Douglas Walker's new comedy show ‘Of Christmas Past’ will be on at Underbelly – Clover Room – Bristo Square during August.
- What is your Fringe show about?
The show is an exposé of the true story of Santa Claus. It spans 100 years of history and nearly as many characters, all played by me, which is pretty tricky but I pull it off. It's really good.
- How many times/many years have you appeared at the Fringe?
This will be my 11th Fringe. My first time was in a production of Little Red Riding Hood when I was at university, since then I've done sketch comedy, improvised comedy and stand-up philosophy.
- What’s your most memorable moment from the Fringe?
I went to see Daniel Kitson perform 66a Church Road at the Traverse in 2008. It was an amazing show and at the end Kitson came back on to the stage and addressed the audience, "I don't normally come back on at the end, but that was a tough one tonight. A couple of things put me off." Then he pointed straight at me, "Have you got binoculars?" I did. I'm visually impaired and always watch live shows with a small pair of binoculars. I explained this, and Kitson and I had a small conversation about it, him on stage, me in the auditorium in front of a packed Traverse audience.
- What’s the worst thing about the Fringe?
I am not one of the Fringe's natural flyerers. I hate imposing on people who don't want to be bothered, and I take it personally when people are rude to me. Neither of us want to be in that situation, but people, please, can't we all just try and get through it with a little grace and dignity.
- If you were not a performer what would you be doing?
The only other career I've had a serious crack at is academic philosophy. So I can only assume that if I was not a performer I would spend most of my time checking on my off shore bank accounts and managing my extensive portfolio of stock options.
- How do you prepare for a performance?
My main preparation for a performance is about eight to nine months of fretting, stress, staying up til 3am, deleting entire pages in disgust, hope, crushed hope, epiphanies, spending two hours on one sentence, trying bits on friends, apologising to friends for trying bits on them instead of engaging in meaningful conversation, chastising myself for not carrying a notebook, carrying a notebook for four months but only ever writing two notes in it, pep talks from my girlfriend, frantic train journeys learning lines, drawing grand set designs, paring the set design down to things I already own and a pretty damn fine Excel spreadsheet for the terrifying finances of an Edinburgh show. Once that's out the way the performance more or less takes care of itself.
- Favourite thing about being in Edinburgh?
Edinburgh is my home city and I love everything about it. It is a feast for all the senses. Except smell. There are areas of the Cowgate that could be weaponised. I honestly don't understand why Edinburgh's nightlife engenders this putrid combination of rancid dairy and vomit but Auld Reekie continues to live up to its name.
- What’s the most Scottish thing you’ve ever done?
I am Scottish, so I've done some pretty Scottish things. I went through a phase of wearing a kilt to school as a teenager. I got sent to the headmaster's office, and he told me I was meant to come to school looking smart. I said, "This is what I will one day wear to my wedding, how much smarter do you want?"
- Favourite Scottish food/drink?
I'm a big fan of all the traditional Scottish foods. Haggis, Irn Bru, batter. But down south you can buy these things. However, I've yet to see a macaroni pie south of the border, and that is a crying shame.
- Sum up your show in three words
Christmas come early
Show summary
Christmas is a time for joy and happiness, but there's a sinister secret wrapped in the stories we tell. Douglas Walker unravels a shocking true story with his ingenious new comic play. An absurd and incredible one-man epic, encompassing a dizzying cast of characters spanning 100 years of history. The only thing more devastating than finding out that Santa doesn't exist is finding out that he does.
Douglas Walker's new comedy show ‘Of Christmas Past’ will be on at Underbelly – Clover Room – Bristo Square during August. For tickets, please visit www.edfringe.com
You can follow Douglas Walker on Twitter at @DouglasSits and find him on Facbook at www.facebook.com/douglaswalkercomedy
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