Comedian Graham Norton appointed to key role at Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Graham Norton began his career at the Fringe 35 years ago
Graham Norton has been named as the newest “alumni” ambassador of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe - 35 years after launching his entertainment career with a show in a 60-seater festival venue.
The role will see the star, who returns to the Fringe most years, join actor Brian Cox, comedian Suzy Eddie Izzard and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society’s honorary president Phoebe Waller-Bridge to act as an advocate for the festival.
Known for his popular BBC One chat show, and as the UK’s host for Eurovision, Norton’s entertainment career dates back to 1991 when he was refining his craft as a stand-up comedian at the Fringe, performing Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s Grand Farewell Tour in the Pleasance Attic, a then-newly opened venue at the Pleasance.
In the years following, Norton made the move to mainstream television, as priest Father Noel in Father Ted, while still making frequent appearances at the Fringe, culminating in him being shortlisted for the prestigious Perrier Award in 1997.
Launched in 2007, The Graham Norton Show is one of the BBC’s top-rated entertainment shows, with stars from across the world taking to the red sofa every Friday night.
Norton, who is also a published author and hosts the popular podcast Wanging On with Maria McErlane, said: “It’s hard to believe that my connection to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe dates back nearly 35 years. As an emerging comedian back in the early ‘90s, everyone in the industry knew that you had to make the journey to Edinburgh and its Fringe for the opportunities that you have to develop your craft with a live audience, but also to meet and network with the thousands of industry that go there to look for talent.
“Through my chat show I meet and talk to those across the entertainment industry every week, and you’d be hard pressed to find someone on the sofa that hasn’t been to the Fringe either to perform or to watch shows at some point in the past. I’m delighted to be announced as an ambassador of the Edinburgh Fringe and look forward to visiting the festival next August.”
Tony Lankester, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “Our ambassadors represent the critical role the Fringe plays in the lives of so many who got their start on the stages of Edinburgh and, today, are at the top of their game in the world of the arts.
“Welcoming Graham to the fold is a real pleasure – he is someone who exemplifies the joy and generosity of the Fringe spirit, unapologetically passionate about the arts and a huge advocate of the importance of the Fringe in his own career. As an ambassador, he will be uniquely positioned to help inspire the next generation of artists, and we’re excited to be working with him on this mission.”
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