Edinburgh Festival 1994: Global policeman's ball

ROBERT Llewellyn has stuck his head firmly over the parapet with his play Blue Helmet, a spoof of the Bosnian war, and a somewhat surprising offering from the man who is best known for his part as the electronic doormat Kryten in Red Dwarf. It's a send-up of the no-win situation of a United Nations peacekeeping force in the fictional war-torn region of Selovnia where bad conditions, plus the small problem of not being able to shoot at the enemy, play havoc with the camaraderie - and there isn't even the chance of a bit of sexual healing from the icy Dr Helena Smutts to boost the spirits. Mark Arden, the skinny one from the Carling Black Label ads, should be hilarious as one of the long-suffering soldiers. And Jack Klaff as all the war-lords will certainly be worth watching. Audrey Cooke, director of An Evening With Gary Lineker and Gone With Noakes, doesn't back losers. (Assembly Rooms, 031-226 2428, 15 Aug-3 Sept.)

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