This is sandwiched between an article about the Pope’s religious affiliations and the sanitary arrangements of bears.
***Aug 1: We’re greatly enjoying Time Bandits, especially the lead role of Kevin played by (real name) Kal El Tuck. So here’s a thought…
Doctor Who regenerates as a kid.
I’ve never even heard it suggested before (though you’re about to tell me it’s been the most discussed thing for 30 years). Anyway, I know all the arguments against doing it, while simultaneously watching a TV show where they’ve basically already done it.
Remember where you heard it (possibly) first.
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Aug 3: How councils try not to pay you, chapter 98:
Nameless council pushing its luck with my patience here. I do two days of comic classes for them in March. I've already gone through the rigmarole of being put "on their system", something it feels like you have to do again every year. They send me a Purchase Order, so all's well and good, and they get my invoice on April 5th.
Today, four months later, they get back to me. In yellow they highlight why they haven't paid me. The invoice had to be a PDF, not a Word document. A 4 month wait, not paying me, just to point out that. They must do this to everyone. Some people's bloody jobs deserve to get replaced by AI.
Here’s a puzzler. I bought a copy of Asterix Le Serpe d’Or in a car boot sale today (a quid, bargain) and just enjoyed reading it.
My question is, why is the colour so rubbish? This was an edition from 2000, and it has exactly the same colour faults as my English edition from 1975.
Why, in thirty years, has no one recoloured, or at least amended this? It’s the biggest selling comic book line in Europe! There’s spare cash to recolour the damn thing by now surely?
Anyone got a recoloured version? Or any idea why they’ve stuck with the shoddy, flawed, rushed 1962 colouring all this time?
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Aug 7: Re The Rest Is Entertainment podcast
So, in this latest episode, Richard Osman suggests the Edinburgh Fringe has lost its point for comedians wanting to break into the TV comedy industry cos he says that industry “has collapsed”.
We need details. Is he right? (He usually is) What did the TV comedy industry comprise and what has gone?
He says it’s happened in the last two years. He mentions Mock The Week ending, and names Maisie Adam as the last comic to break big through the old Edinburgh-to-telly conveyor belt.
He also suggests Edinburgh needs to become more affordable and grass roots to nurture experimental work. He says that agents used to pay for their acts to do Edinburgh (though not Avalon, he hinted) and that this has now ended.
My question is: is Richard Osman right? Who knows the details of the Death of TV Comedy?
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Aug 9 : Data storage is something I’ve been reminded of while collecting up my old Edinburgh blogs for a book.
I don’t want to worry all you #Edfringe acts who’ve been going for more than a decade, but have you tried looking at any of your reviews from, say, 2009? Don’t look for them, they’re not there any more. My four star Scotsman reviews might as well be five stars now, cos they’ve evaporated. I guess they’re somewhere in hard copies, but online they’re not even history.
The same goes for all the photos in my blog, which were either Tinypic or Photobucket. All long since vanished. On the plus side, the environment.
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Aug 10: Had the briefest of visits to Edinburgh last night to do two (great) gigs and saw for the first time that Teviot’s closed. This was the first I’ve heard of it. Talk about being out of the bubble.
It’s been the home of the Gilded Balloon and my venue for all but three of my Edinburgh shows since 2001. I hope GB get it back next year when I hope to return. I first went there in 1984 as a punter when it was The Fringe Club. So many memories in that building, it was weird to see it under scaffolding and cloths.
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Aug 10: I seem to remember being berated last week when I lightly mocked the idea of breakdancing at the Olympics.
I believe I was an “old man yelling at clouds”, an ancient reactionary who should move with the times.
I promise to stop laughing when the breakdancing stops being rubbish.
You probably can't see this unless you have a ticket to this weekend past's WorldCon, but it's worth a try.
Rarely before have so many obscure sci fi references actually been 'got' by so many people in one place at one time. They even laughed at the Oor Wullieverine gag. Which, trust me, makes them a very select audience.
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Aug 14 - I share Reginald D Hunter story
Of course this is paywalled so I can’t see the details. All I’m left with is Reginald D Hunter getting a one star review from a national newspaper. Anyone know, did he deserve it?
Update: I've been sent the article. Oh dear, very bad. Not just handling a heckler badly, but doubling down on the anti-semitism, and returning to it later, and essentially leading a mob in bullying a couple in the audience.
From what the article say, this wasn't over-sensitivity by two punters, it was a nasty attitude and unacceptable behaviour from Reginald D.
Aug 25 - I share a correction about the Reginald D Hunter story
I shared the Telegraph version of the Reginald D Hunter story last week. I realise I didn’t have all the facts, as this thread spells out
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Aug 14: Idea for the perfect murder: Become a Disney employee, dress up as Mickey Mouse, murder a tourist at Disney World.
Don't ask me where I got the idea, just remember where you heard it first
In other news: the Pope blah blah, bears in woods blah blah.
As statements of the bleeding obvious are concerned, this one is above average. Either it’s silly season or they’re getting AI to write the research papers.
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Aug 16: Jones Bootmaker Edinburgh Comedy Awards shortlist announced
It is very unfair to a fine company, and typical of my childish snobbish mentality, that I thought "Jones Bootmaker Edinburgh Comedy Award" was a joke name, and this was a parody article.
All hail Jones Bootmakers, the new Perrier / stroke / Whatever The Other Guys Were Called You Know Some Insurance Company Or Something.
Update: I am informed (below) that this Edinburgh Comedy Award is not the same as the actual Edinburgh Comedy Award. Quite how I got the two differently named Edinburgh Comedy Awards confused I cannot imagine. (I am reminded of how PBH managed to get the rival “Free Fringe” to change their name without the use of a lawyer. I wonder why one well-funded award that’s been running for 43 years can’t get its act together to do the same).
Check this out, Nigel Parkinson! When I asked the kids to name a celebrity that I could draw in my demonstration strip, in one of yesterday’s classes in Peterborough, they chose you! You beat Taylor Swift, Elon Musk and some Youtuber in a four way knockout vote.
The kid who chose you hadn’t met you. Yet.
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Aug 18: A train of thought just lead me to realise there might be a lot of foreigners or youngsters who’ve tried to do a common South East accent, having only ever heard them being done by Vyvyan in the Young Ones, Loadsamoney, or Peter Cook doing Pete and Dud. All of whom were posh private school kids putting the accent on.
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Aug 20: We’ve got a baby seagull in our garden. He’s been with us for nearly a week. He can’t fly yet. Lucky Tadpole, the cat, isn’t bothered and hasn’t tried to eat it.
Anyone know when and how they get their act together and fly off?
I tried to encourage it the other day and a parent seagull flew over and dive-pooed me.
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So, Edinburgh show people, as someone who had to miss this year but plans to return in 2025, what’s your verdict on the state of putting on a show at the Fringe?
Am I right that attendance was down on previous years, especially week three? And were bucket takings lower?
Was nightlife noticeably quieter? Does this mean Bristo Square? Cowgate? Courtyard?
Or have I been listening to the wrong anecdotal evidence? What are your conclusions? #edfringe
Me: From back home, I’d say the TV and radio coverage is the least I can remember. BBC did next to nothing (feeblest Breakfast piece I’ve ever seen!). A far cry from when Edinburgh Nights was on BBC2 and there was a BBC tent on Bristo Square. Was there even a sniff of The One Show?
Simon HallIt has been very quiet. Week 3 was still the busiest but it was far from full. My average bucket is half what I made last year. I am definitely not returning next year.
Chris ScottIt's definitely been an odd year. Lots of people saying they hadn't been to see much, lots of the food vendors struggling to break even.
BraÃnne EdgeThis was a weird old year. Our shows were half isnnot full but, even we 4 days extra, we just about scraped the same amount of money as last year. Accommodation prices are ridiculous (we ended up staying outside the city). We plan to do next year but will be keeping a close eye on if it feels worth it to do 2026...
Owen ScrivensI think the nature of what people are watching is changing to a certain extent - especially at certain times of day.
I know people with well reviewed serious plays at pleasance struggling for audience - while "genre improvisation" shows are selling out with very low marketing. Summerhall/traverse seems to be heavily sold out for the things I want to see, but less going to see small level theatre.
I think flyering is less effective as the move to online marketing/planning/tickets has happened.
Friends who visited had already decided/booked what they wanted to see before arriving. The artists at the festival could afford to see less other shows.
Danielle SolofThis was my first time performing here, but I will say what you wrote matches my experience. Whenever I met someone, they’d say they loved my poster, they found it memorable (“I’ve seen this! This is YOUR show??? I’m so glad I met the person behind this.”), so it’s even the most striking they’ve seen. The sales conversion was terrible. I have a paid show at 5:10pm off the Royal Mile and it’s a good day if I get 10 people in.
Luke MeredithOne of my shows was slightly down on last year but the other one was slightly up and personally I’ve found audiences very generous at both. I was also lucky with accommodation (asked around a few FB groups and friends and there are quite a few residents who are eager to rent out at a reasonable rate but don’t want to advertise it openly). Speaking to the clubs though, nightlife has plummeted, possibly a combination of cost of living, people living further out, and young people’s habits having changed since Covid.
Scott ChristieWith Oasis playing Edinburgh during Fringe next year I'd heavily suggest booking accommodation now because it will all go.
Geordie Geoff OFlanaganWould we do it all again next year?
Robin WealleansMy first time too and I realised that all late shows get screwed because lazy journalists don’t bother after 9pm. It’s not our fault that we get late slots, you could spend one day of the week seeing those shows, to me the late ones are the great ones. Also did seem a bit quieter than previous ones yeah. My numbers were very good but I still subsidised every single punter by £313! Staggering when you think of it like that. Also the admin of it all is totally overwhelming especially when you are neuro-diverse. Our venue was great. I say shame on the press and on Fringe for making it so bloody hard for admin. Most of us don’t have large teams of helpers. I must have had 300 emails before it even started. And ours was judged successful. I know of one woman who’d spent about £70k on her show, how is that feasible for anyone?! Also tbh I only saw about 10 other shows and only 2 of them blew me away. 2 were so bad we left early. So were comedians a bit sub-par in general or was I (more likely!) unlucky?!
Other opinions are of course available, I’m still processing it all! Good luck to anyone trying. I’m finding this thread fascinating. X
(There were many more posts on this thread, 120 in all)
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Aug 22: Self-publishers, if you use Lulu to print your books, don't forget to use those discount codes when you have them (here's a picture of the latest if you want to use it). And also, keep an eye on the postage.
Today I just made a significant saving on buying a load of my books in batches of ten.
Three books came in at £4.21 per book inc postage, when last time they'd cost £4.90. (I sell them at £6.99, so that 70p difference will add up)
And one book, my 365 page Omnibus, came in at £8.45 per book, when the last batch had cost me £11 each. (I'd previously bundled them in with other books, tipping the postage costs over some sort of mark). This has been a public service announcement that will be of little use to any of you.
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I learned a new word at school this week: gyatt.
While we're on the subject, who would have known what Skibidi, Ohio, Rizler, Sigma or a Chad Daddy were? All this and more, on the two comics I made with kids at summer school in Derby on Wednesday.
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Aug 25: Congratulations to Colin Hoult on winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award.
What, you say? Uncle Kev not going to say something sarky about the winner?
No. Cos, as of last year, we have the same agent (well, agency).
(You may find me saying a lot fewer critical things about a lot more writers and performers these days. Don't think I'm not thinking it! But not about Colin, who is deserving, brilliant, and from Nottingham, which is only ever a good thing.) Update: He hasn't won the Edinburgh Comedy Award, Amy Gledhill did. Colin won some inflateable shite.
Aug 26: Yesterday I drew 100+ kids caricatures at Coventry Comic Con. The most popular costume or t shirt worn by kids was Spider-Man. When I asked them who their favourite character was, the single most common reply was “Deadpool” These are 6 to 9 year old kids, and their favourite character is in a movie they’re not supposed to watch for another ten years!
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Aug 27: Finally watched Mary Poppins Returns at the weekend. Or tried to.
It’s so disappointing we ended up fast forwarding through and stopping at highlights (then watched Elemental which is excellent).
MP2 is basically a retread of MP1, but in that same old fashioned style. Which just makes you appreciate the original more, and bring to mind Disney musicals from the intervening 60 years that have moved the genre forward so much that MP2 groans and creaks in comparison
For gods sake they even try and do a new chimney sweep dance, as if to say “remember Chim Chiminey? Well forget it for five minutes and we’ll do a pale sub-Strictly homage which isn’t even as good as those newsreaders dancing on Morecambe and Wise” Avoid. That’s two and half hours you’ve saved.
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In the light of the alleged reunion of Oasis, who's heard the very good Rise & Fall Of Oasis podcast?
Really takes you back there, and reminds you how quick their rise was. Then how quickly the build-em-up-knock-em-down syndrome kicked in. I for one was surprised to learn how many albums they released and how many years they kept going after the first two albums (ie the only ones anyone cares about).
I'm old enough to remember when they first hit the radio and the likes of the NME (and, I seem to remember, Stewart Lee) were slagging them off for sounding like a mix of T Rex and Status Quo. That was before everyone realised they were actually a mix of The Beatles and Slade (with the internal dynamics of The Kinks).
media and communications was when they arrived. Imagine explaining it to a kid.
Their big break is doing a gig at King Tut's in Glasgow, where they weren't expected. Why did they not text to say they were coming? Cos in 1993 nobody had a mobile phone.
How did I first hear about them? The NME. A newspaper, printed on paper, that you read every week, and it told you the latest music gossip, which would be a week old. Why did you not go online? No internet. Where did you first hear them? Radio 1. Because there was only Radio 1. (It was on Jo Wiley & Steve Lamacq's evening show. No, you couldn't listen on iPlayer, you had to wait till the evening).
Where did you first see them? Top Of The Pops. Because there was only Top Of The Pops. (Actually, I knew someone who had MTV by then, but we didn't get it for another few years).
So you bought it on vinyl then, Dad? No, I bought it on CD, obviously. Mind you, I'm tempted by the vinyl, now that the turntable's come down from the attic.
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I know I know, I’m as sick of hearing about Oasis as you are. But this article begs a good question: whither the bands of tomorrow?
Do kids even form bands anymore? Or is being in a teenage rock band in the 20s like being in a Louisiana jazz band in the 80s? (NB we went to see one called the Storyville Jazz Band every week when we were students. They were all old white men in their 50s. Cut to today and, in the bandstand near our house, we get covers bands playing music from the 60s to the 90s. Plus ca change) Who still goes to see bands playing gigs in rooms above pubs? More importantly do anyone’s kids?
And when was the last band to get big? We get a one off novelty acts like Wet Leg and The Last Dinner Party every other year. But do any last?
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Re: Scott Agnew - Dead Man Talking on Radio 4
This is the laugh out loud funniest thing I’ve heard on the radio for years. You must listen to it.
Scott Agnew has made a three part show out of his stand up show about his health, which doesn’t sound funny when I describe it, but trust me it truly is. I was crying with laughter in the car listening to episode three at the weekend. Brilliant.
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Aug 29: Today I have mostly been working on another brand new book.
It doesn't look like much thanks to my contrived way of working (biro scribble script, edited with scissors and sellotape, then rough pencil on A4, then the lettering, then... the bit that comes next is actually drawing it. So we have words but no pictures at the mo. Stay tuned)
Annoyingly this is the 5th or 6th brand new book I've started and, because they're being done as demos to show to other people rather than
projects for me to see through from start to finish right now, they're all half finished. I'm looking at four quarter-done Shakespeares, something to do with science, some samples for a history thing, a not-even-started idea for a Socks Post Office Scandal book (that may still happen), and now this, an idea that someone showed an interest in, that's fun to do, and I've outlined a cracking plot, but now I'll be drawing 20 pages and leaving it again. It's a funny life, this traditional publishing (or not as the matter may be) lark.
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Re: Kaos on Netflix
This is an odd one. Fun, but you’re aware there are two groups of viewers: the ones who’ve read the comics so already know the stories (for comics, read Greek Myths, same thing), and those who come to it cold, knowing nothing.
I’m slightly in the latter camp, despite the best efforts of Natalie Haynes on Radio 4 and Stephen Fry’s book Mythos, the second of which told the tales without ever making them interesting. (Natalie makes them fun)
The Greek Gods are essentially Marvel
superheroes for kids who went to English public schools. So whereas comprehensive school geeks like me were all over the Iron Man and Captain America movies, getting every Easter egg, there’ll be a host of viewers (including I’m guessing the Guardian reviewer who gave it five stars) wowing every in-joke peppered throughout this. I got a couple, but was annoyed knowing there were others that I didn’t.
My big worry is that, after this and Fall of The House of Usher, the next thing will be a series of Shakespeare adaptations set in the present day, and they won’t be based on my books! Prince of Denmark Street anyone? I’m right here.
My Books and where to get them:
Shakespeare Omnibus Collection (all 3 books) - Paperback
Sweet Smell Of Sockcess - Putting A Show On At The Edinburgh Fringe -
Amazon -
ebook
Joseph, Ruth & Other Stories - Amazon
Colouring Books: Punk, Cult TV, Eurovision Vol 1, Eurovision Vol 2, Eurovision Best Of British & Irish, 1960s Pop, 1970s Pop, 1980s Pop, 1990s Pop, 2020s Pop, Bowie, Scottish Pop, Doctors Who
