Gervais plays the court jester with castle show

The launch of TV funnyman Ricky Gervais' Fringe show went with a bang today.

The comedian, who created sitcoms 'The Office' and 'Extras', was at the firing of the One O'Clock Gun at Edinburgh Castle to plug his 'Fame' show. Which will play to 8,000 people in the castle grounds on August 26.

Aside from 'One Night At The Castle' which included comedians last year, Gervais will be the first comic performer to have entertained at the castle since the days of the court jester.

The 90-minute show is part of the 45-year-old's 'Fame' tour, and will play at the castle for one date only on the penultimate night of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The audience will pack an the arena constructed in the grounds for the annual military tattoo, which ends its month-long run the previous night.

This will be the award-winning writer and performer's fourth Fringe, and Gervais said he was delighted to be returning to Edinburgh, although it would be a flying visit.

He said: "It's great to be back. I love Edinburgh and Scotland in general and I love castles.

"In fact on this tour we stay out of town so we've stayed in a few castles.

"I do enjoy Scotland and I started off the tour in Glasgow and Edinburgh because they were the best dates on my 'Politics' tour.

Asked how he found the time for a tour, with so many TV and film projects, he replied: "I work with Steve [Merchant, co-writer/director of 'The Office'] a few hours a day, but we don't rush anything so it's not like we give ourselves deadlines.

"When we write a show it's finished when it's finished. I think people get in trouble when they take on too much and have to finish it because it has to be on the telly.

"We don't do that, if this had taken a year, it would have taken a year."