The Londoner: Comics laugh off plans to stage Edinburgh Fringe

Cancel Edinburgh Fringe, say comedians | Beard growing tips | Peston on his language slip | Famous folk piping in lock down | A politician gets love - a first?
NurPhoto via Getty Images
27 March 2020

Top London comedians are demanding the cancellation of this summer’s Edinburgh Fringe festival, which has not been called off despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Jordan Brookes, who won the main comedy award last year, said: “Cancel the Edinburgh Fringe for the love of absolute God.”

Fellow stand-up Ahir Shah, who appears on The Mash Report, wrote last night: “Can Rishi Sunak unilaterally cancel the Edinburgh Fringe or do we need to get the Queen involved.”

Comics have found ways to be funny about the dilemma. A fake Twitter account called “Edinburgh Festival (cough) Fringe — Still Open!” has been started, describing the event as an “arts festival/corona Petri dish” and using the hashtag “#CovEdFringe”. A choice joke includes: “Many locked-down performers stepped outside tonight at 8pm to show their appreciation for the NHS... and to secretly imagine the sound of applause was for them.”

Last week organisers said: “We still don’t know what the future holds... a Fringe will happen, a programme will happen, but it just might not look as it has before.” Could this year’s be the first-ever digital Fringe?

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Cometh the hour, cometh the Beard Liberation Front. The “informal network of beard wearers” offers up a six-step guide to growing a working-from-home beard as barbers close and men let it grow. First step? “Do not shave and recycle all shaving equipment immediately.” Careful — that kind of extremism may land them on a government list.

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ITV News’ political editor Robert Peston tells The Londoner why he swore on live TV during a government press conference yesterday. “The screen froze at the worst possible moment, when the Chancellor turned to ask me a question,” he explains.

“I let my frustration with a series of technological glitches get the better of me.” The curse of tech.

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Piping on in lockdown...

Lily James Instagram

Keeping up appearances, presenter Maya Jama posted a glam bathroom snap, while actor Lily James (above) was off to a (remote) personal fitness class.

Alastair Campbell Instagram

And New Labour comms chief Alastair Campbell joined in last night’s celebration of NHS staff, cheering on family friend and nurse Sissy Bridge — who had just finished a double shift — by playing the bagpipes for her. Not sure all the neighbours were cheering.

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SW1A

Rishi Sunak’s announcement of financial support for the self-employed was broadcast live on Periscope. Viewers reacted by fluttering emoji hearts at him. Truly, bewildering times.

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Lib dem MP Sarah Olney’s street WhatsApp group discusses whether its #clapforNHS at 8pm “was in 3/4 time or polyphonic”. Richmond: they do things differently there.

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