Tim Vine and Fred MacAulay at the Edinburgh Festival

Tony could not make it this week because he was already committed to the stag weekend from hell. His future brother-in-law and some other guys he had never met before were headed for Blackpool (?) and a 'hotel' that specifically catered to suit the needs of stag weekends. Alan and I just hoped that we would see our friend alive again. At the very least a new kidney would be required. An old school friend had said he would take Tony's place but unfortunately he pulled out on the day so it was just Alan and I on the bus through to Edinburgh. We arrived in the pouring rain and battled our way to the Pleasance courtyard for the Tim Vine gig. After a couple of pints sheltered under a canopy we headed out into the rain to find the venue. We were met with a cue the size of Eisteins IQ. It gives you an idea of Tim Vine's popularity. I don't know why the organisers thought it necessary to make us wait out in the pouring rain but at least the rain drops filling my half full pint glass made the pint last longer. Tim Vine's show was called the Joke-amotive and gives you some idea of the style and content of his humour. His jokes are rapid one liners, often using puns and word play. He currently holds the world record for the most number of jokes in a hour (499). He delivers his jokes very well, with great energy and comic timing. Even just to remember that amount of material is in itself very impressive. One of his jokes won an award as 'best joke of the festival'. The joke was 'I've just been on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. I'll tell you what, never again.' That is a typical Tim Vine joke. He also used a lot of props in his routine. One of my favorites is when he held up a sign which read 'BNAG' and he quipped 'Now that's BANG out of order!' I really enjoyed his show. Yes it was corny but it was very clever and it made me laugh. Good clean wholesome fun. In true festival spirit our next stop was the pub, full of interesting characters, and then a quick stop at McDonalds. I bet the pubs and restaurants do cracking business during the festival. We arrived at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) just in time for the Fred MacAulay show. Fred MacAulay is best known as a radio presenter who occasionally does stand up from time to time. On the basis of the show I think he should stick to the radio. On the radio he is genuinely likeable and witty, but as a stand up comedian he was very average. His humour is best expressed when he has someone to play off, like a guest on his radio show. He was also quite crude and foul mouthed at times which I didn't like. Maybe he was trying to cast off his clean cut radio presenter mould and prove that he could mingle with other stand ups. I just felt that the bad language was forced and it did not make his material any funnier. Other comedians can get away with it, like Billy Connolly, but not Fred. So it was a mixed day at the Festival. I enjoyed Tim Vine, the beer, the beautiful babes, Alan's company and the atmosphere but I was disappointed in Fred MacAulay and the rain. 'Ach well!' as a philosophical Scotsman would say. Tim Vine 8/10 Fred MacAulay 5/10