Moving drama: Edinburgh Fringe show will take place on city open-top tour bus

A double-decker drama is to unfold on the streets of Edinburgh with a play set on a Capital tour buses.

Every Fringe production has its challenges, but the team behind The Tour Guide have had to stock up on plastic ponchos and written three versions of the script to cater for different weather conditions.

Their audiences will set off on a real Mac Tours vintage bus from the city centre, and for the first 15 minutes of their journey, will feel as if they're on a standard sightseeing tour.

But as the tour guide – played by an actor – gets further into his last-ever tour after being forced out of his Edinburgh home, he diverts the bus away from its usual route to explore his own chequered past.

The drama has been written by acclaimed playwright James Graham, who is also currently working on a new play for the National Theatre in London. It is produced by Playhouse general manager Gary Roden, a friend of Mr Graham's since they were 11-year-old schoolboys.

Mr Roden said: "We've done shows together on the Fringe when we were at secondary school and at university, and now we're both doing quite well in our respective fields and we thought it would be good to revisit it.

"You're constantly worried about how much venues cost and the practicalities of getting into a venue and the easiest way to take that out is to do something a bit different – and that's where the idea of doing something on a mode of transport came up. We approached Lothian Buses and talked them through the idea."

The pair will hire a Mac Tour bus for four hours a day, giving two performances. The audience will sit on both decks. Once they have strayed from their initial tour route, the audience will also disembark to see some scenes.

It might be the latest in a long line of quirky Fringe venues – which have seen productions staged in public toilets, a lift and a camper van – but Mr Roden is clear that it is more than just a bit of fun. "It's an exciting, quirky project, but to think it's going to be easy would be naive. It's quirky, and I think people will book just because of that, but we want to win a Fringe First award for its dramatic quality, not because it's gimmicky."

They are currently selecting a director and will then cast the tour guide – but one of the stars of the show is already confirmed: "The best thing about it is Edinburgh – we'll certainly have the best set" Mr Roden said.

The play, is presented in association with Lothian Buses, and will depart twice daily from Market Street from August 3-28 (not Mondays) at 6.15pm and 8.15pm.

[email protected]