“It’s one of those challenges you wonder how you ever came to accept: go to the Edinburgh festival and take part in as many plays and other events as possible. … Preparation for my Edinburgh extravaganza? A few calls to writers, directors, producers, publicists, anyone, just before I take the sleeper north, asking them if they had any parts for a large, greying man with a wooden stage presence. I’ll be honest: I do not sleep well on the train.”