Jack Whitehall: 'I end up drunk and tired for the month in Edinburgh'
My Edinburgh
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.I always go to Edinburgh with the intention of living healthily, but it's impossible. Even if I take my tennis racket and plan to do some sport, I end up drunk and tired for the month, getting up every day at 3pm.
This is the first year I'm doing a solo show. It's called Nearly Rebellious and is about my attempts to be rebellious. I tell a lot of jokes and stories and hopefully people will enjoy it.
There's a consensus that the Fringe is a real slog, it loses money and it's depressing. But my past experiences have always been great. I don't want to end up as the grumpy comic who doesn't care if he wins any awards but is crying inside. I just want to have fun.
The first time I went was three years ago with some school friends, when we did a sketch show. The following year, I came back to perform on the Pleasance Comedy Reserve. I stayed in a small flat with four other comics which was a little weird as we'd never met before. But when we had a bad audience we'd all support each other. This year I'm living on my own, so when I have a bad gig, I don't have a shoulder to cry on.
My best memory of the Fringe is the late-night show Spank! It's shocking comedy – really anarchic. The worst moment was when I went to the Fringe with a friend's mum, who was priggish and a Christian. She booked all the tickets and we ended up going to watch the award-winning stand-up/double-act Topping and Butch. The duo wore PVC and leather and there was a lot of gay innuendo. It was totally inappropriate for my friend's mum who went into shock.
My tip is to plan well. Read up on shows because you can only see a couple a day, and you want to catch the best ones. That's the only way of guaranteeing a good Fringe experience.
'Nearly Rebellious', Pleasance Courtyard, to 30 August (0131-556 6550)
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments