It is August which only means one thing – it is Camden Fringe time! Over the next few weeks we are chatting to acts that are performing at the festival and finding all about their show and what they would call this years iconic Camden Fringe Pigeon! Today we find out all about the comedy show Ready Steady Crooks!

Date: 2nd – 3rd August
Time: 21:00
Price: £15 Concession: £13
Location: The Hope Theatre
Ticket Link:  https://camdenfringe.com/events/ready-steady-crooks/

Hello! Tell us about yourselves?   

CHEF: We are the worlds most decorated cooks who are also the worlds most notorious crooks! I’m Head Chef. You may remember me from Sunday Brunch and Crimewatch. This is my lieutenant…  

SOUS: Sous Chef, the pleasure is all yours. I am a master of disguise, a method actor of a method actor, world class assassin! 

POT: And I’m Pot Wash! The… 

SOUS: Society deems us criminals but I prefer the term anarchists. Oh and this is Pot Wash our adopted son 

POT: My mother was killed by an anaconda! 

How did you come up with the name of your show that you’re taking to the Camden fringe? 

SOUS: It’s a Pun. Due to our life as Cooks and Crooks it’s a clever bit of wordplay on the iconic BBC one daytime Televisual show – Ready Steady Cook.  

CHEF: Presented by Ainsley Harriott  

POT: it’s Rylan now! 

CHEF: Shush Pot, the adults are talking… Who’s the Hellmann’s mayonnaise is Rylan? 

Tell us a little bit about your style of show? 

CHEF: Out of the frying pan into the fire 

SOUS: Violence and obscenities.

POT: Absurdist, slapstick, highly physical and sweaty 

What will your set be about? 

SOUS: The story is based on the trials and tribulations of our lives. Due to the fact we are wanted men we have had to employ 3 actors to play our parts, as if we had performed it ourselves no doubt the authorities would shut us down. 

CHEF: [begins to oink – he continues for the next 15 minutes] 

SOUS: A shame I can’t be there myself but to give him credit Luke Clarence Johnson, who plays me, is the only one of them worthy of being on the stage 

POT: But Sam Stafford, who plays me, was in Vikings: Valhalla on Netflix! 

SOUS: True actors work in the theatre! 

POT: Benjamin McMahon, who plays Chef, was in The Play That Goes Wrong on the West End 

SOUS: That ginger [censored]?! Heavens. They will let anyone on the West End these days! Anyway, the show is about family, the nature of art and…  

POT: My lost jar of semen! 

What other acts are you looking forward to seeing at the fringe? 

POT: Oh Gee, well it’s not just our show that is on at the Hope Theatre this Camden Fringe, there’s a wide selection of other shows on too! Some funny, some serious. If you want more funny ‘Horrigan and Howell: Two’s A Crowd’ is on from the 17^th-19^th August at 7pm! 

Have you done the fringe before? What have been some of your favourite shows to date and why? 

SOUS: Have I performed before!? Ha! I am Hieronimo. I am Tamburlaine. I am Faustus. I am Barabbas. The Jew of Malta.  What is the play and what is my part!? But I digress – we have enjoyed; Ginger and Black, The Real MacGuffins, Marcel Lucont, Pickled Image, John Kearns, and most recently Siblings. All very humorous and creative. 

CHEF: I had a fringe in the 90’s 

What advice would you give to others who want to perform at Camden Fringe next year? 

CHEF: Beg, borrow, steal. Or, have one of your performers moonlight as a consultant in Fintech.

What is the best thing about performing at the Camden fringe? 

SOUS: To give people something to look forward to in their otherwise meaningless lives  

London can be an expensive place to perform in – what key advice would you give to performers that is a sort of life hack? 

CHEF: Crime actually does pay pretty well 

SOUS: If you kill a man be sure to extract their organs. They fetch a decent fee

What are your three favourite things about Camden? 

CHEF: The food 

SOUS: The culture 

POT: The Amy Winehouse murals 

Favourite one liner you have done in a show and why? 

CHEF: [Censored] 

POT: I don’t think you can say that one anymore Chef 

SOUS: It was NEVER appropriate to say that! 

Who would be your ultimate dream audience member? 

CHEF: Ainsley Harriott or Nigella. Or both…together at once…mmm 

SOUS: Laurence Olivier  

POT: My Mother…if she was alive.  

The iconic image of the Camden Fringe is the Pigeon – if you could call this years pigeon a name to represent its style what would it be and why? 

SOUS: Paul Pigeon Daniels. Named after the late great magician  

POT: Magic Mike! Named after the actor Channing Tatum  

CHEF: Underrated poultry pigeon, when cooked right it’s delicious. The flavour is deep, gamey and tender. So I’ll call it Pigeon. 

If people want to find out more about you where can they follow you on social media? 

POT: I’ll handle this one dads… 

Insta: @Ready_Steady_Crooks  

Twitter: @R_S_Crooks. 

For ticket and show information please go to the Hope Theatre or the Camden Fringe websites! 

And Finally in three words – Why should people come and see the show?  

CHEF: Ave a laugh, init.  

POT: That’s four words  

SOUS: Yes, but that is three words  

CHEF: A laugh init