The subject of today’s Q&A is Christian Brighty

^{Picture: Ben Meadows}

What’s the best bit of advice you’ve been ever been given from a seasoned comic? 

Tessa Coates stopped me from becoming a lawyer. I would not be doing comedy if it wasn’t for her. Which is a really good thing, because I would have been a terrible lawyer.

And what has proved to be the least useful? 

The opposite. A friend kept advising me to go become a lawyer for five years, and then come back and do stand-up about it. They’re now a lawyer, so at least they follow their own advice.

Is there one thing that keeps cropping up when people talk to you about Edinburgh in August? 

How expensive the rent is this year. I might be playing a wealthy landowner, but landlords are not invited to my show. Peasants, handmaids and even vicars however are most welcome.

What’s your favourite word that begins in ‘e’? 

Elephant. I don’t know if it’s my favourite word, but I really like elephants! Oh wait, was that a trick? Was I supposed to write Edinburgh?

Is there one act you absolutely HAVE to see in August? 
The Flop. Go see The Flop. Three idiots create a new improvised musical clown show each night. I saw it in Fringe 2021, and it blew my brain straight out of my bum. They’re on at Banshee Labyrinth, 8-22 August, late.

Peasants, handmaids and even vicars are most welcome

Picture yourself in early September: what would constitute a successful Fringe for you? 
If I go to my therapist and manage to talk about something that’s not the Fringe.

What percentage of your early stand-up performances is likely to appear in your Fringe debut? 

My early stand-up was part of a musical comedy trio performed at school talent shows and church youth groups. Thrillingly, none of it features in the show. Instead, it exists online on an upsettingly religious YouTube account that I’m locked out of.

Which other new comedian do you feel a special kinship with? And do you reckon it’s reciprocated? 
Julia Masli! We met on Doctor Brown’s Clowning In Nature back in 2016 and started gigging together in 2017. She is brilliant and debuting at Assembly Roxy at 9.55pm. Don’t think it’s reciprocated though. She’s never spoken to me.

Which side of your family do you get your funny bones from? 
My mum’s dad. He was devilishly funny. Once on a train home after a boozy lunch with his best friend, my grandad passed a bowler hat over so his friend could vomit in it. His friend apologised, to which he replied ‘don’t be, I gave you yours’.

What will you do to keep fit and healthy (relatively speaking) during August? 

Man, that 50m pool! It’s so nice to be swimming a length, look up and go ‘wow! There’s so much pool left!’ I’m usually too giddy to finish swimming, so I just tread water for 40 minutes.

Which word of six letters or more will crop up the most in your Edinburgh show? 

‘Duchess’. But having looked at the script, happy to say there’s also 54 occurrences of ‘love’, 17 ‘fucks’ and at least 3 ‘Shreks’.

Christian Brighty: Playboy, Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 August, 9.40pm.