On Gordon Brown's Bigotgate

At Chortle's Fast Fringe

More Brendon Burns videos

Australian comic Brendon Burns has been performing comedy since the early Nineties and is known for his aggressive stage presence and controversial material.

He briefly hosted the 11 O'Clock Show and even more briefly the ITV2 spin-off show I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here Now!, walking off after just three shows.

However it is live – and especially in his solo shows – where he has forged a reputation, with six live CDs to his name. He has also performed at Montreal and South African comedy festivals

He first appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1996, hosting The Comedy Zone showcase of new acts, and performing in his debut solo show 6pm Time To Get Up For Work. He has returned to the Fringe every year since, except for 1999, and in 2007 won its top prize, the if.comedy award

A trilogy, Burnsy versus Brendon, which ran at Edinburgh in 2004, 2005 and 2006, examined his own life – culminating in his mental breakdown and drinks and drugs rehabilitation at the Priory.

The Wrestling
Live Review

Only in Edinburgh.

Max Olesker, of sketch duo Max and Ivan, decided he wanted to stage a real night of wrestling, in which genuine hardmen, built like brick shithouses, would share the ring with comedians, built like Wendy houses. And, in his words, ‘Somehow this has been allowed to happen.’

It was an audacious plan with every possibility of being a chaotic disaster – both metaphorically and physically – with 15 comedy acts joining wrestlers with names like Dan ‘The Hammer’ Head and Johnny Moss ‘245lbs of invincible muscle’, despite having little time to prepare. Never has the Fringe’s ‘let’s do this thing’ spirit been so sorely tested – and come up so triumphantly.

Most of the comics were, sensibly, used as managers, valets, ring announcers and the like in this battle of good versus evil – but that didn’t mean they escaped being in harm’s way.

On the side of the good, led by Bible-bashing Russell Kane, we had Mark Watson, Patrick Monahan dressed like Freddie Mercury, Abandoman rapping the entrance for wrestler Mark Haskins and Colin Hoult as The Mighty Thwor, God Of Thunder – or was it just a nutter from Leeds?

On the side of evil, led by Adam Riches, was Humphrey Ker, a Nazi bruiser nicknamed the Vinyl Solution; Tom ‘Explosenthal’ Rosenthal, dressed as a gimp; Jessica Ransom as a brilliantly deranged Russian mother, and a rather underused Rich Fulcher, boasting he had ‘more money than Jesus’s cock’.

Nick Helm was the perfect choice as the rasping, brusque MC; Matthew Crosby the roving reporter, bringing witty pre-match excitement from the lengthy queues outside as well as in the room itself; and Frisky & Mannish providing first-rate halftime entertainment, with a stirring version of Eye Of The Tiger given their own genre-bending twist.

Key to getting the atmosphere going were Andrew Maxwell and Brendon Burns commentating ringside on the side of good and evil respectively. If there’s a rabble to be roused, you couldn’t do much better than these two. Being a comedy crowd, the instinct was to go with the heels, but Maxwell, spouting delightfully pious aphorisms, rallied the sold-out 770-strong crowd with the unlikely chant: ‘Fair play and decency!’ and we swung on to the righteous path.

To a person, the mob brought into the idea; and for a shade under two hours yelled their support, booed the bad guys and aaa-hed every bone-crunching move. It’s impossible to describe the pumped-up atmosphere, but there’s not been a febrile, feral blood lust like this since the old Late And Live – but this time the threat of death was less metaphorical.

The wrestlers didn’t hold back, and the comics threw themselves into it as much as their puny frames would let them. The sight of Rosenthal in tight all-over rubber, gnawing away like a gerbil at his opponent is one that will haunt my dreams for weeks.

Attention-whore Monahan, who couldn’t bear not being the centre of attention, seemed to genuinely annoy one of the men-mountain, who started throwing chairs with apparently real disregard for audience safety, and chased the Geordie comic through the crowd. If the comedy doesn’t work out, Monahan will always have a career as a rodeo clown waiting for him. And his grandstanding antics thoroughly earned him that piledriver. Oh yes, this shit got very real.

Star of the show, though, was Max himself. He was once the youngest professional wrestler in the UK, and although now retired, he proved he’s still got the skills, taking a good old beating, only to make a remarkable comeback in a later bout with a jaw-dropping display of acrobatic talent. He won the day for the side of good (what are the odds?) but not without sacrifice. He ended up in A&E with what’s thought to be a fractured ankle.

But it wasn’t just wrestling, the comedy element lived up to the anticipation, too. With so many competitive, quick-witted performers in the room, the banter sparkled, with ad-libbed hilarious lines being thrown about like… well, like a wimpy comedian in a wrestling ring.

The result was a unforgettable night of guffaws, drama and a genuine fear for the safety of others. Edinburgh has not seen its like before – and when you consider what has happened in this city over the years, that’s quite an achievement. A truly awesome event.

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Amazing, wonderful, fabulous, fantastic brilliant, marvellous, extraordinary, spectacular, outstanding, remarkable and funny too!

Katie P, March 2007

I am a terrible presenter, get me out of here NOW! - Brendon Burns' last words on telly.

Sue, January 2007

I saw him about a year and a half ago and he came on stage like a man possessed, the Sid Vicious of comedy as I told him after, great style can see how some just don't get him. Furious arrogant style which just works.

Mark Day, November 2006

I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here Now really was painful to watch, he must be so embarrassed.

Jay, November 2006

What he just said... F**k 'em Brendon! you're a legend!

Chris Lander, November 2006

Brendon Burns bloody rocks! With what he was given to work with on that I'm A Celebrity show – he did fucking brilliantly! It just shows how TV heads can fuck up when trying to restrain a comedian and artist such as he. It would have been better to let him do his thing, interview guests in his own way and do what comes naturally to him and not try and force him into the mould of every other boring ‘Yawn’ television host! Good for Brendon for going, being true to himself and not setting aside what makes him so great in order to stay and do a show like that - where high energy, individualism, intelligence and extreme wit were obviously ruled by the TV heads as ‘ skills we don’t like in a host’ By choosing to try and turn said host into a fuckwit (and good for Brendon for not letting them succeed) they lost out on what could have been a fantastic show. \r\n\r\nAnd anyone that would rather see the cabbage that they put on last night, or anyone else of the same type, does not deserve to criticise Brendon, nor in fact to speak his name – because they are clearly have the intelligence and humour of a semolina pudding!\r\n\r\nBrendon you are still a favourite of mine and many! Keep up what you do best and stay fucking brilliant

SammyD, November 2006

Really not surprised he got fired from I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here Now, it was the worst TV I\ve ever seen. Dont think he is going to get any more work in a hurry.

Jackie Fenwick, November 2006

I saw Monday night's I'm A Celebrity... thing and was so funny!\ You could see that he had been told to keep it tame. I just wished they'd let him go for it.

Rattydave, November 2006

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