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More about tipples than titters! Top comedian accuses Edinburgh Fringe Festival of becoming a Scots version of Munich's beer-swilling Oktoberfest
German comedian Henning Wehn said performers and shows were becoming 'superfluous', with thousands of revellers flocking to the city to drink.
The Fringe, which started on Friday and runs until August 26, helped launch the career of scores of comedy stars such as Rowan Atkinson, Billy Connolly and Steve Coogan. But Wehn, 50, who regularly appears on Radio 4, has told fans in his online newsletter: 'The main difference to the Fringe of 20 years ago is that these days every bit of open space has been turned into a temporary gigantonormous beer garden with licensing until all hours and a small hut for performances somewhere in the corner as a box-ticking exercise.' 'I'm always cackling when I see yet another bursary scheme set up to level the playing field by handing out a few bob to performers from a working class background, especially when it involves any of the big Fringe venue such as Underbelly or the Assembly Rooms.
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