Every year the festival offers some of the weirdest and most obscure events, from theatre in the backseat of a car to performances in toilets, or indeed on a traffic reservation in the middle of Queen Street.

If there were an award for sheer endurance and inventiveness, it would go to if.comedy Panel Prize winner Mark Watson for his durational performances. Without a doubt one of the most original and spontaneous show on the Fringe, Mark Watson’s 24 hour show has become an institution, and those that were there to experience it first hand will tell you what an exceptional journey it was. 2007’s Jamboree To Save The Planet saw hundreds of people drawn into mass activities, following Mark Watson on his trail around Edinburgh City.

Beginning at the Fringe Office, the show trailed down to the Stand where it competed with a rival show, stretched the bones of its audience members, and encountered a random phonecall from a contortionist wanting to be in show. The rubber man arrived absolutely hammered and proceeded to talk the arse off a donkey, at which point the audience lost its patience and heckled ‘Bend! Bend! Bend!’ At this the man thought it appropriate to strip off to his underwear… now, for an upperbody contortionist y-fronts, we’re sure, are quite unnecessary.

Leaving the Stand at 7am seventy people went off to plant trees with some thirty off on a mission to organise nacho’s for the famished hordes upon their return. A highlight of the marathon was when the audience piled into the XFM studio to record a song for climate change. Going on the theory that playing the song live uses up less carbon than playing a cd, thirty people sang their hearts out and broadcast a live session of Mark Watson and Friends definitive cover of Walk This Way by Run DMC and Aerosmith.

By lunchtime on day two, tired and bleary eyed, the show found itself in Csoco marquee and then on to Watson’s book launch at the Book Festival, where the whole audience accompanied him to the literary debut of last year’s show. Orchestrated by Corry Shaw who had organized the different venues, a surprise awaited in the Meadows… A homemade mountain biking course of planks in various seesaw arrangements became the site of a biking competition where members of the audience competed with the likes of Tim Minchin and Adam Hills.

Trying to get Richard Dawkins to come on the show provided a running gag, after spending the whole day trying to contact him, members of the audience facebooking him, texting him, Watson’s mobile would occasionally buzz… ‘This will be Dawkins!…its not Dawkins.’ The discovery that infamous evolutionary scientist was not in fact in Edinburgh, proved no obstacle as attentions turned to Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe, who was apparently about to arrive on a train from Glasgow to promote his new range of swimwear.

Teams were scrambled to find the most interesting piece of rubbish, the youngest member of the audience at 14 years old leading one team discovered a wooden cot, and the other team led by the eldest member of the audience returning with a door and some gay porn. A plan formulated, the audience turned to decorating the door and fashioned it into a sign to greet the Olympic swimmer when he arrived at Edinburgh’s Waverley Station.

If you’ve done one of Mark Watson’s marathon gigs before, you will understand how compelling the event becomes, and how it is almost impossible to leave no matter how tired you become. With people visiting throughout the night and into the next day including fellow comics Josie long and Lawrence Leung, the audience become the show, and carry the momentum with suggestions, ideas, food runs and expeditions.

Following a oatcake eating competition at the 23rd hour the event was capped off in style and a star-studded Stars In Your Eyes finale, provided courtesy of special guest, Matthew Kelly and contestants Brendon Burns and Andy Zaltzman. Survivors will testify, that 2007’s Jamboree was one of the most unique and certainly one of the most enduringly sociable things that could happen to you on the Fringe.

www.myspace.com/markwatsonthecomedian