Edinburgh Fringe Comedy
Print Interviews
For a full A-Z of interviews with performers at the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, CLICK HERE
Russ Peers
First published in Fringepig - Friday, June 29th, 2018Lots of people say never read reviews, so I obviously do. I’m not sure if it makes it worse if they’re bad or not as I’m always nervous knowing I’ve had a reviewer in. Also, there’ll always be someone who says “Oh I see you got a review in X” then gives you the Princess Diana sympathy head tilt.
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Ross Brierley
First published in Fringepig - Friday, June 29th, 2018The best was a review from The Skinny which lauded my Fringe debut (co hosting the late night spoof chat show, The Not So Late Show with Ross & Josh, as one of the most creative, inventive things they had seen at the Festival all year …. and then giving us three stars.
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Rory O’Keeffe
First published in Fringepig - Friday, June 29th, 2018My Dad reads my reviews for me and then rings me. Sometimes mid-show.
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Emmy Fyles
First published in Fringepig - Friday, June 29th, 2018I used to be in a sketch group called Kooky Babooshka and the night the infamous Steve Bennett from Chortle came to watch us, a dog ran across the stage. He gave us a very unimpressed 3 stars.
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Richard Soames
First published in Fringepig - Friday, June 29th, 2018A good review is always one which gets what you’re doing, regardless of whether they particularly like it or not. The best one I got was probably from The Skinny which was really positive but also really got the point of the show, which was nice.
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Rebecca Humphries
First published in Fringepig - Friday, June 29th, 2018The reviewers that like the show are kindly, generous people who make the world a better place with their positivity. The ones that don’t, don’t understand me or what I’m trying to achieve, and I hope their cynicism doesn’t affect their day to day too much.
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Paul Savage
First published in Fringepig - Friday, June 29th, 2018I quite like the review, “Brave enough to be offensive, with a number of insane anecdotes. Shades of brilliance lurk here” which was Three Weeks. Wasn’t even my solo show, but an afternoon gig I had a guest spot on. I also like for a bad review “a giant leap back to the dark ages of less evolved, unfunny times” for a guest spot I did at Cabaret Roulette for a routine I’d done in a set she’d liked the rest of. That was in Broadway Baby.
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Njambi McGrath
First published in Fringepig - Friday, June 29th, 2018My best review was by the greatest man on earth called Jason who reviewed my NextUp comedy special, check it out. He completely got me and was very kind.
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Paul Vickers
First published in Fringepig - Friday, June 29th, 2018It was great getting five stars in The Stage for my play Jennifer’s Robot Arm. Everyone had worked so hard I even cried. It was not so great getting horrible reviews from a guy called Jonney Cigarettes in the NME back in the day…
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Matthew Highton
First published in Fringepig - Friday, June 29th, 2018Worst review is a one star from the List. It always hurts a little bit, but people call it as they see it (you hope) so you just move on. The bad ones are the ones that stick though. I’ve only ever had that one, one star. It’s a bit of a badge of honour.
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Luke van Coot
First published in Fringepig - Friday, June 29th, 2018In general, I think if you have sent a press release to a company at the fringe and they write a negative review then you cannot complain. I would only take umbrage at a reviewer who attended my show uninvited and then wrote something negative.
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Ellen Waddell
First published in Fringepig - Friday, June 29th, 2018I will try and avoid reviews, and then get drunk and read them.
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Daniel Muggleton
First published in Fringepig - Friday, June 29th, 2018I read in this book once that any reviewer can say something good is good and something bad is bad, but it takes a true genius reviewer to say something bad is good, and convince the masses to agree with them. Personally, I hope some of those genius reviewers come to my show.
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Al Samuels
First published in Fringepig - Friday, June 29th, 2018The worst Baby Wants Candy reviews are the ones that are just kind of middling, or the reviewer just doesn’t get it. An example, one reviewer said “I loved it, but I wish they had more costumes”.
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Aidan Greene
First published in Fringepig - Friday, June 29th, 2018My worst review came in my first year of comedy. It was in a weird night in the back of a restaurant. The reviewer was there as a favour to a friend of the MC who not a comedian. I’m usually seen as a family friendly act but this review made me sound like some sort of sex obsessed fiend.
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Kate Stokes
First published in Fringepig - Wednesday, June 27th, 2018For The Cabinet of Madame Fanny Du Thé, an audience member said it was the best £6 she’d ever spent… and somebody tweeted “… I haven’t laughed that much in a long time!”.
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Emslie and Cooke
First published in Fringepig - Wednesday, June 27th, 2018Bring them on. Love reading a review and picking apart it’s errors.
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Jacob Hatton
First published in Fringepig - Wednesday, June 27th, 2018I was once in an improv group called The Murderettes which received a review which opened with the line, “For tonight’s “entertainment”” but weirdly finished with the following line. “If you are looking for a night with a complete lack of subtlety, loads of laughs and a lot of fun, then this is the night for you.” One star.
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Ed Night
First published in Fringepig - Wednesday, June 27th, 2018It’s easy to find fault in reviewers who slag you off and gloss over the faults of the ones that laud your work. I think that reviewers could be held accountable for more, and it seems like anyone can just say they’re a reviewer, but stand up comedy is exactly the same. It’s an ad hoc, unregulated industry. Reviewers aren’t the be all and end all.
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Danny Ward
First published in Fringepig - Wednesday, June 27th, 2018Doing some quick maths, I must have done 2080 gigs in the last decade since I started gigging. I have had, to my knowledge – not that I’m counting – 9 reviews, which is a coverage of 0.0043% of my output. So my feeling about reviewers is generally this – you’ve definitely missed some gold.
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Charlie Partridge
First published in Fringepig - Wednesday, June 27th, 2018I once had a review of a game show I ran appear on the front cover of the Wall Street Journal, describing it as ‘The future of entertainment’. I thought I had made it. Then later that day, I got caught shoplifting a sandwich I couldn’t afford.
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Cassie Atkinson
First published in Fringepig - Wednesday, June 27th, 2018Comedy is subjective, so a review can only be one person’s opinion – but a reviewer that’s objective, thoughtful and intelligent has their rightful place in the arts.
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Aaron Ayjay
First published in Fringepig - Sunday, June 24th, 2018Of course, I will read the review. That’s if anyone can be bothered to review it. I’ll take anything.
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Great Baldini
First published in Fringepig - Sunday, June 24th, 2018Performer: The Great Baldini Photograph by: Rachel Dunford Show: The Great Baldini – A Magician’s Journey Venue: The Counting House Loft Promoter: Indie Tell me about your Edinburgh show. The Great Baldini – A Magician’s Journey is a deeply personal autobiographical ramble through the life of one of the greatest magicians of all time. […]
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