Interview
If you are returning to Edinburgh after a break it helps if you have a story to tell. Jim Tavare has had a break in every sense and a story to tell. His answer to question 3 below will explain, but expect a lot more detail in his show From Deadpan To Bedpan. Older comedy fans will know Tavare from his time on the UK circuit with his double bass, smart suit and comically gloomy demeanour. Younger fans may know him as Tom (the owner of the Leaky Cauldron) in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
I've been waiting for years for Craig Hill to become a household name. Ever since I saw him do a storming, riotous set in a Parisian comedy club over a decade ago. He's got that classic impish style that instantly wins audiences over. He's what I'd call a people person comedian.
Elf Lyons picked up an Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination last year for Swan, her decidedly idiosyncratic interpretation of Swan Lake. This year she is tackling a very different subject. Chiff Chaff is her one-woman musical about the economy. You read that right. Expect daffy dancing, costume changes and a funny take on financial theory. There's a lot of clowning to choose from in Edinburgh these days but Lyons is one of the best and also one of the most original.
Third World meets First World when this award-winning South American makes his Edinburgh debut. After escaping Venezuela and immigrating to Australia, Ivan Aristeguieta became one of the hottest comics Down Under, winning the Best Newcomer Award at the Sydney Comedy Festival in 2016. Say 'hola' to your new favourite comedian! He’s one happy immigrant squeezing all the privileges the First World can give him. The mango truly is 'juithier' on the other side.
The British Empire gave Indian stand-up Anuvab Pal a colonial accent and British values and suddenly left. Now he lives in contemporary India – a billion confident humans, fed on social media and American consumerism and way past their colonial hangover. How does a man still under the British influence survive in ‘New India’? Nobody knows... least of all him.
Hal Cruttenden is a busy bee. This summer he is off to Edinburgh with his new show Chubster and then he takes it on the road for his biggest tour yet. And not only that he is dusting off the old acting chops too in Edinburgh, appearing in a new satirical play called Brexit alongside Mike McShane, Jo Caulfield and Pippa Evans.
Observational comedy ninja Jimeoin returns to Edinburgh this summer with not one but two mighty shows. There's the nightly Result at 8.40pm, full of his usual trademark pin-sharp reflections on the modern world.
It's shaping up to be both a great and a busy year for Daniel Sloss. The 27-year-old's full-length specials Dark and Jigsaw (formerly titled So?) will be streamed on Netflix later in 2018, making him the latest in a select band of talented British comics to release shows on the network. He will also be touring in the autumn. And before then there is the small matter of his annual visit to the Edinburgh Fringe, where he has established himself as one of the main attractions over the last decade.
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2018 runs from August 3 - 27. Today Beyond The Joke kicks off its annual season of interviews to get you all excited about the comedy in store. And we are starting off with a big name returning to the Fringe. I first saw Marcus Brigstocke so long ago I can't remember the venue. It may have been a wine bar just off Cowgate. I remember sitting on a stool at the back as he did a series of very funny beatbox-based noises.
You’re co-presenting a new six-part entertainment series with Big Narstie – what can you reveal about the show and what kind of guests have you got lined up?
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