The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has today announced that comedian, author and broadcaster Graham Norton has been appointed as the newest Ambassador for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
He joins a prestigious line-up of fellow Ambassadors including Suzy Eddie Izzard and Brian Cox, alongside the Society’s honorary President, Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Norton began his career at the Fringe in 1991, performing Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s Grand Farewell Tour in the Pleasance Attic. He later returned to the festival multiple times, eventually being shortlisted for the Perrier Award in 1997.
Best known for The Graham Norton Show, which has become a staple of BBC1’s Friday night schedule, Norton has remained a passionate supporter of the Fringe, frequently attending to discover new talent and support friends.
Speaking on his appointment, Graham said:
“It’s hard to believe that my connection to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe dates back nearly 35 years. As an emerging comedian back in the early nineties, everyone in the industry knew that you had to make the journey to Edinburgh and its Fringe for the opportunities that you have to develop your craft with a live audience, but also to meet and network with the thousands of industry that go there to look for talent.
Through my chat show I meet and talk to those across the entertainment industry every week, and you’d be hard pressed to find someone on the sofa that hasn’t been to the Fringe either to perform or to watch shows at some point in the past. I’m delighted to be announced as an ambassador of the Edinburgh Fringe and look forward to visiting the festival next August.”
Tony Lankester, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, added:
“Our Ambassadors represent the critical role the Fringe plays in the lives of so many who got their start on the stages of Edinburgh and, today, are at the top of their game in the world of the arts.
Welcoming Graham to the fold is a real pleasure – he is someone who exemplifies the joy and generosity of the Fringe spirit, unapologetically passionate about the arts and a huge advocate of the importance of the Fringe in his own career. As an Ambassador he will be uniquely positioned to help inspire the next generation of artists, and we’re excited to be working with him on this mission.”
Graham Norton also co-hosts the podcast Wanging On with Maria McErlane and is a bestselling author of several novels.
More information can be found here.
