:00:13. > :00:16.here in Edinburgh to bring you the very best. As a result, we have a
:00:17. > :00:19.5-star show for you to bring you the very best. As a result, we have a
:00:20. > :00:21.5-star show for U-turn. Paul Merton, Suki Webster, Nichols Parsons, Al
:00:22. > :00:26.Murray and a ban used stand-up called Nancy Dell'Olio. We may even
:00:27. > :01:05.get Kevin here to move. Hey, care of?
:01:06. > :01:12.How about that? Hello and welcome to The One Show, live from the biggest
:01:13. > :01:17.arts event on the entire planet, with much all right. And Alex Jones,
:01:18. > :01:24.and the fantastic Te Matatini Kapa Haka performers! They will be
:01:25. > :01:29.bringing us a lot more Maori magic later. We will also witness some
:01:30. > :01:33.fantastic acrobatics from one of the hottest circus groups on the Fringe.
:01:34. > :01:37.It is a show called A Simple Space, and I believe that movement is
:01:38. > :01:43.called the pigeon. I can do the bottom half. We have also got a
:01:44. > :01:47.festival of guest to talk to. Here are the BBC -- here is the BBC's own
:01:48. > :01:51.festival of guest to talk to. Here are the BBC -- here is area of
:01:52. > :02:02.Potterow. We start with the pub landlord himself, Mr Al Murray! Good
:02:03. > :02:10.to see you, mate. Likewise. You have just come off stage into the BBC's
:02:11. > :02:16.area in Potterow. Yes, I am onstage at 7:20pm with my stand-up show. It
:02:17. > :02:22.is a preview of show you are doing around the country? Thank you for
:02:23. > :02:35.bringing that up. It is very kind of you. It is a new show of Pub
:02:36. > :02:38.Landlord nonsense. But it is 20 years of the Pub Landlord, and he
:02:39. > :02:46.was created at the Edinburgh Fringe? Yes, I was doing a show with Harry
:02:47. > :02:51.Hill at the Pleasance cabaret bar, or distil a venue. But we did not
:02:52. > :03:00.have a linking device, so on the opening night, we thought, why not
:03:01. > :03:03.say, the compere has not turned up, and the pub landlord has offered to
:03:04. > :03:09.fill in? And we did it, and it worked. You have done well out of
:03:10. > :03:13.him. It was kind of a lucky accident, because I understand that
:03:14. > :03:17.early on in Edinburgh, it was not so brilliant?
:03:18. > :03:21.I was in a show in 1989 that was written and directed by Stuart Lee,
:03:22. > :03:26.a big Fringe favourite now, and it was declared the worst show on the
:03:27. > :03:34.Fringe by two national newspapers. That has got to be good, though?
:03:35. > :03:38.Well, we turned it round eventually. The thing with the Fringe is that it
:03:39. > :03:43.is synonymous with launching comedians like yourself. What is the
:03:44. > :03:53.appeal to people like yourself who are now established? The people! I
:03:54. > :03:59.have been here a week now, and I am shameless. Edinburgh is the greatest
:04:00. > :04:08.city in the world. With the greatest audiences in the world. Now, you are
:04:09. > :04:15.about to go on stage, so let's get you warmed up. Jacket on.
:04:16. > :04:20.Obviously, the Pub Landlord would have something to say about the
:04:21. > :04:28.referendum? I am glad you asked me that, pal, but I am not allowed to
:04:29. > :04:34.vote. What is your opinion on the Fringe festival? Is it a bit arty
:04:35. > :04:40.farce for you? There is a lot of pulled pork, Artisan maps, flatbread
:04:41. > :04:47.. We are going to send you of for you start a riot. It is weird being
:04:48. > :04:58.half him and half me. Off you go. Nice to see you. Al Murray! Well,
:04:59. > :05:05.his show is one of only a 3000 that are taking place at the festival,
:05:06. > :05:09.almost 24 hours. So we set a challenge for the fastest man on The
:05:10. > :05:12.One Show payroll to see how many shows he could go to in one day. Of
:05:13. > :05:21.course, there was no chance he was just going to stay in the audience.
:05:22. > :05:24.It is nearly impossible to see everything on at the Edinburgh
:05:25. > :05:28.festival, but The One Show set me a hard challenge. They want me to
:05:29. > :05:32.visit as many acts as I can in just one day. I was a runner, so I am
:05:33. > :05:35.number on my feet but they want me to perform? This is going to be
:05:36. > :05:41.tough. Edinburgh Festival Fringe began in 1947, when eight theatre
:05:42. > :05:44.companies who had not been invited to the first Edinburgh International
:05:45. > :05:48.festival Camelot anyway and stayed their productions in alternative
:05:49. > :05:58.venues. And it worked out for them. The Fringe is now the largest arts
:05:59. > :06:01.festival in the world. Opened in 1787 as a place for social
:06:02. > :06:03.gatherings, every year, the assembly rooms plays host to some of the
:06:04. > :06:08.weird and wonderful act to visit the Fringe should stop this year, the
:06:09. > :06:14.amazing bubble man is in the house. How special is this festival? Well,
:06:15. > :06:18.the fact that I get to do 25 shows in a row in the same place, that
:06:19. > :06:24.never happens anywhere else. And everything is unpredictable with
:06:25. > :06:28.bubbles. During August while the festival is on, the population of
:06:29. > :06:32.Edinburgh more than doubles. It is not easy making your way through
:06:33. > :06:38.this lot. I think I am funny, but it is time to meet a real comedy double
:06:39. > :06:44.act, a homage to Morecambe and Wise. We started our show last year, and
:06:45. > :06:51.it has grown from there. It has been amazing. One o'clock already. I am
:06:52. > :06:56.up against it. Best get a move on, because every performance counts. I
:06:57. > :07:01.will leave that to you. I have just been asked to take part in a Little
:07:02. > :07:10.shop of horrors, so I am going to do my vocal warm-up. I have clocked up
:07:11. > :07:16.a good number of venues already. But I reckon it is time for a few more.
:07:17. > :07:25.This is two my mother is from Japan, and I have managed to work my way in
:07:26. > :07:29.on the act. This is easier than I thought. Here at the restaurant just
:07:30. > :07:34.off the Royal Mile, the entire place has turned into a venue for a unique
:07:35. > :07:47.experience, hosted by some familiar characters. How hard is your job? It
:07:48. > :07:52.is easy. You jumped up jogger! How dare you break that? Audiences enjoy
:07:53. > :07:58.a three course meal amongst the chaos of Basil, Sybil and the
:07:59. > :08:03.waiter. I don't think I will be back there any time soon. Now, here is a
:08:04. > :08:07.place I recognise. It has been a long day and a tough challenge. I
:08:08. > :08:13.have enjoyed it, but I am finally at my last menu, and I am going to go
:08:14. > :08:16.all out for this one. One of the biggest attractions in the city is
:08:17. > :08:26.the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo MO which sees over 220 as attendees
:08:27. > :08:36.each year. At his final destination, please give a warm welcome to Iwan
:08:37. > :08:39.Thomas from The One Show! Wow, what a day. This challenge has been
:08:40. > :08:43.brilliant and a real honour to finish it here at the royal
:08:44. > :08:51.Edinburgh military tattoo. It has been awesome. Cheers, One Show!
:08:52. > :08:56.Thank you, Iwan, for your support, athletic as always. He is not a
:08:57. > :08:59.jumped up job. We are joined now by Paul Merton and Suki Webster, who
:09:00. > :09:07.are not only performing together, they are married in real life. So,
:09:08. > :09:09.Al Murray was here a second ago. He was saying that when he first came
:09:10. > :09:15.to Edinburgh, he had these terrible reviews. But you, Paul, had a bad
:09:16. > :09:20.experience for a different reason. Yes, in 1987 May was the first time
:09:21. > :09:25.I came here to do a one-man show. The opening night was fine. The next
:09:26. > :09:30.day, a friend of mine said, want to go and play football on the Meadows?
:09:31. > :09:32.I went and broke my leg and went into hospital. They came out of
:09:33. > :09:38.hospital and have a pulmonary embolism and also got hepatitis A.
:09:39. > :09:44.And while in hospital, a review came out that said, go and see this man.
:09:45. > :09:48.So people would queue up to look at me and check the x-rays. That was
:09:49. > :09:53.the worst one. Even worse than bad reviews, fighting for your life. You
:09:54. > :09:59.have come a long way since then. Yes, I am getting over it. Your play
:10:00. > :10:05.is called My Obsession. Suki, tell us about it? It is a half-hour one
:10:06. > :10:10.act play with both Paul and myself, a two hander. It is My Obsession,
:10:11. > :10:15.about a fan who meets her number-one favourite stand-up. All is the
:10:16. > :10:22.stand-up, I am the fan. They both share one obsession, him. So they
:10:23. > :10:28.are perfectly matched. Did you draw on anybody from real life for this
:10:29. > :10:33.portrait? Of course not, darling. The funny thing is, Paul was not the
:10:34. > :10:36.clear choice to play the comedian, was he? No. I had not actually
:10:37. > :10:43.thought of Paul. I had a first choice and approached him. Them I
:10:44. > :10:48.asked someone else. They said, I am not going this year. Who were those
:10:49. > :10:59.two, out of interest? Should I say? He says no. Phill Jupitus and Marcus
:11:00. > :11:04.Briggs dog! -- Marcus Briggs dog. So I said to Paul, I cannot think who
:11:05. > :11:08.to ask, because if they are not already coming up, you have to pay
:11:09. > :11:11.them a lot of money and I have not got masses of money. And I can't
:11:12. > :11:15.think who to caste. And he was looking at me saying, really? You
:11:16. > :11:22.don't know who to caste as a stand-up? I was waving at her.
:11:23. > :11:27.Eventually, the penny dropped. But I am having a wonderful time doing
:11:28. > :11:32.this play, because unlike when I do improv, you only do it once. But
:11:33. > :11:35.with a play, half an hour every day, you have got to find that laugh and
:11:36. > :11:41.you got that dramatic bit over there, so there is a lot to think
:11:42. > :11:53.about. This is my best Edinburgh. Good luck with it. Thank you for
:11:54. > :11:56.popping in. Now, as well as lots of comedy, there is also some drama at
:11:57. > :12:02.the Fringe, a lot of it inspired by the centenary of World War I. And
:12:03. > :12:06.there is one in particular that turns the real testimony of soldiers
:12:07. > :12:17.who fought in that conflict into an incredibly moving piece of theatre.
:12:18. > :12:23.It is called Forgotten Voices. Rumour was we would get on a train
:12:24. > :12:27.for six months and then go to Egypt. We were told, you are leaving
:12:28. > :12:37.tomorrow for destination unknown. Where was that? Nobody knew. By six
:12:38. > :12:44.o'clock in the morning, we were on the train without saying goodbye to
:12:45. > :12:47.anyone. So the play of Forgotten Voices is based on the book, which
:12:48. > :12:52.is in turn based on the transcripts of ordinary people 's experiences,
:12:53. > :12:56.which were collected by the Imperial War Museum in the 60s and 70s. I was
:12:57. > :13:00.stationed in Gibraltar when it started. I was afraid it would be
:13:01. > :13:07.over too quickly, and I should miss it. That was what I felt then. I was
:13:08. > :13:10.afraid I would miss it. I threw a postcard out of the window at the
:13:11. > :13:16.station, hoping it would be delivered to my wife. It wasn't. The
:13:17. > :13:21.play told the story of the First World War through these 50 ordinary
:13:22. > :13:27.people. It is an emotional experience. There was rougher far to
:13:28. > :13:33.the right, and then on the left -- rifle fire. We could not see
:13:34. > :13:38.anything. We said, come on, then, we will have you! I think we all feel
:13:39. > :13:46.it is a privilege to be asked to communicate how it was for all men.
:13:47. > :13:54.And it was just as bad for the French and Germans. So, France. We
:13:55. > :13:59.spent our first night in a field, quite relaxed, smoking, stretched
:14:00. > :14:03.out. Then we saw this group of French soldiers running up the
:14:04. > :14:08.hillside. And there was a sound of gunfire. After a few seconds, there
:14:09. > :14:14.were three explosions and when the smoke cleared, we saw the French
:14:15. > :14:19.picking someone up. The shell had killed him. You could see that. That
:14:20. > :14:30.was the first time we realised what the war was about. I think the gift
:14:31. > :14:36.back to us at the end of the play, there is complete silence from the
:14:37. > :14:46.audience. They are stunned, and they are thinking about what these men
:14:47. > :14:54.went through. Over the top we went. Some thought out as best they could,
:14:55. > :15:00.their packs pulling them out. There was nothing left but noise. We saw
:15:01. > :15:16.nothing. We knew nothing. We lived in a world of noise. Simply noise.
:15:17. > :15:22.Forgotten Voices will be performed for the rest of the festival. We are
:15:23. > :15:30.joined by a star of television and radio, Mr Nicholas Parsons,
:15:31. > :15:34.everyone. Thank you, thank you. Lovely to see you. You are a true
:15:35. > :15:40.veteran of the Edinburgh Festival. You came here after World War II
:15:41. > :15:43.when it just started out. I was very young. I came from my adopted city
:15:44. > :15:51.of Glasgow with some friends to see the new phenomenon. They had a few
:15:52. > :15:57.shows on just after the war. There was one show a little theatre, and
:15:58. > :16:01.then there were more shows at the Fringe. There was the famous one
:16:02. > :16:05.with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore and Alan Bennett and it suddenly took
:16:06. > 1:28:41off. And now there are more Alan Bennett and it suddenly took
1:28:42 > 1:28:413000 shows in the French and it has become the tea of the wags the dog.
1:28:42 > 1:28:41-- detail that wags the dog. That is what brings most people here. You
1:28:42 > 1:28:41have also recorded two episodes of Just A Minute. You have seen all of
1:28:42 > 1:28:41these marvellous people. Where does Paul Merton sit in the ranking? How
1:28:42 > 1:28:41funny is he? He is a stall wart. It is a very difficult game to play.
1:28:42 > 1:28:41But he watched it as a youngster. He was so good from the word go. We
1:28:42 > 1:28:41can't wait to have him back. I do not think the show subsidises his
1:28:42 > 1:28:41lifestyle but he comes on it because he loves doing it and he really is
1:28:42 > 1:28:41so brilliant in the game. He sometimes takes off and goes into
1:28:42 > 1:28:41the realms of the surreal, which is quite unbelievable. And nobody
1:28:42 > 1:28:41challenges him. It is all deviation! I used to listen to it as a child
1:28:42 > 1:28:41so, for me, the fact that I am doing just and it fills me full of joy.
1:28:42 > 1:28:41And that comes across. It really is amazing. Just A Minute has been
1:28:42 > 1:28:41going for 47 years. We have done over 900 performances. You should
1:28:42 > 1:28:41write a book. Funny you should ask me! The book, Nicholas... There is a
1:28:42 > 1:28:41book! It is called Welcome To Just A Minute. Anything else you would like
1:28:42 > 1:28:41to mention? My own show, Cabaret Bar at 5:10pm every day. I do that and
1:28:42 > 1:28:41Just A Minute. I am exhausted! You have just wrapped it up beautifully.
1:28:42 > 1:28:41Borrowed adrenaline and the stimulation from lovely friends like
1:28:42 > 1:28:41this lot, who keep me going. I am 90 years of age, you know. Well, you
1:28:42 > 1:28:41look fantastic. There is your money back. It has been four days since
1:28:42 > 1:28:41Tumble, the new show on BBC One. Are we winding up, darling? I have
1:28:42 > 1:28:41acrobatic withdrawals. I enjoyed Tumble as much as the next man. I
1:28:42 > 1:28:41could do a forward roll. I think we have people who know what they are
1:28:42 > 1:28:41doing. Very impressive. Simple space from
1:28:42 > 1:28:41Australia. -- A Simple Space from Australia. Coming up, Nancy
1:28:42 > 1:28:41Dell'Olio. It is the moment I have been waiting for all my life. I can
1:28:42 > 1:28:41tell you that just over there, there are a group of engineers who have
1:28:42 > 1:28:41not time to come and see shows at Edinburgh Fringe Festival. They need
1:28:42 > 1:28:41not worry because the next project is a performance in itself, really.
1:28:42 > 1:28:41This is the majestic Firth of Forth outside Edinburgh. It is home to
1:28:42 > 1:28:41Scotland's biggest engineering project in a generation, the
1:28:42 > 1:28:41Queensferry Crossing. And we are following every step of the process
1:28:42 > 1:28:41as this incredible structure begins to take shape. Last year, we saw how
1:28:42 > 1:28:41the engineers laid the bridge's foundations deep underwater. It is
1:28:42 > 1:28:41amazing! How far down are we? -14, 14 metres under the water level.
1:28:42 > 1:28:41Over the past year, things have come a long way. Now, the engineers face
1:28:42 > 1:28:41another challenge. While the main towers are well underway, what they
1:28:42 > 1:28:41have to do next is to connect the bridge that will eventually be on
1:28:42 > 1:28:41those towers to the shoreline, here. And this is what they are using to
1:28:42 > 1:28:41do it. These 3000 tonne viaducts will connect the road on land to the
1:28:42 > 1:28:41deck of the bridge. They are so heavy that they need to be supported
1:28:42 > 1:28:41by eight concrete piers. And the man in charge of this operation is lead
1:28:42 > 1:28:41engineer, Chris Higgins. Talk me through the bridge. It is made up of
1:28:42 > 1:28:41two main stations, the approach viaduct and the main cable stay
1:28:42 > 1:28:41station. We are constructing the approach viaduct which leads from
1:28:42 > 1:28:41the access roads. These massive structures need to stretch over 500
1:28:42 > 1:28:41metres from the shore, out to where the deck of the bridge will begin.
1:28:42 > 1:28:41That is not all. These viaducts need to be very carefully balanced. If
1:28:42 > 1:28:41anything were to go wrong, I certainly would not want to be
1:28:42 > 1:28:41standing here if it did. How do you move something this big Thomas
1:28:42 > 1:28:41suspended up in the air, half a kilometre overwater? The key to
1:28:42 > 1:28:41getting the whole operation right lies in these rather unassuming
1:28:42 > 1:28:41cables. Chris, what is the big deal with the cables? These are the
1:28:42 > 1:28:41cables are left at the end of the deck to keep it level as we are
1:28:42 > 1:28:41launching over the piers. If we did not control at what would happen is
1:28:42 > 1:28:41that it would not go over the pier. To avoid a disaster of monumental
1:28:42 > 1:28:41proportions, Chris and the team are relying on deceptively simple
1:28:42 > 1:28:41physics. Imagine that this is what is going on behind me. Granted,
1:28:42 > 1:28:41slightly less technical. Imagine that this is my viaduct. As the
1:28:42 > 1:28:41viaduct is pushed outwards the front begins to psych under its own
1:28:42 > 1:28:41weight. If it tips too much it could knock over the pier. What they do is
1:28:42 > 1:28:41they attach steel cables to the front of the viaduct and put in a
1:28:42 > 1:28:41post. That is behind me. It is sticking up. With tension on the
1:28:42 > 1:28:41cable the engineers can lift the front of the viaduct or does not
1:28:42 > 1:28:41catch the front of the pier and makes it safely across. That is very
1:28:42 > 1:28:41important when you have got such an expensive engineering project. The
1:28:42 > 1:28:41viaduct is pushed outwards in 90 metre sections, each reaching the
1:28:42 > 1:28:41next pier. It is not a quick process. At a top speed of just six
1:28:42 > 1:28:41metres per hour, it takes over eight months to reach the point where the
1:28:42 > 1:28:41viaduct ends and the deck of the bridge begins. Once they have
1:28:42 > 1:28:41finished on this site, they have to do the whole thing all over again on
1:28:42 > 1:28:41the opposite shore. How much rather have you got to do in this
1:28:42 > 1:28:41direction? Another 300 metres. Two more peers to build. We plan to have
1:28:42 > 1:28:41that complete by Christmas. A bit of work. A bit of work left to do. Then
1:28:42 > 1:28:41we have to come back and start casting the deck.
1:28:42 > 1:28:41What a bridge. We are now joined, I am very excited to say, by one of
1:28:42 > 1:28:41the most stylish debutants at Edinburgh. The Queen of glamorous
1:28:42 > 1:28:41living! And let's not forget, a lawyer - Nancy Dell'Olio.
1:28:42 > 1:28:41It is so great to have you here. It is lovely to be her and to see you
1:28:42 > 1:28:41again. You are practically dressed Edinburgh, as always. Can you select
1:28:42 > 1:28:41your heels on the telly? -- can you show? Your one-woman show kicks off
1:28:42 > 1:28:41tomorrow night and there is a buzz. It is supposed to start tomorrow
1:28:42 > 1:28:41evening. You have not learned your lines yet, you said? Well, I will
1:28:42 > 1:28:41repeat it again tonight and by tomorrow night I will get there. You
1:28:42 > 1:28:41are a colourful character. How honest would you be about your love
1:28:42 > 1:28:41life, the football side of things, in this show? Is it a reveal
1:28:42 > 1:28:41everything kind of show? I wrote a book a few years ago and every day
1:28:42 > 1:28:41my life is updating, so I am really focused on this show and you have to
1:28:42 > 1:28:41condense it down to one hour. I have selected a few stories that I would
1:28:42 > 1:28:41like to share with the audience. I hope that they will see my sense of
1:28:42 > 1:28:41humour. How will you deal with hecklers, if people start shouting
1:28:42 > 1:28:41from the audience? Why would they shout at me? Nancy is confident it
1:28:42 > 1:28:41will be fine. They are going to be in adoration of me! Good luck with
1:28:42 > 1:28:41that, Nancy. I would love to see it. Good luck. Absolutely. She is very
1:28:42 > 1:28:41fragrant. That is almost all we can bring you
1:28:42 > 1:28:41from Edinburgh. Thank you so much to all of our guests and also to Kevin,
1:28:42 > 1:28:41our living statue. We have merely scratch the surface. Lot more across
1:28:42 > 1:28:41the BBC. For more information go to the BBC Edinburgh Festival website.
1:28:42 > 1:28:41We will finish with Te Matatini Haka and the Royal Edinburgh Military
1:28:42 > 1:28:42Tattoo. See you tomorrow.