Fun Kids Radio bring their epic road adventure to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Name: Bex Lindsay
Name of Edinburgh show: Fun Kids Radio’s Epic Roadshow Adventure
Venue: The Dairy Room, Underbelly Bristo Square
Performance time: 1.15pm
Show length: 50 mins
Ticket price: £7 – £11

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your performing background?
I’m a presenter from Fun Kids, the nation’s only radio station for children. Together with another presenter, Dan, we’re creating our first ever live stage show! Between us we’ve hosted onstage at festivals all across the UK – from Geronimo and Lollibop to British Summer Time in Hyde Park. But this will be our first time in Edinburgh, and we’re super-excited to hit the biggest arts festival going.

Tell me about your show, what it is all about?
Dan and I have decided to do a live radio show and a roadshow on stage at the same time – unfortunately it keeps going wrong. The guests don’t turn up, things get broken, and our jobs are on the line (which we’re reminded of constantly, because our boss keeps phoning in to tell us.) Luckily, we’re well known for having the best audiences around, so we need them to help us save the show and our jobs; it’s pretty much all down to them. No pressure, right?

How long have you been working on this show and what is it that makes it relevant to audiences in 2018?
We started to talk about taking a show to the Edinburgh Festival in September, and things progressed pretty quickly. Soon after, we’d chatted to the Underbelly, got ourselves a lovely producer, and even found a flat – then we just had to, y’know, write the show..! As a radio station with such a specific audience, whatever we do has to be relevant and fresh; plus, our listeners will tell us if something is old or a bit rubbish. Everything we do is focused on what’s interesting to kids right here, right now, in 2018.

Do you have any top tips for surviving the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – both for performers and visitors to the event?
Don’t just stick to seeing shows in one venue- go and explore! There’s a show around every corner that might just become your new favourite thing. Oh, and never underestimate the power of a crêpe from one of the food stands; at the right time of day, they’re magic.

What has been the funniest or most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you on stage?
At BST, we were meant to help break a world record for Most People Singing On A Live Radio Broadcast. There were 10,000 people in the audience ready to go, and all we had to do up there was say hello, sing the song, and head off. Unfortunately the tech broke down as soon as we got on stage, so we ended up doing 30 minutes of improv with the crowd. It’s funny to look back on, but at the time it was petrifying!

Who are your biggest inspirations in the industry and why?
We’re big, big fans of all the double acts who got their start in children’s TV – Ant and Dec, Dick and Dom, Sam and Mark. They’ve all made shows that are great for children and adults, and we want to be just as fun and accessible!

Do you have any pre-show rituals?
Down a lot of water, immediately need the toilet, jump around a bit, hope for the best.

What other acts are you looking forward to seeing at Edinburgh Fringe?
We’re really excited to check out all the other kids shows – Brainiac Live, Dick and Dom, Paddington’s Bear’s First Concert. (Basically, we want to scope out the competition..!) Plus there’s (obviously) so much great comedy to watch; Stevie Martin has her first solo show at the Pleasance this year which looks amazing, and Nish Kumar is back with a work-in-progress show, which is very exciting. Essentially, when we’re not doing our own show, we’ll be seeing as many other ones as we can possibly cram in.

Why do you think people should come and see your show over the thousands of others on at the fringe?
Because we’re unique! We’re the only children’s radio station in the UK, and because of that we can do loads of radio-related fun stuff that no one else can. Plus, we’ll have special guests, lots of prizes, and we might just give some kids the chance to make their parents look very silly indeed…

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