David's 304 Fringe show makes the Guinness book

The comedy fan who watched 304 shows over the Edinburgh Fringe has officially been accepted into the Guinness book of records.

Dave Chapple averaged more than 11 shows a day at last summer’s festival, but only now has had his achievement recognised.

‘It seems quite surreal now, more than four months on,’ he said. ‘I guess it is a relief more than anything to get it confirmed having waited so long. The longer it went, the more I thought I was going to be disqualified on a technicality.’

However he sent more than 4kg of documents, including ticket stubs and witness statements, to Guinness Word Records to support his case.

David had originally set a schedule for 287 shows, but partway through decided to exceed 300.

The previous Fringe record was set in 1994 and stood at a relatively achievable 169 – but no one thought to challenge it since.

‘It was a real buzz actually achieving it,’ David said. ‘But the record itself is secondary to the amazing time I had. It was of course very tiring – eating was difficult, and even finding time for the toilet was tough at times –  but the adrenaline rush of it all kept me going.’

He said his favourite shows were from Beth Vyse, David Trent and Beasts.

And although venues including the Pleasance, Gilded Balloon,Just The Tonic and Underbelly furnished him with ‘crucial’ free tickets, he said: ‘It was still very expensive, but a once-in-a-lifetime experience’.

David was accompanied by his wife Carole, who saw more than 220 shows with him and blogged about the attempt – as well as fitting in training for the Cardiff Half Marathon and even having a couple of days off.

The couple see a vast number of comedy shows every year, despite the limited scene in their home town of Plymouth, and a 250-mile round trip to see touring shows in Bristol.

Such is the couple’s dedication to comedy that they even name the rescue chickens they keep after stand-ups, with names including Jessica Fostekew, Diane Spencer, and Katie Mulgrew.

Published: 9 Jan 2015