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SEAN MCLOUGHLIN One of the finest British stand-ups you’ve probably never heard of. Time to fix that as the whirlwind that is Sean McLoughlin tells it like it is with his new show title: You Can’t Ignore Me Forever. Laughing Horse @ City Café, 3–26 Aug, 6.45pm, free.
funny online daughter (as in, she does comedy online: she is actually real) wonders whether there’s any point in taking anything seriously any more. Renowned for his juicily dark material and laidback delivery, Nelson (the inaugural Scottish Comedian of the Year winner back in 2006) is utterly sick of daft life-hack apps and ridiculous self- help books. Aren’t we all, mate. eventful year off (he got a new laptop, etc), the terribly well-spoken boy is back in town with resolutions galore but less courage in his convictions than ever. How much has Ivo learned from this thing we call life and what good has it done him? He’s another one who’s cropped up on Mock the Week and Live at the Apollo, as well as Live from the BBC, As Yet Untitled and Fighting Talk.
BUTT KAPINSKI Pleasance Dome, 5–27 Aug (not 9, 14, 21), 8.10pm, £8–£10 (£7–£9). Previews 2–4 Aug, £6. The hardboiled noirish creation of Deanna Fleysher returns for another bite at the Fringe cake with a fresh helping of gender- enquiring comedy-theatre. See feature, page 17. WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? Assembly Rooms, 4–27 Aug (not 14), 8.10pm, £15–£17.50. Preview 3 Aug, £10. Live incarnation of the legendary improvisational comedy TV show comes back to the Fringe. Hosted by Clive Anderson, in rotation will be Greg Proops, Josie Lawrence, Colin Mochrie, Mike McShane and Phill Jupitus, with other special guests to be announced. For fans of the old show, most excitement will be reserved for some appearances by former cultural recluse Tony Slattery.
RACHEL PARRIS: KEYNOTE Pleasance Dome, 5–28 Aug (not 16), 8.20pm, £8.50–£11.50. Previews 3 & 4 Aug, £6. Ms Parris (Austentatious, The IT Crowd, Murder in Successville) has been invited to be a guest speaker at her old school. But what kind of a role model is she really? Through stand- up, character and musical comedy, she explores the kind of messed-up message that might possibly be useful to impressionable young minds. KEITH FARNAN: WORK AND WORDS IN PROGRESS The Stand II, 4–13 Aug, 8.50pm, £9 (£8). Preview 3 Aug, £8 (£7). Irish legend Farnan (he’s been on Michael Mcintyre’s Comedy Roadshow, you know) has tried to answer some of the big questions in life in previous shows (women’s rights, privacy, the death penalty), but now reckons it’s probably a good time to just be funny.
IVO GRAHAM: EDUCATED GUESS Pleasance Courtyard, 5–27 Aug (not 14), 8.15pm, £8.50–£11 (£7.50–£10). Previews 2–4 Aug, £7. After a hugely 9PM ANDREW MAXWELL: SHOWTIME Assembly George Square, 5–27 Aug
(not 14), 9pm, £13–£15 (£12–£14). Previews 2–4 Aug, £10. He might still look like a young pup, but this will be Andrew’s 22nd Edinburgh Fringe show! Crazy stuff. This year, he will be tackling as many of the big themes as he can cram into an hour: mad election results, the ever-shifting sands of social manners, and why those robotos haven’t totally taken over yet. DANE BAPTISTE: G.O.D. (GOLD. OIL. DRUGS.) Pleasance Courtyard, 5–27 Aug (not 16), 9pm, £12–£14 (£10–12). Previews 2–4 Aug, £7. Original, provocative and exceptionally prolific, the lad Dane returns to the Fringe with a show about our worldwide pursuit of wealth, power and pleasure. Baptiste made comedy history in 2014 as the first black British act to be nominated for an Edinburgh Comedy Award.
DANIEL SLOSS: NOW Venue 150 @ EICC, 7–27 Aug (not 11 & 12, 14, 18 & 19, 22, 25 & 26), 9pm, £18.50 (£16). Previews 3 & 4, 6 Aug, £10.50. Brand spanking new show from the internationally acclaimed, award-winning Fife-born comedian. Star of Conan (a record seven appearances), he’s performed nine sell-out Edinburghs, two solo off-Broadway seasons, released a DVD, gave a TEDx Talk (aged 19) and tours extensively throughout UK, Australasia, USA and Europe. He’s now big and he’s clever.
NATH VALVO: NOT IN THIS HOUSE Assembly George Square, 4–27 Aug (not 15), 9pm, £10.50–£12 (£9.50– £11). Previews 2 & 3 Aug, £7.50. Nath Valvo smashed 2016. He stormed the Melbourne Comedy Festival TV Gala, recorded his debut stand up TV special and scored a nomination for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Fringe. Catch one of Australia’s best as he tackles love, scary sex, bored parents, Beyoncé and Fitbits. DAN ANTOPOLSKI: RETURN OF THE DAN ANTOPOLSKI Assembly George Square, 4–27 Aug, 9.15pm, £10–£12 (£9–£11). Previews 2 & 3 Aug, £6. Last seen in 2013, the triple Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee returns with his eighth stand- up hour, this one being about change, pain, honour and gain. He once won the Dave Joke of the Fringe tournament with a gag about hedgehogs.
FRANKIE BOYLE: PROMETHEUS VOLUME Venue 150 @ EICC, 5–9 Aug, 20–24 Aug, 9.20pm, £17.50 (£15.50). Frankie Boyle presents the first instalment of his eight-volume Promethiad. If you liked his previous shows, but wished they contained different jokes said by someone with an older face, this is the show for you. Subjects ranging from the science of black holes to the history of Victorian exploration will be ignored
Top Tips | FESTIVAL COMEDY
FIVE TOM SKELTON’S
BLIND ICONS
P H O T O
: J O H N C A R N S
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BÉLA THE BLIND In the land of the blind, the one- eyed man is king, but in 12th- century Hungary, a blind man was actually king. Along with his dad Álmos, young Béla was blinded by his uncle, the then King, to nip their rival claim to the throne in the bud. Or so he thought! The uncle’s line dried up and Béla oversaw an expansionist Hungarian foreign policy, capturing Bosnia and Croatia. Not that I am saying that is good, obviously. He died a drunk in 1141. Blind drunk. Béla just pips Gordon Brown, David Blunkett and Vasily II of Moscow as my top blind political i gure.
LOUIS BRAILLE To liberate generations of blind people with his language is an amazing thing, and I did not know for bloomin’ ages that it was named after its creator rather than just being created by nature or God or Shakespeare. JORGE LUIS BORGES There are other great blind writers like Homer and John Milton, but I have actually read some Borges, and his strange tales make me feel all happy and funny inside.
RAY CHARLES ‘Hit the Road Jack’ gets him on here alone! LIBBY CLEGG Watching (right close up to the telly) Libby Clegg bag double gold in the 200m in Rio was a moment of cracking sporting spectacle, after the controversial disqualii cation of charismatic home favourite Terezinha Guilhermina.
Tom Skelton: Blind Man’s Bluff, Underbelly Med Quad, 5–28 Aug (not 16), 4.30pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). Previews 2–4 Aug, £6.50.
3–10 Aug 2017 THE LIST FESTIVAL 75