EDINBURGH 2016: BWW Q&A - Steve Bugeja

Comedian Steve Bugeja speaks to BWW about his new Edinburgh Fringe show Unpronounceable.

Tell us a bit about your new show Unpronounceable.

The new show is about whether or not we should trust our gut instincts. You know those feelings we get, that we don't give much thought to? Well I want to look at them and work out if those feelings are making the right decisions for us and if so what are they based on. Plus I recently nearly got my first ever girlfriend so I talk about that a bit.

Your 2015 show Day Release was very structured around one (excellent) story - is this a bit different?

Yes, last year was one story. Obviously with jokes and routines. This year isn't one story, but it is still a show. I hope people will still leave feeling like they've experienced more than a load of jokes in a row. I think this year's show is better because I'm able to get stuck into a topic that I'm fascinated by, the idea of what influences our decisions when we're not using purely logic. I also think because I'm not constrained by a single story I've been able to be more inventive with my stand-up routines which will hopefully mean more laughs. I'm really excited about doing it.

What have you been up to since last year's festival?

I've been doing all sorts. Mainly comedy gigs, to be honest. I took last year's show Day Release on a mini-tour which was fun. I filmed a panel show for CBBC where I had to wear oversized pants and got beaten by a puppet dog. I was lucky enough to be a guest on an episode of Russell Howard's Stand Up Central, which goes out soon, and I've got a 'comedy short' coming out on BBC 3 soon. It's been a fun year. I also moved from Manchester to London, that took up about a month.

Are there any other shows you're hoping to catch in Edinburgh?

Yeah loads. I hear that Bill Burr is going to be there this year so I am hoping to catch him if possible. I always look forward to watching shows by James Acaster, Sarah Kendall and Joel Dommett. Also, last year I watched a bit more non-comedy stuff, which was fun, so will hopefully do more of that. I fancy maybe seeing some circus shows. Ideally Russian. I hear they're good at it.

Day Release had huge critical acclaim- is that hard to live up to?

When I first started writing this show I was a bit nervous about living up to it. Especially because I hadn't done anything cool like take a prisoner to a wedding that I could base my show on. However I've enjoyed writing Unpronounceable so much and I'm really proud of it. All I can do is hope people enjoy it. If they don't then I'll go hang out with some dangerous criminals again for Edinburgh 2017.

Timings and ticket information for Unpronounceable are available on the edfringe website.

Photo credit: Edward Moore

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