Latest news with #EdinburghFestivalFringe
Powys County Times
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme launched
The programme for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has been launched, including more than 3,350 shows across 265 venues. Comedy, music, dance, children's shows, magic and cabaret will all be part of the arts festival, which runs from August 1 to 25. Topics include the apocalypse, rave culture, disability and sexuality, and more than half the performers are Scottish. A total of 3,352 shows are included on the line-up, including at new venues such as Hibernian Football Club's Easter Road stadium. Portobello Town Hall will also host acts for the first time, with a mini-festival to celebrate Palestinian art and culture, Welcome to the Fringe, Palestine. There are 325 free shows and 529 pay-what-you-can shows, and accommodation has been provided by several universities to make the Fringe more accessible to performers. Some 923 shows are from Scotland, predominantly from Edinburgh with 657 acts represented, compared to 1,392 from the rest of the UK nations, while a total of 54 non-British nationalities are on the line-up. Easter Road stadium will host two shows – Dropped, by former Chelsea FC trainee Alfie Cain recalling dashed aspirations and 'the darkness and pressures' of football, as well as Frankie Mack Showman – The Next Stage: The Leith San Siro, described as a 'high-energy, show-stopping' night of swing, rock'n'roll and modern classics. Alice Hawkins – Working Class Suffragette at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre explores a family connection with the campaign for democracy while VOTE the Musical at Paradise Green takes a 'gripping look' at the Suffragettes, exploring activism and personal sacrifice, according to promoters. Jenna Stone's play Happy Ending Street, at Leith Arches, tells a story about three Scottish sex workers dreaming of escaping from their way of life. Tony Lankester, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: 'Programme launch is such an exciting moment for everyone involved making the Fringe happen. 'Thank you to all the Fringe-makers – the artists, venues, workers, producers, technicians, promoters, support staff and audiences that bring their unmatched, exceptional energy to Edinburgh in August. 'This year's Fringe programme is filled with every kind of performance, so whether you're excited for theatre or circus, or the best of comedy, music, dance, children's shows, magic or cabaret; get ready to dare to discover this August.
Leader Live
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Taskmaster creator Alex Horne hosts competition at care home
The 46-year-old comedian visited a care home in Adderbury where he set a series of challenges that saw four residents compete against each other. The tasks included identifying everything related to pineapples and residents closing their eyes and raising their hand when they thought one minute had passed. The competitors also had a plate of sweets they had to transfer to another plate with only a straw, with the final task involving residents building the tallest tower using spaghetti and marshmallows. 'I've done Taskmaster with kids in schools, stags and hens in pubs, boys and girls in scout huts, executives in offices and over a hundred comedians on telly over the last 10 years, but this was perhaps the most memorable task session for me,' said Horne. 'The four contestants were as competitive as anyone I've tested before, and they demonstrated different ways of lateral thinking, as well as some creative interpretations of my rules.' Resident Ruth Johnson, aged 100, said: 'At first I didn't know what was expected of us, and I wondered what we'd need to do with all of that spaghetti. 'Alex was so nice. I thought I had met him before, but I think I just knew him from the television.' Wojciech Kuczkowski, general manager at Seccombe Court, said: 'The residents love to watch Taskmaster and we wanted to give them a chance to take on the challenges for themselves. 'All four competitors did an amazing job, and it was great to see their competitive spirits come out. I'd like to extend a big thank you to Alex for joining us and hosting our challenge.' The original version of Taskmaster was created by Horne as a live show for the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It first aired on UKTV's Dave in 2015 before moving to Channel 4 in 2019. The comedy gameshow sees five celebrities compete in a series of bizarre challenges presented to them by the Taskmaster Greg Davies, with Horne as his assistant.
Powys County Times
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
Taskmaster creator Alex Horne hosts competition at care home
The 46-year-old comedian visited a care home in Adderbury where he set a series of challenges that saw four residents compete against each other. The tasks included identifying everything related to pineapples and residents closing their eyes and raising their hand when they thought one minute had passed. The competitors also had a plate of sweets they had to transfer to another plate with only a straw, with the final task involving residents building the tallest tower using spaghetti and marshmallows. 'I've done Taskmaster with kids in schools, stags and hens in pubs, boys and girls in scout huts, executives in offices and over a hundred comedians on telly over the last 10 years, but this was perhaps the most memorable task session for me,' said Horne. 'The four contestants were as competitive as anyone I've tested before, and they demonstrated different ways of lateral thinking, as well as some creative interpretations of my rules.' Resident Ruth Johnson, aged 100, said: 'At first I didn't know what was expected of us, and I wondered what we'd need to do with all of that spaghetti. 'Alex was so nice. I thought I had met him before, but I think I just knew him from the television.' Wojciech Kuczkowski, general manager at Seccombe Court, said: 'The residents love to watch Taskmaster and we wanted to give them a chance to take on the challenges for themselves. 'All four competitors did an amazing job, and it was great to see their competitive spirits come out. I'd like to extend a big thank you to Alex for joining us and hosting our challenge.' The original version of Taskmaster was created by Horne as a live show for the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It first aired on UKTV's Dave in 2015 before moving to Channel 4 in 2019. The comedy gameshow sees five celebrities compete in a series of bizarre challenges presented to them by the Taskmaster Greg Davies, with Horne as his assistant.
Wales Online
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Taskmaster creator Alex Horne hosts competition at care home
Taskmaster creator Alex Horne hosts competition at care home The 46-year-old comedian visited a care home in Adderbury where he set a series of challenges that saw four residents compete against each other Greg Davies and Alex Horne on Taskmaster (Image: Rob Parfitt / Channel 4 ) Taskmaster creator Alex Horne hosted a competition inspired by the Channel 4 TV show at a care home in Oxfordshire. The 46-year-old comedian visited a care home in Adderbury where he set a series of challenges that saw four residents compete against each other. The tasks included identifying everything related to pineapples and residents closing their eyes and raising their hand when they thought one minute had passed. The competitors also had a plate of sweets they had to transfer to another plate with only a straw, with the final task involving residents building the tallest tower using spaghetti and marshmallows. "I've done Taskmaster with kids in schools, stags and hens in pubs, boys and girls in scout huts, executives in offices and over a hundred comedians on telly over the last 10 years, but this was perhaps the most memorable task session for me," said Horne. "The four contestants were as competitive as anyone I've tested before, and they demonstrated different ways of lateral thinking, as well as some creative interpretations of my rules." Article continues below Resident Ruth Johnson, aged 100, said: "At first I didn't know what was expected of us, and I wondered what we'd need to do with all of that spaghetti. "Alex was so nice. I thought I had met him before, but I think I just knew him from the television." Wojciech Kuczkowski, general manager at Seccombe Court, said: "The residents love to watch Taskmaster and we wanted to give them a chance to take on the challenges for themselves. "All four competitors did an amazing job, and it was great to see their competitive spirits come out. I'd like to extend a big thank you to Alex for joining us and hosting our challenge." The original version of Taskmaster was created by Horne as a live show for the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It first aired on UKTV's Dave in 2015 before moving to Channel 4 in 2019. Article continues below The comedy gameshow sees five celebrities compete in a series of bizarre challenges presented to them by the Taskmaster Greg Davies, with Horne as his assistant.
Rhyl Journal
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
Taskmaster creator Alex Horne hosts competition at care home
The 46-year-old comedian visited a care home in Adderbury where he set a series of challenges that saw four residents compete against each other. The tasks included identifying everything related to pineapples and residents closing their eyes and raising their hand when they thought one minute had passed. The competitors also had a plate of sweets they had to transfer to another plate with only a straw, with the final task involving residents building the tallest tower using spaghetti and marshmallows. 'I've done Taskmaster with kids in schools, stags and hens in pubs, boys and girls in scout huts, executives in offices and over a hundred comedians on telly over the last 10 years, but this was perhaps the most memorable task session for me,' said Horne. 'The four contestants were as competitive as anyone I've tested before, and they demonstrated different ways of lateral thinking, as well as some creative interpretations of my rules.' Resident Ruth Johnson, aged 100, said: 'At first I didn't know what was expected of us, and I wondered what we'd need to do with all of that spaghetti. 'Alex was so nice. I thought I had met him before, but I think I just knew him from the television.' Wojciech Kuczkowski, general manager at Seccombe Court, said: 'The residents love to watch Taskmaster and we wanted to give them a chance to take on the challenges for themselves. 'All four competitors did an amazing job, and it was great to see their competitive spirits come out. I'd like to extend a big thank you to Alex for joining us and hosting our challenge.' The original version of Taskmaster was created by Horne as a live show for the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It first aired on UKTV's Dave in 2015 before moving to Channel 4 in 2019. The comedy gameshow sees five celebrities compete in a series of bizarre challenges presented to them by the Taskmaster Greg Davies, with Horne as his assistant.
