Marcus Brigstocke warms up in London for the Edinburgh fringe…

Since winning the BBC New Comedian Award at Edinburgh 1996, corduroy-clad Marcus has been a busy boy. Career highlights include off-kilter TV archaeology spoof We Are History on BBC2 and his latest incarnation as a gap year twonk in BBC Radio 4's Giles Wemmbley-Hogg Goes Off. More impressively, he appeared alongside Geoffrey Palmer and Victoria Hamilton in BBC1's The Savages and managed to remain funny. Perfect preparation, then, for two shows at this year's Edinburgh fringe.

Marcus's past characters and routines have stuck to fairly conventional targets. TV-addled layabouts, dumb yanks and globetrotting toffs have all featured. But let's face it, these types get what they deserve and we love seeing them ribbed. Which is just why his first offering should be a winner. In The Award Winning Show we are promised a long overdue slagging of pointless awards ceremonies. Playing a series of 'stars of stage, screen and straight to video,' Marcus will preside over the usual displays of schmaltz and insincerity. We've all seen them, we've all cringed.

Equally promising is his second offering alongside We Are History cohorts Club Seals (Danny Robins and Dan Tetsell) The Museum of Everything - a 'collection of collections and collectors.' Exploring the bizarre world of museums and the oddities that work there-in, we should expect a cutting insight into the Beardy Britain unveiled in the TV series. And a man in corduroy should know what he's talking about. CM 25 July 02

At the Pleasance:
31 July 1 2 August 02 (previews)
3-12, 14-26 August 02

useful link: pleasance: award winners