Lewis Dunn is an award-dodging improviser and stand-up comedian, known also for his character Stanley Brooks, an inspirational speaker with a passion for making you rich (by yelling at you to be better). He’s also part of the Any Suggestions Improv troupe, who’s latest show, Suggestions Of The Unexpected is coming to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August. We caught up with him to find out more.
STARBURST: What is Suggestions of the Unexpected? How would you pitch it to a passing paranormal investigator looking for clues?
Lewis Dunn: Suggestions of the Unexpected is an improvised horror anthology with a dark comic twist. Each show is hosted by a different promise keeper, an unusual character who talks to their audience about their fears and desires before then conjuring up a tale based on those suggestions.
And how would you pitch it to an elderly relative?
It’s like The Twilight Zone but with more jokes.
How different is Suggestions of the Unexpected from your other show, Any Suggestions Doctor?
It’s both totally at the other end of the spectrum and weirdly familiar, like a cousin who you wouldn’t think you were related to until you got to know them better. In some ways, it makes sense – both are sci-fi, and both have horror themes, but with SOTU – the official acronym – we are able to take some of the darker ideas we’ve stumbled across doing a Doctor Who show and fully embrace them. We don’t need to find the happy ending or save the day with SOTU; there can be no heroes or horrible endings. We can also rely on having a much more adult audience, which means we can trust them to look around the edges of what we’re doing and take on darker implications.
Isn’t Tales of the Unexpected a bit of a dated cultural reference? Why that particular show/book?
So, it sort of is, but actually, we didn’t pick the title because of that reference; we picked it because we have our own ‘brand’, Suggestions, and we wanted to bring up a title that remained ambiguous enough that we weren’t hemmed into a concept. Right now, this show can morph and change and become new things as we perform it, if we called it ‘The Creepy Old Shop of Suggestions’ then it always must be set in a shop, and suddenly, a heap of implications pile on top of it. The benefit to having a vague title – which by the way, all these anthologies do; The Twilight Zone and Inside No 9 are equally empty monickers – means that literally every show can be completely different, which is perfect for improv.
What’s the most awkward thing about improv?
Starting. Or more accurately, getting a room full of people to trust you and enjoy it. It’s a bit like whenever you watch a play, and for the first five minutes, you go, “Oh god, everyone is acting. This is horrible”, and then after 15 mins, you are fully immersed and onboard. The same is true for improv, but you also have to keep reminding everyone this is genuinely being made up on the spot, which makes getting their trust even more important. Thankfully, with this show, we’re taking a new approach and ditching the ‘can I get a big cheer for creeping dread!’ approach to hosting.
What’s the most unexpected thing that’s happened to you at a show so far?
One year, we’re in a venue that means we need to use radio mics, as the room is just a bit too big, and we’re performing over live music, so we need that extra boost. Unfortunately, the venue is full of other shows also using radio mics, and there’s some conflict over getting the right frequencies. Anyway, we’re in the middle of an Any Suggestions, Doctor: The Improvised Doctor Who Parody show, getting the Doctor and the companion to agree on where to go, when clear as a bell, through our speakers, in an American voice not too far off that of Gilbert Gottfreid comes the word “Clitoris”. Now, I’m not a prude, and technically that word is not a swear word – I’m not even sure if it’s on the Ofcom list of words you can’t say without some censorship – but in a room full of families, it does rather change the atmosphere. Fortunately, Harry Whittaker, on stage as the companion for this show, has the wisdom to declare, “Oh no Doctor, it looks like there’s interference with the time vortex, and some words are coming through THAT REALLY SHOULDN’T. Let’s all adjust our headsets and TURN THEM OFF FOR THE REST OF THE ADVENTURE.” So we all did and just projected that day.
Should we bring back Whose Line Is It Anyway? with a UK cast on UK screens?
No. Whose Line Is It Anyway? is a brilliant show that started over 20 years ago, and while it’s definitely got a very beloved place in my heart and I imagine the heart of every improv performer, as a genre, the scene has distinctly expanded from just short-form games. You take a look at massive hits at the fringe like Austentatious and Showstopper, to across the pond with shows like Make Some Noise and Middlemarch and Schwartz, and it’s clear that improv can be a far bigger genre than the perception that exists with Whose Line Is It Anyway? I do sometimes worry that the cultural footprint of that show has created a bit of a monolith in people’s minds as to what improv is. Really, we need a new show to come in and totally disrupt the public perception.
Why the Edinburgh Fringe?
You get to do the show for a month
What’s your favourite spooky thing?
Look, this will sound like I’m trying to stay ‘on brand’ but honestly, The Twilight Zone. I love how it’s both one of the scariest shows I’ve ever seen – It’s A Good Life genuinely upsets me – but also one of the most heartbreaking – Dust will tear your heart out – to one of the funniest – A Penny for your Thoughts is a great farce. It also works brilliantly because of that tension that you’re never 100% sure what you’re getting, and the writing team knew how to make stories satisfying rather than just nasty or surprising. I also really like Hex at Alton Towers.
What suggestion do you expect to get too many times this fringe?
Well normally I’d jump on a trend and say ‘AI’ or ‘Joe Biden’, but because we’re going in at this strange angle, it’s more likely we’ll get “I’m scared of dying” or “I wish I was rich”. We have to be careful with that, because much as we will take on these topics it’s a bit much to accuse an audience’s darkest fears as trite.
Where else can we see you?
Oh, you know, around. We do regional shows here and there, if you follow us @asimprov on all the social media sites, we’ll keep you updated, or go to our website anysuggestionsimprov.co.uk
Ghosts or Ghouls?
Depends; are you scared of the past, or of monstrous death? That’s the key difference.
Scooby Doo or Sam and Dean from Supernatural?
Scooby Doo, great at sandwiches.
Columbo or Fox Mulder?
Well I was going to pick Fox Mulder, but then I realised that my wife you see, she loves Columbo, huge fan.
Godzilla or Cthulhu?
Godzilla. I also hate moths.
Luck or Destiny?
Luck. Destiny is a shackle, luck gives us hope.
You can book tickets for the show here, and find out about future tours here .
