پادکست های Ewan Spence

‘Who, Me’ launched in Australia in 2011, and has been a popular hour on the touring circuit since then. It’s always nice to have a show that always sells at the Fringe. to go along with your regular set. This is the show that made bank for Rob… and still does. He joins myself and co-host Jon Jacob in the Rose Street Theatre; we broadcast the podcas…

Getting his big break on Irish television in 2004, and then working up the rungs to his first Edinburgh show in 2010. The momentum kept building, including a stage of becoming fluent in Chinese to do a stand-up show in the country, multiple years selling out venues at the Fringe and bringing back something bigger each year. It’s easy to be an obser…

Following on from the viral success of his retro throwback to the days of the ZX Spectrum and other 8-bit home computers, MJ Hibbett brought his musical mix of comedy and meme-ability to the Edinburgh Fringe… although the hit song was released in 2000, and he didn’t make the Fringe till 2015, this might feel tenuous but when you have a one-hit wond…

Put on by Old Trunk in 2014 – Sadie Hasler (Playwright/Actor) and Sarah Mayhew (Director/Actor) brought The Bastard) Children of Remington Steele to The Fringe. The play is less about the television series and more about life and finding a place in it Curiously, this show was a double-header at the Fringe – while this and ‘The Secret Wives Of Andy …

Jeremy Nicholas’ career includes working as a news and sports reporter from his early days at studio radio, an award-winning breakfast radio show on BBC Greater London, recognition for his live commentary at the horrific Hillsborough Disaster, the Professional Speaking Award of Excellence, and 11 years as the voice of the FIFA computer games. 2018 …

Maths and stand-up is a strange formula – but one that clearly has an abundance of puns if you put your mind to it. One performer who has put their mind to it is Matt Parker. Like many performers at the Fringe, he’s Australian but lives in the United Kingdom. His early days at the Fringe saw him appear in ‘multi bill’ shows, with two other scientis…

Dominic Holland made his name at the Fringe. His first time in Edinburgh, in 1993 he won the Perrier Best Newcomer award, and was later nominated for the full Perrier. He’s made TV appearances, is a regular on the circuit… and was anointed by Bob Monkhouse as “Britain’s funniest not yet famous comedian”. He’s a stand-up with many highs (and lows). …

Popping up for a single week at the Edinburgh Fringe – something that was becoming a more popular option in recent years due to the cost and complexity of the Fringe – Rich Batsford brought his piano to the Festival. Was this a rock n roll hour of gags and wordplay? No. But it was a master at work. The Fringe is more than stand-up comedy, and our F…

Lady Carol, a Fringe stalwart then and now, back on the touring circuit of cabaret and festivals and the like, returned to the Fringe in 2014 with a mandolin and ukulele in tow, Billed as a show with songs of spirited spite and tales of melancholic mischief, Lost and Found, has 30 songs, and 30 stories, and of course, you can’t get all of that into…

Performing regularly since 2004’s appearance on Dead Ringers, various roles in the audio adventures of Doctor Who from Big Finish, and one of the “we need a voice” actors called on by the Horrible Histories troupe, Jess Robinson has been in the business for well over a decade before making it to the Fringe. 2016 saw impressionist Jess Robinson’s th…

Carey Marx’ Fringe in 2013 is the sort of one-line elevator pitch that Hollywood loves – ‘I had to cancel my show in 2012 because I had a heart attack… let’s talk about that in 2013’. Marx was already an accomplished storyteller who had that delightful ability to keep the story on the straight and narrow but twist everything else just a little, und…

It’s Mike Bubbins’ turn to escape the archive. He’s a Welsh comic who has carved out a great little space in the scene as “the comic who does the seventies”. His fringe show forom 2017 is quintessential Bubbins, as he looks back at the seventies, what made it great, and what we can learn from it intoday’s world. He’s continued that mix of cultural …

This week I want to head back to 2015. That year the show was broadcast live on Leith FM community radio, as well as being a podcast, with a number of guest hosts joining me – so you’ll hear the voice of WUSB New York’s Emma Backfish – as well as our comedy just… Finland’s Ismo Leikola. For countless decades, the ‘observational comedy’ routine has …

Everyone at the Fringe is inventive, but one group is very much associated with that in my mind, Les Enfant Terribles. Formed in 2002 by James Seager and Oliver Lansley, they have brought many shows to the Fringe over the years, from psychological World War One horror, through Piratosaurs, to 2016’s vaudevillans;a classic murder caper mixed with a …

An artist at heart with a long and varied list of interests, Jeff Innocent went on a stand-up comedy course in 1996 – led by alt-comedy legend Tony Allen – and he’s not stopped since then. Jeff has carved out a place in the UK stand-up scene like no other, as well as working as a writer and actor. In 2006 he brought the show Eco-worrier to the Edin…

2014 saw Australian comic Celia Pacquola return to Edinburgh for her fourth Fringe Show. ‘Let Me Know How It All Worked Out’ looked at the world of psychics and their promise of foretelling the future; specifically one who said she would never have children. (Spoiler… congratulations are in order, Celia and her partner had their first child earlier…

The world of H P Lovecraft is one that many people have explored, both the horror of the writing and the horror of the man. In 2015 Shedload Theatre looked at the former, in an inventive show called The Statement Of Randolph Carter. The big moment in the show is the Foley work. The show is presented as a radio play, and that means lots of sound eff…

Sofie Hagen started their stand-up career in their home country of Denmark, before quickly moving to London to further their career. 2015 brought the debut show to Edinburgh. Bubblewrap examined issues of depression and mental health, difficult teenage years, and attacking the beauty industry, all with just a dash of Westlie and a perfectly cringe …

The Fringe is not just a recruiting vehicle for Live at the Apollo, there’s more to comedy, more to the Fringe, than that. You can have theatrical performances that bring the art of clowning and farce to the stage alongside pathos and examination of the human condition. In 2014, Little Soldier Productions brought its first production to the Fringe,…

There are Fringe performers, there are Fringe stalwarts, and then there is Tim FitzHigham This Gentleman Explorer has spent decades at the Fringe, bringing shows about his madcap activities that he has attempted in the previous twelve months…most notably he was the first person to row across the English Channel in a bathtub, held the British and Eu…

I’ve talked before about the podcast archive giving us a window into the past when the recognisable names of today were still figuring their artistic life out. That’s very much the case with Adam Kay. With ‘The London Underground’ song becoming the breakout viral hit of 2005 (or at least as viral as you could manage in 2005) he started his appearan…

Kate Smurthwaite’s TV writing credits include ‘Have I Got News For You’ and ‘The Revolution Will Be Televised’ her words have appeared in The Guardian, New Statesman, Cosmopolitan, and more; and she has made countless appearances discussing politics over the years. 2022 saw the award-winning Smurthwaite bring “The News At Kate: Humanity’s Last Hope…

This week we’re back to 2012 once more, as former Perrier nominee Sarah Kendall returned to the Fringe after a five-year absence. “Get Up, Stand Up” (or is it “Get Up, Stand-Up”, how delightfully interpretive) takes on a more storytelling approach than a bang-bang-jokes routine, and Kendall’s acting chops wer brought to the fore in an hour of pitch…

Just because it’s September, doesn’t mean the Fringe has to end. Join the Edinburgh Fringe Show as we explore our archives of interviews from the Festival. Tiff Stevenson has been a Fringe fixture since 2006, debuting as a solo act in 2009. Stevenson was already established on the circuit in 2012 when, following her appearance in ITV’s ‘Show Me The…

Into the archives once more with another Fringe legend. Over the years, Arthur Smith has performed countless stand-up sets at the Fringe, been arrested for some outdoor shows, wrote his own review and snuck it into The Scotsman, kidnapped a puppet, and many more adventures lost to time. In 2013 he performed the second of three shows around his love…

As the Edinburgh Fringe 2022 becomes a memory in the rear-view mirror, we’re going to head into the Edinburgh Fringe Show archives to bring you classic interviews each week from nearly two decades of covering the Fringe. We start, as all good Fringe retrospectives are mandated to do, with Fleabag. Directed by Vicky Wood, written and performed by Ph…

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022 may be over, but this year the Edinburgh Fringe Show is not going to stop. Instead we’re going to showcase some classic interviews from nearly two decades of covering the Edinburgh Fringe. From the big names that went on to even bigger things, the performers who forged careers, and the legends that keep returning,…

As the sun sets on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for 2022, Fin Ross and Ewan look back on this year’s Fringe. How has it felt welcoming the Festival back to the city. Can we offer four more recommended shows for the last night or two in August? And what dangers lie ahead for the Fringe in 2023? All that, and a sneak peek to some Fringe podcasts com…

The world is full of stories. Lynn Ferguson works with stories every day, and her show at this year’s Fringe mixes a love of stories, how the tales we all tell reveal who we are, and the stories of invited guests, to create ‘Lynn Ferguson’s Storyland’. Ewan and Lynn sit down to talk about the power of stories as the Fringe begins its final weekend …

It might just be a ten-minute appearance at this year’s Fringe thanks to an invite from John Cooper Clark, but Ronnie Golden is once more in Edinburgh during August. Ronnie is a Fringe legend, having taken part in the Festival since 1984, sometimes alone, sometimes with his band, and sometimes with the great Barry Cryer. Ewan sits down to talk abou…

Can you do an entire show using only drums? Fills Money has done just that, as they bring their delightful mix of percussion, props, and pantomime to the Edinburgh Fringe this year. The show is full of moments of “ooh, it’s that tune” and we’re not going to spoil it for you, but we are going to talk to one of the drummers about the story of the ban…

You can read Ruckus’ self care guide here (PDF Link), on Wildcard Theatre’s page about the show. ‘Ruckus’ deals with issues around coercive control in a relationship. Ewan listens to writer and performer Jenna Fincken explain the research that went into the play, the powerful message that it delivers, and guiding the audience through an emotional a…

Max Percy joins Fin to discuss his brilliantly titled ‘This is Not a Show About Hong Kong’. We explore the legal necessity of such a long title, the importance of developing your own artistic language and the challenge in trying to artistically represent a situation as complicated as that of Hong Kong. Click here to book tickets for ‘This Is Not A …

Will Pickvance joins Ewan Spence to talk about his mix of music and storytelling at this year’s Fringe. From the first moments of being already on stage and playing as the audience arrive, through a gentle journey, to the final moments that wrap music and story together, his latest show continues to showcase a unique style. Click here to book ticke…

Nell Bailey of November Theatre joins Fin Ross to talk about the theatre’s Fringe offering for 2022, ‘How To Build a Wax Figure’. We talk about queer love in 2022, crowd-funding a Fringe experience and how on earth a play was devised in which an anatomical wax sculptor falls in love with a maker of prosthetic eyes. Click here to book tickets for ‘H…

A transcript is available for this show (PDF Link). The principle of ensuring that coming to shows at the Edinburgh Fringe is open to as many people as possible is incredibly important. Ewan talks to live captioner Claire Hill (Claire Hill Realtime) and Jonnny Patton (producer and programmer for The Pleasance) about the various accessible shows at …

There’s always something notable every year at the Fringe, and 2022 is no different… although nobody had “Jerry Sadowtiz becoming an international media sensation” on their Fringe Bingo card. Fin Ross and Ewan sit down together after another week of The Fringe to talk about the shows they have seen, the marathon of performing in Edinburgh, and to d…

It’s time to head out of Edinburgh from a day and take a trip out East Lothian for a story. Fin Ross talks to writer/director Shelley Middler about her new play ‘The Collie’s Shed’. We learn about East Lothian’s mining heritage, the effects of the pit closures on local communities across the county and the eerie parallels between politics then and …

Ewan sits down with Igancio Lopez to talk about the family name being passed down the years, performing indoors in the heat of an Edinburgh summer, and why he hasn’t brought his Lockdown Quiz Nights to the Edinburgh Fringe. Click here to buy tickets for ‘El Cómico‘. Follow Ignacio Lopez on Twitterr, @ComedyLopez. Listen to more from the Fringe at e…

Fin Ross speaks to fellow Edinburgh native Lubna Kerr about her semi-autobiographical play ‘Tickbox’. Themes include what happens to Edinburgh when the Fringe comes to town, immigration in the 60s vs. today and why it’s important to never let yourself be forced into a tickbox. Click here to buy tickets for ‘Tickbox‘. Follow Lubna Kerr on Twitter, @…

Every stand-up has something special to bring to the microphone. For Alice Brine the starting point is her ADHD and how it allows her to look at life in a different way to her audience. Ewan sits down with Alice to talk about her debut at the Edinburgh Fringe, living with ADHD, and bringing her life experiences and unique viewpoint to the stand-up …

Fin’s travelling back in time to talk to Chewboy Productions duo George Bailey and Hal Darling about their new show ‘Caligari’. How is a silent German film that’s over 100 years old still relevant to audiences today? How is music so important to protecting the story’s legacy? How does it feel when a company you started with your childhood friend en…

Emo Majok joins Ewan Spence to talk about his Edinburgh Fringe debut show ‘African Aussie’. He talks about how comedy has become a part of him, an immensely layered journey through life, and the power of story-telling at home and on the stage. Click here to buy tickets for ‘African-Aussie‘. Follow Emo on Twitter, @Emo_Majok. Listen to more from the…

Yes, there was a weekend as the Fringe started last week, but they always felt like the final previews. This weekend, this is when the Fringe feels like it has reached the first summit for our artists to climb. Ewan and Fin Ross sit down after a week at The Fringe to talk about how this year is feeling, from the joy of returning performers, through…

Fin Ross welcomes Amie Enriquez to the podcast chair to discuss her solo show, ‘Lightweight’. How has the discourse around mental health changed over the last 20 years? What is a “debilitatingly positive attitude”? Why do we need to laugh about the scary stuff in order to normalise it? Click here to buy tickets for ‘Lightweight‘. Follow Amie Enriqu…

Can you convince an audience that you can record not just an album, but the greatest album of all time? That’s the challenge that Tom GK has set himself at the Fringe this year. Ewan sits down with Tom GK to talk about the power of song, his Wikipedia-fuelled years as a music critic, and coping with hearing loss. Click here to buy tickets for ‘How …

Kick The Door’s Fraser Scott joins Fin Ross Russell to discuss the group’s first Fringe Festival excursion with their original musical ‘Land’. We discuss Scotland’s musical storytelling identity, how the group drew parallels between the 18th and 21st centuries and how the group developed such a unique brand of theatre. Click here to buy tickets for…

Italian comic Luca Cupani has always been a popular face at the Free Fringe, but in 2022 he has a one-hour tickted show called Happy Orphan, and the adventure he took when the rent ran out for mother’s grave He joins Ewan to talk about his show, his first experiences of open-mic comedy, why he looks younger now than he did ten years ago, and why It…

Fin Ross Russell begins his month as the podcast’s theatre correspondent by speaking. to ‘Brown Boys Swim’ Director John Hoggarth. They cover everything there is to know about Oxford’s finest offering at this year’s Fringe including the awkwardness of adolescence, needing to see it to be it and the many faces of masculinity. Click here to buy ticke…

It’s time for the Fringe interviews to begin. As Fin Ross and I discussed in yesterday’s pod, we’re not going to do a big Saturday show with lots of interviews like some Edinburgh version of The One Show; instead we’re giving each interview its own moment to stand out. First up in our Edinburgh studio is Aliya Kanani. She’s making her Fringe debut …