Tues 17 July: Markus Birdman & Karen Bayley

A stunning way to start the Festival. Two names hotly tipped to make a huge impression at Edinburgh this year.

Markus Birdman:

• ‘Son of a Preacher Man.’
• Markus Birdman explores being a son, being a father, and the right time to teach your daughter to swear.
• Witty, controversial and silly, Markus brings his new show ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ to Saltburn.
• It’s about his relationship with his father, who’s a vicar, his relationship with his daughter, who’s two, and his relationship with God. Who’s never there.
• Birdman explores the contradictions of being a vicar’s son whilst being a non-believer. “My dad’s a vicar, but I’m an atheist, thank God.”
• He looks at his own view of Christianity and how it has shaped his view of his father. “It’s an odd religion, based on God sacrificing his own son. I mean a child is for life, not just for Christmas.”
• But since becoming a father himself, Markus has come to look at life, his beliefs and fatherhood in a whole new light. The answers aren’t all that easy and there are many questions; what do you teach your kids about God? What do you tell them about the Holy Ghost when you’re still struggling with the father, son bit? When is the right time to discuss boys? How early is too early when teaching them how to swear?
• Regular favourite at The Comedy Store, Jongleurs, and major clubs all over the UK.
• “On his way up.” Time Out
• “Wonderful. Extremely versatile.” The Scotsman
• “The crowd fell for his dry wit in a big way.” The Observer

Karen Bayley

• ‘The more you pee the less you cry’
• Not many people arrive at death’s door wearing a ‘Dollywood’ Dolly Parton T-shirt, but then not many people are staying with comedian Alan Carr when struck down with meningitis.
• Rushed into a busy A& E ward in the midst of Manchester on a Saturday night, and then jostled out of the way by eager autograph hunters, Karen sat clutching her head while Alan signed plaster casts, bandages and the occasional sick bag.
• Karen Bayley, the first female winner of the prestigious Comedy Store Gong Show, performs her first Edinburgh solo show. “The more you pee the less you’ll cry” follows her journey from the hospital ward through the trials and tribulations of recovery, and the revelation that through something negative there can (nearly) always be a positive outcome.
• From her first gig back after the illness at the infamous Vauxhall Tavern, where Lily Savage and Julian Clary gained battle scars, she recalls: “I was trying to work out which way was up, dealing with a gay stag party and a very vocal and knowledgeable lesbian football team, when I spied a reviewer at the bar. From then on, I thought ‘no more worrying about what other people think, do it and be damned.’”
• “Has me in Hysterics.” Alan Carr
• “Considerable performing punch.” The List