Max and Ivan

‘Last year we opened to no one in the audience,’ says Iván (Ih-vaan), the bearded half of comedy duo Max and Iván. But by the end of August their debut show, Max and Iván Exposed, was routinely selling out. That success was thanks in part to overwhelmingly positive word of mouth. One enthusiastic attendee even hung a handcrafted banner from an apartment window overlooking the Royal Mile. So what makes people so keen to give the pair free publicity? ‘We’ve got a secret flyering technique,’ Iván says. ‘We just talk to people on the Royal Mile, rather than lie down on the floor naked … ‘

‘ … with a flyer between your butt cheeks,’ Max finishes for him.

But that can’t be the whole story? Their TV-themed 2009 show, Televisionaries has already received much pre-Fringe publicity, though it hasn’t all been accurate. ‘People have come expecting a Chris Morris-esque evisceration of the world’s media,’ says Max, ‘but it’s just a sketch show.’

Iván clarifies: ‘The sketches are like flicking through the channels. We’re just trying to make people laugh, rather than make a political statement.’ Perhaps that’s the real secret behind their success.

C Central, 0845 260 1234, 7–31 Aug (not 18), 6.55pm, £8.50–£10.50 (£7.50–£9.50).

More: Comedy, Edinburgh Festivals, Max and Ivan, Max and Iván Exposed, Max and Ivan: Televisionaries, Previews, Televisionaries

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