The Fringe helps me be the best me I can be

Cast of Bumper Blyton sing the festival's praises

Amy Cooke-Hodgson, Jonah Fazel, James Irving, Vicky Hawley, Sally Hodgkiss and Rhiannon Vivian are all members of the improvised Enid Blyton spoof Bumper Blyton, coming to the Edinburgh Fringe next week….

Fringe folk answering questions

What have you learnt about yourself and your comedy during lockdown? Has it changed anything?

Amy: I ended up doing the same as many people during lockdown and getting a kitten, thankfully now I have an audience of at least one who will appreciates my jokes… even if he doesn’t really understand the punchlines.

Lockdown reminded me how important collaboration is for an improviser and how much we value bouncing off one another, it’s made me determined not to take those moments for granted from now on.

Did you do any Zoom or drive-in gigs? How did you feel about them?

Jonah: Besides the butt-clenching fact that a show you've just improvised is going to stay online forever... I'm into it.

I've been gigging and also teaching improv comedy online fairly constantly throughout the pandemic and I absolutely adore it. I think that with online improv, once you admit that it's totally different to real-life improv comedy with a noisy audience, and embrace the more visual aspects of Zoom and what it can offer you as a comedian, you can't not love it.

Good improv starts with building a solid connection with your onstage partner first and then the jokes come second. Zoom-prov, as it's come to be known, gives you all of that. The end of shows is just the same, just now when you stare into the void after coming off -stage, you are left staring at your own face on Zoom to remind you of your life choices. But at least the drinks are cheaper.

What does the Edinburgh Fringe mean to you?

James: To me, Edfringe means a month of laughter, meeting old and new friends, working hard and doing something that facilitates me being the best me I can be. The best me is the me that gets to eat Haggis on a baked potato whilst sheltering in a doorway from the rain dressed like a child from the 1940s.

What would your perfect Fringe day be, in a normal festival year?

Vicky: My ideal Fringe day would have me performing in at least one show before lunchtime! I'd use the afternoon to go support my friends' shows, do my own, or seek out anything niche and nerdy. Then for the evening it'd be a nice dinner with friends, finding a picturesque spot where we can watch some fireworks, and then probably fitting in another show or two before collapsing into bed.

This is also my dating profile biog for anyone who's reading ;)

What's the best experience you've ever had doing comedy?

Sally: Getting cast in Whose Line is it Anyway? was a huge deal for me. It was such an influential part of my childhood, so getting to stand on stage beside those same comedians as part of the team was unforgettable.

Honestly though every show I do feels exciting to me because everything is unknown, except for the fact that you’re creating worlds and characters right there with your scene partner - and what could be more thrilling and joyful than that?!

I can tell you exactly what: one time there was a dog in the audience and i'm certain he was into it...

What does your show reveal about you?

Rhiannon: The show reveals that I am basically a child, which is handy because I haven't grown since I was 14. While everyone has been using the calm app or mindfulness podcasts, pretending is MY meditation, I get to escape into a world of my own for an hour and play with my friends.

If you have special walk-in music for this show, what is it, and why did you choose it?

Jonah: Postmodern Jukebox’s cover of 'Stacey's Mom' - it's just so damn fun. It kind of satisfies an ironic urge within me that despite the original version being one of the most annoying and simplistic songs of the naughties, brought up to (or is that down to?) date via the 1940s makes it a total banger.

I like to think we are doing the same with Enid Blyton books.