Some people out there, although I find it hard to believe, have not been to the Edinburgh festival. They have no concept of how exciting and immense it is. One of the things that happened last year was that, radically, for the first time in its 50-year history, there were more comedy shows than theatre shows.

I have been doing a radio show interviewing comedians just before my main show.

I interviewed Lionel Blair. He’s 77 and he’s doing two shows a day. He’s in the play School for Scandal. I love the title of his show: ‘Tat and Chat with Lionel Blair’. I also interviewed Alistair McGowan, and can I just put this out there for the gays: quite attractive in the flesh. And the most gorgeous voice. He does so many impressions it’s hard to know which is his own. Word on the street: his latest impression is Gok Wan.

My highlight of the week was after I interviewed 4 Poofs and a Piano. They came to my show and I got them on stage to play a game called ‘Who’s the poofiest’. The audience had to choose a line for us all to say.  A lesbian shouted out, ‘Where do you keep your drill bits?’ I hasten to add that I wasn’t the poofiest.

I’ve also interviewed Janeane Garofalo, Jason Byrne, Zoe Lyons, Daniel Sloss and The Magnets.

And I’ve also been to see The Chippendales. They are really fit, but it turns out that I like to see men dancing well in order to be sexy. It’s a fun show, but I think it’s awkward watching Muscle Marys move from side-to-side and not doing it very fluently. I became obsessed with the fabric they use so they can rip their outfits off in one fell swoop. But they’re still doing boxer shorts with love hearts on and trying to pass that off as sexy. It’s not 1981. Stop it! And jockstraps are just way sexier than tanga briefs. It turns out they’re bemused by Scottish women who will only give you a compliment if they can immediately insult you afterwards.  “Ay, I think the show’s great, you’ve got a great body, it’s a shame you cannae dance.”

We’re getting trams put in, and no-one likes them, and so someone has put on a show called ‘Silence of the Trams’. I think that’s inspired.

I’ve called my show ‘40-Love’ because you’re only 40 once. The poster is a parody of that iconic poster from the ‘70s with the girl lifting up her tennis skirt and showing a wee bit of arse. Originally I had both cheeks out but I didn’t realise I was prudish until I saw the picture. It looked a bit desperate. Now I just show enough to let people know I’m not wearing anything under my kilt.

In the old days my audience used to be made up of women dragging their husbands along. Now it’s the husbands who are coming along. Without the wives. That’s very telling. I get the impression that they’re getting on and thinking, well, I may as well try it once.

Listen to Craig’s festival interviews with a selection of this year’s comedy talent on the Forth One website.

Categories: Craig's List