Peter Richardson holds retrospective shows

Peter Richardson is reviving his Comic Strip Presents… brand for a series of gigs at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The creator of the trailblazing comedy collective will be in conversation with Robin Ince and guests in five shows at Just The Tonic Nucleus.

The retrospective sessions will also feature screenings of  some of the troupe’s films that helped reshape British comedy as the alternative scene became mainstream.

Richardson says: ‘It’s incredible to be bringing The Comic Strip back to Edinburgh over 40 years and 40 films later. We started out pushing boundaries and causing trouble – and we’re still at it. 

‘This is a chance to celebrate our favourite moments that we’ve done, share some stories, and hopefully make people laugh all over again at the world’s greatest arts festival.'

FAST FRINGE

The collective began in 1980  when two double acts – Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson (20th Century Coyote), and Nigel Planer and Peter Richardson (The Outer Limits) – took to the stage at London’s Comedy Store alongside compere Alexei Sayle.

A year later, Richardson struck a deal with Soho’s notorious Raymond Revuebar to start a new kind of comedy night there, and invited the same four performers to be the core of the show, with Sayle returning as compere.

He also brought in Arnold Brown and – to avoid it becoming an all-male group – Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.

It spawned the series of TV films The Comic Strip Presents… which debuted on the opening night of Channel 4 in 1982 with the Enid Blyton satire Five Go Mad in Dorset.

The last special was 2016’s Redtop, a satirical take on the phone hacking scandal that brought down The News Of The World.

The Comic Strip Presents… will be staged on August 2,3, 8, 9 and 10 with each show two and a half hours long. Guests will include Alexei Sayle and tickets are on sale now, priced £30.

Published: 30 Apr 2025