Five questions for BEASTS

Silly comedy trio BEASTS return to Edinburgh in August, bringing their mad bag of sketches to the Pleasance. They let Giggle Beats in on their new show, SOLO, working with Tom Parry of Pappys, and more.

Harking back to simpler times, how did BEASTS come to be?

Some years back, an Englishman and Irishman and a Welshman came together with a single dream: to perform comedy shows in portakabins. We are continually grateful to the Edinburgh Fringe for allowing us to realise that ambition.

Tell us about SOLO.

SOLO is about the group deciding to split up and perform three separate solo shows. The only problem is that they’ve only booked one room. Inevitably, it descends in to chaos.

Tom Parry of Pappys is your director this year – what has he contributed towards the show?

This is the first year we’ve worked with a director and it’s been incredibly helpful to have an outside eye. Tom has a great instinct for comedy and is a natural story-teller, so he’s really helped us to construct the narrative element of the show.

There’s a preconception about sketch comedy that it’s a hit and miss genre – do you think that’s fair, and does that assumption make it harder for you to please audiences who haven’t seen you before?

It really depends on the show – most comedy is hit and miss to an extent. One of the reasons we’re most excited about SOLO is that it has a strong story at its heart as well as the usual sketch anarchy. Also, it’s got the music from Jurassic Park in it.

If there ever were to be a break-up, where would it rank in the all-time group splits? Somewhere between The Beatles and Blazing Squad?

Hopefully BEASTS will be like the Sugababes – it’ll live on even if we someday split. Long after we’re gone, pale imitations will trot out on stage in smart-casual attire and make idiots of themselves under our banner.

BEASTS: SOLO, Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 30 July – 25 August, 4.45pm, £10/£9 concessions, edfringe.com