James Christopher: Bring Me the Head of Russell Kane - Free

'A likeably jolly chap, with a nice line in self-deprecation… he's got more than a little charm' Steve Bennett, Chortle.co.uk

James Christopher combines the titles of the previous two Foster’s Fringe Awards winners, to create something doubly funny (but admittedly much less successful). His mission is to expose the inner workings of the stand-up scene.

Live comedy is now huge business. Its leading stars tour arenas and stadiums, release smash hit DVDs and star in primetime TV shows to millions of viewers. However, some of comedy's biggest stars such as Michael McIntyre and John Bishop worked in anonymity for years, and amassed huge debts before finding success.

James Christopher is a comic from York who's worked the Northern England stand-up circuit for seven years. This will be his third full solo Edinburgh show, and in previous Festivals, he's frequently flyered for hours, often to perform to mere handfuls of people. Which can mean only one thing. He is on the brink of superstardom.

In preparation for this inevitability, the "comedy nerd" takes a look at various comedians and styles, and even offers his unlikely take on 'edgy' comedy. A lifelong comedy fan with a background in advertising, James first performed stand-up in 2005, and crowds have been enjoying his act since at least 2009.

The previous Edinburgh Fringe winners were Bring Me The Head Of Adam Riches (2011), and Russell Kane – Smokescreens & Castles (2010). James explains, “My fascination with comedy inspired me to pay respect to the acts who have helped elevate stand-up as an art form. And my background in advertising reminded me that it's better to steal ideas which have already proved popular.”

Expect one-liners, anecdotes, props, and flipcharts (he's a Free Fringe Dave Gorman). And he's a cheeky chappie with bags of jokes – and jokes in bags! Plus James photographs and tweets the audience, and awards a daily [un]official Foster’s Best Audience Member. So if you’re a comedy fan – or a comedian – come and be part of an event that will delight and annoy you long after the show has finished. And if you’re a reviewer and you don’t come, then you are merely a cog in the corporate machine that is crushing comedy.

Text supplied by third party.