Lost Voice Guy Lee Ridley's best and worst of the Fringe

Lost Voice Guy Lee Ridley  recalls his most embarrassing Edinburgh experience; what he can't get enough of at the festival; and the worst thing about the Fringe. Apart from the cost of accommodation, obviously…

Edinburgh cringe

One of my most embarrassing stories from the Fringe was when someone who I matched with on Tinder came to see my show completely out of the blue. 

We hadn’t even met at this point, she just messaged me on Tinder about an hour before the show and said she was going to get a ticket. So I was under pressure to be extra funny just to impress her! 

Eventually, we did meet after the show and I had one of the most awkward conversations that I’ve ever had. I’m still not sure if she enjoyed the show, but we never saw each other again, so that says a lot! 

Edinburgh binge

I think my favourite part of the Fringe is definitely the social aspect of it. Being a circuit comedian can be pretty lonely at times, and you only get to see your comedy mates a few times a year, depending on whether we’re on the same bill or not. So it’s nice to have everybody in one place for a whole month. 

This will especially be the case this year after an enforced two years away from the festival. I just can’t wait to catch up with everyone again. So I’ll definitely make more of an effort to see everyone this year. 

Saying that, I’ll definitely be pacing myself this year as well. Because I still remember my debut Fringe back in 2013. Let’s face it, it’s hard to forget when you burn yourself out so much that you end up in hospital with pneumonia. And that’s exactly what happened to me. Not that it put me off, though. In fact, it just gave me material for my next show in 2014. 

Thankfully, I’ve never been back to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary since. It’s definitely a case of enjoying yourself in moderation. 
 

Edinburgh whinge

I just can’t stand those silent disco tours which seem to be all the rage at the moment. It’s not that I’m against people having a good time. In fact, the Fringe is the perfect time to let your hair down and enjoy yourself. I just don’t understand why these tours ALWAYS seem to get in my way when I’m rushing to a show or whatever.

Wherever I turn, they always seems to be a different one coming up the street… like a disco version of Jaws. The very least they could do when they’re on a busy Edinburgh street is play the Conga. That way, everyone would be standing in single file anyway! 

• Lost Voice Guy: Cerebral LOLsy is on at the Gilded Balloon at the Museum at 6.30pm

Published: 18 Aug 2022