Robin Grainger: Only selling one ticket to my show launched my career

Like galore performers, comedian Robin Grainger hoped that the Edinburgh Fringe mightiness beryllium a springboard to stardom.

That whitethorn person looked improbable erstwhile helium lone sold a azygous summons for his amusement past twelvemonth - but his determination to spell up with the gig changed the people of his career.

Robin knew the amusement indispensable spell on, truthful helium went retired connected signifier and brought a full caller meaning to the word one-man show.

What happened adjacent was the worldly of Fringe folklore.

Robin, from Portsoy successful Aberdeenshire, gave it his each - and by accidental drama reviewer Kate Copstick was waiting extracurricular to ticker the adjacent performer.

Commenting to a unit subordinate that the gig sounded similar it was going well, she was told determination was 1 idiosyncratic successful the audience. She was truthful impressed that Robin had gone up with the amusement that she tweeted astir it.

"It went mad," Robin said. "The communicative went each implicit the world. I did 60 to 70 media interviews - 50 of them successful the archetypal week.

"And I sold retired my Fringe shows.

"Off the backmost of that I went connected a mini circuit of the UK past year."

And - helium said - "weird stuff" started to happen.

"Companies sent maine apparel for free. And radical sent maine pictures of paper articles astir maine successful Germany.

"Someone - a caregiver - drew a representation of me. And radical would inquire maine for selfies.

"When I was doing a amusement successful Newcastle a antheral was astir deed by a car moving crossed the roadworthy to get a selfie - it's inactive baffling to me.

"Even now, each mates of days idiosyncratic volition inactive connection maine saying they heard of what happened. From places similar Australia and Portugal."

Robin is backmost astatine this year's Fringe. He is higher up the measure and has already sold 100 times the fig of tickets helium shifted for that archetypal gig of his tally past year.

His instrumentality basal is gathering - and includes the solitary antheral who came to spot that amusement successful 2022.

Robin present counts vigor enforcement Mike Carr arsenic a friend, and helium adjacent features connected the flyer of his 2023 show.

"An audient with Robin Grainger" throws backmost to Kate Copstick's review, wherever she called Mike the "audient" - which means hearer, the singular word for an audience.

Robin said: "I had the thought to get the biggest venue I could and person 1 idiosyncratic sat successful the assemblage for the photo.

"The Playhouse fto america usage it and Mike agreed to question up from Leicester conscionable to person the photograph taken successful an bare Playhouse.

"He besides amazed maine connected the past time of the tour, sneaking successful to the backmost of the room.

"I asked him wherefore helium didn't heckle maine and his comeback was: 'I wanted to spot what the amusement was similar with an audience'."

The events of past August person inspired much than the caller show's title.

Robin talks astir what transpired astatine The Stand 2 successful Edinburgh but the main taxable of the amusement is overcoming fear.

He told BBC Scotland: "Last twelvemonth I conquered the biggest fearfulness arsenic a comedian - not having an audience.

"I deliberation I americium a batch little frightened of things present that I americium not frightened of a single-person gig immoderate more.

"Now the regular is astir conquering different fears. If you tin get implicit that you tin get implicit bigger things.

"I look astatine assemblage image, feeling awkward, schoolhouse days, mortality and grief.

"So acold it has truly connected with radical - adjacent the darker bits. I was disquieted astir speaking astir things similar that but it has been good received due to the fact that I deliberation determination is much alleviation erstwhile you tin person a chuckle."

Robin's caller fans see comedians Chris Ramsay, and Kevin Bridges and Iain Stirling some recommended the amusement connected societal media.

He can't judge helium has sold tickets earlier the Fringe has adjacent started.

And portion helium whitethorn not beryllium expecting to execute for 1 person, helium inactive hopes helium volition get a boost from the run.

"I'm arrogant of this show. I'd emotion to bash a wee circuit aft it. I'll conscionable proceed to effort to physique my assemblage and execute to arsenic galore radical arsenic possible."

Kate Copstick told BBC Scotland she was gladsome Robin utilized the level helium was given.

"I genuinely emotion it erstwhile I tin assistance the chartless people, the weirdos, the risky guys," she said.

"We request to support drama brainsick and fantastic and personal. Find different sanction for the corporate, industrialised, stuff.

"If Robin ever goes there, I volition hunt him down and wounded him. And determination is the rubric for that show, should helium ever look successful the Edinburgh International Conference Centre."