to do it, desperately wanting to talk of what to do it, desperately wanting to talk of what happened. I did some jokes, then got into it. happened. I did some jokes, then got into it. It was very awkward and rather too much for It was very awkward and rather too much for the audience.’ the audience.’ Undeterred, he began thinking about relating Undeterred, he began thinking about relating it as a single narrative, the i rst time he’d tried it as a single narrative, the i rst time he’d tried storytelling. ‘When you’re a comedian, it’s quite storytelling. ‘When you’re a comedian, it’s quite intellectual, but something like this, it’s emotional.’ intellectual, but something like this, it’s emotional.’ Guided by his director, Henry Normal, and Scottish Guided by his director, Henry Normal, and Scottish writer and story coach, Lynn Ferguson, he simply writer and story coach, Lynn Ferguson, he simply shared the facts of his accident, removing anything shared the facts of his accident, removing anything tangential. ‘My previous life as a comic was tangential. ‘My previous life as a comic was worrying about where the next joke was worrying about where the next joke was coming from. But when you start with coming from. But when you start with something serious, it’s easy to subvert. something serious, it’s easy to subvert.
So I held back from my usual instincts and l So I held back from my usual instincts and let the story tell itself. Vulnerability, again, is a n tell itself. Vulnerability, again, is a new departure for me.’ There are several quirky d There are several quirky details in the tale, from the premonitory adver the premonitory advert he shot just before the crash, to Willie N crash, to Willie Nelson appearing at his hospital bed. L hospital bed. Long held to be Prince Charles’ fav Charles’ favourite comic, Tavaré actually g actually got to know Princess Diana a Diana a few years before his Royal Va Royal Variety bookings, after appearin appearing her brother brother Earl Spencer, Rupert Everett Everett, Colin Firth and Boris Boris Johnson, no less, in the the 1984 ilm A i lm Another Country. ‘It’s amaz amazing how we had the same same car accident, 20 years apart apart with remarkably simi similar though unfo unfortunately she . . . ’ he he pauses. ‘I realised this on one day and just didn’t kn know what to do with th the information: it was so so much to process.’ ultra-Etonian
alongside
injuries,
Tavaré
trauma. speculates t that he might develop comic motivational lectures for others who’ve experienced intense ‘It feels more useful than seli sh comedy. I’m not an ego person at all.’ Throughout his rehabilitation, he found himself ‘really missing the UK, so I I’d only watch British T TV and wear tweeds al all day. But I really ha haven’t been out much and and haven’t connected wit with UK comedy at all all and don’t know the new new comics. I’m like this strang strange mammal developing in the in the antipodes without any inl uence. inl uence. It’s a privilege at this late stage of my late stage of my career to return to the
Fringe.’ Fringe.’ Jim Tavaré: From Deadpan to Bedpan, Jim Tavaré: From De Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, Laughing Horse @ The 2–26 Aug (not 13), 4.15pm, donation. 2–26 Aug (not 13), 4.15
Jim Tavaré | FESTIVAL COMEDY
RETURN TO EMBRA It might not be exactly like riding a bike, but these comics are i rmly back in the Fringe saddle after all these years
HELEN LEDERER Finger Food in 2004 was when Lederer was last at the Fringe, in a spoof cookery show alongside a certain Miranda Hart. I Might As Well Say It has her revealing all about the comedy biz. Underbelly Bristo Square, 4–25 Aug (not 13), 5.05pm, £10.50–£11.50 (£9.50– £10.50). Preview 3 Aug, £7.
JOHN MOLONEY Acting in consort with Fred MacAulay, the man who was once dubbed the Bentley of stand-ups (in a world where all comedians were comparable to cars), Moloney will perform half an hour of straight-down-the-line comedy. The Stand, 3–26 Aug (not 13), 8.05pm, £14 (£12).
ARNAB CHANDA In 2007, Chanda performed a split show with Greg McHugh and his future looked bright. A little while later, personal reasons had him l eeing the comedy scene with his return only now secured. Stories from Arnab will be exactly that. Banshee Labyrinth, 4–26 Aug (not 12, 19), 5pm, donation.
PAUL MAYHEW-ARCHER You have to go all the way back to 1975 for Mayhew-Archer’s previous Fringe appearance, beside Andy Hamilton in one of those revue shows you got back then. For Incurable Optimist, he’s chatting about his determination to not let his Parkinson’s get him down. Underbelly Bristo Square, 4–26 Aug (not 13), 5.15pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). Previews 1–3 Aug, £6.50.
MILES JUPP 2010 was the last time Archie the Inventor from Balamory (oh come on, no one thinks of him hanging around a pink castle anymore, surely?) had a full show on the go at the Fringe, and here he’s hosting daily interviews with the likes of Les Dennis, David Gower, Jess Phillips and John McCarthy. The Stand’s New Town Theatre, 3–12 Aug, 3.40pm, £14 (£12).
1–8 Aug 2018 THE LIST FESTIVAL 59