Hello Steve, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking?
Hi! I’m from London and am currently residing in Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival.

When did you first realise you were, well, funny?
At the age of 7 when my best friend Josh would cry with laughter at everything I said. My parents blame him for me going into comedy.

What does Steve Whiteley like to do when he’s not entertaining?
I’m a big surfer, nothing beats a sunset surf sesh. London’s surf options are somewhat limited though so Croyde, Devon is my regular haunt. But keep that to yourself.

You’ve been washed up on a desert island with a solar-powered DVD player & three films. Which would they be?
The Usual Suspects – Heat – OJ: Made In America. It’s 7hr 47 minutes and I’m going to have plenty of time to kill.

Your Youtube channel Offkey Steve has been something of a hit. How has this changed you?
I mean I wouldn’t say it’s gone to my head, I’m just a regular kind of guy. All I ask for is that my fans don’t look at me in the eye when asking for autographs. I said ask twice, but it’s fine right? Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that.

Comedy rap is one of your fortes, what are the creative processes behind these?
I usually start with a subject matter in mind and then write lines that rhyme, like that one. The biggest challenge for me has been putting comedy first. The priority used to be lyrics first and comedy second, but that doesn’t go down too well at a stand-up comedy night. People just want to LOL not wax lyrical about….lyrics.

You are bringing your show Wisebowm: The Struggle Is Real to the Fringe this August, can you tell us about it?
Sure, I wrote the show whilst I was living in a Buddhist community for 4 months, so a lot of it stems from my headspace at that time. It’s about urban poet Wisebowm who has wrote the world’s greatest…and only, urban poetry musical and is presenting it at the Edinburgh Fringe, which is really just a dry run for Broadway. The show follows his heroic struggles with addiction (to gluten), his attempts to win the heart of middle class beauty Samantha and how mindfulness came to his rescue. It’s a character comedy show mixed with comedy rap. There’s 110 sound cues and I play 6 different characters. I like to make life difficult for myself.

How are you finding things so far?
Really positive (I have to say that right). Genuinely happy with the response it’s been getting, the audiences have been very kind and receptive.

What is it about performing live you love the most?
I like that you can have an idea and perform it in front of a crowd that night. With my YouTube videos you go on views to appraise whether people liked it. Whereas with live comedy, the feedback is immediate. Laughter is my drug and I want to be high 24/7.

What other acts will you be seeing, or at least trying to, this August?
Tom Ward, Abigails Party, Abandoman’s Rob Broderick, McCann and Omobitan, Matt Hutson & Rob Copland, Jen Wakefield, James Acaster, Tim Key. The list is endless!

What will Steve Whiteley be doing after the Fringe?
Having a few days off to count all the millions made through my bucket donations. Then I’ll reinvest the money to make a few short films and a Wisebowm web series

You can catch Wisebowm at the Fringe right now

OPIUM : Aug 9-19, 21-27 (13.45)

Hello Vicki, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking?
I’m from Dartford in Kent. I’ve spent my whole life in Dartford. I still live in Dartford. My ancestors have been living in Dartford since the 1800s. It’s right on the edge of London so its not as pretty and green as most of Kent, it has a bit more…character.

When did you first realise you were, well, funny?
When I was a kid I used to always dress up and do silly voices and characters to try and make my big brother and sister laugh. I used to do a granny character when I was about 5; I used the halves of a Pokeball as fake boobs and used to hobble about saying ‘Cor blimey it’s like a cattle market in here’. It was some of my best work.

What does Vicki Sargent like to do when she’s not being funny?
Watch TV and films and stay in. I’m a complete telly addict. The quality of Netflix is better than any club in my opinion.

Why stand-up comedy?
I’ve always been a big comedy fan, my dad raised me on great comedy like Blackadder, Billy Connolly, The Fast Show, Monty Python, Morecambe and Wise and so on. So I always loved it and thought it looked so fun but didn’t really think I was funny enough. I went into acting and always got comedy parts. I then met Jen Wakefield doing a comedy play, we got on really well and she asked me if I’d ever want to have a go at doing sketch comedy. Going into comedy with someone else helped me make the transition and I loved it! I then took Logan Murray’s Stand Up course at the beginning of last year and that was brilliant and got me another step closer to finding my voice.

You have both acted on stage & appeared in films. How do these experiences aid your performances as a comedian?
A lot of my comedy is character based, I do lots of cartooning and voices and that has certainly been strengthened by my training in acting, voice work and accents. The first acting course I did was actually an Accents for Actors course and that awoke my passion for silly voices. Also just having that confidence and stage presence that comes with acting is really helpful when performing comedy.

You are bringing your show One Woman Army to the Fringe this August, can you tell us about it?
One Woman Army is a storytelling comedy show. I tell and act out stories from my life and play all the characters within them. A couple of years ago I was diagnosed with severe anxiety and this show started as me thinking about all the things that stress me out so I talk about awful retail jobs I’ve had, bad dating experiences, feeling out of depth in the acting world and the joys of living in Dartford. It’s basically me having a very relatable, witty moan about things. I perform the whole show in my dressing gown and it centres around me watching telly on my sofa and eating snacks. I share biscuits with the audience when they arrive so they feel all nice and cosy, because I certainly am!

How are things going so far?
Good! There are of course highs and lows but thats to be expected with the Fringe. I’m just happy if people enjoy my show and so far audiences seem to really like it…or maybe they just like the biscuits. Either way I’m chuffed to be a part of the most exciting festival on the planet and to be making wonderful friends all whilst making people laugh along the way. It definitely beats working on a meat and fish counter which you learn all about in act one.

Last year Vicki performed at the Fringe as part of a double act in ‘Jiggle & Hyde’ with Jen Wakefield. This year you are both going solo. What has been the motivation?
We just can’t stand each other. Only joking! Jen and I are still the best of friends and we are actually sharing a flat together for the Fringe. We both wanted to explore our own unique comedy voices and have a go at going solo. It’s really great because we are so supportive of each other. I’m a huge fan of Jen’s work and it still feels like we are part of a team, we just have our own shows. But don’t tell her I said any of that.

Can you describe the experience of performing at the Fringe in a single sentence?
It requires lots of resilience, strength and comfort eating but a good show makes it worth all the calories.

What does the rest of 2017 hold in store for Vicki Sargent?
I’d like to start working on my next solo show and try to get a head start. I’ve already had some ideas so I can’t wait to get gigging and try them out. Also theres loads of great telly coming on in the autumn so I can’t wait for that.

You can catch Vicky right now at the Fringe

Aug 9-13/15-19/21-27 : The Cuckoo’s Nest (13.50)

Hello Siân, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking?
Hello Damo ! I’m at my Edinburgh flat trying to find some clothes. I moved house the week before the Fringe, which was very, very stupid. I had about twenty minutes to pack for Edinburgh before getting on the train, so what I’m wearing is a mix of stuff that I didn’t think was important enough to keep at home. Meaning I now mainly have to wear stuff that makes me look like a primary school teacher who’s just had a nervous breakdown and gone to Ibiza. But anyway – I grew up in Belgium, but I’ve lived in the UK for ten years now, and it looks like I’ll be staying on this island as it disappears further and further into a locked capsule hell of its own making.

When did you first realise you were, well, funny?
I think I did my first ever stand-up set when I was ten or eleven, mainly to avoid a weird man. It was some kind of summer camp type thing and we had to do an end of term talent show, and this dude who’d been following me around wanted us to rehearse and perform a tango. So I told him I couldn’t because I was doing stand-up instead. I can’t remember what I said or did for five minutes. But that particular kids summer camp on the West Coast of the US have never got in touch to ask me back to headline a gig, so they must have known I was going places.

Who are your favorite comedians, & why?
I love Lou Sanders, she’s all-round absolutely dementedly brilliant. I love how Maria Bamford combines little skits and sketches into stand-up comedy. There are so many others – Mae Martin, Chris Betts, Tiff Stevenson, Paul Currie and Evelyn Mok are the acts I’m most excited about at the Fringe this year. And I guess the first comedian I ever properly got into was Dylan Moran – the little offshoots of ideas he peppers through his set are like tiny beautifully-crafted comedy baubles on a dour, existential Christmas tree.

Can you tell us about the night you run, “Sextroverts.”
Sextroverts is a comedy night I run with a sexual health clinic, to promote better sexual wellbeing in the LGBTQ community. We get a mixture of pro comics and completely new acts to come along and do jokes about sex, love, intimacy, relationships, being a shuffling queer, being a flamboyant gaylord – whatever. It’s always big, messy, wild and fun. It’s a weird one because it’s about building community as well as a comedy night, which gives it a pretty unique vibe. It’s my baby and I’m extremely proud of it and excited to get it back up and running in September.

What is the London comedy scene like in 2017?
Well, I’m just a fledgling little comedian on the DIY scene, but that’s a really fun one to be part of. It’s suprisingly easy in London to set up and start running your own night. Me and Zoë run a mixed media alternative comedy night with our friends Sam and Tom, and our director Jon Bailey, where we bring all our favourite acts to come and try new stuff out. That’s loads of fun. London is absolutely teeming with brilliant new nights all the time. There’s something for every weirdo out there.

What does Siân Docksey like to do when she’s not being funny?
I like to sit with my parents and try to convince them I’m funny, and have them reciprocate by trying to convince me to try and get a real job.

You’ve been washed up on a desert island with a solar-powered DVD player & three films. Which would they be?
But I’m A Cheerleader, Nina Forever, and a constant live-stream of David Beckham sleeping.

What is it about performing live you love the most?
Stuff lands completely differently with different audiences. Because I’m such a new solo act I feel like I have so much freedom, so I’m having loads of fun this year just trying out ideas on people and seeing what happens. The first time I saw Tiff Stevenson perform I was blown away – I’d never seen a comedian make stand-up look so effortless and chatty. I saw her kind of by accident, and then brought all my friends to see her again the next day. They both LOVED it.

You are bringing the rather fabulously titled SIÂN DOCKSEY’S TOTALLY CASUAL AND FREEWHEELING MYSTIC COMEDY: LEMON TORPEDO to the Fringe. Can you tell us about it?
It is a stand-up show about me turning myself into a lemon, and persuading everyone that this is the only sensible option.

You are also doing show called Sugar Coma Fever Nightmare with Zoë, what’s that all about?
Sugar Coma Fever Nightmare is a sickly sweet horror-comedy sketch show burped out from our horrible dreams. And some of the audiences’ dreams, if they dare. It’s the third sketch show we’ve brought to the Fringe together and it is the darkest and best.

This is not your first time at the Fringe, what are the secrets to surviving the Edinburgh in August?
Don’t panic. Focus on doing as much promo as you can manage, but mainly on doing your show(s) every day as well as you possibly can. And make time to hang out with other acts and see shows you wouldn’t come across otherwise. There is this consistently cool thing about the Fringe : apart from how HORRIBLY EXPENSIVE it is to come up here, which is shitty, Edinburgh has this kind of mystic quality where you get back what you put into it. If you stay focussed, do a good show, put the effort into marketing it and remember to have fun, then it will be great.

You can catch Sian’s solo show this Fringe @

Aug 3-27 : Laughing Horse @ 48 Below (12.00)

& also her comedy sketch duo @

Aug 3-27 : Just the Tonic at The Community Project (18.45)

The Community Project
Aug 9-13, 15-27 (13.30)

Material:  Delivery:  Laughs:  

I saw Funz and Gamez by the Grass market, Edinburgh, @ The Community Project. This is a comedy show that touches on adult humour (fun for all ages). Phil Ellis’ Funz and Gamez was hilarious, entertaining and involving for kids (and some lucky adults). Sometimes it strayed into humour which I didn’t quite understand, but the adults were laughing their heads off.

Sweets were “chucked” at children and caught by children, all in all a great show. I enjoyed the “horse racing” and the cuddly koala… delightful. The Teletubbies Sun (Jonny Vegas) is all grown up now and is not so sunny, but he does blow clouds (of cigarette smoke). If Funz and Gamez comez to your town I highly suggest you and your adults come along .

Review by Ivy Oakman (aged 10)

Just the Tonic at The Mash House
Aug 3-27 Aug (14.40)

Material:  Delivery:  Laughs:

Hurt and Anderson’s “Come What May” is a female-powered buddy-comedy sketch show. The duo bring a sparkling vitality to the stage and their energy postulates from high for every moment. Their show centers around friendship, their friendship, the highs, the lows, the easy bits and the difficult parts. They employ a sketch comedy format, gently transitioning between characters and moods. They also incorporate their definite talents of music and movement. Hurt plays acoustic guitar and Anderson plays electric keys, and they sing, making delightful harmonies, & actual comedy! Indeed, H&A were finalists in this year’s Musical Comedy Awards, & in a recent interview with The Mumble, when asked he secrets behind writing & performing a funny song?, Georgia Hurt told us;

It’s funny you should ask! We have a song in the show this year based around this idea of trying to write a funny song. For us I think the main thing you have freedom with in a song is lyrical word play and structure. You can always play around with rhymes or subverting expectations. And then I think what works well for us is having this sweet sounding melody, which the lyrics then betray with something filthy or unexpected. The songs come much easier than sketches normally.

The most interesting part of Come What May is the tension between Hurt and Anderson. Long time best friends, but of course they have idiosyncratic differences and struggle to make a comedy team. This is humanity-in-comedy & their interpersonal dialogues were the strength of the hour. The two ladies helped me to reflect on my own friendships and wonder how I can be a better support for them. This is perfect comedy that gently pushed on the boundaries of enlightenment, which has you foot-tapping & whistling along as if we were sat in an Ohio saloon.

Reviewer : Michael Beeson

Southsider

Aug 9-14, 16-26 (20.15)

Material:  Delivery:  Laughs: 

Diminutive David McIver is a self-confessed ‘Little man all grown up…’ but one would say, perhaps, because nobody with pretensions to possessing a serious adult persona would come out with some of the stuff & nonsense this fine young fellow does – not even his fellow comedians. But, this is what makes Mr McIver so special; he is unique, he is silly, he has an adorable beard & his material is a fascinating blend of high nonsenserie to be applauded. His poetical patter flows like a river as he easily, almost nonchalantly, elicits audience responses to his several secular sketches. I would say experiencing David’s comedy is like a tucking into a lovely, light & nutritious & salad, with just the perfect amount of citrussy dressing.

David McIver is a mermaid on a rock – with a beard – lulling south-side stragglers onto his reef where our vessels of normality will find themselves holed below the bottom by his spiky surreality & sink into the lagoon of his substantive comedy. He has the ability to make non-funny, pretty obvious things, sound funny, & somehow manages to draw humour from rigid reality.  This is probably down to his studying at the prestigious Ecole Philippe Gaulier school for clownerie. In a recent interview with The Mumble, he played down with some humility his status as a clown;

Clown is so difficult and ‘good’ is far too high praise. I try to have loads of fun performing and do material that makes me laugh, and that helps me be playful and ridiculous. I’m pretty stupid and I don’t worry about looking like an idiot if I think it’ll be funny.

Unlike many comedians, who find stretching their floor-spot to an hour a too arduous a task, as David progressed he genuinely got funnier. The curious highlight of his show is his comedy doodles, a collection of which he has collated into a wee book & will give to anybody who donates £5 to the cause. This is a clearly a worthwhile endeavor, because there is a promise of burgeoning brilliance in Mr McIver’s work. He’s not quite the finished article yet, but after a stint at the Fringe & a year of reflection I have a feeling the dandy chap will be coming out with some real corker comedy. He did last night also, of course, a full room full of laughter is proof that, after excavating the mountain of daftness, there are are many of us who want to visit his cave.

Reviewer : Damo

Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake
Aug 3-27(17.00)

Material:  Delivery:  Laughs:

Martha McBrier brings to this year’s Fringe a truly British and up-lifting comedy story. As a U.S. American, I have at times felt excluded from the British jokes I have witnessed, but I found Martha’s jokes to be educational and universal, as an entirely native crowd had the same grand load of laughs as I did.

Martha is a Glaswegian, but has lived in England for many years now. Her perspective on two regions of Great Britain taught me a lot about British culture. Martha’s story starts out with hilarious insights on being a teacher and dealing with bureaucracy. She has a great command of the stage, probably from her time as a college teacher (Martha’s words showed me it means high school in American English). The story takes a serious turn when Martha reveals that she went through some medical problems in the last year and ends with a cheery message about kindness. In a recent interview with The Mumble, Martha gives a brief but comprehensive account of her show as being;

Last year, I nearly died, was the victim of false allegations, tried to stop terrorism, found the man who attacked me years previously, lying in the street, and learned to play the didgeridoo. It’s a show about kindness…

For me, a tourist experience is where you pay money to observe another culture, while an authentic cultural experience is one where you are invited to feel how it is to exist amidst another culture. Martha’s show is an authentic cultural experience. The great thing about such an inviting spirit is that you see a truthful universality in which the vast majority of people want the same thing: to share kindness and also to have a darn good laugh along the way.

Reviewer : Michael Beeson

Hello Dave, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking?
I’m from the UK’s showbiz hub: Luton. Grew up in Bedfordshire, lived in London, now live in Hertfordshire. Not very interesting is it? I’m from Fraggle Rock.

When did you first realise you were, well, funny?
I was a funny kid I think. I use to recreate the Lee Evans gigs I had on video for my mates at school and just constantly do impressions of Rik Mayall, Father Ted and Harry Enfield characters. One day my teacher sat down to tell me off for being a dick as usual and he opened with “the problem is you are very funny, even I laugh, but you’re killing everyone’s chances of getting decent GCSE’s.” Finally someone got through to me and I stopped fucking about unless people were paying me good money.

Upon which life-experiences do you draw your own comedy?
Anything that pisses me off. I have a song about the British Press in my current show. The printed media is dying and they’re not being very dignified about it. There’s a lot in my current show about LAD Culture – it’s not so much the lads I have a problem with more the way me, or anyone else in this industry who is from a working class background, is given that label. “How can he possibly play a King in Shakespeare when he spends his weekends drinking lager and watching football?”. By acting, go fuck yourself.

What does Dave Bibby like to do when he’s not being funny?
Drink lager and watch football. I don’t have a side job like most comedians. I just knock around doing a lot of presenting work. I do music gigs and festivals, host events for Guinness World Records and run a regular football podcast called ‘Jim and Dave Have Lost The Dressing Room’

You’ve been washed up on a desert island with a solar-powered DVD player & three films. Which would they be?
I’d crack open a couple of coconuts and watch Goodfellas, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and Bear Grylls ‘Born Survivor’. Then I’d act them all out as one complete live show for the seagulls – gangster goes mad then drinks his own piss.

Why stand-up comedy?
It’s just the simplest, most raw way of communicating opinions and it changes every time you do it

You’ve been on the telly & all that, how have you found the experiences?
Awesome. The main thing I’ve found about doing TV is two types of people appear online – 1) trolls and 2) people I haven’t heard of since school who pop up to tell me I’m doing well ‘cause I’ve just come on during the X Factor in an advert selling crisps

You are one third part of the immensely popular sketch act ‘Lead Pencil’, so why have you gone solo this Fringe?
Just fancied a new challenge really. I had a couple of years off the fringe and had that burn to do something new. All three from Lead Pencil are flying solo this year, the girls are doing very serious theatre – Louise is in Victim at Pleasance, Maddie is in Fleabag at Underbelly and I’m doing a rap about a pigeon with an attitude problem.

Can you tell us about your show?
Nobody Puts Bibby in the Corner at Underbelly, Cowgate. It’s like comedy pick ‘n mix (or comedy tapas if you’ve had a gap yah). It’s stand up, sketch, characters, songs, storytelling and lots of audience interaction. It’s completely random and stupid and a fun way to spend an hour

How do you find performing at the mega-mash-up that is the Edinburgh Fringe?
It’s amazing really. I took a chance and decided to do a show so without big producers or a great PR presence behind me so my audiences every day are so different because basically everyone has just taken a punt. And that makes it challenging for me which is exactly why I’m here

What will Dave Bibby be doing after the Fringe?
Going on holiday then apologising to the bank manager

Dave is being funny at the Fringe right now

Aug 8-14, 16-27 : The Underbelly (15.40)

Underbelly
Aug 3-27 (16.20)

Material:  Delivery:  Laughs: 

Not every comedian or set of comedians can be cutting edge, & Laughing Stock certainly aren’t. The opening sketch takes more than a few cues from Alan Partridge and the familiar territories of “The Battle of the Sexes”, “New Age Mysticism” and “Everyone is Gay,” all well-worn paths and rarely trodden on by more cutting edge comics. However, not everybody wants cutting edge comedy, & Laughing Stock perform their material with wonderful aplomb and meticulous vim; and the fact that one of the performers seemed to have been suffering from a little too much indulgence in the 5am licensing laws only added to the charm. Laughing Stock, while certainly exercising the funny bone, do little in mobilizing the grey matter, but dumb is fun & there is more to this young quartet than meets the eye.

With an ever growing sense of familiarity & comfort I proceeded to chuckle throughout most of the sixty minute duration, and was certainly never bored, which I possibly couldn’t say for any abstract mime retrospectives I might happen across during the course of August. Sometimes the dumber something is the smarter it is. To pull off a truly idiotic sketch with complete conviction and gusto, and not least of all the unblinking confidence that these guys knew they were funny, is the effective & intelligent formula of the hypermodern clown. In a recent interview with the Mumble, Laughing Stock’s Lewis described the ingredients to their sketches as being;

There has to be a game, some jeopardy between the characters that makes the scene interesting and alive. The ‘story’ of the sketch. But that can be absolutely anything. And is always subservient to the funnies. E.g. if there’s just a really funny noise you can make in the middle of this really tense scene, do it – and get offstage. Oh and, of course, my personal favourite, WACKY CHARACTERS!!

Altho’ this may seem like a mixed review, the truth is I enjoyed this show immensely. A bit like re-visiting some old friends you haven’t seen for a while who always make you crack a smile, or re-watching some of those classic nineties comedy shows. At the end of the day, comedy should make you laugh and that is precisely what this show did. Even the mildly inappropriate poignancy of the closing number didn’t steal any of the charm, despite being a tad embarrassing. Never the less, it is a song that is still buzzing around in my head; & as a penner of the occasional humorous song myself, I had to appreciate the quality of the comedy song-writing. If you want to laugh, see this show, if you want your mind expanded buy a nose flute, walk naked through the Gaza strip and live on nothing but beansprouts and eggplant for six months, try elsewhere. I know which I’d rather be doing after a long day at work.

Reviewer : Steven Vickers

 Just The Tonic @ The Caves

Aug 3-26 (13.20)

Material:  Delivery:  Laughs: 

For “Self Helpless,” Sandra Hale performs a witty satire of a self-help guru, and dispenses actual wisdom to her audience. She gives us her realizations from decades being a funny woman, surviving despite societies demand that people are good looking, submissive and talented. She uses music and charisma with her audience and even some tap dancing. Sandra’s character is a master of charm, and through her hour of acutely vivid performance, we see that charm can be just another trick someone learned from a self-help book. In an earlier interview with The Mumble, Sandra ruminated upon the book which accompanies her show;

My book is a complete antithesis to every self help book out there. After all we can’t all be selfless, moralistic and confident. So if like me you are insecure, needy, and a people pleaser then this book is for you. You may still have low self esteem after reading it but you won’t care. The show came first and the book evolved from it. They are both different but the theme runs true in both. Never be yourself! It doesn’t work!

Self Helpless is a smart satire of the self-help industry, which often asks that people change themselves in order to be more themselves, a paradox which is mostly unhelpful. Sandra’s guru character bewitches us all at the beginning of the show, and as the story unfolds we see that the human being behind the charm is suffering just as much as us. To hear articulated & to understand that we are all just as miserable as one another is an eye-opening epiphany; when we realize that suffering is normal we can stop worrying about trying to change and we can be more content with our lives. You will not figure out the cause of your misery from seeing “Self Helpless,” but you can have a splendid time and gain some illumination into how you can begin to help yourself by seeing teh very special Sandra Hale this Fringe.

Reviewer : Michael Beeson