Ex-Fringer winner hits out at lack of backing

It's been a bit of a slog for Joe so far up in Edinburgh (see his blog opposite). I don't know if this will bring him comfort or not, but an ex-Fringe First winner has blasted the event for failing to support smaller acts (see here). Considering the trials and tribulations Joe went through on the eve of his first time at Edinburgh - having to find an alternative venue at the eleventh hour while the original company conveniently went into liquidation, probably taking the substantial sum he'd already paid upfront with it - I'm not surprised at this story. In many ways, the Fringe is quite impenetrable with the sheer volume of acts on show - we certainly found it hard to find our way around. In some ways it was a minor miracle we managed to see eight shows amid the hundreds on offer.