“If you were to ask us what makes a great festival, we would reply with two words: Enormous Success.”
WHO: The Mayor
WHAT: “The Mayor and his daughter are in crisis. The soul of their beloved village is in tatters, besieged by the demonic forces of modern Britain. But there’s a light in the darkness. When they discover a sacred tome – a boxset of Russell Howard’s Good News (Series 2) – they make it their mission to repair their fractured community with laughter, by performing a genuine appreciation of comedy. Think The Krankies crossed with The Wicker Man. Nominated for Best Debut at Leicester Comedy Festival 2025.”
WHERE: Snug Bar at Assembly Roxy (Venue 139)
WHEN: 16:10 (60 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
My daughter and I have never OFFICIALLY been to Edinburgh. However, last year we secreted ourselves in a bunker and performed our show in incubus form. As always, we travelled a long way and tried not to upset anyone.
This year, we are delighted that we can crawl out of the woodwork and blast everyone with A Genuine Appreciation of Comedy. After all, this festival is the premium breeding ground for Professional Sketch Comedians such as Russell Howard, Bremner, Bird and Bremner, and The Kay Brothers (Peter and Vernon). It is a testament to the festival’s significance that so many comedians come here to die*.
If you were to ask us what makes a great festival, we would reply with two words: Enormous Success. What kind of success? Financial, of course! but also social (new friends) and spiritual (purging our village of demons (see below)).
We humbly ask that you help us meet our goals. In return, we will help you meet yours (i.e. repair your tattered community using the golden thread of comedy).
*We assume that is why Grey Friars is so enormous. My daughter says it’s the biggest graveyard she’s ever seen and she would like to live there one day.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
My daughter has learnt how to draw the big Superman ‘S’. I am very proud of her for that. Similarly, I have learnt not to worry about all the dried blood on our overhead projector: it was like that when we found it and it is almost certainly not our blood!
More broadly, we have learned to speak very loudly when you aren’t using a microphone and, in turn, not to shout when you are being amplified. Stick with this and you will be (A)Live at the Apollo in no time.
Like an earnest and resilient sponge, we work day-by-day to absorb these totems. We expect to have internalised them by 2035*.
*Not legally binding
Tell us about your show.
‘A Genuine Appreciation of Comedy’ is our attempt to use Professional Comedy to purge our village of demonic forces, in particular The LinkedIn Shop (aka Modern Britain) and also some actual demons. My daughter and I wrote it after we discovered a boxset of Russell Howard’s Good News (Series 2), a tome which introduced us to the Power of Comedy. Having watched the DVD on repeat and memorised the contents, we felt prepared to produce a show which unleashes the full occult force of comedy; three weeks later, we brought our work to the masses.
Our good friends and business associates Rosie Nicholls (producer/powerful woman) and Joz Norris (director/young boy) joined our merry Morris dance, bringing us some much needed ‘sparkle’! Rosie is already an established Professional Sketch Comedian as part of award-winning double act Grubby Little Mitts, while Joz has written and performed so many Fringe shows that he has earned the right to call himself A Classic of the Genre (and he does frequently!).
We have performed a number of previews in London, Oxford, Bristol, Nottingham, Birmingham and other Big City iniquity dens, but Edinburgh — Edinburgh, of all places! — will be our Debut Premier. We hope that EVERYONE comes to see it!
Post-Fringe, we have no concrete plans for the show, but Keep Your Eyes Peeled (literally — let them grow dryer than the Sahara!). Once expressed, these energies won’t return to their cage…
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
Our beautiful summer child Joz Norris is performing his show at Pleasance. We lovingly and aggressively commend him to you. In addition, please enjoy on our behalf: Caitriona Dowden; Nate Kitch; Ozzy Algar; Lil Wenker; Luly Popplewell; Sam Nicoresti; Mikey Bligh-Smith; Lorna Rose-Treen; and many more!
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