A comedian who lost his father to kidney cancer returned to the stage just days later to deliver “one of the best shows in terms of atmosphere that I’ve done”.
Milo Edwards, 26, had been performing his show Pindos at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe when his mother called to tell him to come home to see his father, Keith.
“I got back to London about six o clock,” Milo told PA. “We sat with him, and by about quarter past eight he was dead.
“We decided that the best thing for me to do was to go back up and do the show on Wednesday and carry on, because that’s what dad would have wanted.”
With that in mind, Milo tweeted: “I want a lot of people there so please come at 2 or share this or both,” while fellow comedians rallied to help promote the show.
My dad, Keith, passed away last night from kidney cancer. We were all there with him and it was as ok as it could be.
He wanted me to go back to Edinburgh and do my show tomorrow so that’s what I’m doing. I want a lot of people there so please come at 2 or share this or both. pic.twitter.com/AN2RiT3Tis
— milo edwards (@Milo_Edwards) August 6, 2019
With a modified conclusion to his act, the former Cambridge student performed in front of his largest audience at this year’s festival, with around 45 people turning up on the Wednesday afternoon.
And while the show was well received, Milo said that he couldn’t help but worry about the end.
“I kind of wanted to get through it I guess,” he said. “I wasn’t exactly emotional but I was very concerned about getting the ending right. In some ways I felt like I was skimming through the show because I was focused on what I had to do at the end.
“Everyone’s been saying really nice things about the show, so I was pleased.”
Milo’s father had seen him perform comedy at university and “was always very interested in my career and what was going on”, but due to illness had not been well enough to see much of his son in action recently.
“I think he’d be very pleased with it,” said Milo of his Wednesday show. “He was always an advocate of carrying on through stuff like this.
“My mum’s not wrong in saying that this is exactly what he would have wanted.”
The show today was everything I hoped it would be and more. Thank you to everyone who came, especially friends and fellow comics.
I’ve never in all my life experienced such a remarkable atmosphere. Sometimes it’s truly a privilege to be a stand-up comic.
We did my dad proud.
— milo edwards (@Milo_Edwards) August 7, 2019
And while Milo said he uncovered certain things about himself during the week, he added: “I think you learn more about other people in some ways.
“Some of these comedians were people I know very well and some were people I know less well, and it was extremely heartening how all of them were keen to muck in and help with this.
“At the Fringe people want to help each other, but also there’s this underlying notion that everyone’s competing with each other for attention.
“That’s always difficult in comedy, and that’s another reason why this week was so wonderful in the sense that people were able to lay all that aside without hesitation.”
Milo Edwards: Pindos is running at The Charteris Centre in Edinburgh until August 25, with advance tickets costing £5.