Paul Hilleard joins Pepper&Salt to discuss his upcoming Edinburgh Fringe debut, Grogg, providing an insight into the figurines themselves, and the difficulties of writing a debut hour.
How would you describe/ summarise your show?
An hour of dry, observational comedy that looks at how environments affect the way we express our emotions.
How would you define the term ‘grogg’?
Grogg’s are a charming, big headed, weirdo that takes the form of a small human. Usually a Welsh celebrity.
What are the Grogg figurines and how do they relate to your show?
They’re like garden gnomes with bell palsy. They don’t really. I just do a bit about them and the shop that sells them, which has been around since 1965 and is located in my home town of Pontypridd.
What can audiences expect with this hour?
Dry, oddball musings about working class/middle class Britain mixed with heartfelt observations about past & present relationships.
How would you describe your brand of comedy?
I’m full of piss and vinegar but I’m trying to keep cool and hopeful. So it comes out as dry, oddball, observational and occasionally absurd.
Is there anything in this hour that you believe or expect to resonate with audiences in particular?
If you find it hard to express yourself. Bouncing between working class and middle class lifestyles. Being part of an open relationship. Respecting bus drivers.
What are you looking forward to about the Edinburgh Fringe?
Getting to perform every night. Hanging out with old friends making new ones. Just getting through it. Bakeries. Walks. Museums
Considering this is your debut, what has been the hardest part of pulling your show together?
Figuring out how to tie it all together. I’m still working on it. The show is all up in the air. I just need to land it. It’s difficult because it keeps changing the more I work on it and you have to be willing to allow it to change. So I’ve found it to be a very messy process.
”It keeps changing the more I work on it and you have to be willing to allow it to change.”
What do you hope audiences take away with them after the show?
Hope & empty wallets.
What was it in particular that made you choose these themes and topics to explore for your debut?
I didn’t do it on purpose. I just started adding to my club 20 sets and before you know it it had snowballed. I never set out on writing a show about anything specific theme/topic I just wrote about; what I knew; what I was thinking about and what I go through.
Do you have a favourite moment/ punchline that you don’t mind spoiling?
I talk about how good a thumb up from a bus driver after you let them out can make you feel. It’s the same as your dad telling you he’s proud of you. There’s an act out that goes along with it that’s fun.
If you don’t mind spoilers, what is perhaps the moment in your show that you’ve included for yourself?
At one point during the show I talk to God and I ask ‘whether worms are having a really good time or a really bad time? Because everytime I look at a worm I can’t tell whether they’re wriggling in ecstasy or agony. ’ People don’t always go for it but I like it and there’s a fun call back later in the show.
Is there anything that you would like to mention or plug below?
I’ve got two podcasts:
Union of Scum – It’s like The rest is History if all their source material came from Daily Star & Take A Break Magazine. With Comedians Darren Coles (The Death Hilarious) & Charlie Webster.
Has It Got Legs – Comedian/Dramaturgy Emma Hughes goes through a box of my old jokes and decides whether they have legs or should never be told again. This helped build my hour. We also have comedian guests, who have written an hour/debuted at the fringe to give us advice.
By Katerina Partolina Schwartz
Photo credit: Sam Frank Wood
Pepper & Salt 
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