celebrated genius Gary Le Strange has been asked to is guest star again, after blowing away the crowds at last years Fringe with his sublime version of Bowie's Jean Genie. The date Gary is appearing is as yet unconfirmed but as soon as I know - you'll know :o)

**Also Returning to the fringe this year is Luminescent Orchestrii. The New York group - who describe their music as 'Romanian gypsy melodies, punk frenzy, salty tangos, hard rocking klezmer, haunting Balkan harmony, hip-hop beats and Appalachian fiddle, all eaten and spit out by three violins, resophonic guitar, bullhorn harmonica and guitarron' - will be on at the The Speigeltent on 7th - 11th Aug. A show not to be missed :o)

TV FEST GOES 'PUBLIC' - 4th July 06
THE Edinburgh International Television Festival is to screen previews of new TV shows under plans to stage its first ever public events. Organisers are joining forces with Sky Television to erect a massive screen behind the Sheraton Hotel for a weekend of free entertainment. The Evening News is a media partner in the scheme, which will allow TV fans to catch a new episode of the BBC's Planet Earth series and take a first look at Love Spring International, the new comedy featuring Will & Grace star Eric McCormack. A new US legal drama Shark, starring James Woods, and Disney show High School Musical will also feature.
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FRINGE TICKET SALES BREAK RECORD - 22nd June 06
THE Edinburgh Festival Fringe has sold 56,368 tickets in a first-week record, organisers said yesterday. Comedy topped the ten favourites, with Bill Bailey, Dylan Moran and The Goodies all reporting strong sales. Russell Brand, Paul Merton, Rich Hall, Jason Byrne and the Lady Boys of Bangkok are also selling well. Ticket sales are up 8.3 percent on the previous highest first week, in 2004. Paul Gudgin, the Fringe director, said: "Thousands of people are getting hold of tickets earlier than ever."
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ALL 4 ONE AND 1 FOR US - 21st June 06
Four leading Fringe venues are joining forces in a London launch today to raise the UK profile of the festival. The Assembly Rooms, the Pleasance, the Underbelly and the Gilded Balloon have agreed a joint logo and ticket-selling operation. Selling 1.5 million tickets, the big four account for 70 per cent of Fringe sales. But they denied that by working together they could squeeze out smaller venues. "The reason we have come together is that we have a distinct role to play in raising the profile of the Fringe," said the Pleasance director, Anthony Alderson.
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**FRINGE HOT TIP**
Haemorrhage - Enter the dark and silly world of sketch double-act Brainstopping, Matt Bowdler and Ben Manning. Brand new sketch show from the co-writers of ITV1's The Sitcom Trials present their new show, including material used to launch the BBC's new comedy website, Comedy Soup. 'Nostalgically evoke double acts from Blackadder to The Young Ones' Scotsman. 'Really witty and laugh out loud funny' Paul Putner, Little Britain. Their new sitcom pilot, So What?, is currently attracting the attention of the UK's leading television producers.
Underbelly - Belly Dancer... 13th - 27th Aug ... 4.45pm - 5.45pm
www.brainstopping.com

PERRIER LOSES IT'S FIZZ - LONG LIVE THE EDDIES - 19th JUNE 06
'After a fantastic quarter century, Perrier has decided to hand over the baton of the most prestigious awards in comedy to Intelligent Finance, a dynamic, innovative organisation based in Scotland. The choice of a new sponsor has come at the end of a long courtship. Nica Burns, Awards Producer and multi-award winning West End theatre producer and owner said: “We have taken a great deal of time and care in choosing our new sponsor. It was extremely important to us to find a company that was the right match to take these fantastic comedy awards into the future. I am delighted to announce that our new sponsor is Intelligent Finance.'
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PUNTERS 'NET' FRINGE TICKETS - 19th June 06
THE bulk of tickets sold so far for this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe have been snapped up on-line. Although a queue to buy briefs for shows stretched around the Fringe Shop and up the Royal Mile when sales began last week, more than 50 per cent of the tickets sold on day one were bought online. The figure rose to more than 70 per cent as the week went on. Fringe director Paul Gudgin said: "I'm very pleased with ticket sales so far. Thousands of people are getting hold of tickets for all their favourite shows early and getting in on all the hot tips. "Over 70 per cent of tickets being sold online is a hugely impressive figure." The top-selling shows in the first week of sales were Bill Bailey, Ed Byrne and The Goodies.
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SPACEY BRINGS OLD VIC WINNER TO FRINGE - 15th June 06
A COMEDY play that impressed the renowned Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey is coming to the Pleasance as part of this year's Fringe Festival. The play - The Same . . . But Different - was runner up in a competition at Spacey's Old Vic theatre in London, and he was seen hysterically laughing throughout the production. Spacey is now helping to bring the play, which is a quirky look at a dysfunctional family and is only the second to be written by Jacob Tindle, to the Capital.
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****** A very big thankyou to TOM from the Smirnoff UNDERBELLY for the sneak preview of this years Fringe shows. Highlights include Talk Radio, Into the Hoods, One Man Star Wars, Gary Le Strange, Demetri Martin, Reginald D Hunter, Book Club/Dirty Book Club, Spank, Maxwell's FullMooners, Jim Jeffries, Political Animal and Topping & Butch. For the older generation, they have Bernie Clifton and Alvin Stardust :o)

OTHER FANTASTIC NEWS - Steve McGrew is appearing at this years Fringe. in the WORLD STANDS UP LIVE show, 25 - 27th Aug at Midnight - George Square Theatre. ******

FLANDERS DOES THE FRINGE - 31st May 06
Harry Shearer, star of This Is Spinal Tap but now best known for providing voices for Simpsons characters including Mr Burns, Smithers and Ned Flanders is doing a show at this years FRINGE. However, his show – which he will perform with his Welsh wife Judith Owen – is fairly blunt about its links to the cartoon, going as it does by the title: This Is So Not About The Simpsons – American Voyeurs. Instead, the Assembly Rooms show promises to ‘take on the culture and the politics of America mixing it with song and an incredible collection of live feed news footage to create a comic commentary on the lunacy of the world’s most powerful nation.’ Shearer previously came to the festival in 2000, for a show in which the Simpsons cast read scripts live, and answered audience questions.
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STEW LEE DIRECTS AT FRINGE - 18th May 06
MyFringe fave STEWART LEE is to direct fellow comic Phil Nichol in a new stage production of the edgy drama TALK RADIO at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. The play was written by American actor Eric Bogosian in 1985, and made into a movie by Oliver Stone three years later. And its theme of a phone-in host targeted by extremist listeners will resonate with Lee, whose role in directing and co-creating Jerry Springer: The Opera has led to run-ins with fundamentalist Christians. Nichol, pictured, takes the role of the tormented presenter Barry Champlain, whose Ohio radio show attracts calls from racists, perverts and drug addicts. Other stand-ups will also star in the play, following the success of other ensemble pieces at the Fringe, 12 Angry Men, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and The Odd Couple. Seven comics and actors will take the remaining 37 characters, including Whose Line Is It Anyway star Mike McShane, former Perrier winner Will Adamsdale and stand-ups Stephen K Amos, Tony Law and Tiffany Stevenson, and will be on in the new UdderBELLY venue in Bristo Square. For full details of this and other fantastic UNDERBELLY shows visit...www.underbelly.com
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ED MEET KENNY - 18th May 06
South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker are to address this year's Edinburgh International TV festival. The pair will deliver a masterclass on their cult sitcom at the event in the last weekend of August. Armando Iannucci will also give a masterclass on his successes, including The Thick Of It and I'm Alan Partridge. Other guests include ITV chief executive Charles Allen, who will deliver the keynote MacTaggart Lecture, former US vice president Al Gore and Sir David Attenborough. The festival's advisory chairwoman, Alison Sharman, said: ‘This is a great line-up. I am sure they will make waves - and make news.’ The three-day festival, which begins on Friday August 25, is only open only to broadcasting professionals.
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MONTREAL COMEDY FESTIVAL LINE-UP ANNOUNCED - 15th May 06
John Cleese will be hosting one of the key, televised gala shows, with Seinfeld star Jason Alexander and Scottish comic turned US chat show host Craig Ferguson hosting two others. And, for the first time, one of the shows will be dedicated entirely to Irish comedians, with a bill that includes Ed Byrne, Owen O'Neill, Andrew Maxwell, David O'Doherty, Colin Murphy, Tommy Tiernan and Jason Byrne. Special events include full-length shows by Bill Cosby, Margaret Cho and John Pinette, the star of the 2004 festival. There is also a small series of one-man shows called Flying Solo, which includes Stewart Lee’s 90s Comedian, Phil Nichol’s Nearly Gay, Tim Minchin’s Darkside and Demetri Martin’s These Are Jokes. Invitations to the prestigious Just For Laughs festival are valued as it is attended by almost all the big players in American comedy, and can be a vital launching pad for a US career. As well as the big shows, there are a series of club nights, all themed. The line-up for the Britcom night includes Tom Allen, Fred MacAulay, Jimmy Carr, Russell Howard, Stewart Lee and Gina Yashere. And the Late Night Down Under bill includes Tim Minchin, Jarred Christmas, Tom Gleeson and Fiona O'Loughlin. The festival runs from July 13 to 23, which most of the English language programming in the second week.
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FAN RELEASES CULT COMEDY - 15th May 06
The cult comedy Joking Apart is coming out on DVD, after a dedicated fan became so frustrated it wasn’t available he decided to release it himself. Craig Robins, who has no previous experience of distributing DVDs, is thought to be the first individual to have gone to such lengths to make a favourite show available this way. ***** Now will someone PLEASE do that with Fist Of Fun and TMWRNJ *****
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* * * * * * * * GARY LE STRANGE NEWS * * * * * * * *
Gary has been preparing for his forthcoming Fringe show...
* BEEF SCARECROW @ Underbelly (Belly Button) 3rd - 27th Aug (not 15th) - 6.45pm.
...and is doing 3 preview shows at Lowdown At The Albany on June 23rd & July 9th, 25th.

You can also catch Gary on the Radio this month...on Saturday 13th & 20th (May) at 1pm on Out To Lunch
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A NEW BELLY VENUE? PULL THE UDDER ONE - 11th May 06
IT is possibly the strangest Fringe venue yet. An upside-down purple cow is to be erected in Bristo Square this summer to host music, comedy and dance events. The tent will form part of the Underbelly group of venues and has been designed to reflect its cow-shaped logo. The 322-seater venue, to be known as Udderbelly, is the first to be created in the square, a popular hang-out for skateboarders through the year, during the Fringe. It will feature raked seating arranged in a horseshoe shape around a large stage.
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MELBOURNE COMEDY FESTIVAL KICKS OFF -12th Apr 06
The 20th Melbourne International Comedy Festival starts today, with hundreds of comedians descending on the city. Organisers predict ticket sales will be up on last year’s AU$5million (£2million), despite fears of ‘festival fatigue’ following the Commonwealth Games in the city. The 25-day event already sells more tickets than any other Australian festival. International acts visiting this year’s event include Danny Bhoy, Demetri Martin, Jason Byrne and Daniel Kitson. While local acts include former Perrier-winners Lano and Woodley, making their last ever appearance as a double act, and Tim Minchin, pictured, who won the Perrier best newcomer award at Edinburgh last year.
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* * * * * * * * EDFEST PROGRAMME NEWS * * * * * * * *
The official programme for the 60th Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2006 will be released on June 8th. Hurray!!

And I have the honour of announcing news of 3 shows I know will be fantastic and highly recommend you all go see....
* GARY LE STRANGE - BEEF SCARECROW @ Underbelly
* BAD PLAY: SECOND COMING @ C
* ROBIN INCE IS NOT WAVING @ Assembly Rooms
Go to www.edfringe.com to pre-order your copy. Or better still - become a Friend of the Fringe and get some great special offers.

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FRINGE FEES SHOCKER!!!! - 8th Apr 06
Edinburgh Fringe venues are facing a huge hike in performance licences – even though the festival contributes around £75 million to the city's economy. The city council is raising its fees by up to 500 per cent over the next three years, to the fury of the venue operators. Edinburgh council says the licensing scheme runs at a loss of £177,000, which is ‘not financially prudent’. So the fees for venues with fewer than 200 seats, the temporary performance licence which was £127 last year will soar in three leaps to £800 by 2008. Larger venues of more than 1,000 seats will pay £1,320 this year, compared to £295 last . William Burdett-Coutts of the Assembly Rooms, told the BBC News website: 'It's shocking. Instead of giving support the council just seems to take the money."
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CASTLE TO HOST FRINGE 60th B'DAY BASH - 2nd April 06
EDINBURGH Castle is to be transformed into a massive Fringe venue this summer to coincide with the staging of the 60th annual arts extravaganza. Scotland's number one visitor attraction will resound to the sights and sounds of dozens of performers from around the world at the one-off event on August 13. Musicians, magicians, comedians and street theatre entertainers will stage shows for up to 6000 people at the three-hour nighttime show. All of the main indoor and outdoor areas of the Castle are expected to be deployed during the event, which organisers say is aimed at showcasing "the best of the Fringe". Although the Edinburgh Military Tattoo takes over the Castle Esplanade for more than three weeks in August, no performances are staged on a Sunday, allowing Historic Scotland to stage the event on the second Sunday of the Fringe.
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* * * * * * * * THE TRAP UPDATE * * * * * * * *
Hilarious comedic trio The TRAP have a website - and about time too...... www.thetrap.co.uk

Thanks to Martin White for steering me in the right direction.
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NORTH EAST COMEDY FESTIVAL RETURNS - 28th Mar 06
The Newcastle Comedy Festival is set to make a comeback after a year’s absence. The event was canned last year after the 2004 festival, held in a giant marquee, was deemed a flop, with tickets overpriced and the venue too cold. However, Warren Speed, who runs a string of Funny Bones venues in the North East decided to step in to rescue it. And this year’s event, scheduled for October 18 to 22, will also include Gateshead, too. Speed, right, said: ‘The 2006 festival is not planned to be a huge event, but is something we hope to grow over the years. Everyone is very excited about bringing more laughter to the North East.’ He also vowed to take the festival back to its roots, staging it at established indoor venues. This was the way the festival was run before moving to the marquee, when it was run by comedians Paul Sneddon and Dave Johns and staff at the Hyena Comedy Café. ‘We are returning to the original festival format that previously made it such a successful event,’ said Speed. ‘Taking the shows back inside and running them within several existing venues around Tyneside ‘Besides performances by many of the country’s finest stand-up comedians, the festival will also feature some comedy shows aimed primarily at younger children ‘We plan to run shows in four or five existing venues, over a five day period, although this might get extended if we get loads of interest. In 2007, we hope to expand the festival quite a bit.’
Source
And I for one can tell you how relieved I am. Being a lover of stand-up comedy, I was more than a little worried when I moved to South Shields, for as beautiful as it is, Tyne & Wear (inc Newcastle) seemed a tad barren as far as good stand-up was concerned. HURRAY says I. Now all you big name comedians...get signed up ASAP :o)

* * * * * * * * UPDATED GARY LE STRANGE NEWS * * * * * * * *
Gary's alter-ego, the comedic/musical genius Waen Shepherd is starring in Tim Plester's new film 'World Of Wrestling'. Waen is playing 'Mr Exotic' - well who else could he possible play? :o)
Tim Plester is a seriously talented writer/actor and is the genius behind ANT MUZAK and BLAKE'S JUNCTION 7 - so 'WOW' promises to be spectacular :o)

Not only is Gary going to be a regular guest on a new BBC Radio 2 show called OUT TO LUNCH. Hosted by Russell Howard and Rob Deering, the show, to be aired on Saturday afternoons, promises stand up, sketches and ‘general silliness’ Also featuring as regular guests are 2005 Perrier winner Laura Solon, Dan Antopolski, Jason Manford, Joanna Neary and Colin and Fergus. BUT he's also on the new radio run of 28 ACTS IN 28 MINUTES. Check back here soon to find out when they'll be aired.

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BRITS RULE AT D'OR - 23rd Feb 06
British comedies dominate the nominations for the most prestigious international TV awards. The UK made five out of the 11 shows shortlisted in the sitcom category of the Rose D'Or awards, and three of the 11 in the comedy section – more than any other nation.
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***NEW FOTC CLIPS***
The lovely people over at Flight Of The Conchords top fan site have posted some clips of FOTC on various TV shows. Check them out HERE

INCE MAKES A MOVIE - 16th Jan 06
Filming on the first feature film written by stand-up and MyFringe fav - Robin Ince has just finished in Australia. Razzle Dazzle is a comedy set in the world of children’s dance competitions, and stars Ben Miller, of the Armstrong and Miler double act. Ince also has a small role himself, which requires Ince, who co-wrote the film with Carolyn Wilson, to don a cowboy outfit. The film also features Paul Mercurio from Strictly Ballroom and Barry Crocker, who starred in the cult Seventies comedy film The Adventures of Barry Mackenzie – and also sang the original Neighbours theme tune.
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*** SHOWS *** SHOWS *** SHOWS ***
We've been to a couple since my last update. 'League Of Gentlemen Are Behind You' - 17th Nov, & AL MURRAY '... And Another Thing' - 26th Nov, both at the Grimsby Auditorium (the AL one was the night before we moved away from GY to start a new life 'up north') Both were FANTASTIC. If you haven't seen Al live yet - what are you waiting for? Just dont sit in the front row ;0) Went to the SAGE in Gateshead a few dates later to see Antonio Forcioni Quartet. Saw this show at the Fringe but wanted to go again to take the inlaws who LOVED it - and rightly so, it's BREATH-TAKING. Went to the last ever CLUB LE STRANGE - 8th Dec, an incredible night in more ways that I can mention. LOVED this show - will miss it terribly but very much looking forward to the Byronic Lord of Glamoronic Face Pop's transmogrification into the Midnight Bastard son of Arty Pop - starting with...

* * * * * * * * GARY LE STRANGE NEWS * * * * * * * *
Gary's alter-ego, the comedic/musical genius Waen Shepherd, is to star in Hyperdrive - a new 6 part British television science fiction sitcom, which starts on Wednesday 11th Jan at 10pm on BBC2. Set in 2151, it follows the crew of HMS Camden Lock - a British spaceship who's mission is not to explore new worlds or seek out new life but to protect Britain's interests in a changing galaxy by encouraging aliens to relocate their businesses to Peterborough and take holidays in The Lake District! Described by executive producer Jon Plowman as a "hilarious version of Das Boot in space" it's written by Kevin Cecil and Andy Riley. Primary Cast: Nick Frost (Spaced) as Space Commander Henderson, Kevin Eldon (Fist Of Fun) as First Officer York. Miranda Hart as Diplomatic Officer Teal. Stephen Evans as Navigator Vine. Dan Antopolski as Technical Officer Jeffers, Petra Massey as Sandstrom.
Waen is in a few episodes and plays a GaryLS type character :o) DONT MISS IT

COMIC STRIP RETURN?? - 22nd DEC 05
The Comic Strip team are considering making a comeback with another series of films. Nigel Planer, Rik Mayall and director Peter Richardson have already reunited for a one-off Channel 4 project, called Sex Actually. But the show, to air on December 28, could herald a whole new series of Comic Strip Presents... In an interview with the Independent today, Planer said: ‘There are still many places we can take the Comic Strip. ‘We'd like to do a series of films embracing younger talent. We can't just make films about old geezers like me. We've got to get in younger, sexier people. Yes, Keith Allen is still sexy, but in an Oliver Reed kind of way!"
Source

LIT.COM IS BACK - 30th Sept 05
That's right people. Lincolnshire's literature and comedy festival returns after last years triumph. Only one comedy show this year but what a corker, Alistair Barrie and the legendary Adam Hills grace the Grimsby Institution Bar on Saturday 15th Oct. Doors open 7.30pm Tickets - £4 (or £5 on the door) DONT MISS THIS CHANCE TO SEE SUCH HIGH CALIBRE STAND-UP'S RIGHT ON YOUR DOORSTEP.
Full LIT.COM listings to follow.

* * * * * * * * GARY LE STRANGE NEWS * * * * * * * *
Continuing the pioneering triumph of last season, Club Le Strange returns…
Boasting London's finest performers in experimental character comedy, cutting edge music and theatrical magnificence. Gary Le Strange, the Ultimate Arty Pop Star, hosts an eclectic evening of alternative comedy and musical cabaret. Join Gary on his fantastic voyage to the nether regions of Super-Stardom. All-singing, all-dancing, all-conquering CLUB LE STRANGE.
Thursday 13th October - 8 p.m.
Thursday 10th November - 8 p.m.
Thursday 8th December - 8 p.m.

Lowdown at The Albany
240, Great Portland Street,
London W1
020 7387 5706 (Box office)
www.lowdownatthealbany.com

A SHOW BY ANY OTHER NAME... - 12th Aug 05
Staff at one of the Fringe's smaller venues were taken aback to receive an irate phone call from one of the Festival's big-hitters accusing them of copying a show name. Housed in a B-listed former church building in the city's Southside, the Roxy Art House is an independently run arts hub supporting local musicians and performers with year-round events. During the Festival season, the venue is staging a late-night cabaret bar, entitled Roxy: Music at the Fringe 2005, with the words Late & Live included on its promotional material.
Source

FRINGE SUNDAY FACES AXE - 12th Aug 05
Fringe Sunday, the 25-year-old event that draws 200,000 people to central Edinburgh, faces the axe because of rising costs, organisers warned yesterday. "We have a much-loved event that has been going for donkeys' years but we no longer have the financial formula to make it work," said the Fringe director, Paul Gudgin. The event runs as usual this Sunday in the Meadows with hundreds of free acts in six tents and stages. But costs have doubled to £65,000 in the past six years.
Source

CSI STAR IS OUT - 3rd Aug 05
CSI star Eric Szmanda has been forced to pull out of his Fringe debut at the Edinburgh Festival because of filming commitments, it was announced yesterday. The decision by Szmanda, who plays forensic scientist Greg Sanders on the hit TV show, has resulted in the cancellation of Hyenas, the play in which he was due to appear. The Zoo venue, where the play was due to be held from 7 to 14 August, put the cancellation down to an "unexpected change" in Szmanda's filming schedule.
Source

FRINGE ON 4 - 3rd Aug 05
Radio 4 is to record several new comedy shows at the Edinburgh Fringe. Topping the list is Political Animal, a radio version of the live stand-up show John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman regularly host in London and Edinburgh. The show features satire from a mix of new and established acts, focussing on broader global issues rather than the in-fighting of the Westminster set. It follows the recent second series of The Department, featuring Zaltzman, Oliver and Chris Addison as a team of radical troubleshooters. The show will be performed at the Underbelly during the Fringe, and a special recorded for broadcast at the Pleasance on August 27.
Source

ED WED WITNESSES WANTED - 3rd Aug 05
A pair of love-struck Fringe enthusiasts from south of the Border have advertised for volunteers to act as witnesses at their wedding in the Capital. Sarah Gaskin and Simon David, from Roydon, Essex, decided to tie the knot during the Fringe festival. But the couple don't know anyone in Edinburgh and have instead called on other Fringe fans to help them celebrate their big day. The couple, both 31, have posted a message on the Fringe website asking for anyone based in the Capital to be witnesses to their marriage during the international event.
Source

FRINGE PLAY HAS TASTE OF CHOCOLAT - 2nd Aug 05
A fringe play has been given a touch of movie star glamour, after actress Juliette Binoche agreed to take part. The French star of hits such as Chocolat and The English Patient has recorded her first-ever song for the show. And while she will not be appearing on-stage in the Capital, the play's director is convinced her haunting melody will be one of the show's most memorable features. The song is being used in a production of Helver's Night, by Polish playwright Ingmar Villqist, a tale about the consequences of military revolution in Europe.
Source

THE FULL MONTY - 29th July 05
A group of American comics have performed what could be the world’s first naked stand-up show. The little-publicised event in Boston on Tuesday night was a sell-out. Compere and organiser Andy Ofiesh said he's been hosting private comedy shows in the nude for three years – but this was the first one he’d done in public. Before the Naked Comedy Show gig, he told the Boston Globe: ''You definitely connect on a different level with the audience." And he said it was legal “as it's not a strip show . . . And you're not allowed to tip performers while they're onstage”.
Source

* * * * * * * * GARY LE STRANGE NEWS * * * * * * * *
The recent Club Le Strange season finale was incredible. What has always been a warm, welcoming haven of the hysterically strange, became such a joyous collaboration of face-achingly talented performers that it turned out to be one of the best comedy shows I've ever seen. The guests were, as always, brilliant and freakishly funny. But the run-away stars of the show (apart from the host of course) was again THE TRAP. Who's exquisite characters and delightful charms are only slightly seconded by their sheer gorgeousness.
ALL HAIL THE TRAP....miss their shows at the FRINGE at your peril.

**** NOW FOR THE GREAT NEWS - CLUB LE STRANGE WILL BE BACK ****
I have the absolute pleasure of announcing that Gary Le Strange - Neo-Regency Face Warrior and Glamoronic inventor of Face Pop will return as host of his own special evening, with comedy, music, arty stuff and special guests. After a few months off to concentrate on that all important 3rd album, CLUB LE STRANGE will be back in October.

**** EVEN MORE BRILLIANT NEWS ****
Cant wait till October?? Me neither!! Good job then that Gary is going to the FRINGE :0) Altho not performing in his own show - he will no doubt be stealing everyones thunder at the following...

16th Mega-jam (with Priorite A Gauche and friends) - Underbelly
17th Spank! - Underbelly
18th Beergut 100 (Bill Bailey & friends) - Teviot, Gilded Balloon (confirmed)
18th Spank! - Underbelly

See you there :0)

www.myfringe.co.uk brings you all the lastest news from the fringe/comedy/entertainment world.
AS I WAS GOING TO SOUTH SHIELDS... 5th July 05
...up the A1 last Friday, we pulled into a Little Chef car park & got out for a quick stretch. After a few mins a white transit camper van pulled up beside us. I spotted the bloke inside and instantly knew his face from somewhere (I have one of those annoying habits of never forgetting a face). After a bit of squinting and head scratching - I realised who it was so went over to double check...
and it was indeed Colin Carmichael, actor and 118 ad runner (who's pics are on my GALLERY page from EdFringe '99 when he appeared in The Exhibitionists with Ridiculusmus). He was on his way to Edinburgh for the MPH Rally. He remembered me 'wrong' as a girl who was also at Fringe On Sunday taking hundreds of pics of him & Timur, but I felt it cruel to correct him and he did remember me...kinda. Anyway - after a quick chat we (Hartley & I) said goodbye and got back in the car. As we drove away - Hartley (Phil) remarked how I never cease to amaze him...ahhh I'm a freak and he still likes me....aint love grand !? :0)

***REMINDER***
DONT FORGET TO BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW FOR THE LAST CLUB LE STRANGE
IT'S ON THURSDAY 14TH JULY 2005 AT LOWDOWN AT THE ALBANY AT 8PM.
You really will kick yourself if you miss this breathtakingly funny show!
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!!!!

RUBY'S POPE IS RELEASED - 5th July 05
Popetown, the controversial animated comedy the BBC pulled from the schedules, is to be released on DVD. The Vatican-based cartoon, which featured Ruby Wax as the voice of the Pope, was dropped after it came under fire from the Catholic Church last year. BBC Three decided not to risk causing offence, and canned the £2.5 million show before it even aired, saying its “comic impact did not outweigh the potential offence it will cause". Now – and despite the new religious hatred laws brought into force last month – video label Revolver is to release the 10-part series in September.
Source

FOTC RADIO 2 SHOW - 30th June 05
Perrier-nominated folk parodists Flight of the Conchords have landed their own Radio 2 series, with a host of names from the comedy circuit lending a hand. The duo’s improvised show will be broadcast from September, with Keith Barret creator Rob Brydon providing the narration. And comics taking part in the six-part series include Jimmy Carr, Daniel Kitson, Nina Conti, Greg Proops and Dan Antopolski, while fellow Kiwi Rhys Darby plays their manager, Bryan Nesbitt.
Source

THE DARK DUO RETURN - 30th June 05
The team behind Garth Marenghi's Darkplace are working on another Channel 4 series. Details of Richard Ayoade and Matthew Holness’s next project are being kept under wraps, but it will be called Deano’s After Dark. The Perrier and Chortle Award-winning duo are trying out new material for the show at the Riverside Studios in West London this month. The venue said only: “The first series was a spoof horror, so expect more of the same.” Try-out gigs take place at 8pm every Monday from next week until 1st August. For tickets goto TVrecordings.com
Source

BRENDON'S MAGIC GLASTO TRIP - 27th June 05
Outspoken stand-up Brendon Burns threw himself from marquee scaffolding while high on magic mushrooms during his Glastonbury gig last night. The Australian comic had previously handed out free samples of the hallucinogenic fungi to some of the hundreds of people in the festival’s cabaret tent, then admitted he’d just taken some, too. Spotting the scaffolding, which also doubled as lighting rig, he said: ‘I’m climbing that’ – getting about 10ft up before deciding to plunge into the audience, who were waiting to catch him.
Source

HIT THE 'HALF PRICE' HUT - 17th June 05
TICKETS for hundreds of Fringe shows are to be sold at half-price on the day for the first time this year. Seats for some of the top events at the world's biggest arts festival are expected to be available for just a few pounds throughout the extravaganza. A Leicester Square-style ticket booth is to be set up just off Princes Street to allow Fringe-goers to snap up exclusive last-minute offers.
Source

BEDLEM eBAY HIJACKING - 16th June 05
A FRINGE venue which resorted to auction website eBay in a bid to find a last-minute sponsor has been hijacked by a rogue trader. The Bedlam Theatre - Venue 49 - listed itself on the website earlier this week. The auction offers bidders the chance to support Britain’s only entirely student-run theatre. But Fringe organisers behind the innovative move were dealt a serious blow to their hopes of finding a sponsor for the venue when a rogue eBay user copied the listing and started trying to sell the item off as their own.
**UPDATE** 24/06 - Radio station Beat 106 won the real auction with a winning bid of £1,850
Source

ARCHIE GETS GIGLI WITH IT- 10th June 05
Monarch of the Glen heartthrob Alastair MacKenzie is set to star in an acclaimed Irish play at this year's Fringe. In a marked change from his role as Archie MacDonald in the global hit show, MacKenzie will take the lead in Tom Murphy's The Gigli Concert at the Assembly Rooms. The Exonerated - a ground-breaking American play about the death penalty which has wowed audiences in New York with a star-studded line-up of Hollywood actors and A-list performers - will be at the same venue.
Source

***** CLUB LE STRANGE FINALE ***** - 10th June 05
I couldn't be more gutted!
The best monthly comedy night in one of London's best venues - Lowdown At The Albany is coming to a close. Next Months CLUB LE STRANGE (July 14th) is the LAST one (for now). This months was just amazing altho Gary himself was a little 'off' (- me thinks Philip De Vine has been spiking Gary's vimto with Cillit Bang). The TRAP boys are worth the ticket price alone & the other regular guests eg Oram & Meeten are always an eye-popping treat (the less said about that the better :-S )
But anyway - PLEASE COME ALONG TO WHAT MIGHT BE YOUR LAST CHANGE TO SEE GARY & THE MASQUES OF MANDRAGORA PERFORM LIVE!!!!! And you never know - Philip might even join then.

COME AGAIN' AUCTION - 26th May 05
Some of the biggest names in British comedy have donated rare items of memorabilia to raise money for a new stage play about Dudley Moore’s turbulent relationship with Peter Cook. Stars of The Office Gervais, Freeman and Mackenzie Crook, as well comedians such as Shaun of the Dead star Simon Pegg, Dawn French, Jimmy Carr, Peep Show’s Mitchell and Webb, actress Prunella Scales, One Foot in The Grave and Jonathan Creek creator David Renwick, Stephen Fry, Clive Anderson and comedy legends Jimmy Perry, David Croft and Ken Dodd have all given items to an auction which will raise money for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival run of Come Again – The World of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, which tells the story of Pete and Dud’s comedy partnership from Moore’s point of view, at the Assembly Rooms this summer. The items are being auctioned off on eBay

Yes - I've been a bad bunny. I haven't updated for AGES but I have a good excuse honest.....................I've been very very busy *snigger*
But I've no doubt you've all been going to www.chortle.co.uk for all your fringe/comedy/entertainment news needs :-D

I really have been busy with work - turning 35 :-( - a couple of operations and Hartley....who is a very demanding hare, but I havent turned my back on live stuff.
In the last few months, I've been to see ...
* African Soul Rebels Tour @ Shephard's Bush Empire feat Rachid Taha, Tinariwen & Daara J
* Jimmy Carr
* Dave Spikey
* John Shuttleworth
* Derren Brown (twice)
* Celeb Big Brother & The Games
* CLUB LE STRANGE in Febuary, March & May (which were all fantastic)...

...and I've got plenty more stuff to see before THE FRINGE...OMG!!!!!!
It's only 11 weeks on Sunday you know!!!! *picks self off floor* I CANT WAIT!!!!!

MARENGHI HEADS FOR BIG SCREEN - 16th May 05
Horror spoof Garth Marenghi could be heading for the big screen. Creators Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade have been commissioned by FilmFour to write a full-length script based on his cult comedy. "We're in the middle of writing it at the moment," Holness told The Guardian. "But it's going to be different to the TV series."
Source

ALAN & BILL - THE ODD COUPLE! - 11 May 05
Bill Bailey and Alan Davies are to star as The Odd Couple at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Neil Simon’s classic comedy is to be produced by Guy Masterson, who brought 12 Angry Men to the Assembly Rooms in 2003, featuring a cast of comedians. He was also director of last year’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, before quitting because he found the clashes with the stars, which included Christian Slater and Frances Barber, left him ‘physically and emotionally unable to continue’. However, this year he is back in the Assembly Rooms with the comedy, made famous by the 1968 film starring Jack Lemmon and Walther Matthau.
Source

BBC NEW TALENT SEARCH - 9th May 05
The BBC has launched its annual hunt for the best new stand-up talent. As last year, the competition will air on digital radio station BBC7, with the winner receiving a £2,000 first prize. Rules for entry are simply that you must be over 18, and not performed stand-up for more than three years. Previous winners have included Marcus Brigstocke, Dan Antopolski and The Boosh’s Julian Barratt.
Source

GLS NEWS FLASH - GLS NEWS FLASH - 4th Jan 05
The comedy massiah that is Gary Le Strange is BACK. Hosting his very own Club Le Strange on Thur 10th Feb. More details to follow. ALSO, Gary is doing a set at the Brixton Windmill on Thursday 13th Jan 05 (doors open at 8pm). Also on the bill are...Vinny Peculiar (featuring Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke of The Smiths) & Cursor Miner and the evening is compered by Ricky Gervais' stress toy -
Robin Ince. Tickets cost a mere £4 and can be purchased thru www.wegottickets.com
DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS EVENT. You wont see acts of this calibre at this price anywhere else!!
...see you there :)

PUB LANDLORD HOSTS TSUNAMI DISASTER APPEAL SHOW - 4th Jan 05
Star of Hell's Kitchen, Time Gentleman Please and two live DVD's will be fronting a special event next Thursday, Jan 13th at The Comedy Bunker. All proceeds will go towards the appeal to support the Asian
Tsunami Disaster. More acts will be added to this show and details will be posted on the website when they are confirmed. However, Al Murray will be hosting the whole night as The Pub Landlord. You can expect well over an hour from him alone.
Source - email

***other benefit gigs are being held at The Stand in Edinburgh - 4th Jan, & Glasgow - 5th Jan, & The Frog & Bucket in Manchester on 12th Jan***

LEE HITS BACK AT CRITICS AS BBC AIRS JSTO - 3rd Jan 05
Stewart Lee has hit back at critics complaining about the bad language in the BBC broadcast of Jerry Springer – The Opera before it has even aired. The West End show starring David Soul is to be aired on BBC2 on Saturday 8th Jan 05 in its entirety, to the dismay of clean-up TV campaigners. Newspaper reports have claimed the two-hour musical contains more than 8,000 obscenities – which would work out at more than one every second – including 3,168 F-words.
Source

PRIOR VOICE SILENCED - 31st Dec 04
Multiple sclerosis has finally robbed Richard Pryor of his voice. The comic has not been able to perform for the past eight years, since appearing in the movie Lost Highway. The 64-year-old has long conducted all his interviews by emails because of his illness, which was diagnosed in 1986.
Source

BBC SHOWS COMEDY STORE HISTORY - 23rd Dec 04
BBC1 is to screen an hour-long documentary about the 25-year history of the Comedy Store. The programme will be presented by Paul Merton, and is billed as a personal history of the trailblazing venue. Comedians interviewed include Stewart Lee, Clive Anderson, Lee Evans, Jo Brand, Jack Dee, Jenny Eclair and Alexei Sayle, the Store’s first regular compere.
Source

*Had a breathtaking night at Club Le Strange. All the acts were brilliant.
Only downside - if there has to be one - is that there wasn't enough Gary.
More Clubs Le Strange are apparently being planned for Feb 05 onwards. More details to follow. ***DON'T MISS THIS INCREDIBLE SHOW***
***also had a very entertaining night at Alexie Sayle...catch this if you can***

NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH - 12th Oct 04
Gary Le Strange is to host HIS OWN NIGHT at the Albany on Great Portland Street!
On Thursday 28th Oct @ 8pm. It's a "hastily thrown-together evening" in which Gary will be performing some of his favourite songs from his own repertoire, while also showcasing some of his favourite acts from the comedy world like Oram & Meeten, Justin Edwards and Neil Edmond from Radio 4's The Consultants, multi-talented sketch group The Trap and other, as yet unconfirmed, special guests. More news on this as we get it.
Source

* Had a great time at the Off The Kerb Roadshow gig's at the Drum Bar. Highlight of the shows was Alan Carr :-) ...serious low was Steve Gribbin :-(

* Looking forward to Alexie Sayle at the Winter Gardens, Cleethorpes on Saturday....see you there :)

LIT.COM FESTIVAL DETAILS - 18th Sept 04
North East Lincolnshire's Newly-formed Literature & Comedy festival has released details of it's forth-coming shows. The Festival runs thru-out October and includes shows from Alexie Sayle, Off The Kerb Roadshow & Tony Benn.
______________________________________________________________________________
6th - Tony Benn: A Political Life - Grimsby Auditorium
7th - A Cartoon History Of Grimsby - Whitgift Film Theatre
8th - Off The Kerb Roadshow - Drum Bar (feat - Andy Robinson MC, Matt Kirshen, Alistair Barrie)
11th - Intro To News Journalism - Grimsby Town Hall
12th - Write Your Life - Waltham Library
12th - Scriptwriting Workshop - Grimsby Institute
13th - 'Work Is A Curse...' - Whitgift film Theatre
14th - The Art Of Prose - Grimsby Institute
15th - Off The Kerb Roadshow - Drum Bar (feat - Alan Carr MC, Steve Gribbin & Ian Moore)
16th - Superhero Saturday 2 - Whitgift Film Theatre
17th - 'Wilde' - Whitgift Film Theatre
18th - Playwriting Workshop - Grimsby Town Hall Lounge
19th - Grimsby Libraries Readers' Group - Grimsby Library
20th - Driftnet Poets & Malika Booker - Millfields Hotel
21st - Fatwax Live feat Charlie Dark - Drum Bar
22nd - Let's All Get Blessed: Amanda Lowe - Lindsey Upper school
23rd - Voyage On The Darkside and Stories from Near & Far: Penny Dolan - Grimsby Library
23rd - Alexie Sayle: Overtaken - Winter Gardens
24th - How To Get Published: Ian Daley- Kingsway Hotel
______________________________________________________________________________
PLUS - Not part of the Lit.Com festival but also performing in the area is Boothby Graffoe & The Following People... at the Grimsby Auditorium - Sunday 26th Sept. I saw this show at the Fringe and it's well worth seeing.

NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH - 18th Sept 04
Great news for all Gary Le Strange fans. The Byronic Lord of synth pop (and highlight of this year's fringe) is doing a gig TONIGHT (18th) at Monkey Business at the The Lush Bar, Jamestown Road, Camden, with Marcus Brigstocke and Simon Munnery. Doors open at 7.30pm. Be there and support this crusader in his Face War against the evil forces of convention and conformity :)

BBC NEW COMEDY AWARDS KICK OFF - 18th Sept 04
The BBC has announced that the regional heats of its New Comedy Awards will kick off on Monday October 4. More than 600 would-be comics entered the competition, which has a top prize of £2,000, and the best will now perform in nine local heats. Semi-finals will be held in Newcastle, London and Manchester and broadcast on digital station BBC7. The final will be held at the Manchester Comedy Store in December and broadcast on BBC7, with Radio 4 making a programme around it.
Source

JONGLEURS WORTH LESS - 11th Sept 04
Shares in Jongleurs owner Regent Inns have slumped more than 20 per cent this morning after it
failed to announce its annual results. The company surprised the City with the news, which it blamed
on problems in complex interest calculations. Regent Inns said the calculations had not been "strictly
in accordance" with its procedures The shares slump means the company is worth less now than it was
a decade ago.
Source

NY LAUNCHES COMEDY FESTIVAL - 9th Sept 04
New York has unveiled the line-up for its first comedy festival… just eight gigs. Roseanne Barr, Denis Leary, pictured,Steven Wright and Drew Carey are the headline shows at the event, which takes place from November 9 to 13. It also features a showcase hosted by radio DJs Opie & Anthony, a Latino comedy night and shows by Paul Mooney and Mo’Nique.
Source

5th Sept 04
I'm back. Had a breathless time at the Fringe followed by a few fab days at
Hartleys house in South Shields. Came home and went straight back to work :( so
am a bit slow getting to writing MY FRINGE diary. It's coming tho - along with the up-to-date gig guide that's been left unattended for ages :S Sorry about that.

I'M GOING TO THE FRINGE ... 18th Aug 04
...tomorrow so there'll be no updates for the next week.
I'm practically giddy :-D Not seeing much for the first few days but when
my boyfriend Hartley comes up on Sunday, we'll be seeing ...
Boothby Graffoe, The Elephant Woman, Stew Lee, FOTC, Nancy Cartwright, Demetri Martin, Gary Le Strange, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, British TV Explained, Paul Merton's Improv Chums, Glenn Wool, Jim Jeffries, Bad Play: Worser Play, Flopstar, Rhys Darby, Rich Herring, The Haunting Of Hill House and a few L 'n' L's etc.

See you there :)

STEWART LEE - '*****' The Times- 9th Aug 04
Congratulations to Stewart Lee for getting comedy’s first five-star review as The Times heralded his ‘stunning return’ to stand-up...
'SOME years it takes days, even weeks, to find something at the Fringe that really excites you. This year I got lucky, waltzing off the train and straight into this comedy masterclass from an Edinburgh veteran making his stand-up comeback' - Dominic Maxwell
Source

THE PRICE OF HYPE - 9th Aug 04
Edinburgh Fringe ticket prices are soaring to fund an “orgy of hype and promotion”, according to one comedy promoter. In his annual rant against the commercialisation of the festival, Tommy Sheppard of The Stand comedy club, said the rising costs hit both performers and comedy fans.
Source

VIRTUAL FAVOURITES - 7th Aug 04
Adam Hills and Flight Of The Conchords are joint favourites to win the Perrier – according to a new ‘virtual’ betting site. Comedian Dominic Frisby has set up www.perrierbet.co.uk to offer odds on the outcome of comedy’s most prestigious prize – and the two antipodean acts are currently both 4/1. Both were nominated last year, Hills for the third time.
Source

SLATER GETS THE POX - 31st July 04
Christian Slater may have to pull out of the Edinburgh Fringe production of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest after contracting chicken pox. The Hollywood star was due to make his British stage debut at the festival on Friday. But the 34-year-old actor has been taken ill after catching chicken pox from a comedian Felix Dexter, a fellow cast member.
Source

TIERNAN WOWS FESTIVAL GALA - 24th July 04
Tommy Tiernan has wowed audiences at Montreal’s Just For Laughs festival, receiving a standing ovation at the high-profile gala show. His 15-minute performance at the St Denis theatre was described by one veteran festival-goer as one of the best things he has ever seen there.
Source

DIRECTOR QUITS TOP FRINGE SHOW - 23rd July 04
The acclaimed director of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest has pulled out of the show just two weeks before it opens at the Edinburgh Fringe. Guy Masterson said the stress of staging such a high-profile production, with Hollywood star Christian Slater heading the cast of comics, was proving too much.
Source

PRISON GIG FOR THOMAS - 21st July 04
Mark Thomas is to perform to hundreds of inmates at Edinburgh’s Saughton prison when he visits the Fringe next month. The lunchtime gig, expected to be on August 10, will be part of the Edinburgh People’s Festival, an alternative to the fringe aimed at the residents of the city. Spokesman Ali Black told the Edinburgh Evening News: "We have spoken to Mark Thomas and he is very keen to do the show.
Source

MONTREAL ACTS VIE FOR TV DEAL - 20th July 04
At least one comic is guaranteed to land a TV deal at the Just For Laughs festival. Cable network Spike TV is to hold a talent contest on Saturday, with the winner receiving a talent development contract. Scouts will chose ten performers during the festival to perform a seven-minute set in front of a panel of judges comprising network executives and comic Dom Irrera.
Source

GOODIES 'TRANDEM' RESURRECTED - 20th July 04
The three-seater ‘trandem’ bike ridden by The Goodies has been brought out of retirement to promote an Edinburgh show. Three-man sketch troupe The Trap brought the original bike on eBay for £600, and have spent several weeks fixing it up so they can ride it around the Scottish capital during the festival.
Source

ONE FLEW... LEAD NAMED - 17th June 04
Christian Slater has been named as the Hollywood star headlining the Edinburgh Fringe production of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. The actor will play rebellions mental patient Randall P McMurphy alongside a cast of comics, including The Office’s Mackenzie Crook. Slater will also take the role to the West End once the run at Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms is over. He said: “I am thrilled to be making my West End and Edinburgh stage debut in this great American classic.
Source

IT'S OUT - 10th June 04
The 2004 Edinburgh Fringe festival prorgramme has officially been released today. Featuring no less
than 25,326 performances of 1,695 shows involving an estimated 15,600 performers. View the programme online at www.edfringe.com NOW!

HUTCH JOINS JSTO - 10th June 04
Starsky and Hutch star David Soul is taking over the role of Jerry Springer in the West End musical. The 60-year-old actor and singer will join the London cast on July 12, two days after Michael Brandon, pictured. gives his final performance. The award-winning show, written by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas, has seen by 250,000 theatregoers, netting more than £8.5 million at the box office.
Source

COMICS GO CUCKOO - 17th May 04
Some of the top names from the stand-up circuit are to appear in a stage version of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest at this year's Edinburgh Fringe. As Chortle first reported in December, acclaimed director Guy Masterson is following up last year's festival hit 12 Angry Men with another ensemble piece. And who better to play inmates of a lunatic asylum than comedians?
Source

STEWART LEE RETURNS TO THE FRINGE (yay) - 15th May 04
August 5th - 29th, not 17th, at 8.40- A new hour of stand-up at The Underbelly in Edinburgh. "Stewart Lee - Stand-up Comedian. How can a stand-up who has spent three years working in musical theatre stop himself turning into Ben Elton? In his fifteen year career Stewart has performed on over two continents, written for Steve Coogan and Michael Barrymore, squandered development deals with massive American TV Networks, interviewed Neil Diamond, written a confusing novel about native American clowns, been denied entry to Spike Milligan's house,appeared in the forgotten double act Lee and Herring, had two series cancelled
by Jane Root, dressed Johnny Vegas as a yeti, and finally been nominated for an Olivier award for directing an opera about Jerry Springer. After an enforced lay-off from stand-up, and bewildered by critical acclaim in a world he never made, Stewart returns for his 17th Fringe in search of clarity, self-respect and immediate sensual and intellectual gratification. Ricky Gervais describes him as "the cleverest, funniest, most cliché free comedian on the circuit."
Source - email.
Stu will also be hosting One Way Single Parent Family Favourites on ResonanceFM on Sunday 23rd May - 12-2pm

IZZARD: THE MOVIE - 15th May 04
Eddie Izzard is making a documentary film about his own life. He’s been recording footage for Diva 51 for the last three years and yesterday announced that it will be ready for release in 2005. The film follows Izzards’s efforts to crack America as a stand-up and an actor, combining concert footage, personal archives, backstage scenes and interviews.
Source

KITSON 'HIDES FROM AUDIENCES' - 15th May 04
Former Perrier-winner Daniel Kitson is shunning the biggest Edinburgh venues this year, in favour of the intimate Stand comedy club. The stand-up, who played the large Pod marquee last year, has instead chosen a room with about a third the capacity
Source

AND WE'RE BACK....

FIGWIT IN ROTK? - 24th Nov 03
Flight Of The Conchords' Bret McKenzie is in the last LOTR instalment - Return Of The King. Though it might just be on paper...well card anyway, as TOPPS have released autographed cards of the principle cast & crew and Fitwit is there (see here).
ALSO beside being half of FOTC, starring in the 'Phones-4-U' ads, and playing Figwit (talk about multi-tasking) Bret McKenzie is also the keyboard player in NZ band The Black Seeds who have been invited to America next month to perform at Tent Moot - an international Lord Of The Rings convention to be held in Portland, Oregon from 11th - 15th December. The Black Seeds are performing on 12th.

UPDATE - Bret is indeed in Return Of The King. Look out for Bret's gorgeous self at a cinema near you soon :)

NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH - 24th Nov 03
Everyone who went to the Grimsby Auditorium last night will tell you what a brilliant night it was. The 3rd - but hopefully not the last - Jongleurs - On The Road got off to a cracking start with MC Alistair Barrie playing up to his 'posh' stereotype but surprisingly (and therefore amusingly) not at the expense of the audience. First on was Geoff Boyz. Bit of a slow start but had us howling in no time and finished with the De Niro/Pacino/Pesci stuff which looks so much better live. Next was Andrew Maxwell. (I first saw Andrew in The Number One Show at the Fringe in 1999 with Daniel Kitson and Trevor Lock). Anyway - the guy was amazing. after 5 mins he sat on the front of the stage, binned the mic and just did his set like that!! Being in the front row it felt like we'd invited a mate round for a beer who was making us laugh are arses off....bloody great stuff. Lastly was Adam Bloom - to be honest I wasn't looking forward to him as I've seen him live and on TV so many times (and noticed he'd done the same routine for the last 7 years), but happily he had some new stuff and after abandoning his mic too...had us all in stitches.
Comments were made about the empty seats but in a 1200 seat venue even a good turn-out (a couple of hundred at least) can look a bit lost. But for a cold, raining Sunday night in a town that isn't used to regular stand-up comedy gigs (yet) at a venue that DOESN'T advertise - I think we 'Grimsby' did ok.
Please come back Jongleurs (if you're listening) - WE WANT MORE :)

SPIKEY PENS NEWSPAPER SITCOM - 23rd Nov 03
Phoenix Nights star Dave Spikey is working on a new ITV1 sitcom set in a useless local newspaper. The comic says he wants to star in his new project - but network chiefs may refuse. Spikey first had the idea nearly a decade ago, but has only been able to get the project off the ground following his success as compere Jerry St Clair in Phoenix Nights, which he co-wrote with Peter Kay.
Source

AT LAST THE 1948 SHOW, AT LAST - 23rd Nov 03
An episode of the Sixties comedy series that spawned the Pythons is to be aired for the first time in 36 years, after lost footage was painstakingly reconstructed. The episode of the At Last The 1948 Show was a victim of the mass wiping of tapes by broadcasters in the Seventies, erasing invaluable archive material.
Source

ANOTHER SITCOM HEADING FOR THE STATES? - 21st Nov 03
BBC sitcom My Hero could be the latest British comedy to cross the Atlantic. Production house Big Bear Films has been in talks with Hollywood agents in a bid to transfer its success to the States. The move comes after high-profile British import Coupling was axed by NBC after just four episodes. But US versions of The Office, The Savages and Father Ted are all in development.
Source

NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH - 20th Nov 03
Went to see Al Murray at the Grimsby Auditorium last night. I got face ache from laughing so much. A brilliant night had by all except 'Simon' who Al deduced was gay and so left at the interval. If you get the chance, I highly recommend you go see this show before the Giving It Both Barrels tour finishes in December. If, however, you can't make it to see Al Live, you'll be happy to know the Al Murray - The Pub Landlord - Live - My Gaff My Rules DVD is released on Monday 24th Nov.

ALSO - Stewart Lee is doing a rare stand-up gig on Tuesday 25th November, at Lipstick and Shopping, Lowdown at The Albany, 240 Great Portland St, London W1. 7.30 for 8pm - £7.
It's Miranda Hart's ladies-friendly evening which includes Jo Caulfield, Natalie Haynes, Lizzie Roper, Jade The Folk Singer, Janice Phayre, Marianne Levy...and Stewart Lee! Don't ask...just go along :)
Stew will also be hosting One Way Single Parents Family Favorites again on ResonanceFM on 30th Nov - guests are guitarist John Bisset and dj Martin Myers and on the 12th Dec - guests are sitcom writer and former Music Journo Graham Linnehan and Little Britain comic duo. David Walliams and Matt Lucas (listen via the net)

Just a reminder - Jongleurs - On The Road is on again at the Grimsby Auditorium this Sunday (23rd Nov). Billed acts are Alistair Barrie (MC), Geoff Boyz, Adam Bloom and Andrew Maxwell ...see you there :)

BILLY TO TOUR NZ FOR TV - 19th Nov 03
Billy Connolly is to make his next World Tour Of series in New Zealand. The shows, which combine travelogue with extracts from his stand-up routines, have previously covered Australia, Scotland, and England and Wales. Connolly, 61 next week, will embark on a 14-venue live tour of New Zealand in February to provide the performance footage.
Source

IS THERE LIFE AFTER THE OFFICE - 18th Nov 03
Ricky Gervais is working on a secret new series for the BBC. He and writing partner Stephen Merchant have decided to stay with the Beeb, despite a host of other offers from the likes of Channel 4. A source told The Mirror: "Ricky and Stephen have started working on a new show. At the moment they are still developing the characters.
Source

THE BHOY DONE WELL - 17th Nov 03
Danny Bhoy and Al Murray are to perform for the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance next week. No comics have officially been named on the bill yet, with a spokeswoman saying: "I haven't had anyone confirmed yet." They will be sharing the stage of Edinburgh's Festival Theatre with the likes of Luciano Pavarotti, Daniel Bedingfield and Westlife.
Source

ALIAS GERVAIS - 31st Oct 03
Britain's best-loved worst boss, Ricky Gervais, is lining up for his next assault on America playing a villain in Alias. Gervais will join the cast for one episode of the American crime drama, guest starring as a 'juicy, horrible, evil' character. Playing it even straighter than usual, the comedian will be forced to tangle with the show's heroine, Jennifer Garner, who plays international kick-boxing spy Sydney Bristow.
Source

'IF I...' TO BE FILMED FOR BBC - 29th Oct 03
Perrier Award Winner – Demetri Martin’s ‘If I…’ is to be filmed for the BBC at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, London next week. It will be shown on TV at a later date.

NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH - 27th Oct 03
Had really great night at 'Jongleurs - On The Road' at the Grimsby Auditorium last night. Toby Foster (MC) was very very funny - lots of local references and stuff about Kim G (GY girl in Pop Idol finals)...Rhys Darby was brilliant, def going to see him at the Fringe next year...Michael Smiley was replaced by George Egg - a comedic magician who pulled a real bowling ball out of a small briefcase in the first 3 mins of his set (which left the 400 strong audience in awe) then did shitty kids party tricks and jokes from then on!! Lastly was Tom Stade (replacing the advertised Phil Nichol who was last seen leaving the stage after a show in Morecambe on Saturday night looking very very ill - hope you're feeling better soon Phil) I'd seen Tom on telly before so knew he was good. Very laid bad but kept us laughing...which is always a bonus :)
Really looking forward to next months Jongleurs - 'advertised' acts are Alistair Barrie (MC), Geoff Boyz, Adam Bloom and Andrew Maxwell.
ALSO on next month (19th Nov) is Al Murray - Pub Landlord - Giving It Both Barrels
...see you there :)

Sorry there's been no updates for a while...have been busy with college and have had pc problems...to catch up on the last two weeks of comedy news, go to CHORTLE (it's where I find most of this stuff anyway)

Also, just a reminder that 'Jongleurs - On The Road' is on at the Grimsby Auditorium this Sunday (26th Oct). Acts are Toby Foster (MC), Rhys Darby, Michael Smiley and Phil Nichol
...see you there :)

NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH
Writer and comedian Richard Herring is appearing on the following Radio shows...
11th Oct - LBC - Rowland Rivron Show - 3pm-6pm (listen via the net)
17th Oct - BBC Radio 6 - Roundtable - 6.30-7pm other guests included Stewart Lee (listen via the net)
2nd Nov - ResonanceFM - One Way Single Parent Family Favourites - 12-2pm Show presented by Stewart Lee (Listen via the net)

HUGE BENEFIT FOR KINNEAR CHARITY - 10th Oct 03
Some of the biggest names in theatre and comedy are to take part in a major benefit gig in memory of Roy Kinnear Dame Judi Dench, Sir Ian McKellan, Bruce Forsyth, Ross Noble, Sandi Toksvig, Richard O'Brien and Ned Sherrin are among those taking part in Comedy Tonight Too in the West End on October 26. The show is a follow-up to a 1994 performance and is in aid of the Roy Kinnear
Foundation for profoundly disabled young adults.
Source

IZZARD DENIES TIME LORD RUMOURS - 10th Oct 03
Eddie Izzard has denied the BBC approached him to be the new Doctor Who. Former Time Lord Tom Baker previously announced that the comic had landed the role in the revival, expected to be made next year. But Izzard, who is currently performing sell-out live shows in New York, says it's unlikely he'll get the role.
Source

NOBLE PRIZE WINNER - 9th Oct 03
Ross Noble has been named as best stand-up in new comedy awards set up by lads' mag Loaded.
Channel 4's Bo' Selecta! Won the Lafta award for funniest show on TV, and frontman Avid Merrion
was declared funniest man of the year. Radio 1's new breakfast show host Chris Moyles took the honours for funniest radio programme, with Ant and Dec best comedy duo and Leslie Phillips Laftas' Icon 2003.
Source

TALKING COCK' BOOK RELEASED - 9th Oct 03
Richard Herring's long awaited "Talking Cock" book has been published by Ebury and is out today. (ISBN: 0091894417) As well as still performing the 'Talking Cock' show live across the country (for details click here) including an extra special gig in CARLISLE at the Stanwix Arts Centre, 23rd November 2003 at 8pm. Box office - 01228 534 664...
Richard is doing at the following Book Events:

Ottakers, BANBURY - 15th Oct 03 at 6.30pm (01295 270 498 to reserve a free place).
30 minute reading, chat & book signing
Borders, Charing Cross Rd, LONDON - 16th Oct 03 at 6.30pm (020 78369485 to reserve a free place). Chat and signing session about the book
Borders, BRIGHTON - 21st Oct 03 at 7pm (01273 731 122 to reserve a free ticket).
Chat and signing session.
Waterstones, CAMBRIDGE - 22nd Oct 03 at 7.30pm - NOT 6.30 as previously claimed. (07771 678 643 to reserve ticket. £3. Redeemable against purchase of the book). Chat and signing session.
Ottakars, MILTON KEYNES - 29th Oct 03 at 6.30pm (01908 395 384 to reserve a free space)
30 minute chat followed by signing session.
Borders, OXFORD - 30th Oct 03 at 7pm (01865 203 901 to reserve a free ticket).
Chat and signing session.

'LAFTA' NAMES UK COMEDY CAPITAL CITY - 7th Oct 03
Liverpool has been named Britain's comedy capital. The city will be named the funniest town in Britain at the Lafta comedy awards run by lads' mag Loaded tomorrow night. Manchester's thriving comedy circuit earned it second place in the list, compiled from suggestions made to visitors to Chortle.
Source

LEARY LASHES BACK OVER HICKS CLAIMS - 6th Oct 03
Denis Leary has hit back at renewed claims that he stole material from Bill Hicks. American circuit comic Joe Rogan, best known for hosting the TV Fear Factor, revived the long-running claims in a recent interview with 'shock jock' Howard Stern. He said: "Leary stole material from Bill Hicks. It's pretty common knowledge among comedians."
Source

ILLUSIONIST SURVIVES RUSSIAN ROULETTE STUNT - 5th Oct 03
Mind control expert Derren Brown has survived a controversial Russian roulette stunt, shown "live" on television. member of the public chosen from 12,000 volunteers loaded a gun with a single bullet, which Brown put to his head and fired repeatedly. He successfully identified the second chamber as the one which was loaded and fired the bullet into a sandbag - to great relief (...especially mine)
Source

IZZARD TIPPED AS NEW DR WHO - 2nd Oct 03
Cross-dressing comedian Eddie Izzard is to be the new Dr Who, according to a former star of the sci-fi series. Tom Baker, the fourth man to play the Time Lord, told BBC Radio Five Live that the "mysterious and strange" Izzard had landed the part. But the corporation says no final decision has been made on who will star in the TV show when it returns in 2005.
Source

'MRS MERTON' - SET FOR COMEBACK - 1st Oct 03
Mrs Merton could be returning to TV screens, according to newspaper reports today. Caroline Aherne has reportedly met co-creator Craig Cash to discuss bringing back the spoof OAP interviewer. Cash
told The Sun: "Caroline and me are talking about Mrs Merton. It's about time we brought her back."
Source

CONNOLLY TO FRONT BIKER SHOW - 30th Sept 03
Billy Connolly is to host a TV show about disabled motorcyclists. The comic, a keen biker himself, is patron of the National Association for Bikers with a Disability, and will feature their work on the Men and Motors documentary. He will even donate his presenting fee to the 3,500-strong organisation,
which helps disabled people enjoy the independence of biking.
Source

BBC7 TO SHOWCASE MORE STAND-UPS - 30th Sept 03
Digital radio station BBC7 is to showcase a fresh collection of stand-ups new to broadcasting. Spanking New On 7 is the archive channel's only original comedy commission, and a second series is to be recorded next month. Robin Ince will again host the showcases, which will be taped in Manchester's Comedy Store.
Source

NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH - 30th Sept 03
Last Sunday evening's 'Jongleurs - On The Road' show at the Grimsby Auditorium was a great success. The turn-out was pretty bloody good for a Sunday night at a venue that doesn't advertise at all. The acts were brilliant and for anyone who went...I was the woman in the second row who (stupidly) went to the loo during Smug's first set and therefore became his focus for the rest of his bits including the 'just you and me having a party afterwards', 'she's knocking them back isn't she'
and 'well of course you were present at the birth of your kid' - well he asked!!
Great night had by all - can't wait for next month :)
Oct 26th acts include - Rhys Darby, Michael Smiley and Phil Nichol

VEGAS'S WIFE HOPES TO SAVE MARRIAGE - 27th Sept 03
Johnny Vegas's marriage could still be saved, his wife has told the Sunday newspapers. The couple, who have been married just over a year, announced their separation earlier this month. But wife Kitty told the Sunday Mirror: "We don't plan to divorce - I still love him so much and I fancy him rotten."