1980s children’s television favourite Basil Brush will host a nightly adult chat show at this year’s Edinburgh festival fringe, offering a cushion of nostalgia alongside harder-hitting offerings from actor and #MeToo activist Rose McGowan and hip-hop artist Akala, both making their festival debuts in a programme that organisers describe as “breaking all records for internationalism”. Featuring artists from 63 countries, the festival will also include the highest ever participation of artists from European countries, which the Edinburgh Fringe Society chief executive, Shona McCarthy, ascribes to a deliberate effort “to counteract any negativity from Brexit”. Launching the 72nd annual programme on Wednesday morning, McCarthy warned that “we’re seriously in danger of being anti-tourist”. “The idea that the fringe is responsible for over-tourism in Edinburgh is weird. A number of shows offer a first-person perspective on migration, including Pizza Shop Heroes, performed performed by four former child refugees from Afghanistan, Eritrea and Albania who came to live in the UK.

Source: The Guardian June 05, 2019 12:56 UTC