Latest news with #TheFringe
Edinburgh Live
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Heartbreaking reason The Chase star 'finds it tough' on Edinburgh stages
The Chase star Paul Sinha has been performing at a stand-up comic for decades, though admits he now 'finds it tough' at the Edinburgh Fringe. The 55-year-old was once a a festival diehard, adding that he excelled in the 'exercise of masochism' of tiny, packed clubs. His 2006 solo show at The Fringe, 'Saint or Sinha?' won several awards - and he's taken to the stage in the capital almost every year since. However, since his Parkinson's diagnosis in 2019, Sinha admits finding it increasingly difficult, reports Liverpool Echo. "I now find with my health not being what it was, and my general energy levels, I find it a lot harder – not least the heat," he admitted on Tim Lihoreau's Guess Who's coming To Dinner podcast. "The rooms at the Edinburgh Festival are really hot, the performing rooms, and I find it hard." After addressing his discomfort, Paul, who celebrated his 55th birthday this week, explained: "I don't think I could ever go to Edinburgh and leave early, because I just wouldn't feel like I was part of the gang. "You've got to be genuinely suffering to a degree to feel that you're part of the gang." Paul received his Parkinson's diagnosis in 2019, after "worrying about why a right-sided limp was now getting worse." Parkinson's disease is a degenerative neurological disorder which causes parts of the brain to become progressively damaged. It's marked by tremors, and problems with balance, as well as sleep abnormalities, psychosis, and mood swings. As of yet, there is no known cure. Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox Paul, nicknamed by The Chase fans as The Sinnerman, said that many of his friends, who were still working in medicine, had spotted the early symptoms, but it wasn't until he saw his consultant for a second time that his symptoms were identified. "I went to see him and he said, 'I've just been watching you on Taskmaster, I wish I'd known. I would have diagnosed you far quicker'," he told The Sun, adding: "there were telltale signs in the way I adjust and move that he said were diagnostic." Paul said most people are familiar with the tremors that Parkinson's causes, but aren't aware that the disease has other, less common effects on the body. One of the earliest warning signs of Parkinson's is a loss of sense of smell, which can strike several years before other symptoms develop. Nerve pain, problems with peeing, and memory problems can also be a cause of concern. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Paul recalled on Loose Women how a seemingly innocuous ache was an early warning sign: "I presented one morning with a stiff, painful right shoulder. I never had a stiff joint before," he said. "I didn't think anything of it, I thought, 'this is just going to go away,' and then it just never went away." Paul works hard to manage his symptoms. Concerned about cognitive decline, he plays an online speed quiz every day at 6pm called Tea Time Trivia to keep his brain sharp: "It's something that's always on your mind because my brain is my tool," he said. "If I become more physically disabled, I'll still be able to do The Chase and I'll still be able to do stand-up comedy."
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Meet the Possilpark man behind the Glesga Da podcast
'I'M just a guy that canny say no,' Raymond Mearns says ahead of his seven shows at this year's Glasgow International Comedy Festival. The comedian is returning to the festival with his solo show Looking For A Great Audience on Sunday, March 30. It will take place at the Stand Comedy Club after being shortlisted for the Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award in 2024. Raymond says it was 'amazing' to be shortlisted for the award. He added he's lucky to be in comedy despite never setting out to become a comedian but says it was a 'very happy and joyous accident' that he did. READ NEXT: (Image: Glasgow International Comedy Festival) 'It's already a joy and a gift, it's amazing to be paid for something you love,' he said. 'It must be one of the best things in the world.' Raymond says Looking For A Great Audience is 'just me doing my thing'. He explained: 'I always do a solo show. I take elements of that and I take it to The Fringe. 'I'm fortunate I sell it out every year. 'That's just me doing my thing, all my madness and mental ideas and maybe roasting some of the audience in the front and that sort of thing and that's great.' (Image: Supplied) A show Raymond feels particularly passionate about at this year's festival is Raymond Mearns Fool on Comedy Crew which will take place at The Flying Duck on Saturday, March 29. Fool On is a Lanarkshire-based charity which seeks to improve mental health and emotional well-being through artistic engagement. Raymond, from Possilpark, runs a Comedy Club workshop with the charity. He explained: 'It's brilliant. 'There are people with disabilities and people who can't work for various reasons, people who've got mental health problems. 'What I try and do is point them towards telling a good story, a few jokes, maybe understand a wee bit more about how they could take some of the negative aspects in their life in a situation and turn that into positive and optimize it into passages of great beauty. 'People take themselves really seriously and comedy lets you laugh at yourself, and I think that makes the world a better place.' The group previously did a show in Hamilton which he says got a 'phenomenal' response so they decided to bring it to the comedy festival. The show is described as a 'brilliant hour of original stand-up and sketches'. 'Its going to be an amazing thing, it's the product of all the hard work of the people in the class,' he added. READ NEXT: (Image: Supplied) Speaking of why he works with the charity Raymond continued: 'I think your mission in life is to find out what you're good at and then once you've done that you've got to give it away, you've got to share it. 'With every word, thought and action you just try to make the world a better place.' On March 26, Raymond will then be starring in Celtic Da's: A New Play By Phil Differ alongside Bruce Morton at the Oran Mor. 'As well as being stand up for the last three decades, I have done a bit of theatre and made a few films and TV shows,' he says. 'I'm not a brilliant actor but I think I've got some chops as an actor and I'm always keen to do something that's interesting and challenging.' 'It's about these two fellas and in the play, they're discussing things in their life. 'It's about friendship, football, Celtic, their place in the world and they're questioning that and the challenges you face when you're getting older. 'I think a lot of people will like it. You're always hoping you strike a chord with a lot of people.' Raymond will also be doing three Laughter Fest shows at Cathcart Bowling Club which he describes as a 'pick of comedians' from the festival. There will be three shows which will take place on March 14, 21 and 28. 'We're looking to get acts over to Cathcart and give them a wee bit of extra money through their act and it entertains the good people of Cathcart and the surrounding areas who might not be able to get into the city.' Podcast Glesga Da, which Raymond does alongside Stuart Mitchell, will have a live show on March 13 at BAad. Glasgow International Comedy Festival 2025 will take place from March 12 until March 30. You can find out more at
