Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Fringe Q&A: Stand-up gives Archie Maddocks the fix of human contact he needs to stay alive

© Tom LeishmanArchie Maddocks
Archie Maddocks

What is life, if nothing but a distraction until you die?

That’s what Archie Maddocks is pondering as he returns to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019 to tackle the struggles of being alive in his latest hour of provocative, exhilarating stand-up.

But before he tackles that big question, he answered our Fringe Q&A…


How are you feeling about your return to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019?

The usual mix of excitement and dread. Pretty standard stuff before the Fringe – but mostly excitement. I hope.


What is your new show all about?

Existentialism. Why are we here, what’s the point, is reality even real or a construct that we all buy into before the dark void welcomes us all?

Cheery stuff this year, I’ve gone up beat.


You’re not only a stand-up but also a writer working on plays, TV and film. Does going out and performing material you’ve written for yourself give a different buzz?

Totally. Performing is more naked and immediate and I need that for some reason (obviously I’m fundamentally a broken soul, but that’s all comics). What I love about performing is that I get the reaction right away, there’s no waiting around, there’s no guessing, there’s no paranoid sweating at 2am because a producer hasn’t responded.

Don’t get me wrong, I am perpetually haunted by the faces of the people who have never laughed at me – that never goes. But either way, I don’t have to wait. I get the fix of human contact that I need in order to continue being alive.


How did you first get into stand-up comedy?

I was acting in an improvised play and a comedy promoter came up to me and told me that my “mind works weird”. I told him to **** himself. He said that he meant to say I’m funny and should try comedy. I did, and I was hooked. Or addicted. Depends on your perspective really…


If you had to pick one item that’s essential for surviving a month at the Fringe, what would that be?

For me, noise cancelling headphones. I don’t have to listen to the silent disco being louder than is acceptable for a regular disco and that is a blessing.


What do you think it is about the Edinburgh Fringe that attracts people from all around the world to come to watch and also to perform?

The reputation for sure. The infinite possibility of what could happen, coupled with the uncertainty of what never will. The eeriness of the city. The lack of warmth in the summer months which makes it better sitting in a super-hot room. The electric energy that frenetically buzzes through the streets – ambition, hope, joy and despair coiled around the atmosphere. And Tempting Tatties, best baked potatoes I’ve ever had.


What is your favourite one-liner?

Of mine? In school, my friend Muhammad had a fear of sheep. Now he’s a halal butcher. Begs the question, if you’re a halal butcher with a fear of sheep, islamophobia… I’m so sorry that is comfortably the worst joke I’ve ever written.

Of someone else, that you can print? Dave Chapelle – Bill Cosby. I didn’t wanna believe that. I didn’t. But then 18 allegations later I was like “man, he did at least two of those”.


Archie Maddocks performs ‘Big D**k Energy’ at Just The Tonic (The Mash House) until Sunday 25th August (not 12th)  at 4.50pm