My Edinburgh: Brendon Burns

My first time at Edinburgh was in 1996. I don’t think the festival has changed all that much. A lot of people complain that it’s become too commercial but I don’t think that’s the case, at its core it’s no different. The only change is that the audiences have grown – the average ‘crowd’ used to be about three people.

My best experience in Edinburgh was probably the couple of split seconds before they announced my name as the winner of the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2007. Having Phil Nichol, the previous year’s winner and one of my oldest friends in comedy, read out my name was really special.

This year I’m playing The Cow. No-one in that room is anonymous, you can see everyone. If there’s a laugh in the room you can see who it was. You can play to a particular laugh made by a particular person.

Every year I claim that I’m going to see lots of shows but then the days get so filled with interviews, late-night gigs, and trying to get a nap (even finding time to eat is a chore!) that I end up running out of time. I’d still like to see Confessions of a Smart Wrestling Fan.

There’s a beautiful mix of some of the best comedians in the world and some really shoddy chancers at the Fringe. The fact that anyone can go and stand in the corner of a pub and talk for an hour about how they used to herd goats is really appealing to me. That’s why the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is so unique - there’s nothing else like it on earth.

Brendon Burns: Y’know – Love ‘n’ God ‘n’ Metaphysics ‘n’ Shit, Udderbelly’s Pasture, to 30 Aug (08445 458 252)