Hello Dave, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking?
I’m from the UK’s showbiz hub: Luton. Grew up in Bedfordshire, lived in London, now live in Hertfordshire. Not very interesting is it? I’m from Fraggle Rock.

When did you first realise you were, well, funny?
I was a funny kid I think. I use to recreate the Lee Evans gigs I had on video for my mates at school and just constantly do impressions of Rik Mayall, Father Ted and Harry Enfield characters. One day my teacher sat down to tell me off for being a dick as usual and he opened with “the problem is you are very funny, even I laugh, but you’re killing everyone’s chances of getting decent GCSE’s.” Finally someone got through to me and I stopped fucking about unless people were paying me good money.

Upon which life-experiences do you draw your own comedy?
Anything that pisses me off. I have a song about the British Press in my current show. The printed media is dying and they’re not being very dignified about it. There’s a lot in my current show about LAD Culture – it’s not so much the lads I have a problem with more the way me, or anyone else in this industry who is from a working class background, is given that label. “How can he possibly play a King in Shakespeare when he spends his weekends drinking lager and watching football?”. By acting, go fuck yourself.

What does Dave Bibby like to do when he’s not being funny?
Drink lager and watch football. I don’t have a side job like most comedians. I just knock around doing a lot of presenting work. I do music gigs and festivals, host events for Guinness World Records and run a regular football podcast called ‘Jim and Dave Have Lost The Dressing Room’

You’ve been washed up on a desert island with a solar-powered DVD player & three films. Which would they be?
I’d crack open a couple of coconuts and watch Goodfellas, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and Bear Grylls ‘Born Survivor’. Then I’d act them all out as one complete live show for the seagulls – gangster goes mad then drinks his own piss.

Why stand-up comedy?
It’s just the simplest, most raw way of communicating opinions and it changes every time you do it

You’ve been on the telly & all that, how have you found the experiences?
Awesome. The main thing I’ve found about doing TV is two types of people appear online – 1) trolls and 2) people I haven’t heard of since school who pop up to tell me I’m doing well ‘cause I’ve just come on during the X Factor in an advert selling crisps

You are one third part of the immensely popular sketch act ‘Lead Pencil’, so why have you gone solo this Fringe?
Just fancied a new challenge really. I had a couple of years off the fringe and had that burn to do something new. All three from Lead Pencil are flying solo this year, the girls are doing very serious theatre – Louise is in Victim at Pleasance, Maddie is in Fleabag at Underbelly and I’m doing a rap about a pigeon with an attitude problem.

Can you tell us about your show?
Nobody Puts Bibby in the Corner at Underbelly, Cowgate. It’s like comedy pick ‘n mix (or comedy tapas if you’ve had a gap yah). It’s stand up, sketch, characters, songs, storytelling and lots of audience interaction. It’s completely random and stupid and a fun way to spend an hour

How do you find performing at the mega-mash-up that is the Edinburgh Fringe?
It’s amazing really. I took a chance and decided to do a show so without big producers or a great PR presence behind me so my audiences every day are so different because basically everyone has just taken a punt. And that makes it challenging for me which is exactly why I’m here

What will Dave Bibby be doing after the Fringe?
Going on holiday then apologising to the bank manager

---

Dave is being funny at the Fringe right now

Aug 8-14, 16-27 : The Underbelly (15.40)