IAN RANKIN has stepped out of his comfort zone to try his hand atĀ stand up comedy.
The Rebus author was persuaded to take part in a comedy show as partĀ of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
The crime writer will feature in a 12 minute slot on āThe Speakeasyā –Ā which will be aired by BBC Radio 4 on Sunday.
Producer Richard Melvin convinced the Scot to appear alongsideĀ established comedians and reassured him that there was only one rule –Ā to be funny.
The temporary career transition follows Rankinās hugely successfulĀ appearances at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh, where heĀ enthralled small audiences with witty tales of his life.
Rankin said: āThe first time you do anything in public isĀ nerve-wracking. And I know enough comedians to know that they sweatĀ blood to get a ten minute routine perfected.
āSo no pressure going out in front of a comedy audience and tellingĀ them a couple of stories.
āNo pressure at all.ā
But this is not the first time Rankin has tried his hand at anĀ alternative career path.
The Rebus writer teamed up with the Charlatans frontman, Tim Burgess,Ā to produce a spoken-word single set to music in November 2012.
But Mr Melvin, director of Dabster Productions said that Rankin roseĀ the recent challenge āfantasticallyā.
Melvin said: āI got Ian Rankin to try a bit of comedy on TheĀ Speakeasy, which begins on Radio 4 this Sunday after becoming one ofĀ the most popular regular nights at the Scottish Storytelling Centre.
āWe gave Ian 12 minutes on a show with established stand ups JoĀ Caulfied, Richard Herring and Janey Godley, and told him the only ruleĀ was that he had to be funny.
āHe was quite apprehensive about it, but he rose to the challengeĀ fantastically,ā he added.
And while Richard claims the crime king kept his cool, the authorĀ himself admitted he may still be recovering from his foray onto theĀ stage.
Rankin joked: āAnd Iād like to thank my therapist for helping me write this.ā