Comedian and presenter Sue Perkins has returned to the Edinburgh Fringe with a solo comedy act – the first stand up show she’s done in 16 years.
Sue’s first experience at the Fringe was in her early teens with the Children’s Music Theatre.
Since then she has returned to the festival in various different capacities, whether that be with BBC Arts programmes, the International Book Festival and, of course, as the double act Mel and Sue.
Describing the festival as “the calendar of her year” she reminisced over her first full August run of shows with Melanie Giedroyc back in 1993.
“The first show we ever did, nobody came, not one person. So it felt like a thought experiment not really a performance,” Sue said.
“We performed at 10.15 in the morning at Sea Theatre and those were the happiest days of my life, the show was idiotic, made no sense, but I don’t think I would be here now if it weren’t for Edinburgh.”
But the empty seats were short-lived as the pair went on to win the Daily Express Best Newcomers Award.
Talking of one of her most memorable moments from her Fringe runs in the 90s, there is one story that has stayed with Sue above all.
She said: “There was a show on after us that a mate of ours was doing, and we’d promised to go and see it and we didn’t until the last day.
“All her props were back stage and there was a bucket backstage and just before our show Mel always, always needed the loo.
“She wee’d in the bucket.
“We went on stage, it was unsavoury, but that’s the measure of the woman for you.
“We then went on to see Penny’s show and in the middle of the show she became this character – she was an Irish priest – and she said ‘well it’s time to baptise you’, took the bucket, put a thing in there and doused the audience with Mel’s wee.”
This year she’s returned to comedy with her stand up show “Sue Perkins: A Piece of Work in Progress” – but says the nerves never really go away.
Sue said: “I’ll always feel nervous here because it’s an important place, I don’t take it for granted. I’m hugely grateful that they’ve chosen my show baring in mind that there’s so many others that they could come and see.
“So, I’ll be terrified but you have this weird thing that happens. You have the terror offstage and the moment you come on something shifts and you’re able to talk and have fun and be playful.
“It’s been a long time, I think it’s been 16 years since I did stand-up. On the plus side there’s a lot to talk about, it’s been a while, I’ve got some stories in the tank.”
Sue Perkins: A Piece of Work in Progress is available to see at the Pleasance Courtyard from August 22-26.
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