podcast

The Interview – Michael Biehn, ‘The Divide’

Not every actor in a film takes part in the promotional side of things, although with the rise of big budgets and social media, it’s common for everyone on the cast, and many of the higher echelons of the crew, to hit the road and sell the show.

That wasn’t always the case. With the premier of The Divide taking place at SXSW some thirteen years ago, Michael Biehn decided that he would attend not only his first SXSW but also his first film festival to support and promote a film that he believed in.

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The Interview – Edgar Wright, ‘Attack The Block’

talk to the team behind 2011’s ‘Attack The Block’, where a teenage street gang have to defend themselves from predatory alien invaders on a council estate in South London.

It’s an interview as part of the promotional cattle call, so everyone lined up for the interview gets ten minutes from walking in the room to walking out, with no do-overs. This was part of the promo circuit for Attack The Block; exec produced by Edgar Wright, directed by Joe Cornish, and a cast list including Nick Frost. All three are in the room, so it’s a hectic who gets what question ahead of the midnight premiere of the film at Austin’s SXSW Film Festival in 2011.

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The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2025 – Rebecca Perry – Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl

Ten years ago, a single-hander show turned up at the Fringe… Rebecca Perry with ‘Confessions Of A Redheaded Coffeshop Girl’, which starts as “what if a coffeeshop with David Attenborough?” A hook that brought you in, before the performance and the piece delightfully dragged you further… a further that included an interview on this podcast.

Ten years later, Rebecca is back at the Fringe, and ten years later, Rebecca is back on the podcast.

What is the impact of a critically acclaimed show at the Fringe on a career? Why bring a show back? And how much of a personal show can remain the same after a decade of growth and performance?

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The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2025 – Sutara Gayle – The Legends Of Them

One of the delights of the Fringe is learning something new. Theatre is the great educator, hiding it within music, within moments, and sometimes even with mime.

For me, the life and work of Sutara Gayle is one of those moments. She was a pioneering female deejay on London’s infamous reggae scene in the 1980s, which earned her a first record contract; she lived through personal tragedy that sparked the Brixton Uprising, and her work with the LGBTQAI+ community, especially within the Afro-Caribbean community, is rightly celebrated.

She is bringing some of her life to the Fringe in The Legends of Them, a unique theatrical, shared spiritual experience. An ethralling force, I spoke to her ahead of the show arriving in Edinburgh.

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The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2025 – Sarah Bowles – The ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards

One of the key returns for many acts and troupes from the Fringe is to come away with an award. There’s an insane amount of competition to win one, but they can set the tone of your career for the following years.

But what does it take to manage and run one of the awards?

The ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards started in the years after Covid-19, and brought a fresh look at the comedy scene across the Fringe. With over 700 shows to see, it’s a vast undertaking to see, to judge, and to decide. On the four awards – best show, best newcomer, best tech, and panel prize

I decided to find out more, and spoke to ISH’s Sarah Bowles.

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The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2025 – Julien Salvia and Ludovic-Alexandre Vidal – World’s Greatest Lover

There are so many puns available to me from today’s show. “The World’s Greatest Lover” is a new musical debuting at the Fringe, but with international ambitions beyond Pleasance One. 

Writers Julien Salvia and Ludovic-Alexandre Vidal bring the titular lovers from the annals of history. Romeo, Casanova, Cyrano de Bergerac, the Marquis de Sade and MC Saint Valentine to the Fringe stage. Not only is this a closer look at five different types of love, it’s also a chance for some great new pop standards.

Julien and Ludo, on a rather long-distance call from Australia, talk about how they cho

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The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2025 – Ryan Stewart and Tiah Bullock – Kinder

Kinder is an excellent example of a show taking risks at the Fringe, both for the production and the audience.

There are hints on what to expect on paper – a story of a Drag Queen preparing a “comedy roast” but finding out with an hour to go, it’s actually a booking for a children’s story time show. In that short liminal space, there is some theatrical magic that lifts the story to something powerful, reflective, and vitally important.

It’s the Fringe at its best. I caught up with the team behind the show – producer and performer Ryan Stewart and director Tiah Bullock to find out more.

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The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2025 – Jay Phelps – Miles

Accomplished jazz trumpeter Jay Phelps debuts at the Fringe this year with Miles. It’s a look back on the life of Jazz virtuoso Miles Davis in general, and the creation of the album “Kind Of Blue” in particular.

It mixes in many disciplines, including the acting talents of  Benjamin Akintuyos as Davis, the music of the album, and Phelps’ music talents on the trumpet. Not only that, but Phelps has 20 years of music and performance in his CV, but this is his first move into acting.

I caught up with Jay earlier today to talk about the impact and relevance of Kind of Blue, the influence it has had on his life, and what it’s like to meet your hero on stage.

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The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2025 – Jay Saunders and Nick Cheng – Project Comedy

Jay Saunders and Nick Cheng are from Project Comedy; a part of Project Recce, which helps Military Veterans and Service Leavers to move from military service to civilian employment. 

As they describe it, “military humour is more than just entertainment—it’s a survival tool. It forges camaraderie, boosts morale, and keeps teams strong in the toughest conditions. Now, through Project COMEDY, veterans can harness that same power of humour to improve their well-being, master new skills, and stand out in civilian careers.”

This is the first year that the Project Comedy team has brought shows to Edinburgh. The Fringe can offer more, so I listen to Jay and Nick as they talk about the power of healing that the Fringe can offer, how the Fringe can help introduce the Project to a broader audience, and how this will help build the project for the future.

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The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2025 – Narin Oz – Inner Child(ish)

As week 2 starts here in Edinburgh, let’s welcome Narin Oz to the pod. Returning to the Fringe with her fourth show, Inner Child(ish) sees Oz looking to reconnect with her titular inner child … through the medium of the Tom Hanks motion picture Castaway.

Her inner child misbehaves, breaks rules, and flips reality around. Behind all this is Narin learning to live in a world of neurotypical people surrounding her neurodiversity. Why live in reality when you can skip over, under, around, and through it?

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