The beauty of the Fringe is that even though there is a central organisation keeping an eye on things (the Fringe Society) all the performers, venues and associated people that orbit around the event have their own stake in the Fringe as a whole. If people are not careful this can lead to insular thinking and put elements of the Fringe in danger.

You can read the full column here.

That’s it, pack up, go home, jump on a train, fly away, it’s time to give Edinburgh back to its residents. But before you do…

…there’s just time for my annual top ten moments from the Fringe. It’s the usual eclectic mix of songs, jokes, touching moments, performance and silliness – the final 30 minutes of everything you love about the Fringe and another reason why you’ll be back next year.

I know I will.

My Top Ten Moments at the Edinburgh Fringe 2010

The Occupier
Sometimes an interview goes for pure cheese and asks a comedian what their favourite joke is. Which I did with Gary Delaney.
Purist

Fringe Binge
Keeping everyone on the level with a running tally of jokes and observations, Fringe Binge on twitter was an underground hero.
@FringeBinge

The Noise Next Door
If you can improvise music, be careful if you’re asked to improvise a love song to Kate Copstick of The Scotsman.
Chaos Control

Ian Kendall
The same line, in every show, every year. There’s something comforting about “Do you know the one about gravity?”
I Said I Wouldn’t Do This Again

Schnell! Schnell!
The interview that made my kids day, and the joke in the kids show that had me laughing out loud – even if no=one else spotted the reference in the crowd.
Dan and Jeff’s Potted Panto

Stewart Lee and Frank Chicken
What’s not to love about an internet campaign to vote Frank Chicken as a Comedy God and not give it to the TV stars du jour? Exactly.
Stewbilee

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre
Come to the Fringe to get on the telly, get on The One Show in the first day, job done. Just the small matter of another 23 performances to get through.
On The Telly

Frisky and Mannish
If you have a song that lampoons all your press coverage from the previous year, then the correct place to perform it is obviously at the Underbelly press launch in front of the same journalists.
The College Years

Terry Alderton
Interviewed for the second podcast this year, Terry opened up to talk about what it’s like to not be in the top flight of UK comedians. A great interview that reminded me why I enjoy doing the podcast.
Terry Alderton

Tripod
The winning wookie noise in a pre-interview chat, the best merchandise, a CD that I’m still listening to two weeks after the show – a triumphant return to Edinburgh with something a bit more than silly songs.
Tripod vs The Dragon

Were you in Edinburgh, or a regular listener to the podcast? Feel free to get in touch, ewanspence@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter (@Ewan).

To make sure you never miss the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

There’s a demonstration video on the process running overlaid on BBC News (you can view it here), but I know exactly where the BBC should be using this… for an in-vision Eurovision commentary track!

Anyone fancy working on a hack at Over the Air?

Download audio file (tpn_eff2010_20100830_25.mp3)

MP3 File – Show Notes – RSS Feed – iTunes Link

So the last day of The Fringe dawns, and while shows are still running, there’s a lot of weary but happy performers (and podcasters!) to catch up with and find out how their Fringe has been this year. That and coverage from The Stage awards and it’s a packed final day here in Edinburgh.

Don’t forget to tune in for our last show, when I go over my Top Ten moments of the 2010 Fringe!

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2010 #25 – The Final Moments of the Fringe

Frisky and Mannish
The College Years
Underbelly

Peter Buckley Hill
PBH’s Free Fringe
www.freefringe.org.uk

The Stage
Awards for Acting Excellence 2010
ed.thestage.co.uk

Rachael Sage
Stop Me if I’m Kvetching
C Cabaret

Today’s iFringe recommended show: Shadow Boxing.

Also featuring The Scotsman on Fringe ticket sales, Frank Chicken, Roadkill and Bound.

There’s lots of ways to get in touch with me if you’ve been at the Fringe performing or watching. Email me on ewanspence@gmail.com (I will read them all, it does take a few days this early in August to reply!), or on Twitter (@ewan).

If you want to make sure you always get the latest Edinburgh Fringe podcasts, you can subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

How high would you go to see a free gig? How about the very top of Arthur’s Seat, the extinct volcano that dominates the Edinburgh skyline? That’s what Lionel Ritchie was hoping for, in this year’s “This Belongs to Lionel Richie".” I joined Lionel, the guests and the tech crew in the ascent to find out more…

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2010 #24 – This Podcast Belongs to Lionel Ritchie

Rich Fulcher
An Evening with Eleanor, the Tour Whore
Underbelly

Jolie
Roger
Pleasance Dome

With thanks to Com Comedy.

Today’s iFringe recommended show: The Beta Males Picnic Presents…

Also featuring Russell Kane, Roisin Conaty, Bo Burnham, Arthur Smith, The Magnets, Cabaret Whore Encore, Henning Wehn, The Fragility of X, Tom Adams’ Can’t Come, Sticks Stones Broken Bones, Sex Idiot, White, Tabu, Roadkill, The Author and Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

Enjoyed the show, even if you weren’t in Edinburgh? Get in touch, ewanspence@gmail.com, or you can find me on Twitter (@Ewan).

To make sure you always get the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

The end is in site, but there’s time for one last big push to get the crowds in for the weekend – if you haven’t already sold out. The final flurry of awards are being announced, but with three days still to go, the dying breath of the Fringe still has the same amount of time as festivals like Glastonbury, Download and Latitude!

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2010 #23 – No Performer Left Behind

Asher Treleven
Secret Door
Pleasance Courtyard

Nilaja Sun
No Child…
Assembly George Street

Gemma Goggin
Get Laid or Die Trying
Gilded Balloon

The Rayguns
Set to Stun
Three Sisters

The Couch
Cabaret Voltaire

Today’s iFringe recommended show: Bec Hill Didn’t Want To Play Your Stupid Game Anyway.

Also featuring Karen Koren, Roadkill, Robert White, Stewart Lee and Bo Burnham.

And thanks also to Illegal Jacks South West Grill for being a wonderful host for Gemma’s Speed/Blind Date interview!

In Edinburgh and you’d like to be on the podcast? Please get in touch, ewanspence@gmail.com for your press releases and emails will work fine, or you can follow me on Twitter (@Ewan).

To make sure you always get the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

It’s the big final weekend, the last opportunity to take a chance in Edinburgh, but as you’ll hear in today’s show, life and The Fringe is always about taking chances.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2010 #22 – The Brave and the Foolish

Brendon Burns
Y’Know – Love ‘n’ God ‘n’ Metaphysics…
Underbelly

Stripes Theatre
Two Brothers and One World Cup
Underbelly

The Magnets
Gobsmacked
Underbelly

Today’s iFringe recommended show: The Arabian Nights.

Also featuring Primadoona, Bunny, Flesh and Blood and Fish and Fowl, Lidless
and Another Someone.

In Edinburgh and you’d like to be on the podcast? Please get in touch, ewanspence@gmail.com for your press releases and emails will work fine, or you can follow me on Twitter (@Ewan).

To make sure you always get the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

Everyone comes back – that’s the simple, unwritten rule about the Fringe. Be it a comic returning each year as his talents grow; an actor who’s been absent for 15 years but still has a place in his heart; or the musician that wants to play with the best, for more dates, and more acclaim. It all comes back to Edinburgh. In August. Every year.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2010 #21 – All Roads Lead Back to Edinburgh

Andrew Lawrence
Too Ugly for Television
Pleasance Courtyard

Bud Takes the Wheel
I Feel a Song Coming On
Underbelly

Kerry Hodgkin
Jazz Table in the Corner
The Jazz Bar

Today’s iFringe recommended show: Memoirs of a Biscuit Tin.

Also featuring Bo Burnham, Greg Davies, Josie Long, Russell Kane, Sarah Millican, An Audience with Imran Yusuf, Asher Treleaven, Gareth Richards, Late Night Gimp Fight, Roisin Conathy, The Boy With The Tape on His Face, Patrick Monahan, Barbershopera, The House of Mirrors and Hearts, Fresher, Five Guys named Moe, The Emperors Quest and Zambezi Express.

There’s lots of ways to get in touch with me if you’re at the Fringe performing, in Edinburgh to take in a show or having to experience the Fringe from afar (hello Mervyn’s son!). Email me on ewanspence@gmail.com (I will read them all, it does take a few days this early in August to reply!), or on Twitter (@ewan).

If you want to make sure you always get the latest Edinburgh Fringe podcasts, you can subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

It just upsets me when relatively few people coming to Edinburgh explore shows on offer that aren’t mainstream stand-up comics. No matter what label is given to a Fringe show, to me they all do the same thing. They tell a story.

What is a stand-up if nothing more than a someone doing a one hour monologue. Yes, there are audience interactions (sometimes) and certain things that stand-ups can do that others can’t, but there are theatre rules of thumb that I’m sure some of the comics would love to employ. If you’re up to the Fringe and only taking in comedy and “people off the telly” then you are missing out.

Forget about the image of needing to understand technique and study theatre, it’s there to enjoy as much as The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre (Gilded Balloon).

Read on at the Caledonian Mercury.

Yes, The Archers and the Radio 4 Food Programme are doing what they do every year and are just ahead of the EdFringe Podcast. I suspect Ambridge (as always) is a little bit out of reach, but there are six shows left in this daily run from the Fringe – perhaps the Foodies are in range?

You can subscribe to the pocast (or leave a star rating and review, those are appreciated as well) at bit.ly/fringepodcast.

Sometimes your Edinburgh experience improves every year, sometimes you bounce up and down (while friends go to Hollywood) and other times you decide to try and look back at your life and see what’s changed. That’s The Fringe.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2010 #20 – It’s Just a Ride

Rufus Jones and Alex Kirk
No Son Of Mine
Pleasance Courtyard

Tom Allen
Tom Allen Toughens Up!
Gilded Balloon

David Benson
The Singalong Glee Club
Gilded Balloon

Lockerbie: Unfinished Business
Gilded Balloon

Today’s iFringe recommended show: The Vanishing Horizon.

Also featuring the Festival Media Network, Scotsman’s Worst Review, and Sarah Millican.

In Edinburgh and you’d like to be on the podcast before it ends? Please get in touch, ewanspence@gmail.com for your press releases and emails will work fine, or you can follow me on Twitter (@Ewan).

To make sure you always get the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

A bit of an ‘old time’ flavour to the show today as Radio 4’s ‘Saturday’ poet Kate Fox pops in to talk about her show, while the ghost of Hollywood Musicals infects ‘Reel to Real.’ Throw in a 1940’s radio revival comedy show, and you have another unique day at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2010 #19 – The Danny Kaye Appreciation Society

Kate Fox
Kate Fox News
Gilded Balloon

Reel to Real
The Movies Musical
Pleasance Grand

The Fitzrovia Radio Hour
Underbelly

Today’s iFringe recommended show: Bound.

Also featuring the Malcolm Hardee Awards, Amused Moose, Antonio Forcione, Ali McGregor, Sean Lock, The Pajama Men and Sarah Millican.

In Edinburgh and you’d like to be on the podcast? Please get in touch, ewanspence@gmail.com for your press releases and emails will work fine, or you can follow me on Twitter (@Ewan).

To make sure you always get the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

The Fringe allows some brilliantly inventive shows and performers to take centre stage, and I’ve picked out three of them today to highlight, namely some German humour, some silent theatre, and some inventive musical improv.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2010 #18 – Something a Little Bit Different

Henning Wehn
My Struggle
The Caves

Wil Seward
Silent Cannonfire
Zoo Roxy

The Noise Next Door
Chaos Control
Pleasance Courtyard

Today’s iFringe recommended show: The Sunday Defensive: Further Complications.

Also featuring: Tim Vine’s Joke-amotive, Gary Delaney, Mark Shenton and the Festival Media Network.

In Edinburgh and you’d like to be on the podcast? Please get in touch, ewanspence@gmail.com for your press releases and emails will work fine, or you can follow me on Twitter (@Ewan).

To make sure you always get the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

Martin Brundle has about 4 minutes on a Formula 1 Grid – I wonder how he;s cope with the Royal Mile? Yes it’s time for the annual start at the top, switch on the microphone, and commence walking, as I attempt to capture the spirits, the sounds, the sensations and the showmanship on display on the Royal Mile.

Walking Down The Royal Mile (2010 Edition)

• We Three Kings (Busking)
• The Railway Children (C Plaza)
• Danny Ward Plus One (Sin Club)
• The Body Tights Man Show (The Caves)
• Edinburgh Revue Presents (Cabaret Voltaire)
• Cambridge University Medics Revue (C Venues)
• Charmed Forces (The Caves)
• Photo 51 (Zoo Roxy)
• I Said I Wouldn’t Do This Again (The Zoo)
• Antics Improv Group (Sweet Grassmarket)
• A Clockwork Orange (Spaces on the Mile)
• The Wind in the Willows (C Too)
• Hood! (Spaces on the Mile
• Fairy Fail (Gilded Balloon)
• Princes Cabaret (Gilded Balloon)
• The Edinburgh Fridge (Greenside)
• The Fever Chart (Spaces on the Mile)
• Nothing to Show (Spaces on the Mile)
• The Man Who Fell Out Of Bed (C Central)
• Durham Review’s Working Title (Underbelly)
• Baby Wants Candy (Assembly Hall)
• Oi For England (Venue 13)
• 100 (Surgeons Hall)
• The Ark (The Space at Venue 45)
• Hildegard of Bingen and the Living Light (Surgeons Hall)
• The Venetian Twins (C Venues)
• James James (Street Performer)
• Morgan and West (Gilded Balloon)
• Death by Gameshow (C Soco)
• Dr Faustus (Underbelly)
• The Night Keeper (Hill Street Theatre)
• Wit (C Aquila)
• Little Shop of Horrors (Augustines)

There’s lots of ways to get in touch with me if you’re at the Fringe performing, in Edinburgh to take in a show or having to experience the Fringe from afar (hello Mervyn’s son!). Email me on ewanspence@gmail.com (I will read them all, it does take a few days this early in August to reply!), or on Twitter (@ewan).

If you want to make sure you always get the latest Edinburgh Fringe podcasts, you can subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.