Beasts on their new show Mr Edinburgh

It’s quite early in our conversation when the inevitable question 'who is the funniest?' rears its ugly head. By way of an answer, Beasts explain their upcoming show Mr Edinburgh has been designed to settle this knotty conundrum once and for all.

The three lads – James McNicholas, Owen Roberts and Ciarán Dowd – play both the hosts and contestants in a talent show they describe as “a cross between Miss Universe, Gladiators, The Generation Game and X-Factor,” before admitting that it’s really just an excuse to get Dowd down to his pants (as is customary at their shows).

This is Beasts' fifth time at the Fringe and they have a deserved reputation for raucous, audience-frightening fiestas where anything can – and usually does – happen. "We talk about breaking an audience,” explains McNicholas, “but not in a torture way; more like a stallion – so they can’t help but get involved.”

"If you nod off," Roberts clarifies, "Ciarán will get naked and sit on you.” Pondering this self-image, Dowd concludes: "If I went to see our show I’d probably think, this isn’t for me.”

And then they all crack up.

These Beasts are fun company out of character, but they also think deeply about their comedy, which is what makes it transcend the wacky, student-style clowning you might imagine.

Their last few shows have included compelling high concepts that hold the silly stuff together: Solo in 2014 saw them trying (and failing) to break off as go-it-alone stand-ups, while 2015’s Live DVD captured their futile attempts to record the best version of their set for a bigshot in Hollywood.

Self-sabotage is the name of the game here, so imagine a battle for supremacy that leaves everyone with egg on their faces. "The crux of the last three shows," says McNicholas, "has been the tension between our three characters as they try to pull the show in their own different directions.” Roberts then adds: “It’s a dynamic that works on stage because it’s just like our creative process. We are frustrated in real life and our characters are frustrated with each other in the show.”

This creative friction is understandable considering the three work so closely throughout the year, only to then shoehorn themselves into a flat with only “two and a half rooms” over the Fringe itself. “It’s quite intense, quite intense, quite intense,” chants McNicholas as he stares off into the middle distance.

Roberts takes over: “I remember in the past having big arguments, the sort you’d normally only have with your girlfriend, and always over something ridiculous like, 'which is funnier: a duck or a goose?' Or, 'is Dowd's thong too revealing or not revealing enough?' Really stupid things like that, but it can get very heated. Then you walk away thinking, 'What is this life that makes us end up like this?'”

Keeping them just-about-in-check is their long-time director Tom Parry of sketch troupe Pappy’s. McNicholas reads a text they’ve just got from the boss to demonstrate his “delicate” mentoring technique: 'Morning cunts, get up and make progress on your Edinburgh show. The clock's ticking and it needs to be the best show in the world. You’re welcome.'

After the chuckles subside, McNicholas goes on to explain how Parry helps shape things: “We have to find a careful balance between a live show and a controlled narrative, and that’s where Tom is brilliant. He’s got a great mind for pacing and structure.”

The high concept of Mr Edinburgh promises to put the Beasts through the mill again and so guarantees more delicious in-fighting. Whether they’ll finally answer the question of who is the funniest remains to be seen. All we can say is that, after our chat in the bar of Soho Theatre, we left a biscuit behind with the parting comment: “Whoever is the funniest can have it.” We didn’t look back to see what ensued, but we did hear the sound of a scuffle and a crunch.

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Beasts Present Mr Edinburgh 2016, Pleasance Dome (Queen Dome), 3-29 Aug (not 13), 7pm, £6-11