Interview: Benny Shakes and Tom Whiston

Blankety Blank, Catchphrase, Taskmaster – game shows have always been a huge hit on telly, so it’s no surprise the Fringe comes with its own special selection. This year there are heaps of game shows designed for kids – The Comedy Games with Coach Mon, Billy Banana’s Brilliant Bingo, Game on 4 – Boss Level, ComedySportz, there’s everything to play for.

Pitting the kids against the grown-ups will be a theme in one late morning show from comedians Tom Whiston and Max Prentice. “The clue is in the name,” says Whiston, describing their brand new hour at Gilded Balloon Patter House, The Kids Always Win. There are five rounds, testing the audience’s physical skills, musical know-how and general knowledge, but spoiler alert, it’s the kids taking away all the prizes – a surreal haul of bargain store nonsense and baffling everyday objects.

“It’s always rigged so the kids win,” says Whiston. “So if the grown-ups are answering all the questions right, we dish out a 'know it all discount' so they lose points.” Both Whiston and Prentice have experience of clowning so they will be goofing around in character for the show. While one plays the stern headmaster, the other will muck about like a cheeky schoolkid with a propellor cap. “It’s a bit like Just William, with that push and pull between the teacher and pupil. Dick & Dom in da Bungalow was a big influence, as was The Slammer, a CBBC talent show where everyone competed for their freedom. We also took inspiration from the silly humour of Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee and the general aesthetic of classic 70s game shows for families like Blankety Blank.”

Whiston reckons the show will work best for primary school age kids and their grown-ups, and assures the shy guys that there will be no pressure to get up onstage. “There will definitely be Haribo for anyone who does though,” he promises.

Over at the Pleasance Courtyard, comedian Benny Shakes is running his own disability Taskmaster for kids. “As a kid with cerebral palsy, I never got picked out the crowd at shows. So I’ve made a show where kids with disabilities have the advantage and normies might be left shouting, ‘This isn’t fair!’. I’m having fun but I’m teaching something at the same time too,” he says with a twinkle in his eye. “If people don’t like the word ‘normie’, think yourself lucky! We’ve been called 'retards', 'cripples' and much worse!”

His Blue Badge Bunch game show will involve five games, including one round where someone has to draw with their feet and another where someone makes lunch one-handed, while being poked enthusiastically by kids.

“It’s a disability awareness game show that started out for adults during lockdown on Zoom and now I’ve adapted it for kids. My goal is to bring the disabled community together and highlight different abilities. So the games show what it’s like to be partially sighted, for example.”

Shakes will be appearing in two other shows on the Fringe; his debut solo show, Respect and Disabled Cants, where he’ll host a revolving line-up of disabled comedians and friends as part of the Free Festival. ‘We’re not brave, we’re not inspiring, we’re just here to make you laugh,’ says the tagline.

“I can read a room well now, so when I’m performing for kids I tailor it. If there are kids with autism, we may need less volume, for example. Energetic kids might need a louder or cheekier performance from me. Or if there are partially sighted people in the audience, that may mean me giving much more description.”

What’s important to Shakes is letting everyone feel welcome to join in. “I got a lot of my ideas from watching classic shows like The Generation Game and Taskmaster – this is my Cripmaster and I hope disabled kids love it.”