Fringe figure retires after 21 years

With his Panama hat and faithful labrador Brooke, Christopher Richardson is one of the most instantly recognisable face on the Edinburgh Fringe.

But now, after 21 years in which he has built the Pleasance into the unofficial hub of the festival, he is to hand over the reigns to his protégé.

This year’s Fringe will be his last in which he will control the day-to-day running of the ever-expanding empire. But although his deputy Anthony Alderson will take the job from next August, Richardson admits he won’t be able to keep away from Edinburgh altogether.

But, at 65, the move will free up time for him to indulge in his passion for painting, and to write his memoirs from his boat in the Thames.

"I can’t afford to go away altogether because I have no pension, I’ve put everything I have into the Pleasance," he told The Scotsman. "I’ve got to earn something, but he will be the boss.

"I’m 65 and it seems a reasonable time to have somebody else doing it. They will use me as and when they want, presumably to raise money."

Richardson said the highlight of his tenure was seeing Rowan Atkinson’s first Edinburgh show. “With Rowan, there was undoubtedly something that happened," he said. “Even the crew fell about laughing."

Published: 12 Jul 2004