Peter Buckley Hill, of whom it has been said...

Peter Buckley Hill

EDINBURGH 2005

THE IDEA WINS THROUGH

2005 was the year in which the idea I'd been working for for ten years began bearing serious fruit.

At first, people didn't understand the logic behind free shows, and wondered why I should deliberately make a loss, even when they made a bigger loss. Then they understood, but didn't participate (I didn't really have the opportunity to offer space to others in most of that time, anyway). And then, once there was space for a full programme of other shows, people began to realise that free shows made sense. In 2005, there were about 25 in the three spaces (two at Linsays, and one at the Canon's Gait).

The 2005 Free Fringe was a triumph for all concerned, and an achievement of which I feel proud.

As far as my own shows went, there were good nights at PBHASC. Stand Up Tragedy and Other Disasters met with variable success; often, people came to the show expecting to see the old stuff, and I had to adapt so they could. Sometimes, I ran the whole new show; other times, a mixture of the new and the old. Stuffed sheep gags aren't for everybody. But some people said it was better than Dustman.

I stood for election for the Fringe Board of Directors again, and was again defeated. Again, the number of people who assured me that they had voted for me greatly exceeded the votes I actually got. They certainly made it difficult for people to join the Festival Fringe Society Ltd and vote. The deadline for joining was ambiguously phrased and several people were denied the opportunity to join. This is not good procedure.

It is not right that the Fringe is entirely financed by the personal losses made by performers, and yet there are only two performers on the Board, one of whom was not at the Fringe in 2005 at all. This must change. Email me if you want to discuss the politics and future of the Fringe.

On a back-to-performing note, I did 61 appearances in the 2005 Fringe, including my own shows, the Book Club, compering Fringe Sunday, and various guest appearances in other shows. I think this is probably as many as I've ever done, and I must give up the attempt to do one for every year of my age.

AI also found two new venues for Free Fringe shows. The Meadow Bar and the Jekyll & Hyde will both host Free Fringe shows in 2006, and it looks as if there will be over 60 Free Fringe shows. The idea has indeed taken off.