Daft laughs and character comedy parodying a TV show that hasn't been on the air in 15 years. TV Presenter Donald McGinty sets sail with his award-nominated show (Best Poster Design - Brighton Fringe 2024). This show has everything; a surprisingly earnest bit about the environment, a vaguely satisfying dramatic arc and a very niche reference to the TV show Neighbours.

It's a light hearted, light entertainment show that's surprisingly dark for its time slot, with jokes about the seaside, seagulls and c-list celebrities. Watch this and Donald promises you'll never drown again. Just don't forget the McGinty family motto "whin adventure beckons be daein' yer business afore ye leave the hoose!"

"McGinty proves an affable captain of this enjoyable pleasure cruise." Chortle

"It’s about as meta as it gets. It’s also very funny." Buxton Fringe 2026

Edinburgh Fringe Audience Reviews 2025:

"I had so much fun! Brilliant jokes and great connection with audience :) from now on every time I see a seagull I laugh."

"Great way to start the day. A must see for anyone who has watched the TV programme Coast."

"Smart and silly."

"Absolutely hilarious! Go see it!!"

"Great show thank you! Clever and funny yet some thought provoking messages in the background! Thoroughly enjoyed this and deserves to be seen."

July 13, 2026   Buxton Fringe Official Reviews

Going Coastal

Do you enjoy long-running, cosy, geography-based television shows? Are you keen on relentless punning? Perhaps you have a soft spot for seagulls or a sub-par Billy Connolly accent.

If so, get yourself down to the Underground Venues at the Working Men’s Club. Donald McGinty is the man for you. Admittedly, his cosy, geography-based television show has hit a couple of hitches lately, as indeed have the seagulls. But no matter, McGinty keeps on keeping on in the face of multiple challenges.

Sean Mason has created a show about a show that references a lot of other shows. It’s about as meta as it gets. It’s also very funny. There are nostalgic reference points aplenty to satisfy Gen Xers and Millennials. But it’s also bang up-to-date. There’s a loose narrative arc which doesn’t matter all that much and a very genuine message behind the whole thing (which does matter but which is never allowed to distract from the relentless punning). Donald McGinty himself is not remotely cosy but a tragi-comic anti-hero, cast in the long shadow of Basil Fawlty or Mr Bean, perhaps.

Not convinced yet? Come for the 1970s public information horrors, stay for the bad taste jokes about seals, regional accents and cremation. You have one more chance to meet Donald McGinty. Next Thursday, 16th July at the WMC.

Reviewer: Anna Girolami Click Here For Article

May 13, 2024    Chortle

Talk about commitment to the idea. Post-lockdown, Manchester-based comedian Sean Mason made just over a dozen episodes of his spoof travelogue Going Coastal, most about ten to 15 minutes long, even though most of them attracted well short of 100 viewers on YouTube.

But he clearly believes the idea, presented in the guise of his Scottish alter-ego Donald McGinty, has (sea) legs and has now created a live spin-off, too.

It has the slight feel of a sketch idea that’s got too big for his boots, but the appeal is that Mason has created a whole, credible world around this mild-mannered character. The videos certainly evoke the endless genre of personable presenters walking towards the camera in scenic UK locations, with quirky ideas such as a ‘save our seagulls’ campaign – as if they need saving – giving things a twist.

The suggestion that something awful happened during filming provides some cheekily dark asides, while there’s a recurring story about McGinty being reunited with his seafaring grandfather for added plot. It’s all nonsense but Mason presents it with a good-natured adherence to the fiction that encourages the audiences to get on board, too, from trying to learn semaphore to applauding small triumphs.

It’s mildly silly rather than raucously laugh-out-loud, but the lapping tide of gently amiable parody is quietly cheering while McGinty proves an affable captain of this enjoyable pleasure cruise. Click Here For Review