Comic starts record gig

Mark Watson has started his record-breaking 2,005-minute long show at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The comedian started his epic show at the Pleasance Dome venue at 2.35pm today.

It will last just over 32 hours, ending at midnight tomorrow, beating his record last year of a continuous 24-hour show, at the climax of which he proposed to his girlfriend, Emily.

Getting the show under way, Watson said: ' Is it more difficult? Yes  - it’s 12 hours longer.

And he told the audience: 'This could be the worst experience of your life. It could be bloody awful. But you can leave… I can’t really leave.

'I'm not sure if I can do it this year, but there area some built-in sleep periods - like the Dark Ages.'

The show will cover  the past two millennia  since Christ  with one minute nominally dedicated to each year.

And during the show he will even perform his normal full-length Fringe show to a separate audience in a different, adjacent room at the same time as his 2,005-minute show.

His spokesman said: ‘This show could be great or it could be a complete disaster. But at the very least it will be  unprecedented. Don’t miss the longest comedy show ever performed in the world by one man.'

Published: 15 Aug 2005