Comedian Craig Hill takes us a trip down memory lane as he celebrates 25 years performing at The Edinburgh Fringe
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00:00Hello, this is me finally coming out of the lane, the rainbow-coloured lane, I have to say.
00:05I performed here at the Gilded Balloon. The old Gilded Balloon was sadly burned down.
00:1025 years ago, my first show was called Creek Hills Alive with the Sound of Music.
00:15And the thing I remember most was, well, it was exciting because I thought comedians did your first fringe straight away.
00:22I didn't know you built up to it. I didn't know you did 20 minutes and 30 minutes and then you do it a few years and I did it straight away.
00:27Creek Hills Alive with the Sound of Music, someone told me to get my name in straight away.
00:31And it was all Julie Andrews singing punk songs and Shirley Bassey sings The Smiths.
00:35I still remember sitting behind the wee curtain and singing Julie Andrews behind the curtain, hoping that some people would think it was Julie Andrews.
00:42That was one of my favourite little memories. So that was my first show.
00:45My second show was called Creek Hills Whiz to Oz, where it was all about how I'd never travelled.
00:50And I went over to Australia and at the end of the show we danced to Kylie Minogue's Spinning Around.
00:55And I got two pensioners to put leather harnesses on and do the final Mardi Gras dance that I did to Spinning Around in gold lambie shorts.
01:03And I ripped off my kilt on stage to reveal gold lambie shorts.
01:07And yeah, let's just say I got some dates after that happened. It was good fun.
01:11Not from the pensioners, I hasten to add.
01:14Hello, how can I help you? This is the box office of the Gilda Balloon.
01:17This was the original box office of the Gilda Balloon when I used to work here.
01:21And I'll never forget the American woman who came in late and she said, I didn't get into a show.
01:26And I said, well, that's because you would have walked onto the stage and it's 15 minutes into the show.
01:31So we're not allowed to do that. She said, what? In Broadway, I can do what I like.
01:35And I said, well, it doesn't always work like that during the French, unfortunately, because you would be in the middle of the show.
01:39And she said, what kind of a rinky dink operation is this?
01:42And I thought, that is the best description of what we're doing here.
01:45It's a rinky dink operation. It made me laugh for years.
01:49That was a running joke between me and all the people working in box office.
01:52So I have lovely, lovely memories of working in box office at the Gilda Balloon.
01:56I remember people coming to see the very first version of Still Game before it was on TV.
02:01It was actually a theatre show and completely sold out.
02:07It was brilliant, but I was looking at the wrong computer.
02:09So I kept on telling people it was sold out and it wasn't. And they were raging.
02:12And Geraldine McNulty did my favourite show.
02:15The show that kind of inspired me to do stand-up comedy, actually, was Ten Women and a One Frog Show by Geraldine McNulty.
02:22And I've never forgotten it and I still quote from it to this day.
02:26So that's my lovely memories of the GB, the Gilda Balloon Box Office. GBBO.
02:32So I always play a game called My Favourite Poster.
02:35I never know what I'm going to like, but I'm, oh, here I am. I'm loving that.
02:39First of all, very positive name, the Happiness Index.
02:42And who doesn't love those two tone colours? I love it. I'm going to go and see it. See you in a bit.
02:49Hello. We just genuinely bumped into each other. What's your name?
02:53Andy. I walk right across the road.
02:55When did you come to see me?
02:56Last year. We decided to get a bunch of young people. I work with young people 16 to 21.
03:02And I said, do you need to come and see this guy, Craig Hill?
03:04Oh, that's lovely. Thank you very much.
03:05And they were like, we've never heard of him, obviously. That's no offence to you.
03:08Well, you know, we all know that.
03:10We're all so young.
03:11We all know that people have come from a pensions meeting to come to my show.
03:14But walked away thoroughly in stitches.
03:16Did they? Isn't that brilliant? Well, well done you.
03:18It was fabulous. I thought I recognised you walking up there.
03:21Yeah, you saw me acting my little socks off there.
03:23Oh, thank you very much. Well, I might see you this year.
03:25All the best this year. Yes, I just wanted to say hello.
03:27You've become a star. And look at you. People will just think, look, we're lip brothers.
03:30Exactly.
03:31We're lip brothers. We've both been in these standers.
03:33Yes, you've got the good looking, Jean.
03:35Oh no, you've got it all. Look at us, totally flattering each other.
03:38Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you too.
03:40Tell everyone to wear lilac. It's a good colour.
03:42Of course, I'm blue. See you guys.
03:45Bye.
03:49This is fun. This is fun. This is fun.
03:54Oh, let's see. I genuinely love looking at posters.
03:57I'm going to see this. I bought a ticket the other day, Josh Clank.
04:00I saw his show last year. I absolutely loved it.
04:03And it was all, for me, about that tash.
04:05That'll get a ticket in for me.
04:07The sun's not got its hat on.
04:09And there's no coming out to play.
04:11And I am walking up the stairs because I'm a wee gay.
04:22Now, I am never more happy than when I'm in a cow barn.
04:28Would you believe? Come and see this.
04:30This is where I was for years.
04:32Hello. Thanks for looking after us.
04:35I love this. I always loved these Buttercup Clover.
04:38I was in the cow barn.
04:40This was the cow barn here, right?
04:42This venue here was a kind of music hall.
04:44And I performed my show, which was called Jockstrap.
04:48But it had a pause in between. It was a jockstrap.
04:51And I'm not sure everyone got that.
04:53But anyway, it was quite fun.
04:54I think people thought I was going to be wearing a jockstrap,
04:56which I think they were all glad in the end that I wasn't.
04:58But yeah, this is where I performed.
05:00My favourite memory of here is really just,
05:02this was the place where I felt like I hung out the most.
05:05Because this was such a lovely bar.
05:07And all my friends hung around here.
05:08And this is when the festival kind of moved from being everywhere,
05:11it kind of moved to this side of town.
05:13And I felt like this is where we started to hang out and socialise more.
05:17I mean, I do a little bit of that, but not as much.
05:19Hello. How are you?
05:20Hi. I'm good, thank you.
05:21I'm Craig. How are you?
05:22I'm Max. Good to meet you.
05:23Max. I'm going to take you to the Max.
05:25Now, Max, don't worry.
05:26People always wonder why I put my hand inside my sportswear.
05:28Oh, yeah. Well, I tell you what, from behind the bar,
05:30it does look a bit suspicious.
05:31It does look a bit suspicious, but don't worry.
05:32It's how I pay for things.
05:33Now, Max, I'm having a soft drink during the day.
05:36I used to perform here years ago.
05:38Yeah?
05:39Yeah, in the Cow Barn.
05:40Oh, you were in the Cow Barn just over there?
05:41Yeah, and I love this because this is where we hung out a lot and socialised.
05:44But today I'm just going to have...
05:45Do you have a ginger beer at all?
05:46I believe we do, yes.
05:47I can do you a ginger beer.
05:48Do you want ice with it as well?
05:49I do want ice with it. How lovely.
05:51Now, am I wrong in thinking this is a lovely place to work?
05:54Because look at this.
05:55It feels like a little country garden.
05:56I mean, it's lovely, right?
05:57Because I think, especially with this place,
05:59because it's quite quiet most of the day,
06:01it just means you can come and sit on the deck chairs, you know,
06:03and just chat to people.
06:04And do you know what a wise thing to do?
06:06Yeah, exactly.
06:07Why are there not more covered places like this in Scotland?
06:10That kind of shocks me, right?
06:11Because we all know it's going to get wet.
06:12And we're only happy when it rains,
06:13but we're also happy when it gets a little bit sunny too.
06:15Oh, Maxton.
06:16I tell you what, I've done that very badly, haven't I?
06:18No, I wish it was.
06:19It's just Max, unfortunately.
06:20And where are you from, Max?
06:21I'm from Exeter, actually, so far down south.
06:23Oh, really?
06:24Yeah.
06:25Really?
06:26And do you ever get to see much when you're working here?
06:27Yeah, actually.
06:28So today I'm working at 10 a.m. till 5.30 p.m.
06:31Oh, wow.
06:32Which means that, you know, I kind of finish at half five
06:33and I can go out for the rest of the evening.
06:34Oh, my God, there's a guy performing, this gay guy,
06:36who's doing this show called
06:38I've Been Sitting on This for a While,
06:40which is a really cheeky double entente.
06:42Oh, I don't think I've heard of that, actually.
06:43Really? I'm surprised.
06:44And it's on at, it's on at Just the Tonic at 7 o'clock.
06:49Oh, really?
06:50You should come and see it.
06:51Oh, I might have to get down then, yeah, definitely.
06:52Yeah, guess who he is.
06:53Uh, I don't know who he is.
06:55He's me.
06:56It's you.
06:57It's not awful.
06:58I'm probably going to guess that straight away.
06:59Oh, my God.
07:00My next show is going to be called
07:01This is the Hard Sell.
07:02Come and see this.
07:03This is nice.
07:05This is performers during the day,
07:07not drinking alcohol, just so people know.
07:09Ginger beer.
07:10And, yeah, look, I'm not,
07:14I could call my show that,
07:17but I'm not going to.
07:19I just think everything's a little bit cheeky
07:21and why not?
07:22So, yeah, this is where everyone queued up
07:25and this is where you kind of try to sneak
07:28in the back door without,
07:30I wish there was another good title.
07:31I tried to sneak in the back door without people seeing us
07:34and that buzz before the show,
07:36this is what I remember, I remember this,
07:38I was saying like,
07:39it was an amazing atmosphere in that bar
07:41and there was a buzz before and after the show.
07:43So that's why I remember this place mainly as socialising
07:46and plus I could see the audience
07:48and they didn't see me.
07:49So I tried to sneak in the back door in the corner.
07:51So, yeah.
07:52Oh, there you are.
07:53It's exciting.
07:54It's really nice to be back, actually.
07:55So here we are at the Gilda Balloon,
07:57remembering the Gilda Balloon years.
07:59Now, I started off at the Gilda Balloon,
08:01went over to Assembly,
08:03then came back to the Gilda Balloon
08:05and I think the show I did here was called,
08:08it was either called Kilty Pleasures,
08:11which I think was one of my favourite titles,
08:13or it was called Creek Hill Makes Your Whole Week,
08:16which was, again, one of my favourite ones.
08:18But my favourite memory of this,
08:20I was in the studio
08:22and I remember doing this show
08:24and a man fell asleep and I was like,
08:26how could you fall asleep in the middle of my show?
08:28My show was so hyperactive.
08:29He fell asleep and then I realised he hadn't fallen asleep.
08:32He had, I thought, he passed away
08:36and I went, oh my God.
08:37And I said, oh my God, somebody poked that man
08:40and the whole audience was terrified.
08:42We really, really thought this man had a heart attack.
08:45We poked him and he suddenly woke up
08:47and went, what the hell?
08:48And he got such a fright.
08:50He couldn't stay in the show
08:51because the whole audience was looking at him
08:53and he freaked out.
08:54It was a shame, but it was actually hysterical
08:56because that would be awful if that happened in your show
08:58and I'm really relieved that it didn't happen.
08:59But that's my favourite memory of the studio
09:01was the man who fell asleep.
09:03We all thought he died.
09:04He was actually alive and he freaked out
09:06and he had to run out.
09:08It was a bit of a shame, but it's a nice memory.
09:10So many nice memories, it's lovely.
09:12And I love their sign, Hiya Pals.
09:15Hi, how are you?
09:16I'm very well, how are you?
09:17Hello, I'm Ian, nice to meet you.
09:19Ian is a fellow comedian, Ian Stone.
09:21Hi.
09:22Let's just get that flyer out, there you are.
09:24How many years have we known each other?
09:26About 110, 120.
09:28110.
09:29We first came here in 1888.
09:31That's right, when the fringe started all those years ago.
09:33Actually, I mean, I've done this, this is my 25th year.
09:36I would imagine you may have been the same amount of time,
09:38or longer.
09:39I had a gap.
09:40I started in 1991 and then I had a bit of a gap
09:43and yeah, I came back in 2022.
09:46So the first one, 1991, I mean, I can't even do the math on that.
09:49When was that?
09:5033 years.
09:5133 years, and look at you.
09:53Look at us, look at us.
09:54I was going to say still coming, but that's another good title for me.
09:57That's next year.
09:59That's another, people keep on inspiring titles today.
10:02That's the next one.
10:03Are you enjoying, are you having fun?
10:04Yeah, people are coming.
10:05That's what, people are coming.
10:06People are coming.
10:07That's what we care about.
10:08That's all you want.
10:09All you want is an audience.
10:10We were talking about late live.
10:11Remember late live, you started at one.
10:13Well, do you know what was really funny?
10:14Do you remember late in live when it was down at the Gilded Balloons?
10:16Yes.
10:17Because we just filmed there today.
10:18We were outside that church
10:19and I was telling them that the late in live was,
10:21it was really exciting.
10:22It was like a rite of passage, wasn't it?
10:23Amazing, yeah, yeah.
10:24I go, did you do it then?
10:25I did it.
10:26I did actually the best gig.
10:27And it was a proper bare pit, wasn't it?
10:29I did the best gig I ever did at my show
10:32and then I died so badly at late in live later on.
10:36That is kind of the point of late in live, isn't it?
10:38You are supposed to go, it's a bare pit.
10:39Yeah.
10:40It's about 2.30 in the morning.
10:41Let's not pretend that this fringe
10:44is about anything more, madam, than food.
10:47Oh my God, honestly.
10:49I mean, it is about performing,
10:50but my God, it's about food.
10:52Alanda's is a local place, actually.
10:55It's from, I think it's North Berwick.
10:57No, Preston Pans, they have an amazing fish and chips.
11:00I mean, the food here is fantastic.
11:02Come and see this.
11:03There it is, Alanda's again, fish and chips.
11:04Look at the queue.
11:05You're queuing for the best fish and chips in the world.
11:07Well done, this.
11:10Cargo grill.
11:11I mean, honestly,
11:12I would just come to this fringe for the food.
11:14I would.
11:15And then go and see a show,
11:16but come for the food.
11:17Now, you're following me officially now.
11:19That's officially following me.
11:21I would not follow you.
11:22Why not?
11:23I've seen you already.
11:24I would follow you.
11:26That's nice.
11:27You've seen me before.
11:28Are we actually going in here?
11:29Honestly, why would we not go in here?
11:31Thank you for standing there and looking after everyone.
11:34I mean, this is a joy, isn't it?
11:35I love this place.
11:37This reminds me of Adelaide.
11:38Adelaide Fringe is inside the Botanic Gardens.
11:42And I honestly think,
11:43I kept on thinking,
11:44if people got wind of the fact that there was a festival
11:50that was 27 degrees every single day
11:52and lasted for three weeks
11:53and you could see the same stuff you saw here,
11:54you'd be flying to Adelaide to see that fringe.
11:57The fringe in Adelaide is amazing
11:58because it's in the Botanic Gardens
11:59and everyone performs in tents.
12:01And this,
12:02oh, look at this,
12:0324 years of assembly.
12:05How amazing is that?
12:07Oh, I love that.
12:08Let's go down here.
12:09Oh, look at this.
12:11This is like a lesson in atmosphere.
12:15I'd say this is the first time I've been here this year
12:17and I love coming here.
12:18It's great fun.
12:19I love fringe posters that make me laugh
12:21and I have to say,
12:22look at this.
12:23I walked by on my first day of the Fringe
12:25and saw,
12:26Yosie, no babies in the sauna.
12:28That just made me laugh so much.
12:29I don't know what on earth they're referring to.
12:32Right, are you ready?
12:34Are you ready, people?
12:35This is the big reveal.
12:37This,
12:38after 25 years,
12:39is where I've ended up.
12:40Look at this.
12:41Beautiful.
12:42I'm in church.
12:43Me in church.
12:44What on earth am I doing in a church?
12:47But here I am.
12:49Just the Tonic.
12:50It's a beautiful venue.
12:51I absolutely love performing in it
12:53and I've done it for the last couple of years.
12:55And yeah,
12:56and they've put these amazing kind of posters up there.
12:58And yeah,
12:59I'm having a lovely fringe in this space.
13:01I really, really enjoy it.
13:03And it's, you know,
13:04it's quite nice.
13:05You finish your,
13:06you finish your show on the Pleasance,
13:08which is the name of the street,
13:09not always the name of the courtyard.
13:11People forget this is all called the Pleasance.
13:13And I'll often go for a wee pint afterwards
13:16and, you know,
13:17just chill after my show.
13:18It's good fun.
13:19I love being here.
13:21Can you hear the music?
13:24There you are, the music's off.
13:25Now, this is how you sell tickets at the Fringe.
13:27Look at that.
13:28Get your guns out.
13:30And Josh Thomas,
13:31I love him.
13:32I saw him at Sydney Opera House.
13:33He was amazing.
13:34The Umbilical Brothers,
13:35always funny.
13:36And I don't know why on earth I'd like to go and see this.
13:38I have no idea.
13:40But I have to tell you,
13:41I have been coming to the festival for 25 years.
13:44And now,
13:45obviously after 25 years,
13:46they're allowed to call your show.
13:47I've been sitting on this for a while.