Historical themes are not always the easiest for a theatre group to capture, what with actual facts always getting in the way. The best and worst of these attempts are here.
Warming himself to the audience like a cuddly chat show host, Sir Walter Raleigh, discoverer of worlds, champion of potatoes, begins with his particular brand of obsequious fawning for the greatness of others. Then behold, ladies and gentlemen, the bizarre, wonderful, crazed and incongruous introduction to what is Elizabeth and Raleigh: Late but Live.
Playing Raleigh with panache, wit and throwaway fun is Miles Jupp, whose perfect foil, Queen Elizabeth I, is played imperiously by Simon Munnery. The pairing of these two great comedians is like nothing else at the Fringe, and for those lucky enough to have seen Johnson and Boswell: Late but Live last year, expect more of the same weirdly madcap humour. Penned by Stewart Lee, the jokes in the show are the kind that produce great bubbles of joyous, unexpected laughter. A strong sense of the historical is mixed in with the best kind of modern silliness, and the heightened language only adds to the excellence of the base humour. This is the Fringe at its best, and those who witness Raleigh’s culinary humiliation are likely to agree.
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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World Without End, Twitter
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Rudeness, Youtube
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Chez, Chortle.com
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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Brighton Argus
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Idrie, Youtube
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John Robins, Comedian
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Stuart, Chortle
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Jackmumf, Twitter
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Bosco239, youtube
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Danazawa, Youtube
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter