Big names return to help Fringe venue celebrate its 25 years

THREE of the biggest names in comedy are to return to the celebrated venue where they made their Fringe breakthrough to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

Gilded Balloon revealed yesterday that Johnny Vegas, Jo Brand and Tim Minchin will be making special appearances at three birthday shows which have been lined up for the final weekend of the Fringe.

Impresario Karen Koren, the driving force behind Gilded Balloon since it started life in the Cowgate in 1986, has persuaded the three former favourites to make one-off appearances at the venue this year.

Although the final line-up for the shows on each night will be decided nearer the time, Gilded Balloon promised a mystery headliner will be appearing on the final Saturday of the Fringe.

Sean Hughes, Arthur Smith, Fred Macaulay, Stephen Frost, Stephen K Amos, Phill Jupitus and Hattie Hayridge are among the other veteran stars who have agreed to appear at the birthday gigs, all proceeds from which will go to the Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre charity.

Adam Hills, Jason Byrne and David O'Docherty will be among the more recent Gilded Balloon stars to appear in the shows.

They will boast a different line-up every night and will be staged in the venue's 350-capacity hall at Teviot Row House.

Brand, Vegas and Minchin were all unknowns when they appeared in 1989, 1995 and 2005.

A Gilded Balloon spokesman said: "Some of the world's biggest names in comedy will return to the trailblazing venue that is the Gilded Balloon to round off a month of birthday celebrations with three 25th Anniversary Shows on 27, 28 and 29 August.

"The comedy institution that has given so many their first stage and taste of success is widely regarded as home to many and how better to celebrate than with the cream of the Gilded Balloon's friends and performers that have passed through its doors over the last 25 years.

"Jo Brand has come a long way since her days as a psychiatric nurse in south London and Gilded Balloon provided the perfect jumping off point back in 1989 for what has gone on to be a career spanning over 20 years.

"Johnny Vegas first appeared at the Gilded Balloon in 1995 as a finalist of So You Think You're Funny? and returned in 1997 with his first solo show, which paved the way for him to become the well loved, award-winning, actor, entertainer and household name he is today.

"Tim Minchin's one of the most successful ever debut acts to appear at the Fringe, bagging him a Perrier Award for Best Newcomer and a career that has since taken him all over the world."

This year's anniversary programme has already included a revival of The Funny Farm, the show which made the name of Fred MacAulay, Bruce Morton and Parrot, and improv group The Rupert Pupkin Collective, as well as new hits like The Boy with Tape on his Face, Showstopper, Comedy in the Dark, and hard-hitting play Lockerbie: Unfinished Business.

Ms Koren said: "I'm very happy to be celebrating our 25th Anniversary with so many of our old friends and lots of lovely messages from some performers that couldn't be here.

"It's a fantastic line-up, although I would have liked to had even more, but we just don't have time in our schedule.

"Were going to be running an hour-long show each day over the last weekend."