A NEW documentary is set to reveal the trials and tribulations of an novice comedian as he makes his way to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time.
Mark Row, from Milton Keynes, arrived in Edinburgh in August 2017 to perform his show for an entire 25-night run.
But, just 12 months earlier he had never even stepped on a stage to perform stand-up comedy.
Along the way, Row met a host of comedians who dished out some well needed advice and support – including James Acaster (Mock the Week), James Redmond (Hollyoaks and Casualty) and Ellie Gibson (Dara O’Brian’s Go 8 bit).
And now, a behind-the-scenes documentary called “The Long Road to Edinburgh” will premier at Dropkick Murphy’s on August 14.
Explaining where the idea came from, Mark Row said: “I had talked about being a stand up for quite some time but I was quite scared of actually getting on stage.
“I thought it would be good to give myself a deadline to force myself into it. The Edinburgh Festival seemed like the perfect deadline.”
He added: “I was lucky to be given the opportunity to speak to some of the best comedians in the business. I was initially worried they might be dismissive about what I was attempting, but they were all quite encouraging.
“Although they were very honest about exactly how difficult a task I was going to face.”