Latest news with #PaulMerton
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
The only people who came to my Fringe show were drunks and sea cadets
Fringe veteran Lucy Porter flashes back on how traumatising the Fringe experience can be. 'My first gig turned out to be in a Sea Cadet hut,' she recalls. 'I was going through a Goth phase at the time, so I thought I was prepared to be miserable, but I wasn't. The only people who came to the gig were drunks and sea cadets, who thought the hall was still in use for sea cadet stuff. The other comedians in the hall and me all fell out. At one point I sat on the steps and sobbed and let out a primal scream.' Read more about the Fringe In 1986, Paul Merton played the Pleasance to 'around six people every day.' 'I can remember walking in the rain every day to the venue, but then one day I couldn't remember how to get there. I think my brain was saying 'I'm not taking you there.'' Many performers assumed (wrongly) that consuming sufficient amounts of alcohol could help them deal with the Fringe experience. In 2012 Chloe Petts was a hopeful actor who turned up with a cast of 13 to live in a five-bed flat. Not ideal, admittedly. 'I coped by going out and getting drunk every night, mostly ending up blacked out with my face in a bowl of plain pasta. But that night on stage, I felt the Buckfast wield its power, and I threw up. Unfortunately, I had to kiss the other lead, my best friend, who'd just seen me being sick in a bucket. As we leaned in, she viscerally communicated 'I hate you, you stink' with her eyes while I tried to communicate 'I'm so sorry!' with mine. She didn't talk to me for the rest of the run.' Cash, it seems – or the lack of it - is at the core of many performers' stress build up. (The average cost for an adult to stay at the festival for its duration this year is £2,471 on Airbnb and £5,198 on Then there is venue hire, marketing materials and PR, and fees for the producer and director. In fact, last year Mancunian comedian John Tothill decided to mitigate the costs by contracting malaria, signing up for a medical trial that would see him infected with the deadly disease. His £2,500 research fee helped covered his upfront costs. Hyperinflation in Edinburgh during Fringe time has seen Gail Porter axe her show. Even comedy giant Jason Manford said he can barely break even. London critic Holly McMahon was initially delighted to land accommodation in a 'private summerhouse' on the outskirts of the city's West End, a 40-minute walk from the major venues, for only £76 a night. But she was shocked to be berthed in a shed with a chamber pot. Each year, some 400,000 visitors descend upon the city to witness a kaleidoscope of colour and madness, such as the lady who lip-synced using her genitalia. We've witnessed the collection of knitted bible stories. A one-man Hamlet was performed 12 years ago featuring teddy bears and a karaoke machine. There was a Bouncy Castle Hamlet, featuring a blow-up sex doll as the ghost of Hamlet's Dad, with extra points added for using a miniature bouncy castle on the big bouncy castle - to perform the play within a play. Paul Merton, seen here with Ian Hislop, is best known for presenting Have I Got News for You (Image: BBC/Hat Trick/Ray Burmiston) There have been plays featuring every affliction known to man; you are virtually guaranteed plays featuring depression, death, grief, alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling addiction, and every obsessive compulsive disorder imaginable. You can see parody musicals and dramas, spoofs and satires. You can see shows in bunkers, tents, science labs and shipping containers. Or sometimes a theatre. Yet, why would performers wish to compete in such a world of contrived insanity, of often uncontrolled ego? Performer Juliet Myers's nemesis was her attention-seeking tech support. 'She often just chipped in and responded to things I said in the show,' says Myles. 'I had a bit where I pretended I didn't know where Zurich was. She would just shout out, 'It's in Switzerland. You asked that yesterday!' She constantly insisted on making the lighting red or green and when I insisted I didn't want that she'd exclaim, 'It's my show too!'' But hang on; is this compendium of colours part of the reason why performers wish to be part of the melee? Perhaps. Paul Merton maintains that very few achieve fame thanks to appearing at the Fringe. 'It's a myth you think an Edinburgh run can be a launch pad.' Of course, many will hope to emulate the experience of Richard Gadd's Baby Reindeer which began life as an Edinburgh Fringe show, or the success of Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag. Some will cite the historical successes of the likes of Derek Jacobi who starred in a sixth form production of Hamlet, comics such as the Monty Python team, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Rowan Atkinson, Rory Bremner and Keiran Hodgson. And theatre colossus Six began life at the Fringe. However, the likes of The Chase's Paul Sinha, who fronted a show themed around Love, Actually, and cancelled two shows due to zero ticket sales, wallow in the challenge. And comic Adam Riches maintains the Fringe experience toughens the spirit. 'I've suffered so many shockers, from multiple walkouts and single-digit audiences to lame promoters and supposedly 'career-threatening' reviews. I was once told a 'one triangle of one star' review was coming out, but 'on the plus side, they were going to be printing a photo'. The fringe is like the shark in Jaws: a cold, brutal killing machine that sleeps badly, eats worse and makes little fringes.' It is indeed a test of grim endurance, and it just may be the (badly lit) place in which dreams may be realised. Yet, it's certainly a month-long examination of character, says writer James Cary. 'It's not just an endurance of physical stamina, ultimately, you will experience emotions and feel frustrations that only happen in this annual cauldron of dysfunctional ambition.' He adds; 'In the Bible, there is a wonderful proverb from King Solomon which runs thus: 'As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly'.' Is Lucy Porter one of those fools? She smiles as she says the Fringe experience may be tough, but it's transcendent. 'It's a constant carnival with things going on all day or night. It's like being in Vegas - but with mime and contemporary dance.' To purchase tickets for the Fringe, please click here
The Independent
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Paul Merton ‘honoured' if he was the reason Bruce Forsyth got Strictly job
Paul Merton has addressed the long-standing rumour that he was responsible for Sir Bruce Forsyth being hired to host Strictly Come Dancing, stating it "wasn't quite like that." The rumour suggests that Merton inviting Forsyth to guest present on Have I Got News for You in 2003 put him on the BBC 's radar for the dance competition. Merton confirmed Forsyth was a "consummate professional" on Have I Got News for You, which appeared to reignite his career and led to his Strictly role the following year. While Merton has "no idea" if he directly influenced Forsyth's hiring, he stated he would be "extremely honoured" if he did, as Forsyth was a "lovely man." Forsyth's career, which began in the 1950s, was waning before his Have I Got News for You appearance, and Strictly Come Dancing subsequently brought him back to primetime television.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Paul Merton addresses rumour he got Bruce Forsyth job hosting Strictly
Paul Merton has addressed the rumour that he was the reason Sir Bruce Forsyth was hired to host Strictly Come Dancing, stating: 'It wasn't quite like that.' It's long been claimed that the comedian was one of the reasons the BBC decided Forsyth should lead the Saturday night dance competition when it launched in 2004. His hiring came shortly after Merton recruited Forsyth to be a guest presenter on satirical panel show Have I Got News for You, which is believed to have put him on the BBC's radar to co-host Strictly alongside Tess Daly. Merton was asked in a new interview if he was responsible for getting Forsyth the job, to which he told Saga Magazine: 'I asked if we could have Bruce as a guest presenter on Have I Got News for You in 2003 and he was brilliant, a consummate professional, as you'd expect.' Merton continued: 'That seemed to reignite his career and the following year he landed Strictly.' He added that, while he has 'no idea if I had anything to do with' Forsyth's hiring, he 'would be extremely honoured' if he did 'because he was a lovely man'. At the time of Forsyth's appearance on Have I Got News for You, the entertainer's career, which was launched in the 1950s, was starting to wane. Paul Merton brushed off claims he got Bruce Forsyth the 'Strictly' job (BBC) He spent the previous decades hosting game shows including The Generation Game, Play Your Cards Right and The Price Is Right. It was Strictly that put him back on primetime television. Forsyth returned to Have I Got News for You as guest host in 2010 and, in 2013, he became the oldest person to perform at Glastonbury Festival, aged 85. The presenter, who stepped down as host of Strictly's live shows in 2014, made his final TV appearance on a Children in Need-themed Strictly special n November 2015. His health soon deteriorated and he died of bronchial pneumonia aged 89 on 18 August 2017. Forsyth became the oldest person to perform at Glastonbury Festival in 2013 (Getty Images) Two weeks later, Strictly host Daly paid tribute to Forsyth during that year's launch show, stating: 'There is one person in our hearts, and we want to do him proud.' Claudia Winkleman, who replaced Forsyth as Daly's co-host, added: 'We all miss him dreadfully.' Ahead of his death, Forsyth admitted that Strictly had limited his talents. He told Hello: 'On the Generation Game, for example, I could have fun – I was allowed to be 'Loose Bruce'. I could do whatever I liked and interact with whomever. 'That's the real me. A presenter on Strictly isn't the real Bruce.'
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Unusual Bournemouth event mentioned on Have I Got News For You
BOURNEMOUTH Writing Festival was mentioned on Have I Got News For You on Friday, April 11. The popular festival made it onto the hit BBC current affairs show – with a mention of its upcoming naked writing workshop. Host Martin Clunes read out a snippet during the missing word segment of the show which said to fill in the blanks of 'Those attending Bournemouth Library's ... must sit on a towel'. Panelist Paul Merton joked: 'Those attending Bournemouth's annual c*** your pants for charity day must sit on a towel... it's health and safety gone mad. The snippet actually read 'Those attending Bournemouth Library's nude writing workshop must sit on a towel'. Bournemouth Writing Festival will be hosting the unusual event on April 23 at Springbourne Library in Holdenhurst Road. A festival spokesman said: 'In partnership with British Naturism, poet Jon Seagrave will lead a closed-door writing workshop, where you can shed your clothes and let your inspiration run free. 'This is a respectful and responsible writing session, specifically for writers who choose to write in the nude. All participants must bring a towel to sit on. Booking is essential.'
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Comedians Paul Merton and Suki Webster bringing improv show to Dorset
Two top comedians will perform an unscripted comedy show in Dorset later this year. The Lighthouse has announced the hilarious Paul Merton and Suki Webster will perform at the Poole theatre on Friday, October 17. Fresh from successful runs in London and Edinburgh, the duo promises an evening of spontaneous comedy, featuring improvised games, scenes and stories. They will be joined by Mike McShane, another respected figure in the comedy world, and other guest performers. READ: Merton, a regular on BBC Radio 4's Just A Minute, has appeared on popular TV shows like Have I Got News For You, Room 101 and Paul Merton's Adventures. Webster, a founding member of Paul Merton's Impro Chums, has toured worldwide and appeared in a West End run of One Word Improv with Eddie Izzard. For more information and to book tickets, visit the Lighthouse website.
