Video: Ashley Storrie on the '˜world buffet of entertainment'

Ashley Storrie. Picture: Steven Ullathorne

Not only was she close with her “gangster” grandfather but her mother left behind a job as a barmaid to become one of Scotland’s most cherished female comedians - Janey Godley.

Ashley’s 2017 Fringe show, ‘Morning Glory’ is a tribute to her family, manic childhood and her 15 years at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

“Technically working, this is my 15th Fringe,” she says., adding “I did my first one-woman show when I was 13.”

For Ashley, Edinburgh became an annual summer holiday, spending every August in the company of her performing mum.

Even after coming for 15 years as a performer, promoter and flyer, she can still barely contain her enthusiasm for “the world’s biggest arts festival”.

“It’s like the world buffet of entertainment,” she says.

“It’s right here as a Smörgåsbord and you’ve got free shows everywhere. I’m doing free shows - I love doing free shows!

“You don’t even have to pay anymore - you can come and see some of the finest entertainment for no money.”

Misty-eyed, Ashley describes ‘Morning Glory’ as a tribute to her grandad, who only passed away earlier this year.

“People look at my life from the outside, because one of my grandads was a gangster and my family lived in extreme poverty but I was very lucky.

“My parents made money and I was sent to a private school so [in the show] I talk about how it’s hard to have any problems and how your problems seem comparatively slight when your family have struggled so hard.”

Modest, charming and full of funny quips, Ashley has reached a substantial online audience with regular Youtube and Facebook Live vlogs.

‘Morning Glory’ received some celebrity approval by way of Dawn French, whose ‘French and Saunders’ was Ashley’s first introduction to comedy by her mum’s side.

“We had no hope of ever leaving the Calton,” she says.

“We used to watch French and Saunders videos and we used to reenact the sketches from it.”

After the show, French told her 188,000 Twitter followers she thought Ashlie was “a REVALATION”, caps and all.