ED2011 Comedy ED2011 Three To See

Three To See 2011: Comedic doctors

By Caro Moses | Published on Sunday 31 July 2011

ThreeWeeks Co-Editor Caro Moses tips three comedy doctors making an appearance at Edinburgh Fringe 2011.

Dr Brown Becaves
Becaves isn’t a word. But never mind. I am recommending this show not on account of the title’s creative spelling, but on account of the fact that it has the word ‘Dr’ in it, and that’s my theme and I’m sticking to it. I’m not awfully familiar with this chap as yet, I must admit, but I quite like his publicity photo. It makes him look like a lunatic. And his publicity material suggests that he actually is one.
Underbelly, 4 – 28 Aug (not 15), 9.50pm (10.50pm), £8.50 – £10.50, fpp67.

Doctor Phil’s Rude Health Show (pictured)
Here’s a doctor that almost certainly isn’t a lunatic. In fact, he reminds me of a GP I used to have. This may not be altogether surprising I suppose, given that he actually is a doctor, and actual doctors, as everyone knows, all look and sound the same. You’ve probably seen Dr Hammond on shows like ‘Have I Got News For You’, heard him on ‘The News Quiz’ or ‘The Now Show’ and read his writing in Private Eye. It’s not the first time he’s been to the Fringe, of course, so he’s a seasoned pro, in more ways than one. All good reasons why this should prove to be a safe bet.
theSpace at Symposium Hall, 8 – 27 Aug (not 14, 21), 7.00pm (8.00pm), £7.00 – £10.00, fpp69.

The Life Doctor
This is a comedy play (I think) by Cambridge types. And God knows, I hate them. Well, okay, I don’t. In fact, I live with a Cambridge type. But I do hate the way people just assume that a show by Cambridge types will be good, just because Footlights once had Hugh Laurie in it. But a) this fulfils the criterion of having the word doctor in its title, b) it actually looks reasonably promising and c) their blurb was mildly amusing.
Underbelly, 4 – 28 Aug (not 17), 8.10pm (9.10pm), £8.00 – £10.50, fpp109.