Dik Downey has been performing for many years. However, this year marks his debut at the Edinburgh Fringe. I have caught up with him to find more about his career and upcoming show.

“Puppeteer clown extraordinaire Dik Downey makes his Fringe debut at the age of 63 with his new one-man show“

When and where are you performing at the Fringe this year?
I will be performing Don Quixote (is a very big book) at the Pleasance King Dome. August 5 – 31st.

What was the inspiration for your show?
There’s a clue in the title of the show!! The truth is I had to tell NVT (Nordland Visual Theatre, who co-produced the show) what my new show was going to be, and in a blind panic I blurted out “Don Quixote as a clown show with puppets” and they loved the idea. I didn’t tell them that I hadn’t actually read it at that point. A few years earlier, I had a gig in Northern Spain and whilst being driven across the barren countryside as the sun set behind the mountains, I dreamily thought “this is where Don Quixote would have lived and we would have been friends” and somehow that germ of an idea lodged in my brain.

Have you performed at any other Fringe Festivals before embarking on Edinburgh?
I’ve been performing for 45 years at international puppet and theatre festivals around the world, but this is my first time at the Edinburgh Fringe, so this is all new to me. I’ve always thought that Edinburgh was something other people did, and I never imagined that I would be here, but it appears we have created the ideal show for it. It’s compact, transportable, ridiculous, moving and all fits into 3 suitcases.

When did you first step on the stage as a performer?
Aged 8 at Llwynu Junior School, Abergavenny, playing Bob Cratchett. The papers said I stole the show.

What is the best piece of advice about working in Theatre you have received?
I used to be a member of a company called The Desperate Men, who’s tagline was ‘We make mincemeat out of flimsy reality’ I think I’ve stuck with that ever since.

How did you first get into the Theatre industry?
At the age of 18, I went to the Glastonbury Festival, where I painted myself yellow and played the kazoo for a man who would lie on a bed of broken cornflakes! After that, I ended up busking the Ramblas of Spain as a Clown, fire eater, and terrible juggler. It taught me the tricks of the trade; how to keep an audience, how to play with them, and how to get money out of them. I must have done something right as I’ve never had a proper job since, no bar work, temping or serving dried up sandwiches at weddings, just arsing about for a living.

Who or what inspired you to take to the stage?
As a child of the 70s, television was my biggest influence. The Banana Splits, The Monkees, Top Cat, Basil Brush, The Goodies, and these were my idols growing up. I had no intention of becoming a performer but being the youngest of 6 I was desperate for attention and had to show off like mad just to be noticed, this came in handy when I accidently started clowning for a living. The puppetry (which I’ve been doing for the last 38 years) was even more unexpected. Some friends had a company, Green Ginger, and they needed an emergency technician, and I blagged my way in and decided that puppets were the way forward, and I loved them. I’ve been mixing clowning and puppets in all of my shows ever since.

Don Quixote (is a very big book) is at Pleasance Dome (King Dome Wednesday 5 August to Monday 31 August 2026 at 15.25.

https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/don-quixote-very-big-book / 

https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/don-quixote-is-a-very-big-book