The Essay: Adrian Edmondson - Signs of Life

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The Essay: Adrian Edmondson - Signs of Life (Series 2): The Jacobite Rebellion

The Jacobite Rebellion

Adrian Edmondson - Signs of Life (Series 2)

BBC Radio 3 - The Essay, Adrian Edmondson - Signs of Life (Series 2), The Jacobite Rebellion

Adrian compares battles on tour with Bonnie Prince Charlie’s flight across the country.

Adrian Edmondson compares Bonnie Prince Charlie’s flight across the country with his and Rik’s progress on tour around the kingdom and some of the battles they encountered.

In this second series of essays Adrian Edmondson finds five ways to consider moments of personal and career highs, lows and the bits in-between.   

5. The Jacobite Rebellion:  
In which Adrian Edmondson compares the fugitive Bonnie Prince Charlie’s flight across the country with his and Rik’s progress on tour around the kingdom and some of the battles they encountered: 
 
“….everything comes to an end.  The Jacobite rebellion ends in defeat at the Battle of Culloden.  Our Culloden in 2003 is the Watford Colosseum. We’ve done five tours, more than 500 gigs.  We put up a better fight than the Jacobites, we aren’t exactly overrun, but like Charlie I’ve really had enough.”

Adrian Edmondson studied drama at Manchester University where he met his comedy partner Rik Mayall.. He and Rik were part of the first wave of Alternative Comedy where their glorious pursuit of laughter and anarchic performances changed the comedic landscape forever. He starred as Vyvyan in The Young Ones, the series that blasted its way onto our screens tearing into our preconceptions of what television comedy could be.  It was followed by Bottom which ran for three series on BBC television, had a spin off film (Guest Hotel Paradiso), and became a live show.

Adrian's career has since taken him into 'straight' acting as well, at the RSC, BBC TV’s War and Peace and EastEnders. He is a writer of books for adults and children; and co-wrote the television series Teenage Kicks.  He has had an award-winning music career with his band The Bad Shepherds which fused punk and folk.  And he is an award-winning music video producer.

Written and read by Adrian Edmondson
Produced by Caroline Raphael
Recorded by Shane O’Byrne at The Soundhouse
Edited by Nick Manasseh at The Yard
A Dora Production for BBC Radio 3

The Essay: Adrian Edmondson - Signs of Life (Series 2)

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

Five reflections on his life by Adrian Edmondson: comedian, actor and writer.

In this second series of essays, comedian, actor and writer Adrian Edmondson finds five ways to consider moments of personal and career highs, lows and the bits in-between.

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