I'm delighted to announce that I'll be doing a 12 day long run at this year's Edinburgh Fringe, with a show called IAIN DALE - ALL TALK.
I've invited a range of well known people from the world of politics and the media to join me on stage at one of the best known venues on the Fringe, The Gilded Balloon. Each day from July 31 through to August 11th at 4pm, I'll spend an hour with them, exploring their lives, careers and motivations in an 'In Conversation' format. I might even do a bit of stand-up at the beginning... Might... We might even occasionally get away with mentioning the ‘B’(rexit) word but we intend to have a lot of laughs too.
I've assembled a stunning line-up of guests, I hope you'll agree!
- Wednesday 31 July - Baroness Sayeeda Warsi
- Thursday 1 August - Johnny Mercer MP
- Friday 2 August - Fi Glover & Sarah Smith
- Saturday 3 August - Kirsty Wark
- Sunday 4 August - Jess Phillips MP
- Monday 5 August - First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon MSP
- Tuesday 6 August - John McDonnell MP
- Wednesday 7 August - Jacqui Smith & Dame Louise Casey
- Thursday 8 August - Heidi Allen MP & Layla Moran MP
- Friday 9 August - Mayor Sadiq Khan
- Saturday 10 August - Christiane Amanpour
- Sunday 11 August - Alan Johnson
The show is promoted by Seabright Productions and Northbank Speakers and I'm delighted and very grateful that it is being supported by Arbuthnot Latham and LBC Radio.
Tickets have gone on sale today and range from £7-£14. You can book them via the Gilded Balloon website or via the EdFringe website. You can phone the box office on 0131 622 6552.
Needless to say, this is quite a big thing for me. I've been going to the festival for a few years now, and have always wanted to do a show. When I signed up with Northbank Talent Management last year I mentioned it in passing, and they introduced me to James Seabright, one of the country's leading promoters. He was hugely enthusiastic and, well, here we are today.
Anyone who has put on a show at the Fringe knows how exciting the prospect is, but also the risks, and I'm not going into this with my eyes closed. But I am really confident that given the lineup, and the demographic of those who attend the Fringe, that this will work. We'll soon see!
There’s a real appetite for live political debate and conversation and that’s why I’m delighted to be bringing a live political interview show to the Fringe. We’ve been deliberately ambitious in our line-up of guests and it’s testament to the status of the Fringe that they’ve all said yes! We see this thirst for political insight at literary festivals across the country, in regional theatres and at the various Spectator, Intelligence Squared and Times debates. Jacob Rees-Mogg even sold out the London Palladium last month.
Needless to say, I'd love you to come along and would encourage you to book your tickets early!
You can follow the Fringe show on Twitter @IainDaleAllTalk.
All press enquiries to Julian Hall at Textual Healing.
