I
t’s a period when the Edinburgh
Fringe ensures the cobbles are being
worn away by the heavy footfalls of
the inebriated comedian navigating
their ego through the rapid mash-up
of elation and disappointment, and the
inviting opening hours can take you to a
ȀűþŦ þůƟþƢŎþƷĢþǜű᠐ȃĩƢĩŁŻƢĩ¦þĢŎŻ
FŻƿƢěʼnŻƪĩþƟƢŎůĩƷŎůĩƷŻþŦŦŻǜhŻƿŎƪ
þƢŁĩƷŻƷþŦţǜŎƷʼněŻůĩĢŎþűƪþűĢǜƢŎƷĩƢƪ
þĚŻƿƷƷʼnĩŎƢƢĩŦþƷŎŻűƪʼnŎƟǜŎƷʼnĚŻŻǬĩŎű
'Żĩƪȃĩ¼ĩþů'ƢŎűţ᠑
ȃŎƪǜþƪűŻƷLeaving Las Vegas, a
ǜþƢűŎűłƷŻƷʼnĩěŻěţƷþŎŦěƿƢŎŻƿƪ᠄ĚƿƷ
ƟƢĩĢŻůŎűþűƷŦǢŦŎłʼnƷŎűƷŻűĩǜʼnŎŦĩűŻƷ
þǛŻŎĢŎűłþŁĩǜƷþŦĩƪŻŁƷʼnĩƟŎƷŁþŦŦƪŻŁ
ěŻůĚŎűŎűłþŦěŻʼnŻŦþűĢěƢĩþƷŎǛŎƷǢ᠐
SƷǜþƪĚŻŻţĩűĢĩĢĚǢƷʼnĩŦþƷĩǜƢŎƷĩƢ'þǛŎĢ
tŻĚĚƪ᠄ěƢĩþƷŻƢŻŁƷǜŻƪƿƟĩƢŦþƷŎǛĩƟŎĩěĩƪŻŁ
ƷĩŦĩǛŎƪŎŻű᠄ȄĩFþŦŦþűĢ¦ŎƪĩŻŁ¦ĩłŎűþŦĢ£ĩƢƢŎű
and ŎƷŻŁþ'Ż᠐ þƢŁĩʼnþĢŎűƷĩƢǛŎĩǜĩĢ
ʼnŎůŁŻƢʼnŎƪĚŻŻţŻűhĩƪ'þǜƪŻűþűĢtŻĚĚƪ
ƢĩůŎűŎƪěĩĢŻűƷʼnĩŦƿűěʼnĚƢĩþţƪĢƿƢŎűłƷʼnĩ
ůþţŎűłŻŁȄĩhĩƪ'þǜƪŻű®ʼnŻǜǜʼnĩƢĩƪĩǛĩű
ƢŻƿűĢƪŻŁłŎűþűĢ ŎűǬþűŻǜĩƢĩűŻƷƿűƿƪƿþŦ᠄
þűĢƷʼnĩűĚþěţƷŻþŁƢƿŎƷŁƿŦþǼƷĩƢűŻŻűŻŁ
ěŻůĩĢǢěƢĩþƷŎǛŎƷǢ᠐hŻŻţŎűłĚþěţ᠄ŎƷǜþƪěŦĩþƢ
ƷʼnþƷtŻĚĚƪěŻƿŦĢűᡒƷơƿŎƷĩǜŻƢţŻƿƷʼnŻǜƷʼnŎƪ
ǜþƪþűĩDzŁĩěƷŎǛĩǜþǢƷŻǜŻƢţ᠄ĚƿƷƪŻůĩʼnŻǜ
ŎƷǜþƪ᠐'þǜƪŻűʼnþĢþłŻŻĢƢĩƟƿƷþƷŎŻűþƪþ
ĢƢŎűţĩƢ᠄ʼnþƟƟǢƷŻƪƷþǢƿƟŦþƷĩŎűƷŻƷʼnĩűŎłʼnƷ᠄
ƟƢŻƟƟŎűłƿƟƷʼnĩĚþƢþűĢʼnŻŦĢŎűłþǜʼnŎƪţǢ
ǜʼnŎŦĩʼnþƟƟŎŦǢĩűƷĩƢƷþŎűŎűłþűǢƟþƪƪĩƢᠸĚǢ
ǜŎƷʼnŠŻţĩƪþűĢƪƷŻƢŎĩƪ᠐
ȃŻƿłʼnþƪǜƢŎƷĩƢGþŎŦ¦ĩűþƢĢƟŻŎűƷĩĢ
ŻƿƷ᠄ƷʼnŎƪŦŎŁĩƪƷǢŦĩůþǢǜĩŦŦʼnþǛĩŎƷƪěŻƪƷ᠄þűĢThealcohol-fuelledlifestylesof
male-heavy comedy teams
¬ÄɸæÞæ¬ĉÚæ¬õ¬æü
but Robin Ince öËÄÚÞ
ö©æ©Ú橽ËĤɫæÚÃ
ÚìĈæ¬ËÄÞöÚöËÚ橬æThe booze
brothers
RADIO
Drinking it in
Les Dawson and his
team liked to unwind
by having a fewƪʼnĩƟŻŎűƷĩĢŻƿƷƷʼnþƷƷʼnĩƢĩŎƪþǜʼnŻŦĩłĩűĩƢþƷŎŻűŻŁ ƢŎƷŎƪʼněŻůĩĢŎþűƪ
ǜʼnŻűĩǛĩƢůþĢĩŎƷĚĩǢŻűĢůŎĢĢŦĩþłĩ᠐®ʼnĩĚĩŦŎĩǛĩƪƷʼnþƷƷʼnĩƪþůĩ
łĩűĩƢþƷŎŻűŻŁůĩƢŎěþűěŻůĩĢŎþűƪŦŎǛĩĢŎűƷŻþʼnĩþŦƷʼnǢŻŦĢþłĩĚĩěþƿƪĩ
ƷʼnĩǢĩűĢĩĢƿƟŎű þŦŎŁŻƢűŎþǜʼnĩƢĩŎƷǜþƪþŦŦłŻŦĢ᠄ŻƢþűłĩŠƿŎěĩþűĢ
ƪƿűƪʼnŎűĩ᠐ ŦþěţƟŻŻŦŠƿƪƷĢŻĩƪűᡒƷʼnþǛĩơƿŎƷĩĩűŻƿłʼnŻŁƷʼnŻƪĩƷʼnŎűłƪƷŻ
łĩƷǢŻƿŎűƷŻǢŻƿƢĩŎłʼnƷŎĩƪ᠐
SƷǜþƪþŦƪŻƪƿłłĩƪƷĩĢƷʼnþƷƷʼnĩĚŻŻǬĩěƿŦƷƿƢĩŻŁěŻůĩĢǢůþǢʼnþǛĩ
ƟŦþǢĩĢþƟþƢƷŎűƷʼnĩĩǡěŦƿƪŎŻűŻŁǜŻůĩűŎűǜŻƢţŻŁƷʼnĩƟþƪƷ᠄þƪƷʼnĩ
ĢƢŎűţŎűłǜŻƿŦĢƿűĢĩƢŦŎűĩƷʼnĩĚŻǢƪᡒěŦƿĚűþƷƿƢĩŻŁŎƷþŦŦ᠐
ȃĩƟŎƷǢŻŁ'ŻĩƪƷʼnĩ¼ĩþů'ƢŎűţ᠗ǜþƪƷʼnþƷڑᚆůŎűƿƷĩƪŠƿƪƷǜþƪűᡒƷ
ĩűŻƿłʼnƷŎůĩƷŻŻDzŁĩƢþűǢůŻƢĩƷʼnþűłŦŎůƟƪĩƪŻŁĩþěʼnŎĢĩþ᠐SƷǜŻƿŦĢ
ʼnþǛĩĚĩűĩȀƷĩĢŁƢŻůþƪƷƢƿěƷƿƢĩŦŎţĩ ʼnþűűĩŦᚃᡒƪǜŻűĢĩƢŁƿŦ/ŎłʼnƷŎĩƪ
series ǽƷĩƢ'þƢţ᠐SƷǜþƪþĢŎƪěƿƪƪŎŻűƪʼnŻǜǜŎƷʼnþĢƢŎűţƪƷƢŻŦŦĩǢƷʼnþƷ
ǜŻƿŦĢƪƷþƢƷƪŻůĩƷŎůĩþǼƷĩƢ ƟůþűĢŠƿƪƷţĩĩƟłŻŎűłƿűƷŎŦƷʼnĩƟþűĩŦ
ǜþƪĩǡʼnþƿƪƷĩĢŻƢŎűƷŻǡŎěþƷĩĢĚĩǢŻűĢěŻůƟƢĩʼnĩűƪŎŻű᠄þűĢƪŻůĩƷŎůĩƪ
ĚĩǢŻűĢĩǛĩűƷʼnþƷƟŻŎűƷ᠐
/þěʼnƟþƢƷŎěŎƟþűƷŻŁ'ŻĩƪƷʼnĩ¼ĩþů'ƢŎűţ᠗ŻDzŁĩƢĩĢƷʼnĩƪƟƢŎűłĚŻþƢĢ
ƷŻþűĩǜŎĢĩþ᠄ĚƿƷƷʼnĩűĩĩĢƪŻŁƷʼnĩƷŎůĩƪŦŻƷůĩþűƷǜĩŻǼƷĩűʼnþĢƷŻ
ĚŻƿűěĩƪƷƢþŎłʼnƷŻDzŁƪŻůĩǜʼnĩƢĩĩŦƪĩ᠐®þƷŎƢŎƪƷrþƷƷǜĩűᡒƪƢƿŎűłŻŁ
ʼnŎƪ®ŻʼnŻĢƢŎűţŎűłĢþǢƪǜʼnĩƢĩʼnĩǜþƪᡉŦŎǛŎűłƷʼnĩŦŎŁĩŻŁþǜƢŎƷĩƢƢþƷʼnĩƢ
ƷʼnþűþěƷƿþŦŦǢǜƢŎƷŎűłᡐǜþƪƪŻůĩƷʼnŎűłSǜŻƿŦĢʼnþǛĩŦŎţĩĢƷŻʼnĩþƢůŻƢĩ
þĚŻƿƷ᠐SƷʼnþƪĚĩĩűþěŻůůŻűƟŎƷŁþŦŦƷŻŦŎǛĩƷʼnĩŦŎŁĩƪƷǢŦĩþűĢŁŻƢłĩƷƷʼnĩ
ŦŎŁĩ᠐ þƢƢǢ ƢǢĩƢƢĩůĩůĚĩƢĩĢǜŻƢţŎűłǜŎƷʼnGƢþʼnþů ʼnþƟůþűǜʼnĩƢĩ
ƷʼnĩěʼnŎůŎűłŻŁƷʼnĩěŦŻěţƷʼnþƷƪþŎĢƷʼnĩƟƿĚƪǜĩƢĩŻƟĩűůĩþűƷŎƷǜþƪ
ƷʼnĩĩűĢŻŁƷʼnĩǜŻƢţŎűłĢþǢ᠐ᡉàĩʼnþĢƷŻĢŻþĢþǢᡒƪǜŻƢţŎűþĚŻƿƷþű
ʼnŻƿƢþűĢþʼnþŦŁᡐ᠄ƷʼnŻƿłʼn ƢǢĩƢǜþƪţĩĩűƷŻþĢĢ᠄ᡉǜĩĢŎĢʼnþǛĩþƢĩþŦŦǢ
łŻŻĢƷŎůĩ᠐ᡐ
ȃĩƟƪǢěʼnŻĚþĚĚŦĩůĩþŦƪŻǜþűƷĩĢƷŻʼnĩþƢůŻƢĩþĚŻƿƷƷʼnĩŎĢĩþƷʼnþƷ
ŁŻƢƷʼnĩěŻůĩĢŎþű᠄þǼƷĩƢþűʼnŻƿƢŻŁĩƪěþƟĩŻűƪƷþłĩ᠄ƷʼnĩǢĢŻűᡒƷǜŎƪʼnƷʼnĩ
ĩƪěþƟĩƷŻĩűĢ᠄þűĢƪŻěŻűƷŎűƿĩƷʼnĩĩƪěþƟĩŎűþĚŻƷƷŦĩ᠐
àŎƷʼnƪŻůƿěʼnƷŻěŻǛĩƢ᠄ƷʼnŎƪǜþƪþűĩűƷĩƢƷþŎűŎűłűĩþƢᠸᚂᙹůŎűƿƷĩƪ᠄þ
ěʼnþƪĩƢŁŻƢþłŻŻĢěŻűǛĩƢƪþƷŎŻűŻǛĩƢþƟŎűƷþǼƷĩƢǜþƢĢƪ᠐'ŻĩƪȄĩ¼ĩþů'ƢŎűţ᠗ is on BBC iPlayer @robinince
Comedy’s booze
culture may have
played a part in
the exclusion of
women in work
of the past
ǼȄɯǽȀg&g]cǽǻǼȄ .&.]]gJCʸ 33