Doug Stanhope ‘saves Edinburgh man from bridge fall’

COMEDIAN Doug Stanhope has been hailed as a hero after he helped to talk a man out of jumping from a bridge in Edinburgh after a stand-up gig in the Capital.

Doug Stanhope. Picture: Twitter/@dougstanhope

The Massachusetts-born comic was performing a low-key warm-up date at the Tron in Edinburgh ahead of a wider tour, and became involved in the incident after the show on Friday night last week..

The US comedian told chortle.co.uk: “The word hero is a very strong word, especially the way I’m having it tattooed in 18-inch Gothic script across my back.

“I will be wearing tights and a cape for the rest of the tour.”

And in an interview with STV Glasgow, Stanhope told how he was having a cigarette outside the Scotsman hotel when he noticed the commotion on the other side of the street

He added: “I went across, and a couple of other guys grabbed [the man] and I tried to make some jokes and lighten things up.

“We held him until the police came.”

He told The Herald: “I saw a woman chasing a man down the street... They were both very drunk and it was a bit like a Fringe show.

“But then the guy started trying to climb up on the bridge and I thought I’d better get over there.

“He was pretty riled up, especially when we held him down on the ground. If we hadn’t held him down, I’m pretty sure he would have jumped.”