EdFringe Talk: The Last Bantam

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“My background’s in character comedy. I’m not a professionally trained actor and I think that that ‘coming from the outside’ approach gave me an advantage.”

WHO: Michael Hughes

WHAT: “1914. The Great War rages. Britain recruits 30,000 men between 5’ and 5’3″ to fight. These men come from all over Britain, Ireland and Canada. Known as Bantams after the small, aggressive rooster, they’re formed into special Bantam battalions. 1918. Bouzincourt, France. A group of reporters visit the front to write about the Bantams. One Bantam remains: Patrick Michael Wolfe, a teacher from Dublin. This is his story, from the battlefields of France to rebellion in Dublin. Inspired by real events. ***** (BritishTheatreGuide.info). ***** (UKTW.co.uk). *****(@moreishtv) **** (PlaysInternational.org.uk). ‘Hidden Gem’ (FringeReview.co.uk). Spirit of the Fringe, Derek Awards.”

WHERE: Mint Studio at Greenside @ George Street (Venue 236) 

WHEN: 12:45 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Nope. This year will be my ninth physical encounter with Edinburgh. I’ve been coming up annually since 2016 (we don’t talk about 2020…) and it’s just something I do now.

Edinburgh is a remarkable phenomena. The city’s one of my favourites and during August it becomes a centre of the performing universe. Creatives from all over the globe (and I suspect a few from beyond it) come to Edinburgh to show the world what they’ve got. The result is an incredibly eclectic mix of disciplines. If you want to see a show about something – however niche – chances are, you’ll find it in the Edinburgh Fringe!

The thing I love most about Edfringe though is the energy. With thousands of performers and artistes within a few square miles, the city buzzes with potential. You can almost taste it! It’s this energy that brings me back every year. It renews my faith in humanity.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

What have I learned? Hmmm…. Preparation is all! In previous years I never bothered contacting reviewers for example. I just assumed they’d come to my show because, well, why wouldn’t they? Last year I realised that if I really wanted reviewers to come and see me in action I had to be more proactive. No more desultory media releases for me. No sir! I’m playing the game differently this year. Over the last year I’ve gathered information on key reviewers (along with, shall we say, some ‘interesting’ photographs?) and I’m looking forward to glowing reviews from The Scotsman, The Stage and Caravanning Weekly.*

*Please note that the above response does not constitute a confession. It is a work of fiction crafted for entertainment purposes only. The author does not practice or endorse any form of form of blackmail. Even of reviewers. And if you say he does you’ll regret it. He has the negatives…

Tell us about your show.

I wrote The Last Bantam after reading Sydney Allinson’s ‘Bantams’ a couple of years ago. I read his book and thought, ‘Wow! What an incredible story!’ I immediately hoovered up every and anything else I could find about them and before long I’d pages and pages of notes. I looked at those notes and thought, ‘This would make a fantastic play!’ and The Last Bantam was born! I wrote the first draft over a few days and did a pre-preview preview in my sitting room in July ’23. I did the preview proper in The Arts Depot, North Finchley before taking The Last Bantam to Edinburgh for its Fringe debut in August ’23. It went down a storm and I thought, ‘This show has legs. Short legs, yes, but legs nonetheless.’ and I’ve been doing it ever since, developing the story every time. I’ve produced The Last Bantam as very much a solo project. My background’s in character comedy. I’m not a professionally trained actor and I think that that ‘coming from the outside’ approach gave me an advantage. Like all the comics I know, I had an idea, tried and refined it and that was it. Maybe I’m wrong, but I suspect that had I an acting school background I might have needed the input and security of a ‘team’ around me and my show probably would have taken a year, rather than a few months, to develop. This year I’ve taken The Last Bantam to Nottingham, Wiltshire and Hampshire and after the Fringe I want to tour some more. I’d be extremely keen to make The Last Bantam into a movie. There’s a huge amount of drama in it. And a few laffs. I hear DeVito’s interested…

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

I think, after seeing The Last Bantam (the ONLY show in the Fringe by the way, about Britain’s ‘bantam’ soldiers) I’d send my audience to see the remarkable Stephen Catling in ‘Moving on… Really, really slowly’ (19:30 The Attic). I’m not sure what my audience would make of Stephen’s brand of ridiculous surreality (is that a word?), but my goodness, he makes me laugh! There’s also the incredible Ian Crawford’s ‘Accident Avoidance Training for Cutlery Users (advanced and improvers). I saw this last year and he had me in stiches. There’s moments of pure comic brilliance in that show! I’d also strongly recommend Stephen Smith’s ‘One Man Poe’ shows at Greenside. Stephen’s a towering talent (well, he’s taller than me) and he’s doing my lights and sound this year. I’m rather intimidated to be honest. What if he brings his raven?

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