gyles brandreth tour edinburgh 2023

Gyles Brandreth Can't Stop Talking!

Nostalgia and humour wrapped in amusing - if very british - storytelling.

The man who set the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest after-dinner speech – a mind-boggling non-stop 12.5 hours – cannot stop talking at the Fringe. Luckily, his show is filled with funny anecdotes, so the audience won’t leave with many complaints.

To the surprising choice of a punk song, Brandreth enters the stage and regales the filled auditorium with tales from his time as a theatre actor, radio and TV presenter, and general well-connected man in British society. As he says, if you aren’t a fan of name-dropping, this show isn’t for you. Those names are very typically British, going back half a century – so, if you’re not heavily clued into the local arts and cultural scene, some of the humour may escape you.

Brandreth carries a sense of ease and belonging on the stage. A snafu with the microphone is handled with such tact, it leaves us wondering if it’s all part of the act. He dips into topics such as the pains of growing old, failed attempts to be cast on popular reality shows, marriage, and a career in media and Parliament. An intriguing aspect of the show is the ‘menu’ – inviting audience participation to choose conversation topics for the evening, thus giving a sense of improvisation and offering something new each night. The humour has mass (British) appeal, mostly. A few shots at low-hanging fruit – quips at the expense of ‘snowflake generations’ and having a trans identity – sit misplaced within an otherwise entertaining show.

Gyles Brandreth’s Can’t Stop Talking! has a nostalgic value in an hour of amusing storytelling – with the caveat that the source of the talking is clearly from a specific time and place within society.

Edinburgh Fringe

Gyles brandreth can't stop talking.

• Comedy (storytelling)
• 4pm (60 mins)
• Assembly George Square Theatre (Gordon Aikman Theatre)
• £18 - £22

Most tickets cost between £18 and £22. To book visit the official Fringe website or contact the venue:

• edfringe.com
• www.assemblyfestival.com
• 0131 623 3030

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• Update this listing

He's back - and unstoppable. Gyles Brandreth can't stop talking. The jumper-loving This Morning and Just A Minute star, who pops up on Pointless , QI , Would I Lie To You? , Sunday Brunch , and Celebrity Gogglebox , has been babbling since he was a baby, and in his hilarious new one-man show, the award-winning raconteur tries to work out why. He's won the Audience Award for Most Popular Show on the Fringe, multiple five-star reviews and every time he's in Edinburgh, his shows sell out. Fast. Book now. 'Wildly funny' (Daily Mail). 'Absolute joy' (Scotsman). 'Genius' (Telegraph).

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Gyles Brandreth interview

"I realised that I have done a lot of different things. I've been an MP, a novelist, a presenter, I've been on Just A Minute and Gogglebox. So that gave me the idea that this is the only show in Edinburgh where the audience decides where the show is going."

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Gyles Brandreth Announces National Tour with CAN'T STOP TALKING

He will also be performing at the Assembly George Square at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer

Novelist, actor, ex MP, podcaster and best-selling biographer Gyles Brandreth just can't stop talking as he returns to the stage this summer. Kicking off his tour at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the jumper-loving This Morning star, has been burbling and babbling since he was a baby. The award-winning raconteur, wordsmith and verbivore, who holds be the world record for the longest-ever after-dinner speech (12 and a half hours!) suffers from logorrhea and in his hilarious new one-man show he is trying to work out why..

From 40 years on Radio 4's Just A Minute to 4 years on Channel 4's Celebrity Gogglebox , he can't keep his mouth shut. He even talks in his sleep. What's it all about? He's going to tell you - because this is his life story: a roller-coaster of tales and revelations from his unlikely life in showbusiness and politics. There will be surprises too (for him and you) when the audience spins a wheel to decide what he's going to talk about next.

A former Oxford Scholar, President of the Oxford Union and MP for the City of Chester, Gyles Brandreth 's career has ranged from being a Whip and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury in John Major 's government to starring in his own award-winning musical revue in London's West End.

A prolific broadcaster, Gyles has appeared on QI , Have I Got News For You , Would I Lie To You? , Pointless and is a reporter and presenter for The One Show (BBC 1), as well as Dictionary Corner's most frequent resident on Countdown (Channel 4). On stage he has appeared most recently in Hamlet and The Importance of Being Earnest . He is the Chancellor of the University of Chester, a columnist for The Oldie and the author of seven Victorian murder mysteries featuring Oscar Wilde as his detective now published in 22 countries around the world. His Sunday Times best-sellers include a biography of Elizabeth II, Word Play , The 7 Secrets of Happiness , and, most recently, his autobiography, Odd Boy Out.

He's won the Audience Award for Most Popular Show on the Fringe, multiple 5-star reviews and every time he's been to Edinburgh his shows have sold out.

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The lowdown on the latest UK news

Gyles Brandreth Announces National Tour and Full Edinburgh Festival Fringe run

Novelist, actor, ex MP, podcaster and best-selling biographer Gyles Brandreth just can’t stop talking as he returns to the stage this summer. Kicking off his tour at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the jumper-loving This Morning star, has been burbling and babbling since he was a baby. The award-winning raconteur, wordsmith and verbivore, who holds be the world record for the longest-ever after-dinner speech (12 and a half hours!) suffers from logorrhea and in his hilarious new one-man show he is trying to work out why..

From 40 years on Radio 4’s Just A Minute to 4 years on Channel 4’s Celebrity Gogglebox, he can’t keep his mouth shut. He even talks in his sleep. What’s it all about? He’s going to tell you – because this is his life story: a roller-coaster of tales and revelations from his unlikely life in showbusiness and politics. There will be surprises too (for him and you) when the audience spins a wheel to decide what he’s going to talk about next.

ABOUT GYLES BRANDRETH:

A former Oxford Scholar, President of the Oxford Union and MP for the City of Chester, Gyles Brandreth’s career has ranged from being a Whip and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury in John Major’s government to starring in his own award-winning musical revue in London’s West End.

A prolific broadcaster, Gyles has appeared on QI, Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You?, Pointless and is a reporter and presenter for The One Show (BBC 1), as well as Dictionary Corner’s most frequent resident on Countdown(Channel 4). On stage he has appeared most recently in Hamlet and The Importance of Being Earnest. He is the Chancellor of the University of Chester, a columnist for The Oldie and the author of seven Victorian murder mysteries featuring Oscar Wilde as his detective now published in 22 countries around the world. His Sunday Times best-sellers include a biography of Elizabeth II, Word Play, The 7 Secrets of Happiness, and, most recently, his autobiography, Odd Boy Out.

He’s won the Audience Award for Most Popular Show on the Fringe, multiple 5-star reviews and every time he’s been to Edinburgh his shows have sold out.

Website: www.gylesbrandreth.net/ | Twitter: @GylesB1

Listings information

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Show: Gyles Brandreth: Cant’ Stop Talking!!! Dates: 2nd – 27th August Time: 4:00pm Venue: Assembly George Square – Gordon Aikman Theatre Address: 32 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LH Price: Previews: £11/ £12 Weekends £22/ £21 Weekdays £18/ £17 Box Office: www.assemblyfestival.com / www.edfringe.com

Tour Dates For tickets visit https://www.gylesbrandreth.net

1 Sept 2023 St Albans Arena 3 Sept 2023 Buxton Opera House 6 Sept 2023 Yeovil Westlands 10 Sept 2023 Cardiff New Theatre 19 Sept 2023 Chatham Central Theatre 20 Sept 2023 Guildford G Live 22 Sept 2023 Eastbourne Congress 23 Sept 2023 Northampton Royal and Derngate 26 Sept 2023 Harrogate Theatre 29 Sept 2023 Poole Lighthouse 1 Oct 2023 Reading Hexagon 3 Oct 2023 Birmingham Town Hall 4 Oct 2023 Chester Storyhouse 6 Oct 2023 Colchester Charter Hall 8 Oct 2023 Canterbury Marlowe 18 Oct 2023 Nottingham Playhouse 20 Oct 2023 Tunbridge Wells Trinity Theatre 22 Oct 2023 Basingstoke The Anvil 17 Jan 2024 Chichester Festival Theatre

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Gyles Brandreth Announces National Tour

Novelist, actor, ex MP, podcaster and best-selling biographer  Gyles Brandreth  just can’t stop talking as he returns to the stage this summer.  Kicking off his tour at the  Edinburgh Festival Fringe , the jumper-loving  This Morning  star, has been burbling and babbling since he was a baby. The award-winning raconteur, wordsmith and verbivore, who holds be the world record for the longest-ever after-dinner speech (12 and a half hours!) suffers from logorrhea and in his hilarious new one-man show he is trying to work out why..   

From 40 years on Radio 4’s  Just A Minute  to 4 years on Channel 4’s  Celebrity Gogglebox , he can’t keep his mouth shut.  He even talks in his sleep.  What’s it all about?  He’s going to tell you – because this is his life story: a roller-coaster of tales and revelations from his unlikely life in showbusiness and politics.  There will be surprises too (for him and you) when the audience spins a wheel to decide what he’s going to talk about next.  

ABOUT GYLES BRANDRETH:  

A former Oxford Scholar, President of the Oxford Union and MP for the City of Chester, Gyles Brandreth’s career has ranged from being a Whip and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury in John Major’s government to starring in his own award-winning musical revue in London’s West End.  

A prolific broadcaster, Gyles has appeared on  QI ,  Have I Got News For You ,   Would I Lie To You? ,  Pointless  and is a reporter and presenter for  The One Show  (BBC 1), as well as Dictionary Corner’s most frequent resident on  Countdown (Channel 4). On stage he has appeared most recently in  Hamlet   and  The Importance of Being Earnest .   He is the Chancellor of the University of Chester, a columnist for The Oldie and the author of seven Victorian murder mysteries featuring Oscar Wilde as his detective now published in 22 countries around the world. His Sunday Times best-sellers include a biography of Elizabeth II,  Word Play ,  The 7 Secrets of Happiness , and, most recently, his autobiography,  Odd Boy Out.

He’s won the Audience Award for Most Popular Show on the Fringe, multiple 5-star reviews and every time he’s been to Edinburgh his shows have sold out. 

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Show:                         Gyles Brandreth: Cant’ Stop Talking!!! Dates:                            2 nd  – 27 th  August  Time:                          4:00pm Venue:                        Assembly George Square – Gordon Aikman Theatre Address:                    32 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LH Price:                          Previews: £11/ £12 Weekends £22/ £21 Weekdays £18/ £17 Box Office:                 www.assemblyfestival.com  /  ww w.edfringe.com   

1 Sept 2023              St Albans                  Arena 3 Sept 2023              Buxton                      Opera House            6 Sept 2023              Yeovil                         Westlands     10 Sept 2023            Cardiff                       New Theatre 19 Sept 2023            Chatham                   Central Theatre        20 Sept 2023            Guildford                  G Live             22 Sept 2023            Eastbourne             Congress       23 Sept 2023            Northampton           Royal and Derngate           26 Sept 2023            Harrogate                 Theatre           29 Sept 2023            Poole                         Lighthouse                                       1 Oct 2023                Reading                    Hexagon        3 Oct 2023                Birmingham             Town Hall      4 Oct 2023                Chester                     Storyhouse   6 Oct 2023                Colchester               Charter Hall 8 Oct 2023                Canterbury               Marlowe         18 Oct 2023              Nottingham             Playhouse     20 Oct 2023              Tunbridge Wells     Trinity Theatre         22 Oct 2023              Basingstoke             The Anvil                               17 Jan 2024             Chichester               Festival Theatre  

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First Fringe shows announced and tickets on sale now

For those of you who like to plan ahead this news is for you..

The big producers have announced their first Fringe shows for this year between 2 and 28 August and all tickets for these are on sale now.

From Gyles Brandreth to Susie McCabe and Frank Skinner, Assembly have comedy in bucketloads, but this is also where you can see a bit of burlesque and shows where the stars perform acrobatics and gravity defying stunts.

At the Pleasance

Adam Key is coming back to appear on the Fringe for the first time since 2016. His show will be called Undoctored – This is Going to Hurt….More. His tales of being a doctor continue to amuse.

Chloe Petts returns with If You Can’t Say Anything Nice after her successful 2022 Fringe.

TONY! [The Tony Blair Opera] is written by the legend that is Harry Hill and his collaborator Steve Brown. A tale of becoming a warmongering multimillionaire from beginnings as a peace-loving long-haired hippy.

Newsrevue – consistently good and topical down the years to remind you of the awful reality of current events.

Leaving no corpse unturned, Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story has drag, multimedia, audience interaction and puppetry. Tasteless but hilarious humour.

War epic In Loyal Company tells the true story of missing WWII soldier Arthur Robinson. His great-nephew David William Bryan performs.

Paul Merton is back! After a gap of three years Impro Chums will return to Pleasance to bring you unmissable nights of laughter.

Showstoppers! The Musical returns better than ever.

Shit-faced Shakespeare returns with an entirely serious bit of the bard with a sh*t-faced member of the cast. This year it will be Romeo and Juliet.

Best of Edinburgh Showcase is great value lunchtime comedy with the best and brightest comics.

Mervyn Stutter’s Pick of the Fringe is 30 years old this year and this showcase allows you to see many different shows or acts all in the one place in 90 minutes.

Book here https://www.pleasance.co.uk

At Gilded Balloon

Gilded Balloon announced the first shows on their 2023 Fringe line up, with tickets on sale tomorrow, Wednesday 15 February at 12 noon. Housed across three major venue hubs, the announcement marks a bright return to the festival, with the full programme of Gilded Balloon events to be unveiled in the coming months.

BAFTA winner and Scottish favourite Gary: Tank Commander brings his new show Gary Talks, Yous Listen to the Fringe following multiple sold-out shows at Glasgow International Comedy Festival, alongside comedy superstar Rhod Gilbert who makes his first appearance at the festival since 2019 with a limited run of work-in-progress shows.

Fresh from her biggest tour yet and a fully sold-out Fringe run in 2022, Grace Campbell returns with her hit show, A Show About More Me(n), promising some brand new, never-before-seen material. The Fringe’s original home of comedy also boasts a brand new show from Schalk Bezuidenhout following appearances on Comedy Central and Netflix, alongside comedy’s brightest rising stars Jack Skipper, Pravanya Pillay and Joshua Bethania, who will star in Best of So You Think You’re Funny? A line up show featuring the winners from the UK’s biggest comedy newcomer competition.

Other shows on the line up include Potty the Plant, a new dark-comedy musical starring a singing, dancing pot plant, JezO’s Car Crash Magic Show, a high-energy magic show from the Family Entertainer of the Year Winner, and The 69-Sketch Show from sketch group Biscuit Barrel, who promise just that: 69 sketches in an hour.

Karen and Katy Koren, Directors of the Gilded Balloon, said: “We’re incredibly proud to present the first shows of our 2023 programme with some tremendous international and local artists and companies. We continue to provide a supportive platform for the very best artistic and creative talent at the best arts festival in the world!”

Book online from 12pm on Wednesday 15th February at tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk 

or call Tel: 0131 622 6552

Underbelly have yet to announce any shows for this year’s Festival Fringe.

Phyllis Stephen

Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter. Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.

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Gyles Brandreth

Edinburgh Review: Gyles Brandreth: Break A Leg! at Pleasance Courtyard

Break a Leg is an hour of easy chat and sparkling wit, Brandreth is undeniably intelligent with an encyclopaedic like knowledge, interacting with an audience member results in nearly ten minutes of unscripted dialogue, where Brandreth regales us with interesting stories about this particular audience members home town.

There are a couple of little songs, but it’s the anecdotes that make the show.  Brandreth talks about his numerous friends in the entertainment industry, some are stories about them, while others are tales which have been told to him.  They are all very funny and exceptionally interesting.

All of these yarns are related in some way to the theatre, so hearing about Laurence Olivier on the Chichester Festival Theatre stage, or Timothy West’s landlady is entertaining and delightful.  Brandreth is entirely at ease on the stage, and makes his audience feel welcome.  Gyles Brandreth: Break a Leg is a fantastically funny and fascinating way to spend an hour at the fringe.

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Greg Stewart

Greg is an award-winning writer with a huge passion for theatre. He has appeared on stage, as well as having directed several plays in his native Scotland. Greg is the founder and editor of Theatre Weekly

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Tour and edinburgh run for gyles brandreth.

Novelist, actor, ex-MP, podcaster and best-selling biographer Gyles Brandreth  just can’t stop talking as he returns to the stage this summer.  Kicking off his tour at the  Edinburgh Festival Fringe , the jumper-loving  This Morning  star, has been burbling and babbling since he was a baby. The award-winning raconteur, wordsmith and verbivore, who holds be the world record for the longest-ever after-dinner speech (12 and a half hours!) suffers from logorrhea and in his hilarious new one-man show he is trying to work out why..   

From 40 years on Radio 4’s  Just A Minute  to 4 years on Channel 4’s  Celebrity Gogglebox , he can’t keep his mouth shut.  He even talks in his sleep.  What’s it all about?  He’s going to tell you - because this is his life story: a roller-coaster of tales and revelations from his unlikely life in showbusiness and politics.  There will be surprises too (for him and you) when the audience spins a wheel to decide what he’s going to talk about next.    

A former Oxford Scholar, President of the Oxford Union and MP for the City of Chester, Gyles Brandreth’s career has ranged from being a Whip and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury in John Major’s government to starring in his own award-winning musical revue in London’s West End.  

A prolific broadcaster, Gyles has appeared on  QI ,  Have I Got News For You ,   Would I Lie To You? ,  Pointless  and is a reporter and presenter for  The One Show  (BBC 1), as well as Dictionary Corner’s most frequent resident on  Countdown (Channel 4). On stage he has appeared most recently in  Hamlet   and  The Importance of Being Earnest .   He is the Chancellor of the University of Chester, a columnist for The Oldie and the author of seven Victorian murder mysteries featuring Oscar Wilde as his detective now published in 22 countries around the world. His Sunday Times best-sellers include a biography of Elizabeth II,  Word Play ,  The 7 Secrets of Happiness , and, most recently, his autobiography,  Odd Boy Out.

He’s won the Audience Award for Most Popular Show on the Fringe, multiple 5-star reviews and every time he’s been to Edinburgh his shows have sold out.   

Website:  www.gylesbrandreth.net/  

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Show:                         Gyles Brandreth: Can't Stop Talking!!!

Dates:                              2nd – 27th August 

Time:                          4:00pm

Venue:                        Assembly George Square - Gordon Aikman Theatre

Address:                    32 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LH

Price:                          Previews: £11/ £12 Weekends £22/ £21 Weekdays £18/ £17

Box Office:                 www.assemblyfestival.com  /  www.edfringe.com   

For tickets visit  https://www.gylesbrandreth.net

1 Sept 2023              St Albans                  Arena

3 Sept 2023              Buxton                      Opera House           

6 Sept 2023              Yeovil                         Westlands    

10 Sept 2023            Cardiff                       New Theatre

19 Sept 2023            Chatham                   Central Theatre       

20 Sept 2023            Guildford                  G Live            

22 Sept 2023            Eastbourne             Congress      

23 Sept 2023            Northampton           Royal and Derngate          

26 Sept 2023            Harrogate                 Theatre          

29 Sept 2023            Poole                         Lighthouse                                      

1 Oct 2023                Reading                    Hexagon       

3 Oct 2023                Birmingham             Town Hall     

4 Oct 2023                Chester                     Storyhouse  

6 Oct 2023                Colchester               Charter Hall

8 Oct 2023                Canterbury               Marlowe        

18 Oct 2023              Nottingham             Playhouse    

20 Oct 2023              Tunbridge Wells     Trinity Theatre        

22 Oct 2023              Basingstoke             The Anvil                              

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EdFringe 2023 Review: Gyles Brandreth Can’t Stop Talking! ★★★★

Gyles Brandreth asserts himself as one of the country’s finest raconteurs in his latest one man show Can’t Stop Talking! Taking the stage at the Assembly Festival’s Gordon Aikman Theatre, the former MP, author and television star recounts key moments from his family-life and career in politics and showbusiness.

Gyles Brandreth has become a household name in recent years with high profile appearances as This Morning’s regular news panellist, starring on Celebrity Gogglebox, radio appearances on Just a Minute, and as a roaming reporter on The One Show . His quick-wit, mastery of the English language, and multitude of anecdotes are apparent from these appearances, but Can’t Stop Talking! is Gyles at his purest – no constraints – other than an hour runtime and much of the joy of this comes from the star bouncing from topic to topic spontaneously.

Promising a different show each performance, Gyles offers an audience member a menu half-way through the production – encouraging them to choose a conversational starter, main course and desert for the raconteur to share with the audience. These topics range from political anecdotes, royal tales, the worst moment of life, how to live until one-hundred years of age, rough sex, and lucky dip, amongst others.

The spontaneity begins quickly with the orator struck by a faulty microphone from the earliest moments of the show, yet the quick-witted star immediately finds a way to incorporate this humour into his routine until this is replaced. Delving into ageing and how he has manage to secure several pieces of ‘old codger’ work, Gyles jokingly explains how the projects that come include Best Exotic Marigold Hotel type shows, voice-overs for incontinence pad adverts, and his true goal of playing the tipped over elderly star of ‘where’s there’s a blame, there’s a claim’ style adverts. These lead into anecdotal segues into comic re-tellings of a story involving a fall in Anstruther and Guinness World Record breaking attempt to deliver the longest after-dinner speech (twelve and a half hours if you were wondering) with some amusing advice shared by the late Duke of Edinburgh.

The Royal anecdotes continue in Gyles recounting an early meeting with Queen Camilla as the performer explores his first crush. His meetings with the humourless Margaret Thatcher and the former Prime Minister’s struggle to courtesy to the late queen bring some laughs. These regal tales are fittingly delivered whilst Gyles dons his crimson red CR III jumper. Brandreth warns the audience if you’re not a fan of name-dropping, this may not be the show for you, something that continues as former Conservative MP regales us with tales of meeting all from Sex Pistol Johnny Rotten to Michael Jackson and divulges the joys of watching Naked Attraction with Dame Sheila Hancock on Celebrity Googlebox .

Tales including a traumatising incident involving the Archbishop of Canterbury and a priceless Stradivarius violin grip; whilst there is added humour from childhood insights including his sister’s demands that he was sent to boarding school due to his incessant blethering.

Audience participation comes in the form of some dictation lessons courtesy of Sir Donald Sinden with Gyles sharing his words “Vowels are for volume, consonants are for clarity”  before allowing the audience to recite “Hip bath, hip bath, Lavatory, lavatory, Bidet, bidet, Douche!” The lucky dip section of the show allows for the audience to pose questions to Gyles with fan-requested topics covered being This Morning and political achievements.

Gyles is a fascinating presence, drawing the audience in with his rich storytelling ability, his positive and warm demeanour, and his sharp wit. Can’t Stop Talking! feels like an hour (and some) in the company of an old friend with Gyles having us in the palm of his hand with his charm-filled tales from his illustrious, varied career.

Gyles Brandreth Can’t Stop Talking plays as part of the Assembly Festival. You can book tickets here .

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Gyles Brandreth

He’s back – and he’s unstoppable. Gyles Brandreth just can’t stop talking. The jumper-loving This Morning star, who keeps popping up on Pointless, QI, Would I Lie To You?, Sunday Brunch , and The One Show , has been burbling and babbling since he was a baby, and in his hilarious new one-man show the award-winning raconteur (and holder of the world record for the longest-ever after-dinner speech - 12 and a half hours!) is trying to work out why.  

From 40 years on Radio 4’s Just A Minute to 4 years on Channel 4’s Celebrity Gogglebox , he can’t keep his mouth shut.  He even talks in his sleep.  What’s it all about?  He’s going to tell you - because this is his life story: a roller-coaster of tales and revelations from his unlikely life in showbusiness and politics. There will be surprises too (for him and you) when the audience spins a wheel to decide what he’s going to talk about next.  

Don’t miss him – novelist, actor, ex-MP, podcaster, No 1 best-selling biographer, wordsmith and verbivore (he suffers from logorrhea - knows how to spell it and knows what it means) – he’s won the Audience Award for Most Popular Show on the Fringe, multiple 5-star reviews and every time he’s been to Edinburgh his shows have sold out. Fast. So book now.

Trigger warning: there may be name-dropping

‘Wildly funny’

‘Absolute joy’

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