YORK comedian James Christopher is developing a split personality for his debut solo show at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Let James explain: “Seeing Both Sides is a stand-up show by twin brothers, James Christopher and Michael Mound. One is a comedian, the other a Lib Dem MP. They’ve got starkly contrasting experiences of public speaking, but universal experience of the dynamics of sibling relationships.

“Media controversy, scandal, back stabbing, jealousy, deception and fraud... and that’s just to get a short spot at Jongleurs!”

From tomorrow, the self-deprecating, geeky James will focus on social and political observations, autobiographical revelations and a quirky slant towards prop comedy, in his show at the Royal Mile High tavern in Edinburgh.

A beer mat, a lemon squeezer, some leaflets found in a church and a signed Oasis CD will be deconstructed for their unlikely comedic value. Meanwhile, the upbeat demeanour he brought to hosting his comedy clubs in York will soften the blow when he smashes some of the more sensitive taboos in his Fringe set.

Twin brother Michael Mound is equally prone to social faux pas and blunders. “However, as a politician, this family trait has hindered my career as much as it has helped James’s,” says James, sorry, Michael.

“So, turning to the family trade (our father was a comic on the working men’s club circuit), I’ll be recounting some of the controversial and contentious situations I’ve encountered, hoping to create some laughter rather than merely being the object of it.”

Please note, James and Michael are identical twins, and in order to prevent confusion and alarm, they have agreed not to appear on stage together at any point in a show where sibling rivalry, dark family secrets and a fractured relationship with the media – not least Michael’s journalist wife – will unfold.

James and PBH’s Free Fringe will present the 60-minute Seeing Both Sides in the intimate backroom of the Royal Mile Tavern, High Street, Edinburgh, from tomorrow until August 28 at 6.10pm. Admission is free and a voluntary collection will be taken at the end of each show.

James is no Edinburgh newcomer, having performed alongside Dan Bland for the full stretch of the festival for the past two summers. Not content with merely mounting his own show, he will bring his compere skills to the Fringe too, hosting an hour-long stand-up showcase, Yorkshire Comedians 2, Jokers, Born And Interbred – “Ow Much? FREE”. From tomorrow until August 28 at 10.10pm, he will introduce stand-up sets by Lee Chamberlain, Graham Lee, Richard Scully and one or two very special guests at Dragonfly, West Port, just off Edinburgh’s Grassmarket.

• A graphic designer by day, James Christopher ran the Black Comedy @ The Black Swan club nights in York from October 2006, followed by the “more left-field, alternative” Comedy 1331 gigs at Bar 1331 from February 2007. In February 2009, he established Comedy Gold at the Golden Fleece, before calling time on his promoting days last Christmas to concentrate on his stand-up career.