And now, the end is near, and just a few memories to shift through before the Edinburgh Fringe podcast comes to an end for 2009. Normally I end the Fringe run with The Stage awards, but something has been bubbling in my mind throughout August. This is the result.

It’s my top ten moments of the Fringe. Some of them are things I’ve seen and heard around Edinburgh; some of them are moments from interviews I’ve done and may have edited around or out of the broadcast version; and some are from shows themselves (and thanks go out to those that did some a cappella tracks or allowed me to take a bootleg of their gigs).

Think of this as a final 25 minutes of everything you love about Edinburgh and you won’t go wrong.

No matter what happens next, I hope you enjoyed the journey through this year’s Edinburgh Fringe with the podcast. I’d love to hear your views on what you liked, didn’t like, and think needs changed, Drop me an email, ewanspence@gmail.com and let me know.

‘Till next year!

My Top Ten Moments at the Edinburgh Fringe 2009

Moose Dies
The emotional death scene of an inflatable Moose head in a deserted hut in the arctic
A Fistful of Snow.

Rhod Gilbert’s Posters
Right from the first day The Cat That Looked Like Nicholas Lyndhurst taunted you with it’s “sold out Fringe run” splashes. He might have been in Edinburgh, but unless you planned it in June, you were never going to see Rhod Gilbert.
Rhod Gilbert and The Cat That Looked Like Nicholas Lyndhurst.

The Persuaders!
Award winning porn-star and producer Ben Dover in a timely interruption reveals his ringtone is the theme tune to the Persuaders, and his love of Tony Curtis.
Ben Dover: Innocent Until Proven Filthy.

Back in the D.i.n.burgh
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre had a fantastic Fringe with more buzz, more seats sold, and an incredibly funny show. When asked on the street what to see, this was one of a handful of shows I would always recommend.
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre Goes to Hollywood.

The EdTwinge Comedy Event and the best joke at the Fringe
During the Fringe I was invited to be the compere for the first EdTwinge comedy gig, and it was a great gig (if a rather quiet). It also threw up my favourite joke of the Fringe, which amazingly wasn’t at the Pleasance, but from Tony Cowards.
Tony Cowards’ Everyman.

Tinkerbell’s Song
There’s something nicely subversive about this Australlian show, which takes the Disney Princesses (and the honorary princess that is Tinkerbell) and wondering what they’re like outside the cookie cutter world of Walt? A wonderfully inventive mix of cabaret, comedy and music.
The Princess Cabaret.

29th April 1942
It doesn’t matter where the show goes on, but there are moments in theatre that just create an emotional impact. This is one of those moments…
Stalag Happy.

Spanish Bird Plane
The Axis of Awesome’s difficult second show at Edinburgh proved to be a classic with a bigger venue, larger audiences and just a hint of their old material in perfect balance. But their encore, a cover version of their cover version of Bird Plane brought the house down.
Infinity Rock Explosion.

Sarah Millican’s Laminated Postcard
Sometimes you just know that an interview is (a) sailing close to the wind (b) is going really well or (c) is really fun. My interview with last year’s Best Newcomer Sarah Millican was all three.
Typical Woman.

Bruce Forsythe
Some jokes need a huge build-up, some become catch-phrases, some are just very brief moments. I have a feeling that Mannish’s impression of Bruce Forsythe is going to be a running joke in my family for many years.
Frisky and Mannish’s School of Pop.

To make sure you always get the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

(*) Although I am half tempted to re-edit some of the interviews back to their much longer lengths… some of the ten minute spots on the show ran to over thirty minutes during August, so perhaps some DVD Extra Scenes are called for.

Almost at the end of the Fringe, it’s the last day of August and the last day of the Fringe. There’s a lot to go over from the weekend, not least all the awards to catch up on including The Stage’s Awards for Acting Excellence. We have exclusive coverage from the ceremony after spending some time with Chief Executive of the Fringe Society, Kath Mainland.

And in previous years this is when I would bring this year’s Fringe casts to an end, but there’s one final slice of Fringe fun coming up… tomorrow will see my Top Ten Moments of The Fringe. Will your favourite show be there? You’ll have to listen to find out.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #25 – You Win Again

Kath Mainland
Chief Executive, Edinburgh Fringe Society
www.edfringe.com

The Stage Awards for Acting Excellence
…hosted by Bill McEvoy and Duska Radosavljevic
www.thestage.co.uk

Today’s recommended shows: Zeitgeist and Normality.

Also featured: Dance Base, Tim Key, Jonny Sweet, Peter Buckley-Hill, Abracadabra – German Humour Goes Global, Everything Must Go (Or The Voluntary Attempt To Overcome Unnecessary Obstacles), 6:0: How Heap And Pebble Took On The World And Won, Heroni(e) For Breakfast and Iago.

To make sure you always get the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

Another Sunday Special as the Fringe draws to a close. The yearly competition for the new comic award, So You Think You’re Funny, took place at The Gilded Balloon. The Edinburgh Fringe podcast had access backstage and to the event, so let’s go behind the stage to find out what went on…

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #24 – So You Think You’re Funny?

So You Think You’re Funny – 2009 Final
Featuring Lee Mack and Tim Vine
www.gildedballoon.co.uk

Never miss any of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe podcasts by subscribing to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or using the RSS File to subscribe in your favourite RSS application.

Into the final weekend, and if you’re up at The Fringe to do some star spotting, you’ve only got a few days left… or you could just listen to the podcast, where we’ve got a fantastic line-up.

First up is comedian Arnold Brown. While not doing any performing at the Fringe (beyond helping out John Smeaton), his view on comedy and the new performers reflects well on over thirty years in the business. Over from LA (maybe) is The A-Team with another musical based on a famous 80’s property.

Then it’s back to the Scottish shores with Bruce Fummey. By day a teacher, by night a stand-up who loves to educate his audiences. And we finish with music from the team behind Barbershopera, who become The Bodega Brothers for their afternoon delight of a show.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #23 – The Godfather

Arnold Brown
www.arnoldbrown.me.uk

A-Team – The Musical
…from Scratch
Book tickets online

The Reduced Edinburgh Fringe Improv Show
…from Scratch
Book tickets online

Bruce Fummey
About the Scots
Book tickets online

The Bodega Brothers
Afternoon Delight
Book tickets online

Today’s recommended shows: A Stroke of Genius and Pappy’s Fun Club World Record Attempt.

Also featuring: Lewis Schaffer, Little Gem, Lilly Through the Dark, Everything Must Go, Foot-washing for the Sole, Under Glass, My Name is Sue and Rachael Sage.

If you want to make sure you always get the latest Edinburgh Fringe podcasts, you can subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

A delightfully varied bag today from the podcast with Two Left Hands taking about their return to the Edinburgh Arts Trade Show, or the Fringe as everyone else calls it. Ben Dover is one of the great British actors but as his films are in the porn industry, he’s not the household name that someone like Michael Caine is, yet his life is just as interesting – even more so when you consider a evening of tales from his life is his Fringe debut!

And the show finishes with chat and music from Death Ooompa band The Tiger Lillies, fresh from a long haul flight from the other side of the world just to be on the podcast – and then head out to their show!

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #22 – Take a Chance on the Fringe

Charlotte Hudson and Leila Hackett
Two Left Hands – Another Mouthful
Book tickets online

Ben Dover
Innocent Until Proven Filthy
Book tickets online

The Tiger Lillies
The Songs of Shockheaded Peter and other Gory Verses
Book tickets online

Today’s recommended shows: Crime of the Century and Showstopper! The Improvised Musical.

Also featuring: Palace of the End, Barflies, A Life in Three Acts, The 14th Tale, White Tea and The Party.

To make sure you always get the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

Today is a little bit different, as I turn the microphone around and go into some places which wouldn’t normally get coverage in the media.

First up is Mervyn Stutter, since 1992 he hosts a daily showcase of acts at the Fringe that wouldn’t normally get press coverage. It’s a great resource for the performers, and a brilliant show for the audiences. Mel Brown runs Impressive PR and handles a number of acts at the Fringe, is the need for PR at the Fringe a myth? Not surprisingly Mel disagrees with that view.

Finally it’s time to answer the question “where do comedians practice?” The answer is at the Old Rope Comedy nights. Phil Nichol and Tiffany Stephenson talk me through the night where experienced hands try out new material… or they ask a podcast host to take to the stage and try it himself.

And yes, I use the term Gonzo Podcasting in the show.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #21 – Behind Closed Doors

Mervyn Stutter
Mervyn Stutter’s Pick of the Fringe
Book tickets online

Mel Brown
Impressive PR
www.impressivepr.com

Phil Nichol and Tiffany Stephenson
Old Rope Comedy
Book tickets online

Today’s recommended shows: Heroin(e) for Breakfast and Lily Through The Dark.

Also featuring: The Really Terrible Orchestra, Princess Cabaret, Ricky Gervais, Idiots of Ants, John Bishop, Jon Richardson, Russell Kane, Tim Key, Tom Wrigglesworth, Carl Donnelly, Jack Whitehall, Jonny Sweet, Kevin Bridges and Pete Johansson.

To make sure you always get the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

It’s all coming out in today’s show from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The rain may be here for the day but that’s not going to dampen anyone’s spirit (apart from the planned conga line tonight at 7.20pm).

The man behind the stunningly successful Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre reveals his own voice, Goldsmiths Drama Society reveal they’re putting on the Cubicle for not a lot of money, the cast of Woody Sez agree that the late 60s revival needs The Woody Guthrie Experience while Topping and Butch challenge me to a Eurovision Poof Off. Silly boys…

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #20 – It’s Raining Men

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre
…Go To Hollywood
Book tickets online

The Cubicle
…from Goldsmiths Drama Society
More information online

Topping and Butch
Twisted!
Book tickets online

David M Lutken and Helen J Russell
Woody Sez
Book tickets online

Today’s recommended shows: The Controlled Falling Project and Certain Dark Things.

Also featuring: Ed The Musical, Barbershopera II, Over the Threshold, Accidental Nostalgia, Been So Long, The Great British Soap Opera and The Rebel Cell.

Never miss any of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe podcasts by subscribing to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or using the RSS File to subscribe in your favourite RSS application.

Another jam-packed show today from the Arts Capital of the world (which would be Edinburgh) as the show jumps around from the South of London and the Daily Mail, to a Contest with devastating results and an Irish band with four lovely boys…

Bridget Christie leads the charge about here times in the office of UK newspaper The Daily Mail, while Rudi Lickwood talks about what comedy can do in inner-cities. Following that we have a dramatic theatre piece about hopes and dreams in The Contest, before the show closes with a love song from Dead Cat Bounce.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #19 – The Evil That Men Do

Bridget Christie
My Daily Mail Hell
Book tickets online

Rudi Lickwood
Food for Thought
Book tickets online

The Contest
…from Innes Wurth
Book tickets online

Dead Cat Bounce
Wired!
Book tickets online

Today’s recommended shows: The Chronicles of Long Kesh and The Tiger Lillies.

Also featuring: News on Festival ticketing, Top Ten Jokes from Dave, So You Think You’re Funny, Dan Antopolski and Carey Marx.

If you want to make sure you always get the latest Edinburgh Fringe podcasts, you can subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

It’s the last of the Fringe, and with 8 days and nights, there’s still a chance for you to uncover something special in Edinburgh. And of course the podcast will be playing its part in bringing you the best of the Festival right up until the very end.

I think today is the first time we’ve interviewed a dog. Luckily Ronnie brought along his master, Rob Rouse, who also talks about how Ronnie is a gift of material that keeps giving to his stand-up. The Fringe is not just comedy though, so the cast and crew of Why Do All Catherines Call Themselves Kate? are here to talk about a powerhouse of a theatre piece. Meanwhile Triona Adams is doing a one-woman show about here year spent as a Nun and we have music from the amazing Camille O’Sullivan.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #18 – The Menagerie of the Fringe

Rob Rouse
My Family… and the Dog that Scared Jesus
Book tickets online

Why Do All Catherines Call Themselves Kate?
…from One Small Step Productions
Book tickets online

Triona Adams
Nun the Wiser
Book tickets online

Camille O’Sullivan
The Dark Angel
Book tickets online

Today’s recommended shows: Sweeney Todd – His Life, Times And Execution! and Edward Aczel – Explains All the World’s Problems … and Then Solves Them.

Also featuring: EdTwinge, FestBuzz, Chris Cox: Mind over Patter, Princess Cabaret, Accidental Nostalgia, Cocorico and The Outhouse.

To make sure you always get the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

Another Sunday, another special show – and this week it’s my annual soundscape tour of the Royal Mile. The rules are pretty simple, start at one end, switch on the microphone, and start walking. There is so much variety and character on the Mile that something exciting is bound to happen!

I’ve managed to link to most of the acts that I bump into the Royal Mile, but if you’re looking for a surprise of the show, perhaps it might not be an idea to look through it until you’re finished!

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #17 – A Walk Up The Royal Mile

Opening Night of the Living Dead – Book tickets online

Jerry Springer: The Opera – Book tickets online

The Mikado (St Andrews University) – Book tickets online

Princess Cabaret – Book tickets online

Company – Book tickets online

The Five Pound Fringe – Book tickets online

Jim Smallman – Book tickets online

Simon Cassini (Bitter and Twisted) – more info online

Platform 88 – Book tickets online

Tempest – A Musical Enchantment– Book tickets online

Another Place – Book tickets online

Who’s Play Is It Anyway – Book tickets online

News Revue – Book tickets online

Lady Bug Warrior – Book tickets online

Safe in Numbers – Book tickets online

The Grind Show – Book tickets online

Ian Kendall’s 18th Birthday Magic Show – Book tickets online

Hamlet – Book tickets online

Mercy Madonna of Malawi – Book tickets online

A Clockwork Orange – Book tickets online

Sowetto Gosepl Choir – Book tickets online

To make sure you always get the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

Got your shows lined up for tonight if you’re in Edinburgh? Well if you haven’t perhaps you might hear something in today’s shows either for today or in the rest of the week.

Mark Walker and I start talking about his show, Scorpio (an investigation into star signs) but we rapidly fall into the work he does with the Forces and entertaining the serving UK Military. How different are those crowds to, say, Jongelurs. Virginia Ironside has written for a number of newspapers and magazines in her writing career, but this year has her first show at the Fringe, and her first real experience of performing on stage. Finally Barbershopera are returning to the Fringe after their award-winning show last year and the signs so far are Barbershopera II is going to be just as successful.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #16 – A Family Affair

Mark Walker
Scorpio
Book tickets online

Virginia Ironside
The Virginia Monologues – Why It’s Great To Be Old
Book tickets online

Barbershopera
Barbershopera II
Book tickets online

Today’s recommended shows: Normality and Ian Kendall’s 18th Birthday Magic Show.

Also featuring: Shed Simove’s Ideas Man, All To Bare, Lewis Schaffer’s Bigger and Blacker, Orphans, Precious Little Thing, Crush, The Sound of my Voice, Midsummer (A Play with Songs), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Little Gem, Barflies, Icarus 2.0, Ward No 6, Chronicles of Long Kesh, Internal, The Girls of Slender Means, Bane, Up, The Event, Land Without Words, Janis, Almost 10 and Odyssey.

Never miss any of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe podcasts by subscribing to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or using the RSS File to subscribe in your favourite RSS application.

The weekend starts here, or at least the second weekend of the Fringe! Spirits will be high, the audiences should hopefully be a little bit bigger than mid-week, and there are hundreds of hidden gems out there on the streets of Edinburgh. If you want my advice just stop one, ask them what they’ve seen, and go and see that.

Onto today’s show, with the second batch of Scotsman Fringe First awards announced, along with a Madonna impersonator (Evelyn Brinck’s Almost Like a Virgin), a pretend chatroom (errr… Chatroom), and Axis of Awesome take part in the Flyer Challenge on the Royal Mile.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #15 – Sounds Like Teen Spirit

Evelyn Brinck
Almost Like A Virgin
Book tickets online

Exeter University Theatre Company
Chatroom
Book tickets online

Axis of Awesome
Infinity Rock Explosion
Book tickets online

Today’s recommended shows: Zeitgeist and The Origin Of Species By Means Of Natural Selection Or The Survival Of Revolutionary Theories In The Face Of Scientific And Ecclesiastical Objections: Being A Musical Comedy About Charles Darwin (1809-1882).

Also featuring: PBH’s Free Fringe, Laughing Horse Free Fringe, Rap Guide to Evolution, The World is Too Much, The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church, The Hotel and Morecambe.

If you want to make sure you always get the latest Edinburgh Fringe podcasts, you can subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

Every year the Fringe has an influx of Australians (without them nobody would get served at the bars!), and we’ve had a few of them on the podcast already. But you can’t hold them all back, especially when they’ve got custom made Disney Princesses with whalebone corsets on the other side of the microphone.

At least Wil Anderson brings us up to speed on the hidden back rooms of Edinburgh and the Comedy Mafia that pass on the rules of the city like some Francis Ford Coppola film.

And to finish it all off, and balance our geographic spread Country and Western legend Wilson Dixon talks about words.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #14 – A Land Down Under

Wil Anderson
Wilosophy
Book tickets online

Princess Cabaret
…from Tumbleweed Theatrical Productions
Book tickets online

Wilson Dixon
Wilson Dixon’s American Dream
Book tickets online

Today’s recommended shows: Malaje The Flamenco Circus and A Grave Situation

Also featuring: A-Team The Musical, Ed The Musical, Murder Mystery Musical, Barbershopera II, Over the Threshold, Bloodbath The Musical, The Great British Soap Opera, Porn the Musical, Accidental Nostalgia, The Rebel Cell, and Showstopper!

To make sure you always get the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

Today is the half way point for this podcast – by my reckoning the Fringe will end on our 25th show, so slap bang in the middle of this show is the middle of the run. And that middle point is the gathering of The Stage’s reviewing team to discuss their favourite shows at this year’s Fringe.

Either side of that delightful centre are the world famous dancers The Chippendales, Jonathan Ross’ House Four Poofs and a Piano in their own show, and a powerful piece of theatre on artist Sir Terry Frost and his time in a prisoner of war camp in Stalag Happy.

Or this whole exercise is just an carry on to put the Chippendales on top of the 4 Poofs and the bill…

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #13 – The Boys Are Back

The Chippendales
The Ultimate Girls Night Out
Book tickets online

Stalag Happy
…from Third Man Productions
Book tickets online

Four Poofs and a Piano
Smoke and Mirrorballs
Book tickets online

Also featuring: The Telegraph’s lefty coverage, Metamorphosis and Rachel Rose Reid.

And recommended by The Stage reviewing team were Certain Dark Things, The Chair, A Grave Situation, Land Without Words, Just the Tonic, Hugh Hughes in 360, Last Night Things Happened, Showstoppers, Lilly Through The Dark, The Dark Party, Crime of the Century and Janis.

 

Never miss any of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe podcasts by subscribing to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or using the RSS File to subscribe in your favourite RSS application.

A slightly spooky show today – which is no reflection on young comedian Nathan Caton, but when you start talking about dead rock and roll legends like gene Vincent and Eddie Cochrane (in Be Bop a Lula) then there is an air of the dead hanging over the show.

Follow that with the cast and crew of Noir Horror Ernest and the Pale Moon and you get a show that ratchets up the tension. When you realise there’s no music, just a short performance of Ernest then you’d better be listening in daylight!

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #12 – Ghostbusters

Nathan Caton
Can’t Tell Me Nothin’
Book tickets online

Be Bop a Lula
from Weiner, Henshaw & Sweet Entertainments
Book tickets online.

Ernest and the Pale Moon
from Les Enfants Terribles
Book tickets online

Also featuring: The Red Room, The Chair, Farhenheit 451 and Morecambe.

Never miss any of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe podcasts by subscribing to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or using the RSS File to subscribe in your favourite RSS application.

…and I’m back. A big thank you to Brian and Georgina for yesterday’s show. but now normal service is resumed. Thanks for all your emails, twitters and messages of support, they are very much appreciated.

It’s a delight to welcome back David Ferrard to the show for a short musical number after your reaction to his earlier appearance. Sammy J and Heath McIvor are also returning, but for a much longer chat as opposed to a quick musical number.

Finally Scotland’s World Champion Slam Poet, Elvis McGonagall talks about his life and recites some of his award winning poetry to close out today’s Edinburgh Fringe Show

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #11 – The Puppet’s Scottish Lament

David Ferrard
Scottish Folk Roots and Offshoots
Book tickets online.
Songs of Conscience
Book tickets online.

Heath McIvor and Sammy J
Randy’s Postcards from Purgatory
Book tickets online
1999
Book tickets online
Sammy J in the Forest of Dreams
Book tickets online

Elvis McGonagall
One Man and his Doggerel
Book tickets online

Also featuring: Creole Choir of Cuba, Frisky and Mannish’s School of Pop, Barflies, Orphans, Internal, Trilogy and 100 Wounded Tears.

If you want to make sure you always get the latest Edinburgh Fringe podcasts, you can subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

Lots of music in today’s show (okay two tracks, but still…). First up is the amazing sound of Tao and their Samurai Magical Drumming, and the show ends with a whistle stop tour of why Creationism isn’t the way forward for a Fringe show, but a Rap Guide to Evolution is, courtesy of Baba Brinkman.

The weather may not be the best we’ve seen this Festival – the amount of rain today is very much typical for Edinburgh in August – but don’t let that stop you heading out to the Fringe if you’re in the Capital. For once the heat of the venues will dry you out nicely if you ignore the fact that it’s the perfect incubator conditions for swine flu.

Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #9 – The Sound of Music

Tao
Samurai Magical Drumming
Book tickets online

Janeane Garofalo
….at The Gilded Balloon
Book tickets online

Baba Brinckman
The Rap Guide To Evolution
Book tickets online

Also featuring: Orphans, Internal, Found, The Event, East 10th Street, Crush, The Unravelling, Previous Little Talent and Jack Whitehall.

Never miss any of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe podcasts by subscribing to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or using the RSS File to subscribe in your favourite RSS application.

You can have so much fun with children (stop sniggering) at the Fringe. Frisky and Mannish just bring out the child in me, and not just because they corrupt the ideals of pop music in their own wonderful style. Patrick Monahan is a regular on the stand-up circuit, but he’s branched out to being a children’s entertainer at the Fringe this year – something that he relishes but fills other comedians with dread.

In the middle of that is Durang/Durang, three short plays by Christopher Durang performed by Mind The Gap; the daily recommended shows via the iFringe application; and the shock news that I’ll be hosting the @Festbuzz Twinge Comedy party this evening!

It must be the Fringe!

Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #8 – Children of the Damned

Frisky and Mannish
School of Pop
Book tickets online

Durang/Durang
Presented by Mind the Gap (New York)
Book tickets online

Patrick Monahan
Stories and Fables for Kids that like to sit at Tables!
Book tickets online
Cowboys and Iranians
Book tickets online

Also featuring: The Economist’s UK recession report, Heroin(e) for Breakfast, FestBuzz Twinge Party, Ophelia (Drowning) and The Wind in the Willows.

Never miss any of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe podcasts by subscribing to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or using the RSS File to subscribe in your favourite RSS application.

A big international flavour to the podcast today, with NY comic Jamie Kilstein proving yet again why he’s one of the handful of stand-ups that could change the world through sheer force of mind. Following his views on the comic industry, the cast and crew from Utah State university’s Jumpers play talk abut the staging of their look at the Golden Gate Bridge.

Finally it’s a quick jump to Australia and the vocal talents of Sammy J and Randy the puppet as they showcase some of the music from the Forest of Dreams.

And back to Scotland, just in time for the first full weekend (with no previews) to kick off tomorrow. Perfect.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #7 – We’re Coming To America

Jamie Kilstein
Revenge of the Serfs
www.wearecitizenradio.com
Book tickets online

Jumpers
at ECA Sweet
Book tickets online

Randy and Sammy J, 30 Rickets Lane
Sammy J in the Forest of Dreams
Book tickets online

Also featuring: Sleeping Beauty and the Timelords and The Noise Next Door.

If you want to make sure you always get the latest Edinburgh Fringe podcasts, you can subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

In another time and place, perhaps Hunter S. Thompson would have written about Fear and Loathing in Edinburgh (or should that be Fear and Lothian?). But he didn’t, so today’s guests are going to have to talk about the dark places and adventures in the capital city.

First up is Sarah Chew (director) and Richard Fry (lead actor) of the plays Killing Me Softly and Bully. Both of these are single-hander shows that explore domestic violence and place a lot of demands on Fry, not least because there’s only an hour between Bully finishing and Killing Me Softly starting.

Celia Pacquola had a belter of a Melbourne Comedy festival and has made her way over to the Fringe for her debut UK performance – it may be a comedy staple to talk about a failed relationship but Pacquola puts a brilliant gentle comedic spin on everything.

Finally Lady Carol, a regular at Andrew Maxwell’s Full Mooners show has branched out into her own show of twisted tales and ukulele music, and she sings out today’s podcast.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #6 – Fear of the Dark

Sarah Chew and Richard Fry
Killing me Softly
Book tickets online.
Bully
Book tickets online.

Celia Pacquola
Am I Strange?
Book tickets online.

Lady Carol
Tomorrow is My Turn
Book tickets online.

Also featuring: Rebus McTaggart, Camille O’Sullivan, Tommy Sheppard in The Scotsman and The Arches at St Stephens.

To make sure you always get the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

It’s not just the big venues at the Fringe, some of the great shows can be found at the smaller and more intimate venues, and one of the longest running venues is the Bedlam Theatre. As home to the Edinburgh University Theatre Company the management changes every year, and for this Fringe Sam Hansford is at the reins.

Look around the capital and you’ll find indie artists and performers from around the world – one of those is the effervescent Rachael Sage from New York. Tucked away on Market Street her show (which finishes tonight) showcases her music and very free spirit, and we’ve got a performance from her latest album Chandelier alongside the interview.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #5 – Guilder and Florin

Sam Hansford
Bedlam Theatre – Edinburgh University Theatre Company
www.bedlamfringe.co.uk

Rachel Sage
Sequins and Sphiel
www.rachaelsage.com
Book tickets online.

Also featuring: Ian Kendall, Freeing The Fringe, Peter Duncan’s Daft and Dangerous, All About Me and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.

Never miss any of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe podcasts by subscribing to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or using the RSS File to subscribe in your favourite RSS application.

There’s a recession in the air, a lot of shows talk about it and give advice, there’s the lurking worry from lots artists that they’re going to loose thousands of pounds… and then there’s Ian on his 18th Fringe Show, still making a profit from his yearly magic show. Sarah Millican is also back after her award winning show last year; being a good host and seeing that she’s having some trouble adjusting to Edinburgh (via her Twitter account) I decided to bring along a little present…

And a little musical treat to close out the show today from “The Socks".

Got any thoughts about the Fringe, shows I should see or people you’d love to appear on the show? Drop me an email to ewanspence@gmail.com.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #4 – A Little Help From My Friends

Ian Kendall
Ian Kendall’s 18th Birthday Magic Show
Book tickets online.

Sarah Millican
Typical Woman
Book tickets online.

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatere
…Goes To Hollywood
Book tickets online.

Also featuring: Recession shows at The Guardian, Blow Up – The Credit Crunch Musical, A Respectable Wedding and Axis of Awesome.

Never miss any of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe podcasts by subscribing to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or using the RSS File to subscribe in your favourite RSS application.

It rained this morning… for about 5 minutes. Given the torrential needle like rain last year, the sunny weather has brought people out of their homes and hotels and the general mood at the Fringe is that there are a lot of people around… which is great!

I wanted to speak in a bit more depth with two of the guests from Friday’s documentary, so singer songwriter David Ferrard (who appeared back in 2006 on the Fringe podcast) and regular compere at The Stand, Bruce Devlin, talk about their shows and what it’s like to be an Edinburgh based performer during the Festival.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #3 – Staying at home for the Fringe

Bruce Devlin
Deviln’s Daily – The Stand
Book tickets online.

David Ferrard
Scottish Folk Roots and Offshoots
Book tickets online.
Songs of Conscience
Book tickets online.

Also Featuring: The Five Pound Fringe, Edtwinge (@edtwinge), Top PR Stunts At The Fringe, Andrew Laurence and The Tartuffe.

If you want to make sure you always get the latest Edinburgh Fringe podcasts, you can subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

Documentaries over, it’s time for the full Fringe Show experience, with the latest news from around Edinburgh. In a new spot, we’ll be recommending two shows a day that are getting great critical acclaim from the online review sites. The first picks are Ernest and the Pale Moon and A Fistful of Snow, and in case you’re wondering how we choose them, it’s powered by the iFringe iPhone application.

If you want the more old-fashioned word of mouth, then I chat to Bill McEvoy and Natasha Tripney from The Stage about the early recommendations. We’ve also got music from Chomp, The Zombie Musical in the show, as well as interviews with former Parisian catwalk model Robyn Peterson, and I spend some time with Karen Koren of the Gilded Balloon.

You can get in touch with the show by leaving a comment, or emailing me on ewanspence@gmail.com. Or stopping me on the streets of Edinburgh!

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #2 – We Didn’t Start The Fire

Karen Koren
Artistic Director of The Gilded Balloon
www.gildedballoon.co.uk

Bill McEvoy and Natasha Tripney
The Stage reviewing team
ed.thestage.co.uk.

Robyn Peterson
Catwalk Confidential
Book tickets online.

“Shooting Out The Brains Of The Dead” 
From Chomp: A Zombie Musical
Book tickets online.

Also Featuring: King of Gypsies, Ernest and the Pale Moon, A Fistful of Snow, Precious Little Talent, Chronicles of Long Kesh, Stalag Happy, The Trial, The Tartuffe, The Petty Concerns of Luke Wright, Iris Brunette, Beachy Head and Last Night Things Happened…

To make sure you always get the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

Forget the previews, turn out the lights (at home) because pretty much anyone who is anyone has descended on Edinburgh. The Fringe has… started!

Unlike the two or three day festivals, the Fringe (running 24 days) takes a bit of time to get going, with a number of preview nights, press launches, and artists testing out material from Tuesday past, so there’s a slowly building crescendo – much like the podcast this year.

To start off everything, our first 2009 show is a short documentary about the Fringe. I took time over the last week to talk to people involved in the Fringe, both front of house and back stage to talk about Edinburgh, the festival, advice and memories of the Fringe.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 #1 – Voices of The Fringe

Karen Koren
Artistic Director of The Gilded Balloon
www.gildedballoon.co.uk

Bruce Devlin
Deviln’s Daily – The Stand
Book tickets online.

Nicola Hazelton
EUTC – Bedlam Theatre
www.bedlamfringe.co.uk

David Ferrard
Scottish Folk Roots and Offshoots
Book tickets online.
Songs of Conscience
Book tickets online.

Never miss any of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe podcasts by subscribing to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or using the RSS File to subscribe in your favourite RSS application.

Though you might not guess from the mainstream media, the Fringe is not just about the big names coming up from London and doing a little bit of theatre to ‘experiment’’, and nor is it about landing a guest spot on a topical panel quiz show on BBC 3 or Dave. No it’s about the love of performing, taking risks and brining something new to the game.

One team that did this, back in 2007 were Claire Harvey and Edward Wren and their first play, The Ordinaries. As the Fringe gets ready to gear up (press events starting on Tuesday 4th!) it’s worth remembering the smaller shows on the Fringe, and that they generally are where the hidden gems are.

The Best of the Fringe Podcast, 2009 Edition #5

Claire Harvey and Edward Wren
The Ordinaries… in an Awkward Silence

First broadcast August 11th 2007.

If you want to make sure you always get the latest Edinburgh Fringe podcasts, you can subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

Better known in times past as the Perriers, and the If.comedy Award, the Edinburgh Comedy Awards (likely to be labelled The Eddies from here on in by the press) is one of many awards at the Fringe, but is probably the one that gets the most mainstream media coverage.

Back in 2006 I spoke to Nica Burns about the organisation of the Awards, how it all works, and some of her memories of the Fringe. The more detailed discussions about sponsorship I’ve edited out here (that bit is  out of date!) but otherwise the Comedy Awards continue in 2009, and probably beyond.

And yes, Burns is still there, but not yet with a zimmer-frame

The Best Of The Fringe Podcast, 2009 Edition #4

Nica Burns, The Edinburgh Comedy Awards
More at the Comedy Awards website.

First Broadcast August 23rd 2006.

To make sure you always get the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

One of the delights of the Fringe (and the Fringe Podcast) is finding small acts that go on to greater success, and Paul Webster, who I spoke to in 2007 (and is today’s Best of the Fringe Podcast) wrote and performed his own one-man show, Hitler Alone. It returns to the Fringe for a third year, and gives me the perfect reason to repeat my interview with him, that was recorded in one of the many side streets just off The Royal Mile

If you’d like to see Paul Webster performing Hitler Alone this year (it runs from the 12to the 26th of August at 9.30pm each night) you can book tickets online at the Edinburgh Fringe website to this, and any of the 2009 shows mentioned on the podcast) from the link in the show notes.

The Best Of The Fringe Podcast, 2009 Edition #3

Paul Webster, from Hitler Alone
Hitler Alone on the Edinburgh Fringe website.

First Broadcast August 9th 2007.

Never miss any of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe podcasts by subscribing to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or using the RSS File to subscribe in your favourite RSS application.

Continuing to showcase some of the interviews from previous Edinburgh Fringe years, this week I turn to a familiar voice for listeners to Radio 4’s The Now Show… Mitch Benn.

Before you listen, it is worth pointing out that Mitch and I knew each other when we were both at Edinburgh University, so this interview from 2006 does have a hint of Stadler and Waldorf about it as we reminisce, but Mitch talks a lot about what the Fringe means on the stand-up circuit, from entertaining audiences to promoting yourself. The Fringe is, essentially, a great big trade show, and what was discussed three years ago is even more relevant now.

The Best Of The Fringe Podcast, 2009 Edition #2

Mitch Benn
www.mitchbenn.com

First broadcast August 23rd 2006.

You can ensure you get the latest Edinburgh Fringe podcasts by subscribing to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

Our first interview from the archives are three singers who, with a fourth member who was lost around Leith Docks on the day, make up the house band on Friday night with Jonathan Ross… it’s Four Poofs and a Piano.

It goes without saying that you won’t be able to buy any tickets for their 2006 show and still see them, but consider this and the rest of the “Best of” shows airing each Friday in July as a limbering up exercise before all the fun of the Fringe festival starting Friday August 7th.

The Best of the Fringe Podcast, 2009 Edition #1

Four Poofs and a Piano
Strictly Neurotic
www.4poofsandapiano.com

First broadcast August 16th 2006.

If you want to make sure you always get the latest Edinburgh Fringe podcasts, you can subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.