Festival Cafe at the Fringe, 19 Aug.

Catriona MacLeod...

Today Janice Forsyth pointed out to the audience and entire nation that the runners had been flirting with The Brothers Streep. Well, to be fair, I had. Shamelessly. We bonded over gooey muffins, which are almost as good as their Anna Paquin song. There aren't any songs about a girl called Catriona - I might mention this to them via their blog. Paul Higgins performed an extract from the new play Caledonia about Scotland's failed colony which I do remember learning about in school, an important reminder that, though we may have invented the telephone and the television, we can still be a bit rubbish at things like building empires and football. But that rant is for another time. Mrs Moneypenny said some naughty words and talked about her children as 'cost centres,' appropriate terminology for a financial expert. And the beautifully-coiffed Michael Zegarski knelt down on the stage in front of me and sang. I was on photo duty again today, and this gesture made for a gorgeous shot. He labels himself as a "singing actor" and is thus a very emotional performer. I've been meaning to go to Gillie Dhu for some time now, so tonight might be the night. In the meantime, we all prepare to say goodbye to Festival Café with in-house comedian Rob's last show commencing tomorrow at 1.15pm. We will also be saying a fond farewell to my fellow runners Fiona and Melanie, so though I'm looking forward to 1.15pm tomorrow, 2pm isn't looking so cheerful. What will we do with half the Festival Café runner team missing?! Sobbing over gooey muffins in the EICC café seems appropriate somehow.

Emma Langman:

As our Festival Café run comes to an end, our penultimate show yet again included a varied mix of interesting guests. Today's theme was financial and who better to give our listeners advice than Mrs Moneypenny herself? The Financial Times columnist manages to make money funny, telling tales of her life as both a working mother and businesswoman. The theme continued with an extract from "Caledonia" - the National Theatre of Scotland's play which retells the story of Darien, a Scottish colony in Central America which was meant to make Scotland rich but didn't quite succeed. Executive Producer of the NTS, Neil Murray, and actor Paul Higgins (from "The Thick of It") explained the premise of their play, which is part of the Edinburgh International Festival. Music came from South African duo The Brothers Streep, who expressed their take on the global financial crisis through song, while cabaret star Michael Zegarski also entranced the audience with his wonderful voice. It's hard to believe that tomorrow's show is our last at the EICC, so don't miss it!