On the Mic

On the Mic: Five a Day (pilot episode)

On the Mic: Five a Day will kick off proper on August 1st. Every day Martin Walker will be reviewing and recommending five Edinburgh Fringe comedy shows.
In this pilot, we scoot round Edinburgh, checking out spaces that will become some of the Fringe's main venues. Martin chats to Dani Rae, Managing Director of the Assembly Festival. And we end with a song, from Steve’s Big Dumb Show! 
We are very grateful to Sorcha Judge, and everyone at the Fringe office. Thanks also to Amanda Emery, Bex Colwell, David Burns, Flick Morris, Gaby Jerrard, Jane Walker, Julian Hall, Madelaine Bennett, Marissa Burgess, Mel Brown and Paul Sullivan.
Thanks to the On the Mic Team, Sophie Mitchell, Bret Hart and Tom Brown.
PBH Weekender 27th-29th June 2025, in London https://linktr.ee/pbhweekender
The twenty three shows mentioned in this episode:
Abby Wambaugh: The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/abby-wambaugh-the-first-3-minutes-of-17-shows
Alan Davies: Think Ahead https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/alan-davies-think-ahead
Cabbage the Clown: Cinemadrome https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/cabbage-the-clown-cinemadrome
Elf Lyons: The Bird Trilogy https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/elf-lyons-the-bird-trilogy
Frisky's Reshuffle https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/frisky-s-reshuffle
Jason Byrne: Head in the Clouds https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/jason-byrne-head-in-the-clouds
Jay Lafferty: Ooft! https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/jay-lafferty-ooft
Jo Caulfield – Bad Mood Rising https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/jo-caulfield-bad-mood-rising
Jordan Gray: Is That a C*ck in Your Pocket, or Are You Just Here to Kill Me? https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/jordan-gray-is-that-a-c-ck-in-your-pocket-or-are-you-just-here-to-kill-me
Kate Dolan: The Critic https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/kate-dolan-the-critic
Luke Wright: Pub Grub https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/luke-wright-pub-grub
Mark Thomas WD40 https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/mark-thomas-wd40
Nina Conti: Whose Face Is It Anyway? https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/nina-conti-whose-face-is-it-anyway
Paul Sinha: 2 Sinha Lifetime https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/paul-sinha-2-sinha-lifetime
Police Cops: The Original https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/police-cops-the-original
Richard Herring: RHLSTP https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/richard-herring-rhlstp
Robin Ince: Ice Cream for a Broken Tooth https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/robin-ince-ice-cream-for-a-broken-tooth
Steve's Big Dumb Show! https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/steve-s-big-dumb-show
Susan Harrison: Should I Still Be Doing This? https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/susan-harrison-should-i-still-be-doing-this
Susie McCabe: Best Behaviour https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/susie-mccabe-best-behaviour
Takashi Wakasugi: Comedy Samurai https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/takashi-wakasugi-comedy-samurai
Tom Stade: Naughty by Nature https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/tom-stade-naughty-by-nature
2025 Last Chance Saloon with Vladimir McTavish https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/2025-last-chance-saloon-with-vladimir-mctavish
 

Frisky and Mannish's Musical Comedy

Laura Corcoran and Matthew Floyd Jones are the multi award winning musical comedy double act, Frisky and Mannish. In this classic interview, Laura chats about their origins and discusses three of our favourite F&M tracks.
Featuring songs, LGBTQIA, Do You Want to Build a Landlord? and We Are the Stars.
Frisky and Mannish's Profile HERE
www.onthemic.co.uk
 

Mitch Benn's Musical Comedy

To celebrate the release of (Mitch Benn is) All Over the Place: The English Album, we listen again to Mitch Benn chatting about Donald Trump, musical satire, Blade Runner, the Tarra Trilogy and much more.
Originally recorded during Trump's first reign, Benn's words are perhaps more relevant now than ever.
Featuring classic songs, 'Trump and Macron', 'Happy Birthday War', 'Blade Runner' and 'Everything Sounds Like Coldplay Now'.
Mitch Benn's Bandcamp site
Mitch Benn on Patreon 
Mitch's On the Mic Profile: HERE
www.onthemic.co.uk

Boothby Graffoe's Musical Comedy

Boothby Graffoe is one of the UK's leading musical comedians. In a classic interview from the On the Mic archive, we discuss his music - and the origins of his long time collaboration with actor and comedian, Omid Djalili. 
Featuring tracks, 'Spelling Sheep', 'Zombies' and the signature song, 'Hartlepool'.
Boothby's profile HERE
www.onthemic.co.uk
 
 

King Shan's Origin Story

King Shan is a former film maker and actor, at the very start of his stand up comedy journey. This is his origin story.
King Shan's Profile HERE
www.onthemic.co.uk

Dave Chawner's Origin Story

Dave is a number one best selling author, award-winning stand up comedian, presenter and mental health campaigner. He's also one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. In this episode he talks about using comedy to improve mental health and his stand up comedy origin story.
Dave's profile HERE
www.onthemic.co.uk

Maria Tea's Origin Story

Maria Tea (aka Maria Tsartsali) is a stand up comedian, clown, performance artist, and poet from Greece. She has a cult following among comedy fans at the Edinburgh Fringe.
This is her origin story.
Maria's Profile HERE
www.onthemic.co.uk
 

Paul Sinha's Origin Story

Paul Sinha is a hugely talented comedian’s comedian, leading quizzer and a household name, best known to millions as the white suited Sinner Man on ITV's The Chase.
In a typically honest and frank interview, Paul discuses the success of The Chase, his autobiography One Sinha Lifetime, gay icons, the tabloid press, his Parkinson’s disease, his wedding, and the importance of family. Be advised we also hear a brief account from Paul’s book of an attempted sexual assault.
We start by hearing his origin story.
Paul's Profile HERE
www.onthemic.co.uk
 

Sam See's Origin Story

Sam has sold out comedy shows in Melbourne, Hong Kong, London, Tokyo, Berlin, the USA and Italy, and featured on Comedy Central Asia's Stand-Up Asia. He has garnered millions of views online, and has crowd-surfed three times.
This is his origin story. 
Sam's Profile HERE
www.onthemic.co.uk
 

Becky Fury's Origin Story

Becky Fury is an award winning comedian, writer and comic artist. We loved her stand up show, 'Great British C*nts' so much, we invited her on to our podcast. We're so glad we did - this is her very funny and original, origin story.
Becky Fury's profile HERE
www.onthemic.co.uk