Before the Edinburgh Fringe began this year, John Tothill hit the headlines with the story of having deliberately contracted malaria in a clinical trial in order to fund his 2023 Edinburgh Fringe debut.

It generated so many column inches that he was delighted to find that, despite the malaria making him feel the worst he’d ever felt in his life (at the time), it ultimately not only filled his fringe show coffers, but also raised his profile quite considerably. 

Who wouldn’t want to speak to the man who chose to put his life on a knife’s edge in order to fund his art?

His show this year, titled “Thank God This Lasts Forever” (in hindsight somewhat ironically so), was about that story, and things started off strong. However, on the third performance of the 2024 Fringe, John found himself standing on stage with a feeling that was strangely reminiscent of his bout with malaria only…  somehow… worse.

Three days of cancelled performances ensued, as John underwent a battery of tests which confounded doctors – no one was quite sure what they were seeing. The results inconclusive, and John feeling slightly better, he went back on stage for a further five performances - albeit with the air of a sickly Victorian child. He asked audiences to think of him as Joe Biden - a faded former glory, sadly with his best days in the past. 

It seemed he would slowly recover and recoup the rest of the run; every day, however, John was actually getting sicker.

Today it was discovered that - quite inconveniently, and apparently without concern for John’s Edinburgh Festival success (or his prior malarial sacrifices) -  his appendix had, at some point in the previous week, chosen to surreptitiously burst. John had unknowingly performed five shows while being artistically sabotaged by his own vestigial organ.

John and his appendix have today made the difficult and painful decision to separate. 

John has announced his absolute determination to have the operation today (Monday 12th Aug) and be back on stage as soon as he is medically and legally allowed; an ambitious goal but one which John says is in-keeping with his long-term aim of being an infirm and frail national treasure. This will, of course, only be with the approval of his doctors and he will, of course, take the whole thing day-by-day.

‘John Tothill: Thank God This Lasts Forever’ will (all being well) be performed at 8.45pm in Pleasance Courtyard (Beside) from hopefully very soon until  25th August 

https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/john-tothill-thank-god-lasts-forever