Emerging from the fear cupboard for the climax of Radio 1s one-man shows, Scott Mills chose to re-tell the Bourne Identity with an Abba twist in front of a packed-house last night. The anticipation was palpable, as if the shows that had come before were just the warm-up act. What there was of a budget had all been spent tonight. Consisting of live dialogue from Mills, and pre-recorded clips from the likes of Sarah Cox and others, the show was staged with the assistance of The One Who Doesnt Speak and Boss Rob wearing oversized masks to bring all the characters Scott interacts with to life. It was all rather Pythonesque in its delivery, but kinda worked.The plot, if anyone was really following it, wound a similar path the the Matt Damon film, opening with a boat where fishermen Zane Lowe and Tim Westwood find amnesiac Mills in a 70s catsuit and with the number of a safe deposit box implanted in his leg. Actually the plot just is The Bourne Identity, but with the characters replaced with Radio 1 famous faces (and, randomly, Howard from the Halifax ads), plus a liberal smattering of Abba tunes whenever the script allowed one to be shoehorned in. There was at lot of (exploited) opportunity for in-jokes and gags geared for Radio 1 listeners, and a few well-handled fluffs that went down well with the crowd. Whereas the other three shows presented by the Scott Mills crew this week could have potentially been knocked-up as a solo effort, Scotts own show tonight had the smell of rehearsals and considerable endeavour to make happen. So who did the best job this week? The One Who Doesnt Speak had me in fits on Monday. Nick Grimshaw has potentially found a new career in Stand Up following his Tuesday show. Beccys hard work paid off tremendously in her comedic tribute act on Wednesday, but I really have to hand the crown to Scott for tonights show. This was the act everything was building up to, and it worked tremendously well. I did try and award the first ever six-star review, but the software wouldnt allow it. And now a personal bit of editorial thank-you for the guys at Radio 1. Ive been involved with the Fringe for a good few years now, and have attended Fringe Society AGMs where they lament the diminishing interest London-based media have taken in Edinburgh over the years. Despite being the largest-by-far arts festival in the world, youd be forgiven for not even knowing it was happening at all while sipping a latte on Frith Street. Indeed, its why independent publications like ThreeWeeks and Broadway Baby have so flourished at the Festival, because despite the unabated growth of the Fringe, the nationals have less and less resource to cover it.So the Scott Mills show has been an enormous force for good in letting the rest of the UK know that theres something exciting happening up here every August, and that in between Glastonbury and Reading, perhaps a bit of comedy and culture is worth a look. Thank you Radio 1. Look forward to welcoming you back next year. And Scott, feel free to tell everyone you got six stars. Its just a software glitch that cant display it.
