Canoe dig it?
Since 2006, Dave McNeill has performed in several sketch shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, including the cult comedy hit Zimbani with Colin Hoult. After a four year break from the festival, he returns this year with a debut solo show: Canoe Ride 3000. I chatted to him about his new show, working with award-winning double act Colin and Fergus and homemade canoes…
You’re performing your debut solo show this year. Have you enjoyed the process of writing for yourself?
Yes – I’ve always done it with other people in the past so it’s nice having total ownership on something. Although it could also be a really bad idea in that sense!
What’s the show about and how do canoes come into it?
It’s a one man character show. The canoe idea was a very general thing. I needed a title and it popped into my head so now I’m stuck carrying a canoe round public transport for all the previews! It’s quite big and it’s got wheels. I can get it in a bag but the bag is the size of a house.
Your last two Fringe shows have also featured Colin Hoult and Fergus Craig. How did you meet them?
I met them in Manchester at university. We hung around together and generally enjoyed making each other laugh!
Is that where you started performing comedy?
Yes, we were training as actors and started doing comedy stuff just before we left to come to London. We used to do a weekly sketch night in The King’s Head in Crouch End with Laura Solon and Cardinal Burns which was great fun. You’d write stuff during the week and then preform it on a Wednesday night. I also used to write for Colin and Fergus’ radio show, then I did Zimbani with Colin later.
I really enjoyed the Zimbani pilot you made with Julian Barrett.
That came out of the blue really; I wasn’t expecting it to get picked up. Colin and I were never very good at working out a plot we just made it as silly as we could – whatever made us laugh. It started off as a short radio sketch, then we did Edinburgh in 2008 and kept it going in London. Sam Ward the producer suggested we had a go at TV so we made a pilot but it was on such a limited budget we couldn’t afford to do a whole series. We might come back to it. It’s the one thing I’ve done that I’m really glad happened and didn’t disappear into nothingness!
So you last performed at the Fringe in 2008, are you looking forward to heading back up there?
Definitely. I just love the whole Edinburgh experience. When I first went up it was like nothing I’d experienced before – there was so much packed into one month. I hit it quite hard the first time but now I’m doing a one man show I don’t think I can get away with it! It’s always my birthday during the festival though so I’m sure we’ll have a party at some point.
Are you working on anything after Edinburgh?
I’m developing a sitcom with NBC which is in the early stages. I’ve also been working on the new Anna & Katy show which we’re about to start filming. Right now though, I’m just focusing on the show. It’s all I can think about at the moment so I’m looking forward to turning my brain off!
Dave McNeill Canoe Ride 3000 is at the Pleasance Courtyard in Edinburgh, from 1st-26th August at 3:30pm
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