GREAT BRITISH MYSTERIES come to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Name: GREAT BRITISH MYSTERIES?
Name of Edinburgh show: GREAT BRITISH MYSTERIES: 1599?
Venue: Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance Below
Performance time: 4:45pm
Show length: 1 hour
Ticket price: £8 – £11

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your performing background?
We are Will Close, Rose Robinson & Joe Hancock. We began working together a few years ago on the sketch show Mixed Doubles and then Rose and Will made and toured the Young Vic show ‘Golem’ with the theatre company 1927. This toured for a couple of years and then work started on our debut Great British Mysteries show. That one was about the Loch Ness Monster and enjoyed a sold out run at Edinburgh last year.

Tell me about your show, what it is all about?
Our new show retains our characters from last year (Olive & Teddy), but moves them back in time by 400 years. In this incarnation, they are Tudor mystery hunters who get recruited for a witch hunt. Unfortunately, they find the witch a little closer to home than they were expecting.

How long have you been working on this show and what is it that makes it relevant to audiences in 2018?
We began work on this new script pretty soon after Edinburgh last year; there was a draft set of ideas knocking around by November-ish. It’s a really silly show set in Tudor England so it’s not one for fans of biting satire on life in 2018. However, some of the values of acceptance and encouraging inclusivity over exclusivity hopefully have a relevant resonance!

Do you have any top tips for surviving the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – both for performers and visitors to the event?
Sleep as much as you can. Rehydrate. Daily trips to the jacket potato shop on the Mile. Don’t try and see too much; everyone has limits. Always be in arms reach of a cagoule.

What has been the funniest or most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you on stage?
When we were doing Mixed Doubles we had a sketch about a boxer and his coach. The coach would pour a lot of water down the boxer’s throat during a pep talk. We replaced water with gin for one show at the Adelaide Fringe. That had quite amusing repercussions.

Who are your biggest inspirations in the industry and why?
Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace has a tone which we love. It is utter nonsense done with a deadly serious poker face and that always resonates with us. We also love Paul Foot’s irreverence and the Woman In Black stage show. We’ve seen that too many times.

Do you have any pre-show rituals?
Will goes to the toilet every four minutes for the hour proceeding the show. We eat a lot. We usually run a few lines and then talk about dinosaurs.

What other acts are you looking forward to seeing at Edinburgh Fringe?
Lazy Susan, Sleeping Trees, Adam Riches, ZazU.

Why do you think people should come and see your show over the thousands of others on at the fringe?
We think we’re probably the only comedy double act show set in the 16th century appearing at this year’s Fringe. If you want more gags than Henry VIII had wives (seven?), then this is the show for you.

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