‘My fascination with the space race has endured my whole life’: Edinburgh Fringe Q&A – Garrett Millerick

Having become a regular fixture at the Fringe with a string of top-rated shows, Garrett Millerick returns this year with his latest hour, based on his fascination with the race for space.

In Garrett Millerick Needs More Space, he not only looks to the stars with a hilarious history of space travel, but also examines his own place in the universe.

Here, he answers our festival Q&A…

How are you feeling ahead of this year’s Fringe?

I’ve had a really hectic July travelling all over the country doing previews. So I’m really looking forward to not driving anywhere for a month, getting to bed at a reasonable hour and not eating my meals from motorway service stations.

It’s going to be a delightful holiday. I love stand up comedy, and talking about the history of space travel. So it’s my ideal month.

What’s your show all about?

It’s about the similarities between the 1960s and now. And the huge amount of hope and inspiration that the space race brought the world at a time of global calamity. Sort of an appeal to have another one, because a) that would align fairly well with my interests and b) it would do us all the world of good.

Where does your fascination with space come from – and would you be up for jumping on a rocket and taking to the stars?

I saw Apollo 13 when I was eleven, and it blew my mind. And then I became fascinated with the history of that era, and that’s a fascination that has endured my whole life.

Most things I get excited about only interest me for a matter of weeks, then I move on, but the space race has stayed with me. I’ve been trying to work out why that is through the writing of the show. I think I have the answer. I’m hoping that in discovering the answer I haven’t spoilt the fascination.

I don’t think I’d be a good astronaut, I’m not much of a problem solver, and have a horrible sense of direction. I’m happy to be a spectator. You’ve got to know when to stay in your lane.

You’ve been performing at the Fringe for over 20 years, how has it changed for you over that time?

It’s still the best place on the planet to spend the month of August if you like comedy and theatre. Edinburgh is a nice place to spend time anyway, but add the festival in the mix, and there is no place I’d rather be for the month.

It’s tied inextricably to my work, so it’s more commercial these days. But I think that’s a fact of my being forty one and being a professional comedian and not nineteen buggering about in a student play.

I think when people talk about the experience of a place changing over time, they neglect to analyse that they too have changed, and that’s perhaps the more significant factor.

It’s certainly more expensive, and that needs to be addressed. The price that the venues are paying to run their facilities to the people who own the buildings, and the rent that artists and audiences are forced to pay for accommodation has become untenable.

We have hosted the Olympics of the arts in this country for over sixty years, that’s something to be proud of and to protect. I think in the post-Covid era it’s been seen as a cash cow that can be milked, and that’s a shame. Because it will destroy it, it’s a delicate eco system.

If it moves further away from something that nineteen year olds can go and experience and be inspired by, that will be a tragedy. And an irreversible one. It needs support and nurturing.

Your Radio 4 sitcom Do Gooders is coming soon – how was the experience of making it?

I’d spent a lot of my youth listening to radio comedy on my walkman. So having the opportunity to write and star in an ensemble studio sitcom for the radio was very much a childhood dream come true. To get to do it with such an incredible group of people was mind-blowing really. The show recordings were three of the best nights of my life. I’m so excited for people to hear it.

If you were in charge of the Fringe, what changes would you make?

I think clowns being put in charge of things is causing enough trouble in the world without this one being placed in a management position. But if I had the opportunity to speak to the landowners of Edinburgh I’d maybe suggest that with profits, as with all things, you catch more flies with honey. So chill out on the shakedown and you’ll make more sustainable profits in the long term.

What’s your favourite spot to visit in Edinburgh?

Noodle and Dumpling. The food is so good it haunts my dreams the other eleven months of the year.

What essential item are you packing to survive a month at the Fringe?

A sense of perspective.

Who’d be your dream:

Podcast guest / co-host

Ben Elton, one of the greatest comedians who has ever picked up a pen or a mic.

Wrestling tag team partner

John Hastings, I don’t know anything about wresting, and John could show me the ropes, literally.

Comedian to split a bill with

Pierre Novellie, we’ve split many bills over the years and they’re always the best nights.

Who else are you looking forward to seeing at the festival?

The staff at Noodle and Dumpling.

What question would you ask other comedians in a Q&A – and why?

Have you been to Noodle and Dumpling? It’s good for what ails you.

Garrett Millerick brings his brand new show, Garrett Millerick Needs More Space, to Monkey Barrel, The Tron as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 29th July – 25th August (excl 5th, 12th & 19th) at 4.25pm and then on tour. Garrett Millerick’s Do Gooders first airs on Tuesday 30th July at 6.30pm on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds