Pun times

Iraqnophobia

3rd Rock From The Pun

Involuntary Momslaughter

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Stutter

Woke In Progress

Worm In Progress

Your Mother Chucks Rocks And Shells

Actions Speak Louder Than Nerds

Get Rich Or Cry Trying

Great Sketchpectations

Cancer Culture

Married At First Fight

Married At First Sleight

Death On The Mile

Full Frontal Lobe

The Dark Side Of The Room

Greece Lightning

The Odd Couplet

Chronic Boom

Gentrifucked

How The Whitey Have Fallen

The Hills Have Ayes

In a Festival-tinged take on our regular column, we continue to set Kevin Fullerton a series of alcohol-fuelled challenges. This issue’s mission . . . concocting Festival cliché cocktails

The Stewart Lee Martini Sip the same drink over and over again for upwards of 15 minutes, then continue sipping until the drink loops from being boring to absolutely hilarious. Continue until you win a BAFTA.

The Audience Of One Slammer Mix five shots of tequila, tap water and 700 mulched flyers: serve in a discarded bin bag. To be enjoyed while crying.

Animal crackers

In the run-up to Festival season, performers are beavering away to capture that perfect promo shot for show posters, flyers and us, the beloved press. But how many succeed in catching our eye? For better or worse, these three animalthemed shots piqued our curiosity for being, well . . . barking mad!

Games

Drinking

The Freudian Cigar Accoutrement Place a celery stick in your drink for every encounter with a flaccid penis during a theatrical monologue about growing up (you’ll need at least two bags of celery a day). For erect members, contact the police and take a shot.

The Unfortunate Majority Apologetically down an entire midpriced beaujolais every time a middle-class comedian makes a joke about how trivial their jokes are because they’re middle class, then proceeds to make unashamedly tedious observations about middleclass minutiae for 50 minutes.

The LBC Fringe Commiseration One glass of port mixed with spite every time a former right-wing politician attempts to reinvent themselves as light entertainment.

The Old Fashioned Falter Knock back a Depression-era whisky and soda every time you see the light in a comedian’s eyes fade into darkness when their joke doesn’t land. Buy them a drink afterwards as consolation.

The Celeb Memoir Concoction A mixture of drain swill and battery acid every time you spot a celebrity biog being peddled.

The Bugg Fizz One fruit juice and champagne for every disappointing rock-pop crossover act booked in a misbegotten attempt to capture the yoof demographic (sorry, Jake).

The Chin Stroker’s Delight Two fingers of gin, a lemon slice, and a vat of brandy whenever you spot a neckbeard wander out of an experimental art piece and claim they ‘really loved the atonal symmetry of the arrangements’ or other variations on clueless pretentious bumwash. An additional shot of sambuca if they describe an art piece as being ‘non-Euclidean in its grandeur’.

Delve into a sonic universe with our curated Festival Guide soundtrack

Explore the music within these pages, with the varied sounds of Scotland’s exploding jazz scene through Kitti, Seonaid Aitken and corto.alto; sonic treats from Lady Blackbird, Ichiko Aoba and Alison Goldfrapp via Edinburgh International Festival; as well as songs from Biig Piig, Levi Roots, Kirsten Adamson and more . . .

Scan and listen as you read:

While giving less of a damn these days what people think of her, Bridget Christie just so happens to also be at the peak of her comedic powers. She tells Kelly Apter that against all the odds, a stand-up show about the menopause really does have something for everyone

Bridget Christie and I are sitting on a bench in Clissold Park in Stoke Newington when she suddenly jumps up and starts demonstrating a recent event. This beautiful plot of north London green space is the venue for Christie’s daily run, and as we discuss the invisibility of middle-aged women (plus the empowerment this sometimes brings), she’s got the perfect example. Running behind a young woman, she spotted a bench-full of workmen up ahead checking her fellow runner out at length, before clocking Christie briefly, looking disinterested, and resuming their conversation.

‘So I stopped running,’ she says, then hilariously mimes walking up and down the length of the bench, running her eyes from the men’s feet to their heads appraisingly. ‘One of them said “hello” in an unsure way, and then I started running again. I enjoyed it so much and it made me so happy. I find these joyful little things every day.’

Speaking to Christie, you can well believe it. At the age of 51, the comedian is enjoying something of a renaissance both personally and professionally. Although to be fair, 2013’s Edinburgh Comedy Award-winning show A Bic For Her was the real turning point after Christie had left behind character comedy to embrace feminism and win a legion of new fans. Since then, a plethora of stage shows, radio programmes and television appearances have cemented her status as a safe comedic pair of hands, with a thoughtprovoking agenda and right on her side.

But today, bursting with energy on a Saturday morning in the park, you can’t help but feel she has been born again. The catalyst? The menopause. Which, not coincidentally, is the topic of Christie’s new stand-up show Who Am I?, and her much-lauded Channel 4 sitcom, The Change. ‘I now feel more like the true Bridget I was as a child,’ she says. ‘The young me before puberty hit was, I feel, my true self. Then there was this whole middle section between the ages of 11 and 50, and now I feel truly and deeply who I’m supposed to be. And the things that I’d always disliked about myself, I’m just accepting them because they’re me, and I don’t have another me. I’m in the last third of my life now, and I don’t want to waste any more of it giving myself a hard time.’

This new-found sense of self-love is, says Christie, ‘a hormonal thing’ which has also left her caring far less what people think of her. Ironically, with five-star reviews pouring in for her funny, poignant and wonderfully bizarre TV show, now would actually be an OK time to concern herself with the opinions of others. It’s also a great time to feel positive about what lies ahead. ‘I’m really excited about my future, my post-menopausal life, and the fact that I’m out the other side and not in my reproductive years,’ she says. ‘And I’m happy to let go of needing to be liked or attractive. There are millions of other people who can be down on me, but I’m not going to be one of them now. And it’s not about being arrogant, because I’ve struggled with confidence most of my life; it’s about self-care.’

That sense of empowerment is something Christie hopes Who Am I? will pass on to her audience. Not just the women of a similar age who will howl with laughter in recognition of the menopause’s many symptoms, but young women for whom all that lies ahead; and, in fact, anyone with a pulse. When Christie first started trying out menopause material at comedy gigs earlier this year, she was unsure how it would go down (mindful of how much of a ‘hard sell’ she found feminism a decade earlier). When she spotted a group of young men in peals of laughter, she enquired what was funny, thinking it might be something other than her. Surprisingly, it was Christie’s depiction of the menopause, which chimed with their own experience.

‘They said, “that’s our mums”, which was very interesting for me,’ recalls Christie. ‘I realised that this subject is relatable to everybody, because it literally does affect every single person on the planet. It’s you, or your wife, or your mum, or your sister. We all respond to things in different ways, of course, and it’s easy for me to say I’ve found it empowering. But if I can change just one other woman’s experience of it, that would make me so happy. I’ve had brain fog, hot flushes, sleep deprivation and anxiety, but I still see it as the most important transition of my life.’

Having found that the early drip-feed of menopause material went well, Christie went on to craft a whole show. But what if it hadn’t? What would she have done? ‘Carried on until it did,’ she says unequivocally. ‘It’s the same as what happened in 2013 with feminism; this shit needs to be said. It’s not just about me, there are millions of people out there who are exactly the same as me. So I want to do a good job for them, and that’s a great motivator to do good work. The fact that women say to me after shows that they feel heard is very special for me.’

Anyone who has watched Christie’s stand-up shows, listened to her radio broadcasts or read her books will know that she is a political animal. So while the menopause may feel like a purely biological issue, recent events in the House Of Commons have taken it into a whole new arena. The rejection of several key recommendations in the ‘Menopause In The Workplace’ report (on the grounds they might ‘discriminate’ against men) has angered many. In particular, the refusal to make it a ‘protected characteristic’ was deemed especially disappointing. How did Christie feel about that, and will we be hearing about it in the show?

‘It just made me so furious. Pregnancy and maternity is a protected characteristic and not all women have babies; but all women will have the menopause. And the discussion around it was so patronising. We lose something like £40m a year from menopausal women taking time off work. So to say it would discriminate against men . . . I think they were just being deliberately provocative. At the moment it’s in my little notebook, but by the time I get to Edinburgh, bits will be in the show; and definitely for the tour in September.’

With The Change currently winning over television audiences and critics alike, her role on Taskmaster bringing in a whole new fanbase, and her three Radio 4 series (Bridget Christie Minds The Gap, Utopia and Mortal) all hitting the spot, does the world of stand-up comedy still feel like home?

‘Oh yes, I can’t wait to get out there. Stand-up is really addictive because you’ll never, ever win. You just have to keep doing it forever. You’ll never get to the point where you think, “that’s it, I’m the best stand-up that I can be”, because every audience and every situation is completely different. And stage time and experience . . . you can’t put a price on that. I never want to lose that feeling, and I don’t think I ever will. The eight-year-old Bridget would want the 51-year-old Bridget to do this, unencumbered by estrogen and societal pressure to do things in a certain way. Other jobs come along, and to get commissions in radio and TV is absolutely incredible, but this is what I’ll be doing until I die.’

We can't be certain that previous winners of the Edinburgh Comedy Award gather together in August when they all happen to be here doing a new show. But if so, they’d need a table for nine: Bridget Christie and this octet...

Prize guys

FRANK SKINNER

(1991)

As we’re doing it in strict chronological order, Skinner is the one comic on this list to have a better excuse than most if he’s forgotten all about his big victory. His self-reflexive show title, 30 Years Of Dirt, works on two maybe even three levels.

 Assembly George Square, 3–27 August, 8.50pm.

DANIEL KITSON (2002)

The last winner on this list to have scooped the Perrier Award (depending on who you talk to about such matters, that was either the prize’s heyday or era of sponsor shame), Kitson’s stage work is now more of the storytelling/theatrical bent. To his legion of fans, it’s all still gold.

 Summerhall, 2–27 August, 10.30am.

DAVID O’DOHERTY (2008)

Musical comedy did well in those early 80s days of the award, but this whimsical and highly affable Irishman stands (well, sits) alone in the modern era. He’s barely missed a Fringe since receiving his gong, which shows that it’s all about progressing his own act rather than trying to nab a TV deal. Not that we’re suggesting any of the previous winners have ever done that. Ever . . .

 Assembly George Square, 2–28 August, 7.20pm.

ADAM RICHES (2011)

Not only is this guerrilla comic doing his own character show (Adam Riches Is The Guys Who), but he’s slipping back into his Sean Bean persona for a gameshow at Monkey Barrel entitled Dungeons ‘n’ Bastards. Shrinking violets should probably steer clear.

 Underbelly Cowgate, 3–27 August, 2.10pm.

JOHN KEARNS (2014)

In terms of history makers, Kearns remains the only comic to win Edinburgh’s main award the year after being crowned Best Newcomer. The Varnishing Days has already stormed it on tour so if you’re a fan of his tonsure-wigged, false-teethed stage alter ego, you’ll be in your element.

 Monkey Barrel, 2–14 August, 4.15pm.

JOHN ROBINS (2017)

Couldn’t have been easy to share the award with a show that pretty much rewrote the rules of stand-up (Hannah Gadbsy’s Nanette) but Robins seemed to deal with it in good charm, mocking himself relentlessly whenever he got the chance. He’s here with Howl and a work-in-progress show.

 Just The Tonic Nucleus, 3–27 August, 8.50pm.

ROSE MATAFEO (2018)

Sold-out in barely any time, the New Zealander’s work-in-progress affair is her first appearance in Auld Reekie since she hit sitcom stardom with Starstruck. Energy and devilish spirit will be in abundance here.

 Monkey Barrel, 16–27 August, 11.20am.

JORDAN

BROOKES (2019)

For a while there (the duration of a pandemic approximately), it looked as though Brookes might be the last ever Edinburgh Comedy Award winner. Those pesky vaccines knocked that thought out of bounds and now he’s back doing a work-inprogress show like he’s never been away.

 Pleasance Courtyard, 2–8, 21–27 August, 10.50pm.