Gilded Balloon Productions
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Gilded Balloon Programmes Spanning the years we have collated the various Gilded Balloon
Edinburgh Festival Fringe Brochures from the humble beginnings
in 1986 to the present day. |
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It’s hard to believe that it’s 21 years since we first started presenting shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Back in the now burnt out Cowgate, we started out with only 7 shows in one wee studio theatre and now we’re closer to 100 shows in 9 venues at Teviot Row House. Tim Minchin returned with an even more exciting show “So … Rock! And sold out for the run. Karen Dunbar also had a sell out show and her first stand up show since her television series on BBC Scotland. Tim Healy performed his first solo show in Philip Meek’s “Twinkle Little Star”. Stephen Frost performed with his nephew Danny Frost in Jim Sweeney’s newly written piece “Cabin Fever”. Amy Lamé, direct from Celebrity Fit Club, performed “Mamma Cass Family Singers” and B A Robertson returned with a true story about John F Kennedy. Barry Cryer and Ronnie Golden delighted us with even more wit and ditties. 80’s icon Howard Jones gave a series of acoustic shows. In honour of Rain Pryor’s father we presented a benefit in aid of MS sufferers, with Adam Hills, Tim Minchin, Stephen K Amos, Antonio Forcioni and Jimmy Carr. The Gilded Balloon also presented a sold out run of Bill Bailey’s new stand up show “Steampunk” at the EICC which sold out for 9 nights and he also came back to the Gilded Balloon with Beergut 100 – which was a show not to be missed. So You Think You're Funny? Winner: Wes Packer
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2005 was the year that... Tim Minchin took the Festival by storm. Australian singer/ songwriter/ comic all round talented performer was the sensation of this year’s Festival. He was talked about from day one and won Perrier Best Newcomer. Bill Bailey brought his original line up of Beergut 100 which was brilliant. Cabaret Decadense did very well as did Puppetry of the Penis. Stephen K Amos returned with a sell out show. So You Think You’re Funny had a new sponsor Five and Paramount Comedy and the final was compered by Bill Bailey. Chris Difford from Squeeze, Hugh Cornwall from The Stranglers and BA Robertson all performed.
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Jim Sweeney performed My MS and Me. Stephen K Amos had a
sellout show for a second year running. Flight of the Conchords
returned and rapidly sold out with Lonely Knights. Barry Cryer
and Ronnie Golden performed Men In Beige. From the Aspen Comedy
Festival came Epitaph. There was international comedy from
Denmark and New Zealand and there was music from Noise Ensemble
and BA Robertson.
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2003 was the year that... The Gilded Balloon split from Assembly and Pleasance and
joined with the Underbelly to present their joint brochure.
Also the year that Metro began their two year sponsorship
deal with the Gilded Balloon. Arthur Smith presented Dante's
Inferno and Henry Naylor wrote and performed in Finding Bin
Laden. Fred Macaulay returned after a long break as did the
star of Doug Anthony Allstars Paul McDermott with his show
Gud. The Umbilical Brothers performed Speedmouse and Stephen
Frost's Impro All Stars were with us for their annual visit.
Flight of the Conchords were the hit of the festival with
High On Folk.
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2002 was the year that... At Late ‘n’ Live Daniel Kitson passed the hat through the crowd and raised just enough money send a humble audience member to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim…The Consultants performed in the smallest, darkest, dampest, spookiest venue, Cave III….White Side Story from St. Petersburg Theatre Company made a glittering white stage. Steve Steen, Stephen Frost and Jim Sweeney performed Sick Transit in the Studio. Glen Wool, Ricky Grover, Rob Rouse, Andrew Maxwell, Des Bishop, Lucy Porter, Reginald D. Hunter, David O’Docherty, Jimmy Carr and Andre Vincent all performed solo shows. Also the first appearance of Flight of the Conchords in Folk the World which became the cult show of the Festival. The Perrier Nominations party was held at the Library Bar at Gilded Balloon Teviot.
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2001 was the year that... Being Johnny Vegas, he drank, sang, stripped and made us
laugh ... Jesus hopped the A train. The Dead moved fast with
Sylvester McCoy Steve Steen appeared in Bill Brysons Notes
from a Small Island. Tom Craig (Coronation St.) brought The
Club a play about football. Edinburgh or Bust followed Wild
on Tv featuring Jason Wood and Charlie Hides. Puppetry of
the Penis were selling out. Tom Gleeson, Derdre O’Kane,
Andrew Maxwell,Dom Irrera, Phil Kay, Raymond Mearns Fiona
O’Loughlin (Australia), Sean Cullen Obadiah Steppenwolfe
III all did solo shows. Supergirly sold out and Big and Daft
performed their Christmas Show. Late’ n’ Live
had it’s final appearance in the Cowgate before moving
to Teviot.
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2000 was the year that... Elaine C Smith was Hormonally driven…Steve Frost and Antonio Forcione starred in the Boothby Graffoe Show… Adam Hills was Goody Two shoes and The Japanese Beatles looked nothing like John, Paul, Ringo and George but sounded exactly the same. Neil Mullarkey, Matt King, Count Arthur Strong, Brendan Burke, Craig Hill, David O’Docherty, Ross Noble, Phil Kay, Andrew Maxwell, Dara O’Briain, and Paul Zerdin all had solo shows. So You Think You’re Funny? Winner: Drew Rokos
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1999 was the year that... Supergirly gave pop music a good lashing…Big and Daft were big and, er, daft…The Cuban Brothers cut cabaret a new edge…Chris Lynam returned in his Wild Man Jungle trip while Bill Bailey played the Playhouse and Dylan Moran, Johnny Vegas, Ennio Marchetto and Gumboots stomped the Palladium. Cathy Dunning, Phil Nichol, Richard Vranch, Copunt Arthur Strong & Terry Titter, Ross Noble, Steve Gribbin, Tripod, Adam Hills, Mitch Benn, Dave Hughes (Australia), Marcus Brigstocke, Neville Raven, Greg Fleet, Dara O’Briain, Judith Lucy, Phil Kay, Wil Andreson and Geraldine McNulty all did solo shows. So You Think You’re Funny? Winner: David O’Doherty
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1998 was the year that... Otis Lee Crenshaw slipped out of the pen to debut at Edinburgh Edinburgh or Bust presented their first Edinburgh show on Channel 4 following comedians and their struggle to make it at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. They also followed Karen Koren a bit. So You Think You’re Funny? Winner: Rob Rouse
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1997 was the year that... Johnny Vegas drove the public and critics potty… Angie Le Mar starred in her first ever full length solo show….Ed Byrne and Brendon Burns gave us an inside look at the wretched world of the Edinburgh Festival…Marcus Brigstocke gave us a lively mix of character comedy, astute observation and a healthy dose of satire…Ford Kiernan & Greg Hemphill premiered Still Game before its successful transition to TV. Adam Hills, Ross Noble, Bill Bailey, Donna MacPhail, Ed Byrne, Pete Searles, Hung Lee (Australia), Gregg Fleet, Fred Macaulay, Ian Stone, Phil Kay, Steve Frost, Marian Pashley, Nualas, Phil Nichol, Rich Hall, Sean Hughes, Sheila Martin, Smiley, Simon Lipson, Tommy Tiernan & Jason Byrne, Vladimir McTavish and Geraldine McNulty all did shows. So You Think You’re Funny? Winner: Peter Kay
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1996 was the year that... A Freewheelin' Rich Hall rolled into town and picked up a second Critic's Award... With sell out out shows The Nualas were tipped for the top... The Poetry of Murray Lachlan Young offered an hilarious yet provocative commentary on some bizarre social issues... Phill Jupitus strikes back in Ready Jedi Go! So You Think You’re Funny? Winner: Tommy Tiernan
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1995 was the year that... Simon Pegg was hailed by comics and critics as the hottest comedian presently working.... The Oxford Revue 1995 brought us Space.... Beergut 100…Bill Bailey's outrageous punk tribute band played Late 'n' Live.....Ford Kiernan and John Paul Leach, Scotland’s newest and best double act, appeared in After Eight Mince. Shows presented this year were Bill Bailey’s first one man show “Cosmic Jam”, Lynn Ferguson “Heart & Sole” (stunning performance about falling in love with a fish), The Umbilical Brothers in Heaven by Storm, Geraldine McNulty in 10 women in a one-frock show, John Moloney in Class of ’95, , Struck off and Die’s Television Pilot, Donna MacPhail, Parrot Uncaged, Phil Kay, Curried Goat, The Cheese Shop, Paul Tonkinson, Smiley’s Culture, Dame Sybille, Roger Monkhouse, Steve Gribbin, Michael Redmond in Aemon the older brother of Jesus, Kevin Day,Parsons & Naylor’s Brand New Pig Bag, Jeffrey Dahmer is Unwell, Tim Clark, Gregg Fleet in Thai Die and Young Gifted and Green Part II. So You Think You’re Funny? Winner: Lee Mack
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1994 was the year that... Paul Tonkinson made his first visit to the festival…Colin Hay from Men at Work returned to the festival… Bib and Bob (Logan Murray and Jerry Sadowitz) took a deep and meaningful look at the environment and other things you see everyday…Felix Dexter appeared, fresh from being named Time Out's Comedian of the Year. Alan Davies show was a complete sell out…Owen O’Neil told his stories of alcohol, poetry and football…Hattie Hayridge & Linda Smith were in Split Tease and theUmbilical Brothers made their first Edinburgh appearance. So You Think You’re Funny? Winner: Martin Trenneman
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| 1993 was the year
that... The Rubber Bishops, Bill Bailey and Sean Lock shared the stage.. So You Think You’re Funny? Winner: Dylan Moran
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| 1992 was the year
that... Impressions were popular Steve Coogan had many characters …Alistair McGowan also appeared…Mark Lamarr and Boothby Graffo compered Late ‘n’ Live…Ardal O’Hanlon appeared as one third of Mr Trellis, together with Phil Kay. Shows this year were Mark Steel in Yeltsin Trotsky and the Betting Shop, Paul Morocco, Eddie Izzard, Jeremy Hardy, Kit Hollerbach and Ben Keaton in the Holstein Impro Allstars, Women in Comedy featuring Caroline Aherne, Corky & The Juice Pigs, Stephen Frost in The Devil & Billy Markham, Gerry McNulty, Michael Redmond, Richard Morton, Fred MacAulay and Lynn Ferguson, Jeff Green & Donna MacPhail. So You Think You’re Funny? Winner: Rhona Cameron
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| 1991 was the year
that... The Comedy Store's Cutting Edge, among them Linda Smith & Mark Thomas, brought us bang up to the moment material in a show so fresh it even surprised the performers….Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer made their first appearance at the Festival.... Fred MacAulay and Lynn Ferguson Do Some Stand-up Comedy…Eddie Izzard, Lee Evans & Jeff Green were at the Counting House an extra venue run all year as a café Bar for the Gilded Baloon…Meera Syal appeared in The Oppressed Minorities Big Fun Show…Suzanne Bonnar sang in I Cover the Waterfront So You Think You’re Funny? Winner: Alan Francis
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| 1990 was the year
that... Mark Steel was hoping his hometown, Swanley in Kent, would be destroyed by the channel tunnel. This won him the Edinburgh Critics Comedy Award... Chris Lynam brought his outrageous - chocolate, cookery, firework up the bottom - one-man show to the Fringe for the first time... Sweeney and Steen Played By Ear in a whodunnit with a difference... Sean Hughes won the Perrier Award... Jo Brand, Patrick Marber and James Macabre appeared together in the imaginatively titled Brand, Marber and Macab. So You Think You’re Funny? Winner: Trio Brothers Troupe
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| 1989 was the year
that... Stephen Frost and Sean Hughes shared the same stage in One Man and His Show. Jo Brand, Michael Redmond and Kevin Day put on an evening of stand-up comedy, music, politics, cauliflowers and philosophical debate. The 'self help group for comics', The Funny Farm, appeared at the Lyceum and featured among others Bruce Morton, Fred MacAulay and Parrot. John Sparkes, a nocturnal, fruit-eating primate, appeared. To attract females he drummed his buttocks on the trunk of a fallen tree. BBC2 recorded a standup show in the Studio with Jo Brand, Sean Hughes, Phil Kay, Jenny LeCoat, Michael Redmond & others, compered by Arthur Smith. So You Think You’re Funny? Winner: Phil Kay
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1988 was the year that... The Doug Anthony Allstars and the Wow Show with Steve Frost were the big hits…The So you think you’re funny competition was born with the First winner Scotland’s Bruce Morton. Shows that were there was John Otway, Glyn Nicholas, Maria Callous & Johnny Immaterial, The Jiving Lindy Hoppers, The Vicious Boys and Norman Lovett and in the café the Crisis Twins. Magic Bob & Mr. Boom sold out with their kids show.
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| 1987 was the year
that... Brown Blues with Arnold Brown with Jungr & Parker are outstanding winning the Perrier Award beginning the Gilded Balloons prestigious record of award winning performers…. Late n Live appears in Wilkie House for the first time,with the Nansing Quartet and the Jam Tarts providing the music (the bass player became Mrs. Ben Elton) ….. Helen Lederer and Cathy Burke with Raw Sex were sponsored by X-press ironing boards... Arthur Smith and Caroline Quentin with Cliff Parisi (Minty in Eastenders) starred in The Columbian Cousin. |
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| 1986 was the year
that... The Gilded Balloon's first appearance on the fringe scene |
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1985 was the year that…. Karen Koren first started booking comedy, as a Director of McNally’s Theatre Club and Restaurant in Palmerston Place, performers who were there were Victor & Barrie (Alan Cummings and Forbes Masson), Bing Hitler (Craig Ferguson), Kit & The Widow, Mullarkey & Myers (Mike Myers and Neil Mullarkey), Paul Martin (aka Merton), Jeremy Hardy & Kit Hallerbach, Arnold Brown and visiting were people such as Billy Connelly and wife Pamela Stephenson, Lenny Henry and Dawn French, a very young Hugh Grant and many others. |
