Beyond The Fringe 60th Anniversary

[Satchmo Distel]

They made their debut at the Edinburgh fringe on 22.8.1960. What is their legacy? I would guess that without them, especially Cook, it would have taken longer for the BBC to permit TW3 and Python to push the boundaries of TV. Having a go at the military only 15 years after WW2 still looks very bold, and I suppose it was the first crack in the wall of deference, albeit that they still had the privilege that comes from Oxbridge.

[Revelator]

Beyond the Fringe and Lucky Jim are the first great works of postwar British satire. Fringe kicked off an ensure satire boom and arguably is responsible for the continuing prominence of satire in British TV and culture. This may not seem like much to be grateful about today, but looking back at the pre-Fringe world should remind us of the alternative.

And though it was inevitable that the UK would lighten up during a time of economic prosperity removed from the hot war, it was a lucky thing that a show of Fringe's quality did the trick. And as a springboard for Cook, Moore, Bennett, and Miller's solo careers Fringe continued having a massive influence.

Had the team not been Oxbridge, it would have had less chance of being noticed by the upper/ruling class. As it was, the Prime Minister himself came to be mocked.