Time for me to join most editorial columnists and quote Ole Blue Eyes on the final post during the Edinburgh Fringe period. Today’s last show of the main Fringe season takes a look at two of the biggest awards ceremonies at the Fringe, the If.com Comedy Awards and The Stage’s Awards for Acting Excellence. I also take the time to talk to Anthony Alderson, Director of the Pleasance, to look back at the 2007 Fringe.

Do leave your comments on the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #21

The If.com Comedy Awards

Anthony Alderson, Director
The Pleasance

The Stage Awards for Acting Excellence

Madi Distefano, Popsicle’s Departure 1989
Assembly St George’s West

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, If.com, Perrier, Brendan Burns, Madi Distefano, Anthony Alderson.

With Idiots of Ants, Paper Monkeys: Legends, 7 Spies At The Casino, Famished, The Absinthe Monologues and NewsRevue 2007.

And here, as promised, is the Big Damn Show! Being the final weekend of the Fringe (sob) there’s still a chance to see every show out there (apart from some that stopped after the first or second week), so to help you maybe put together some new choices, I’ve racked up a number of big name (and quirky show) interviews. Plus there’s a barrel-load of awards and stuff to talk about as well. It might be near the end, but the crescendo is astouding!

Do leave your comments on the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #20 - The Big Damn Show

James Dowdeswell - Wine
Baby Belly

Josie Long - Trying is Good
Pleasance Courtyard

Jett Loe - Letter to America
http://lettertoamerica.blogs.com/

Rebus McTaggart - Crime Warrior
Pleasance Courtyard

Andrew Lawrence - Social Leprosey For Beginners and Improvers
Pleasance Courtyard

Jim Jeffries - 30
The Cow Belly, Pasture

Paul Kerensa - Genesis
C SoCo Urban Garden

Links to: This Sketch Show Belongs to Lionel Ritchie, Truth in Translation, Failed States, Mile End, Hugh Hughes in… Story of a Rabbit, Wish I Had a Sylvia Path, Subway, Ravenhill for Breakfast and Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, Highlander, James Dowdeswell, Wine, Josie Long, Jett Loe, Rebus McTaggart, Andrew Lawrence, Jim Jeffries, Paul Kerensa.

With Stonewall, Michael McIntyre: Live At The Pleasance, MySketch, Monster Hits, The Mitch Benn Music Club, The Dutch Eagles - Welcome Back to Hotel California and Score (Terre d’Arène).

While the Fringe is always about looking forward, discovering new shows and talent, and showcasing it, there are many shows with a historical angle, and today I’m looking at two of those shows which approach history from a different angle. The Last South is a retelling of Scott and Amundsen’s race to the pole, told by their very own words in their diaries, while Bridget Christie wonders just what King Charles might have made of the 21st century.

Do leave your comments on the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #19

The Last South: Pursuit of the Pole
Pleasance Courtyard

Bridget Christie - In The Court of King Charles
Underbelly’s Baby Belly

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, Highlander, Bridget Christie, The Last South, Scott, Amundsen.

Some things aren’t naturally funny - four Germans and some drainpipes spring to mind (but Yellowhands is about to prove that cliche wrong); neither would a sixty year old man with a slide projector (but Norman Lovett is about to prove that cliche wrong as well)! The Fringe throws many surprises at you every day, and I hope you’ve caught some of that through the ‘casts this month. Oh and I discuss the Comeddies Nominations as well. Got thoughts yourself? Do leave your comments on the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #18

Yellowhands (www.yellow-hands.de)
Assembly St George’s West

Norman Lovett’s Slide Show
Pleasance Courtyard

Best Comedy Nominees:
* Andrew Lawrence: Social Leprosy for Beginners & Improvers
* Andrew Maxwell: Waxin’
* Brendon Burns: So I Suppose This Is Offensive Now
* Ivan Brackenbury’s Hospital Radio Roadshow
* Pappy’s Fun Club: Pappy’s Fun Club

Best Newcomer Nominees:
* Jon Richardson: Spatula Pad
* Micky Flanagan: What Chance Change
* Tom Basden: Won’t Say Anything
* Zoe Lyons: Fight or Flight

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, Norman Lovett, Yellowhands, Red Dwarf.

Mile End, Caimh McDonnell I.D., Gamarjobat - Rock ‘n’ Roll Penguin, Tap Olé, Talking to Spacehoppers, Truth In Translation, The Terrible Infants and Bang On - The Joy of Junk.

The Fringe is a place of high drama - as well as all the shows and theatre going on at the Front of House you’ve got all the maneuvering and politics between the venues, acts and everything else as well. One strong voice in that mix is Tommy Sheppard and he’s on the show today. along with him is Guy Pratt, a bassist who’s played with pretyy much every influential band of the last 30 years (and McFly).

And as always, feel free to leave your comments in the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #17

Tommy Sheppard - Director of The Stand Comedy Club
The Stand

Guy Pratt - My Bass and Other Animals
Underbelly

Links to: The Green Room, Fly Posting News.

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, The Stand, Guy Pratt, Tommy Sheppard.

Bob Downe Live & Swingin’, Sammy J - 58 Kilograms of Pure Entertainment, Meow Meow in Beyond Glamour: The Absinthe Tour, Camille - La Fille Du Cirque.

Shows for children and the family are at the Fringe as well, and it’s just as cut-throat for them as it is for the Ballet, Magic and Stand-ups of Edinburgh. And they’re also hugely entertaining people to talk to. I catch up today with two of the more well known names in Children’s entertainment. First up is Dave Benson Phillips,a regular on UK TV, and then the story-telling duo of Dan and Jeff, who are working on covering Harry Potter in 60 minutes with fantastically predictable chaos.

And as always, feel free to leave your comments in the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #16

Dave Benson Phillips - Dave’s Get Up and Go Show!
Pleasance Dome.

Potted Potter - The Unauthorised Harry Potter Experience
Pleasance Courtyard

Links to: The Circus of Horrors, EdFringe.com Message Boards.

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, Harry Potter, Potted Potter, Dave Benson Phillips.

With Greedy, Traces, The Ordinaries … in an Awkward Silence and Shakespeare for Breakfast.

So it’s the last week - and coming off a storming weekend for ticket sales (at least with the performers and venues I checked with) the big push is on. The finish line is in site for the performers; crowds are building in the shows; and of course it’s a last chance to get noticed, maybe cross your fingers for an award nomination, or just generally make sure that you’ve seen something wonderful in the Capital. The Fringe Podcast., as always, is sifting through the shows and will continue to bring the best nuggets of interviews and news as the excitement continues at fever pitch.

And as always, feel free to leave your comments in the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #15

James Campbell’s Spinistry of Moonerism and Onomatopoeia Society III: The Vegetarian Amputation Project.
Assembly Rooms, George Street

Charlotte Hudson and Leila Hackett - Two Left Hands
Pleasance Courtyard

Links to: Comedy for Kids, Coffee, Hangman, The Smile off Your Face, Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea, Popsicle Departure 1989, Emergence-See, Ravenhill for Breakfast.

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, James Campbell, Two left hands, Aska.

…Chris Cox - Everything Happens For A Reason, Aeneas Faversham Returns and Fuerzabruta.

Coming to you today from Helsinki, it’s a rather politically charged Saturday editon of the Edinburgh Fringe Podcast, along with the nominations for this year’s Acting Excellence Awards from The Stage. As always, feel free to leave your comments in the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #14

Rash
Pleasance Dome

Hamell On Trial - The Terrorism (Of Everyday Life)
Smirnoff Underbelly

The Stage Awards for Acting Excellence 2007 nominations are:

Best Actor:
• Garry Cooper for Long Time Dead (Traverse)
• James Baxter for Scarborough (Assembly @ George Street)
• Daniel Pirrie for Sting for Nolte (Gilded Balloon)
• Merryn Owen for Worlds End (Pleasance Dome)

Best Actress:
• Nathalie Armin for Damascus (Traverse)
• Holly Atkins for Scarborough (Assembly @ George Street)
• Beth Fitzgerald for Follow Me (Assembly @ George Street)
• Dillie Keane for Frank and Dolly (Gilded Balloon)
• Eugenia Caruso for Truckstop (The Zoo)
• Janet Bamford for Truckstop (The Zoo)

Best Ensemble:
• Druid for The Walworth Farce (Traverse)
• Nimble Fish for The Container (UdderBelly’s Pasture)
• Arches Theatre Company for Pit (Traverse)
• Song of the Goat for Lacrimosa (Assembly Aurora Nova)
• Analogue for Mile End (Pleasance Dome)
• Shalimar for La Femme est Morte or Why I Should Not F**k My Son (Pleasance Dome)
• Angelica for Stonewall (Pleasance Courtyard)

Best Solo Show:
• Linda Marlowe for Believe (Traverse)
• Madi Distefano for Popsicle Departure 1989 (Assembly @ St George’s West)
• Elisabeth Gray for Wish I Had a Sylvia Plath (Underbelly’s Baby Belly)
• Alexander Campbell for Private Peaceful (Assembly @ George Street)
• Iris Bahr for Dai (Enough) (Pleasance Courtyard)
• Joanna Swain for Talking to Spacehoppers (C soco)

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, Rash, Ed Hamell, Rwanda, Jenni Wolfson.

In this episode, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ian Kendall’s Magic Show, Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, God’s Pottery Saves The World and Debbie Does Dallas - The Musical

A lovely show today, very irreverent with one of the sleeper hits of the Fringe so far, Pegabovine - Coat of Arms, and an incredibly laid back Rhod Gilbert. Sometimes you have to think on your feet and turn an interview on a single line - and Pegabovine definitly supplied that today. Enjoy the show!

And as always, feel free to leave your comments in the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #13

Pegabovine - The Coat of Arms
Pleasance Courtyard

Rhod Gilbert - Who’s Eaten Gilbert’s Grape (Plus extra dates)
Pleasance Courtyard

Links to: The Swingers, Amnesty Scotland, Firstgroup Scotrail Train Times (pdf).

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, Pegabovine, Rhod Gilbert, Amnesty.

There are some interviews where the idea of structured questions just go out the window, the improv skills come to the fore and myself and (in this case) Des Clarke start riffing like crazy - see what happens in today’s show. Before that, The Terrible Infants, a delightful show for all ages that’s been recommended to me by a huge number of people.

And please take note of the announcement of a special one-off comedy gig based around Doctor Who to support the Accord Hospice program.

And as always, feel free to leave your comments in the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #12

The Terrible Infants
Pleasance Courtyard

Des Clarke - Destiny
Pleasance Courtyard

Links to: Doctor Who/ACCORD Comedy Show, Joined at the Heart, ‘Beat Off’ Dirty Yanks.

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, Doctor Who, The Terrible Infants, Des Clarke, Mitch Benn, Tony Hadoke.

Today’s show has two acts which I think are both worthy of the Fringe in their own way - how else can you watch Romeo and Juliet again if you’ve seen it performed by the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre? And the life of Woody Guthrie, tragic and uplifting at the same time, is captured perfectly by the cast and crew of Woody Sez.

Do feel free to leave your comments in the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #11

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre
The Gilded Balloon

Woody Sez
The Cow Barn (Underbelly)

Links to: Silent Disco, The Black Watch (NTS).

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, Silent Disco, Blackwatch, Woody Sez, Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre.

With contributions from Improvera, Christian Reilly, Tony! The Blair Musical, The Tony Blair Musical and Breakfast with the Bickersons.

With all the talk (every year) of The Fringe getting more and more expensive, I decided to set out today to find out just what the other end of the scale is like - so there’s no report from the £37.50 per ticket single ticket for Ricky Gervais, but rather the performers and organisers putting on shows for free, with a voluntary donation at the end of the show depending on how much you enjoyed the show / performer / how cute they are.

Do feel free to leave your comments in the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #10

Peter Buckley Hill - At Last, The 2006 Show
Canons Gait

Doogie C - A Brief History of Magic
Laughing Horse at Hillside

Nik Coppin - Half Blak
The Meadow Bar

Links to: Janey Godley, The Mistress, Brendon Burns.

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, Free, Peter Buckley-Hill, Doogie C, Nic Coppin.

There’s a surprise - for all the sun last week (and it’s clear again this morning) the weekend saw a dump of rain landing on Edinburgh, just as the first wave of tourists arrived to take in a full Fringe week. Bit it didn’t dampen either their spirits or mine.

But jut before it rained, i took a stroll back up to Greyfriar’s Kirkyard to catch up with Australian comedy trip, Tripod (and yes, they do sing for the podcast), and the quirky Popsicle Departure, a tale of the Grunge scene before it became popular. And the first video podcast is available as well!

Do feel free to leave your comments in the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #9
Tripod
The Spiegel Tent

Popsicle Departure 1989
St George’s West, Assembly Rooms

Links to: Stewart Lee.

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, Tripod, Popsicle Departure, Fringe Sunday.

Steven Worbey and Kevin Farrell are the hosts (but don’t be surprised if a certain Scottish podcaster pops up in some of the later shows…) and it’s a chance to see some of the many acts at the Fringe actually performing

The first full weekend is here, the tourists are pouring into this lovely small city, the flyers are coming at you from all directions… it’s fantastic. Fringe Sunday, the big party in Edinburgh’s Meadows, is tomorrow (12th August) and starts at 11am, so pop that in your diaries.

But today;s show sees the return of Christian Gospel band God’s Pottery from last year’s critically acclaimed “Show for Lavert,” with the promise that they can save the world this time around; and one of the most though provoking theatre productions I’ve seen so far, The Ordinaries, over at the Edinburgh University Theatre Company’s Bedlam Theatre.

Do feel free to leave your comments in the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #8

God’s Pottery Saves The World!
Pleasance Courtyard

The Ordinaries… in an Awkward Silence
Bedlam Theater

Links to: Truth in Translation, Scarborough, The Container, The Walworth Farce, England, Damascus.

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, The Ordinaries, Gods Pottery, Frigne First.

The weather is back to being ‘dreich,’ a sort of Scottish overcast not quite threatening rain look. But that’s not going to stop the Fringe - nope it’s full steam ahead as the first ‘full’ weekend is almost here. The crowds on Friday night are going to fill the venues 9hopefully) and the acts all have their shows sorted out and ticking over nicely.

On today’s show, Kieron Forsyth talks about his role as John Peel in Teenage Kicks, while Craig Campbell and I generally have the sort of conversation that a psychiatrist would have a field day with - from his show, The Goodies and Oliver Cromwell to IMDB, Colditz and charity, it’s all here!

Do feel free to leave your comments in the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #7

Teenage Kicks
Assembly Universal Arts

Craig Campbell
The Underbelly

Links to: Assembly Rooms, Truth in Translation,

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, Teenage Kicks, Craig Campbell, John Peel.

It’s very much a ’serious’ show today, with commentary both on the Anti-Terror legislation and it’s effects in the UK, and on the man that was Adolf Hitler. Both very powerful shows in their own right, and typify the Fringe spirit of new shows, with some daring behind them.

Do feel free to leave your comments in the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #6

Hitler Alone
Inlingua, Hanover Street

Failed States
Pleasance Dome

Links to: Amnesty International, Jihad the Musical.

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, Hitler Alone, Failed States.

The sun continues to shine on Edinburgh, and the fun of the Fringe continues to amaze me. Year in, year out, there is such a huge and diverse range of talent on display, trying to get noticed. And part of the thrill of the podcast is finding those, and bringing them all to your attention. Today, two shows I would have no hesitation in recommending in the strongest possible way.

Do feel free to leave your comments in the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #5

Stephen K Amos - More of Me
Pleasance Courtyard

The Tom Tom Club
Udderbelly

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, Stephen K Amos, The Tom Tom Club.

It’s a lovely day in Edinburgh - that means it isn’t raining - and it’s great to see everyone come out. The Royal Mile is flowing with people, as you all heard yesterday, but it’s even busier now if you can believe that. I’ve spent the day sitting at Greyfriar’s Bar, and grabbing some performers (in this case, Zoe and Justin) for the show.

Do feel free to leave your comments in the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #4

Justin Moorhouse - Who’s The Daddy?
Pleasance Courtyard

Zoe Lyons - Fight or Flight
Pleasance Courtyard

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, Justin Moorhouse, Zoe Lyons.

The previews are over - the Cavalcade Festival yesterday down a rather damp Princes Street means that the Fringe is officially in week one, and open for business. Not that we’ve not been doing anything in preview week!

The show today sees the return of the ever popular walk down the Royal Mile, seeing which shows I bump into, the strange sites, old friends and amazing ingenuity that performers at the Fringe have. I also sit down with Jeremey Austin from The Stage to talk about some likely theatrical hits in the Capital this year, and we have music and comedy from Christian Reilly.

Do feel free to leave your comments in the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #3

Jeremy Austin and I recommend some theatre.
Debbie Does Dallas, Breaker Morant, Fuerzabruta, Traces, Truth in Translation, Forgotten Voices.

Christian Reilly - How to Rock
Pleasance Courtyard

A Walk Down The Royal Mile
With Ian Stone, Gamarjobat, In Search of Kantor, The Rover, Tanyalee Davis, Ian Kendall’s Magic Show, A Play on Words and Aaron Berg presents MacBeth.

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, The Royal Mile, Christian Reilly.

As the previews draw to a close, all the acts and all the venues can only cross their fingers and hope that they’ve done enough to prepare for the might and size of the Fringe - but what does it take to run a venue? William Burdett-Coutts is the Director of the Assembly Rooms, one of the blue-ribband venues at the Fringe, and I managed to get 15 minutes of his very valuable time to ask about his time at the Fringe, the highlights of the programme, and where you find all the acts.

And speaking of the acts, one of the most unusual sounding acts (both in person and creatively) is Impropera. A portmanteu of Improvised Music and Opera, there’s a high dash of comedy with your culture. Where else could you find songs on both Heroes and Minidisc Records but on the Edinburgh Fringe Podcast?

Do feel free to leave your comments in the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com. See you Monday!

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #2

William Burdett-Coutts, Assembly Rooms Director
The Assembly Rooms

Impropera
Assembly Rooms, St George’s West

Links to:
Debbie Does Dallas, Truth in Translation, Romeo and Juliet - A Rock and Roll Love Story, Jihad The Musical, The Sound of Music Drag Show.

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, Assembly Rooms, Impropera.

And so… it begins…

Yes, The Edinburgh Fringe has started, and the Edinburgh Fringe Podcast from The Podcast Network is going to be with you throughout August, taking you behind the scenes, finding the big stories, and uncovering the hidden gems of theatre, music, comedy, and the arts in general.

In this first full show, I speak to the new Director for the Fringe Jon Morgan. A dark horse candidate for the job, he’s got a huge project ahead of him not just for this year, but for years to come. And why does he want to take the Fringe to the Kyle of Lochalsh? Following that, last years’ If.comedy winner Phil Nichol talks about his comedy, and his theatre roles, and why he’s left it to late to become a lawyer.

I know I’ve always said that the show is around 30 minutes long, and today’s show is, well, a bit longer, but both Jon and Phil have managed to capture some of the core essences of the Fringe, that I decided to leave the interviews as extended length. It happens occasionally!

Do feel free to leave your comments in the website or email me on ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe 2007 Show #1

Jon Morgan - Fringe Director
Fringe Office, Royal Mile

Phil Nichol - The Naked Racist
The Stand

Phil Nichol - Hiro Worship
The Stand

Phil Nichol - Killer Joe
Pleasance Courtyard

Phil Nichol - Breaker Morant
The Underbelly

Links to:
Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical, Robin Ince

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, Phil Nichol

It’s almost time for the curtain to come up on The Podcast Network’s 2007 coverage of The Edinburgh Festival Fringe! So before it goes completely crazy, with me trying to get this flood of culture, arts, comedy, theatre, music and atmosphere into some handy bite-sized daily chunks for you throughout August. So to give you a little flavour, here’s a burst of audio on what I see the next four weeks will have.

My schedule for the next few days is attending the numerous Press Launches put on by the venues with multiple stages; this includes the behemoths of The Assembly Rooms and The Gilded Balloon, smaller more intimate venues (The Stage, C Venues); the young brash upstarts (The Underbelly); and the personal favourites (Bedlam at the Edinburgh University Theatre Company).

That should take me through to Thursday, when most of the preview shows start in earnest. The press launches should give me a broad stroke of what’s hoping to be large… what’s going to be popular is going to take a little bit more hunting down.

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, review, podcast, prologue