Tag: Comedy
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Madeleine Brettingham Wins So You Think You’re Funny? 2025
Writer-turned-performer wins 38th edition of the prestigious newcomer competition
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Review: Theo Mason Wood: Legalise Kissing
Tale of a recent break-up with twinkly swagger and a knowing wink
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Review: Daniel Muggleton: You May Be White, I May Be Crazy
Solidly entertaining observations from the easygoing Australian stand-up
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Review: SLUGS
Sweet and strange antics descend into sweaty DIY fever dream
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Review: Gianmarco Soresi: The Drama King Tour
Joke-a-minute stand-up expertly skirts the line
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Review: Jessica Fostekew: Iconic Breath
Fostekew mines the routinely domestic for comedy gold
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Review: I Feel Sick
Matt Jenner’s one-man sketch show falls short
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Review: Ivo Graham: Orange Crush
Light-hearted, citrus coloured zealotry of the non-sectarian kind
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Review: Barry Ferns: My Seven Years as Lionel Richie
Scrappy, upstart tale from the Fringe semi-legend
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Daisy Doris May’s Perfect Night
Three of the comedian and drag king’s iconic characters take us on their big night out
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Review: C U Later, Simulator
Entertaining otherwordly chaos that mirrors the unpredictability of life
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Review: Sam Jay: We the People
Drily delivered subversive takes from the US comedian
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Interview: Zainab Johnson
As she makes her highly-anticipated debut at this year’s Fringe, Zainab Johnson talks politics, identity and being a responsible gun owner
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Review: Urooj Ashfaq: How to Be a Baddie
A riotously funny and upbeat insight into deviancy, fuelled by pettiness
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Review: Tiff Stevenson: Post-Coital
Funny and moving show yearns for a stronger build-up to its climax
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Ben Pope’s Guide to the 5 Fringe Posters He Never Wants to See Again
The comedian and bookseller went viral for sharing the book cover tropes that need to end. We asked him to give Fringe posters the same treatment
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Review: Sikisa: Serving Justice
Satire and hilarity chock-full of audience engagement
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Review: Simple Town
Acclaimed New York sketch troupe bring their smart, absurdist act to the Fringe
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Review: Kathy Maniura: The Cycling Man
Ingenious send-up of bike obsessives is a cracking ride
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Review: Jena Friedman: Motherf*cker
Tale of motherhood and grief bristles with righteous anger
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Review: Chloe Petts: Big Naturals
Big laughs come naturally in loving look back at lad culture’s problematic zenith
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Review: Shamik Chakrabarti: Despite Appearances
Wry humour and a sharp eye for absurdity
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Review: Desiree Burch: The Golden Wrath
An inspirational, inclusive, and thoroughly entertaining hour
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Interview: Ivo Graham
Making multiple appearances at the Fringe and Book Festival this year, Ivo Graham talks through his busy schedule
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Review: Killian Sundermann: This Boy is Cracking Up
Much-loved internet comic dives deeper into his Irish-German upbringing in Fringe debut
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Review: Ayoade Bamgboye: Swings and Roundabouts
An absolute lock-in, don’t-miss-a-thing outburst of talent
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Review: Susie McCabe: Best Behaviour
Self-deprecating hour is light on ambition but full of charisma and warmth
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Review: Adele Cliff: Adele, Adele, Adele… Cliff It Isn’t the Consequences of My Own Actions
Deftly delivered trove of reliable, if unspectacular, anecdotes from self-professed comedy nerd
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Review: Wild Thing!
Wonderfully daft antics give way to bitter eulogy of extinct species
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Review: Bryan Safi: Are You Mad at Me??
A wonderfully goofy show filled with catty one-liners
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Review: Zoë Coombs Marr: The Splash Zone
Charming autobiographical tale deliberately avoids the fast track
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Review: Lily Blumkin: Nice Try
Journey through performer’s past starts strong but fizzles out
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Review: Paul Sinha: 2 Sinha Lifetime
Savvy and self-aware stand-up from acclaimed brainbox
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Review: Kieran Hodgson: Voice of America
Talented impersonator swipes light-heartedly at US news
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MC Hammersmith’s Perfect Day
The hip-hop comedian takes on a day at the Fringe, via rap
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Review: Jo Caulfield: Bad Mood Rising
Acid-tongued hour feels a bit like punching down
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Review: Seaton Smith: Trauma Bonding
Expert room-reading gets huge laughs from tough topics
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Review: Pedro Leandro: Soft Animal
Natural starpower carries gentle hour of comedy
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Just Good Friends: A Day Out with Trygve Wakenshaw and Barnie Duncan
Evan Beswick spends a day at the Fringe with best pals Trygve Wakenshaw and Barnie Duncan, finding real joy and creativity in their unique partnership
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Review: Kim Blythe: Cowboy
The newcomer contends with the screen-to-stage transition in this sharp new hour
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Review: Heidi Regan: Jekyll and Heidi
Beautifully crafted, naturally delivered hour of low-key stand-up
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Review: Lucy Pearman: Lunartic
Surprisingly polite hijinks from the frequently brilliant absurdist comic
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Review: Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe: DEAD!!! (Good Fun Time)
‘Yorkshire’s biggest bastard’ returns from the dead for more dishonest fun
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Review: Sinead Walsh: Bye Bye Baby
Warmly delivered tales of navigating growing pains
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Burt Williamson: 104kg of Pure Banter
Cantankerous third hour from off-beat contrarian comic
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Review: James Trickey: Don’t Count On Me
Impressive debut from chartered accountant turned stand up
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Review: David’s One-Man Band (F*ck You, Steven)
Musical character comedy that is an ode to mid-noughties emo
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Review: Prashasti Singh: Divine Feminine
A compelling, drily delivered exploration of polite society with enigmatic charm
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Interview: Michelle Wolf
Back at the Fringe with two Netflix specials, a podcast and an infamous White House Correspondents’ Dinner appearance in tow, Emmy-nominated comedian Michelle Wolf explains why it’s better to be unfiltered
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Review: Ali Brice Presents Eric Meat Gets the Chop
Ali Brice dusts off the suit and tie and returns to his absurdist alter-ego
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Review: Kate Dolan: The Critic
A wild assault of jokes, voices, act outs and asides
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Review: Rosa Garland: Primal Bog
Nonsensical but endearing merging of clowning and comedic performance art
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Review: Liam Withnail: Big Strong Boy
Tale of leaving home makes for delicately balanced stand-up with huge laughs
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Gilded Balloon: 40 Years of Funny
As Edinburgh institution Gilded Balloon celebrates its 40th anniversary, some famous faces of decades past write their own love letter to the venue that helped launch so many careers
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Review: Jordan Gray: Is That a C*ck in Your Pocket, or Are You Just Here to Kill Me?
With expectations sky high, Gray stylishly rides out her second rodeo
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The Master’s Perfect Day
A vampire’s guide to enjoying a da– er, night out at the Fringe
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Review: Jumper Bumps
Feminist two-hander is well acted but over-written
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Review: Ismael Loutfi: Heavenly Baba
A hilarious and confident debut from the Floridian comic
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Review: Alana Jackson: Last Orders
Confident hour of observational stand-up
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Review: Liz Guterbock: Nice
Self-reflective tale of being American in the UK
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Review: Stuart Laws Is Stuck
A brain scrambling kinda-whodunnit from the Fringe veteran
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Review: Ozzy Algar: Speed Queen
An ode to Britain’s faded camp glamour set in the Isle of Wight’s last surviving launderette
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Review: Josie Long: Now is the Time of Monsters
Long is on terrific form with a deceptively rousing prehistory show
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Interview: Toussaint Douglass
Cover story: Arriving in Edinburgh for his Fringe debut, Toussaint Douglass talks about being an introvert and why he’ll never be a beanie hat comedian
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Review: Jaz Mattu: Everyone is Here
A headscratcher that blurs the line between deadpan comedy and performance art
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Review: Eric Rushton: Innkeeper
Midlander finds dark emotional truth in despair
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Review: Caitriona Dowden: Dance Like Everyone’s Dancing
A comic with a charmingly idiosyncratic worldview
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Review: Sibet Partee: Behind
Tale of Tudor obsession is lightly plotted but delivered with gusto
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Review: Douglas Widick: Paperclip
Charming and bizarre nostalgia ride through early internet culture
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Review: Jain Edwards: She-Devil
The Welsh-born, Manchester-based comedian combines reality and fiction in an offbeat hour of stand-up
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Review: Laura Davis: Despair is Beneath Us
The Edinburgh-based Australian’s latest is a densely crafted stand-up hour
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Review: Molly McGuinness: Slob
An affable and warm debut hour
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Review: Hasan Al-Habib: Death to the West (Midlands)
Infectiously effusive hour from the Birmingham comic
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Review: How to Kill a Mouse
A witty and moving debut hour from American stand-up Alex Berr
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Review: Seymour Mace Does Things With Stuff
An hour of wacky, oddball prop comedy
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Review: Twonkey’s Zip Wire to Zanzibar
A slice of pure unsullied anything-goes Fringe
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Review: Dan Tiernan: All In
The award-nominated stand-up continues to excel at the long range bait and switch
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Review: Fisherman Jon: What’s on the End of My Rod? A Clown Odyssey
Multifaceted costumes and props make for an endearing clown-odyssey
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Review: Phil Green: A Broken Man’s Guide to Fixing Others
A stand-up hour full of class, heart and laughs, but which could do with paring back
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Review: Woody Fu: One Man John Wick
Goofy paean to the ultra-violent action series
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Review: Christopher Macarthur-Boyd: Howling at the Moon
A solid return for the Glasgow comic that revels in self-deprecation
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Review: Cabbage the Clown: Cinemadrome
Debut hour of skilful clownery and queer joy
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Review: Saaniya Abbas – Hellarious
An exploration of sinful actions and cultural taboos
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Review: Krystal Evans: A Star is Burnt
An inspiring survival tale about years in hospitality
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Review: Holly Spillar: Tall Child
Engaging musical comedy with an otherworldly charm
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Review: Sooz Kempner is Ugly
After experiencing a tidal wave of mediocre insults online, Sooz Kempner concludes that if you need a job done well, you might as well do it yourself
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Review: Hypnotist Matt Hale – Funbelievable! 90s Rewind
With the charismatic Matt at the helm, this enjoyable all-ages throwback will appeal to the cynics and believers alike
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Review: Bella Hull: Doctors Hate Her
Hull returns to the Fringe, signature sarcasm and mischievous misdirection in tow
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Review: Ayo Adenekan: Black Mediocrity
An incredibly impressive debut hour from the Edinburgh comic
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Review: Helen Bauer: Bless Her
A commanding, hilarious stand-up hour with pathos to boot
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Review: Sam Nicoresti: Baby Doomer
A blistering, cathartic and vivid exploration of the trans experience
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Review: Nick Hornedo: Watch This When You Get Home
This tale of teenage crushes has lots of potential, but blows it by burying the lead
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Review: Jodie Sloan: Is She Hot?
A unique social media experience is the catalyst for Jodie Sloan’s creative debut
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Review: Mary O’Connell: Dilly Dally
With easy charisma, Mary O’Connell delivers a tightly woven hour about late-twenties growing pains
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Kids Review: Olaf Falafel’s Stupidest Super Stupid Show
Oran and Roo, both seven, are delighted by the sheer volume of poo jokes
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Review: Dan Rath: Tropical Depression
Strong joke-writing punctuates a self-conscious, low-energy hour
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Review: Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes
The Edinburgh Comedy Award winner returns with another tightly crafted hour
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Review: Derek Mitchell: Goblin
A pitch-black character comedy from Derek Mitchell that nails its period details
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Review: Sharon Wanjohi: In The House
The comedy writer brings her TV writing chops to the stage, with a debut that takes aim at the wellness industry
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Review: Kevin James Doyle: Wild Card
An entertaining hour where the audience provides the prompts
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Review: Amy Mason: Behold!
Deadpan and intimate, Amy Mason’s unapologetic show recounts the comic’s absurd experience of being hacked
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Review: Kit Loyd: Frenzy
Kit Loyd puts in a committed performance, but strong execution fails to lift his derivative mime show
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Review: Lorna Rose Treen: 24 Hour Diner People
The character comedian outdoes her previous show with another slick hour that blends cringe humour with surrealism
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Review: Relay
Smart and sharp punk musical comedy from writer Leila Navabi
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Review: Andrew Doherty: Sad Gay AIDS Play
Andrew Doherty’s satirical play-within-a-play sends up the nature of arts council funding in the UK
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Review: Dylan Adler: Haus of Dy-lan
Dylan Adler’s delightfully campy, autobiographical hour is just slightly curtailed by over-ambition
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Review: PALESTINE: PEACE DE RESISTANCE
Irish-Palestinian comic Sami Abu Wardeh’s densely layered Fringe comeback roars with defiance
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Review: Thor Stenhaug: One Night Stand Baby
Norwegian comedian Thor Stenhaug’s cheerful standup is a welcome dose of positivity
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Review: Toussaint Douglass: Accessible Pigeon Material
A brilliant and relatable debut exploring generational weirdness
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Review: Cerys Bradley’s Queer Tales for Autistic Folk
With more structure, Cerys Bradley’s relaxed show about an adult autism diagnosis could become something special
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Review: Old God
There’s something in Alec Jones-Turjillo’s garrulous period pantomime. Maybe too much, in fact
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Review: Zainab Johnson: Toxically Optimistic
A confident hour of solo stand-up from the American comic
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Review: jessica aszkenasy: TITCLOWN
A delightfully bizarre hour of clowning and breast-based comedy
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Review: John Tothill: This Must Be Heaven
For Tothill heaven is a place on earth, and that place is his sofa with a Rustler’s burger in hand
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Interview: Peter Richardson on The Comic Strip
The writer and director of the cult-classic Comic Strip films explains what audiences can expect from the exclusive screenings at the Fringe
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Review: Ben Pope: The Cut
Charisma abounds in Ben Pope’s personal and endearingly breathless comeback hour
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Review: Grace Mulvey: Did You Hear We’re All Going To Die?
The Irish comic dances around big subject matter in this follow-up to her debut
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Review: Michelle Brasier: It’s a Shame We Won’t Be Friends Next Year
Another warm and affecting hour of music and storytelling from one of Australia’s finest
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Interview: Cat Cohen on Broad Strokes
Cat Cohen suffered a stroke in 2023, which ended up derailing her Fringe run. Here, the Edinburgh Comedy Award winner talks about coming back with her most personal show yet
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Interview: Local Heroes
Comedians Jack Traynor, Ayo Adenekan, Amanda Hursy and Hannah Morton on what to expect from their inaugural hours
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Review: Lou Wall: Breaking the Fifth Wall
The Aussie comic takes on the very nature of stand-up with more meme-heavy musical comedy
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Sam Kissajukian
In 2021, Sam Kissajukian quit stand-up to become a painter. Four years later, he tells us about his new show 300 Paintings
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Interview: Thanyia Moore on August
Returning to the Fringe for the first time since her ill-fated debut, Thanyia Moore reflects on the importance of finding levity in moments of trauma
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Interview: Thinking Funny
So You Think You’re Funny? alumni give us the lowdown on their must-see comics at this year’s Fringe
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Interview: Su Mi and Cabbage the Clown
Two acts from the BIGHEAD Comedy roster explain why they’ve found a liberating home at the alternative company
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Interview: Francesca Moody
The producer discusses this year’s Shedinburgh programme and the ethos behind the project
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The Cycling Man’s Guide to Cycling in Edinburgh
Kathy Maniura’s deeply flawed, lycra-clad Cycling Man takes us around Edinburgh on a bike
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Interview: Narin Oz and Ria Lina
Comedians Narin Özenci and Ria Lina discuss how autism can be viewed through different lenses in the same genre
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Interview: Urooj Ashfaq & Joe Kent-Walters
It’s one of comedy’s biggest breaks, but what happens when you‘re nominated for – and win – Edinburgh’s Best Newcomer award? Back with hotly-anticipated follow-up shows, Urooj Ashfaq (2023) and Joe Kent-Walters (2024) break it down
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Interview: Joe Tracini
Joe Tracini discusses the value of honesty, life with BPD and the five-year journey to his Fringe show
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Alana Jackson’s Guide to Drinking in Edinburgh
The So You Think You’re Funny? 2024 winner gives us the lowdown on her favourite watering holes in the city
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Lorna Rose Treen’s Guide to Edinburgh Dining
The character comedian gives us a whistle-stop tour of her favourite dining spots in the city
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Interview: Jordan Gray
Hot off the heels of her hit ITV2 comedy Transaction, Jordan Gray talks about her return to the Fringe and her commitment to clowning
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Interview: Let’s Talk About Sex
Comedian Chloe Petts, podcast duo Poppy Jay and Rubina Pabani, and playwright Jules Coyle on inclusive discussions about sex on stage
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Opinion: We Need to Talk About Pelvic Floor Health
Amy Veltman, the NYC comedian and performer behind PSA: Pelvic Service Announcement, is on a mission to destigmatise pelvic floor health
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Edinburgh Fringe 2025 – Top Picks: Comedy
From imposter syndrome to medieval saints, these comedy shows will have you in stitches
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David Elms Describes a Mixtape
Featuring Brian Eno, Jonathan Richman and more
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Opinion: In LA, We Talk About the Fringe Like It’s Narnia
Ahead of her debut, US comedian Laurie Magers gives us the Los Angeles perspective on the festival as a fabled, fairytale place
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Hayley Edwards
Hayley Edwards describes their debut Edinburgh show as ‘Fleabag but about Crohn’s Disease’. We speak to them about their path from hapless drama graduate to critical acclaim in their home country of Australia
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Suzy Crothers
Northern Irish actor and playwright Suzy Crothers tells us about Troubled, ‘a tale of love, death, and division – told with tea and biscuits’
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: David Ian
David Ian’s viral crowdwork clips have him wondering ‘Am I Mean?’. We speak to the comedian about the show
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Jessie Nixon
The self-professed ‘mentally ill, lapsed Catholic’ comedian is putting it all out there in her confessional stand-up hour
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Ismael Loutfi
A stand-up for 15 years, Ismael Loutfi is doing something he’s never done before with Heavenly Baba: A deeper, more complex hour-long reflection on his roots
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Michael Elsener
The award-winning Swiss comic brings his off-beat stand-up to the Fringe for the first time. He answers a few of our burning questions
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Laurie Stevens’ Teen Angst Mixtape
Featuring Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Nirvana and more
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Laura Benanti
The Tony Award-winner tells us all about her comedy show which contends with her people-pleasing personality
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Sam Jay
The American comedian and writer chats ahead of her Fringe debut
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Dylan Adler’s Queer Villain Mixtape
Featuring Andrew Lloyd Webber, Taylor Swift, Kim Petras and more
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Alison Spittle
The Irish comedian and podcaster tells us her top tips for the festival season, and why the male loneliness epidemic is her muse
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Breaking the Internet
Cover Story: Comedian Lou Wall talks to Veronica Finlay about storytelling, collaboration and conspiracy theories
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Fringe on a Theme: Shakespeare with a Twist
From netball courts to paranormal investigations these productions look at the Bard’s work through a kaleidoscope
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Seeds of Doubt: Kate Dolan on her inner-critic
The comedian talks about challenging self-doubt and never giving up
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Cecilia Ronson: “I think that heartbreak is a universal experience”
If you’re a comedy lover who has ever had your heart broken in any way, shape or form, Breaking Hearts with Cecilia Ronson is the show for you
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Kirsty Mann: Skeletons
An stand-up with funny bones
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Clay McMath: In Over My Head
A confident display from a growing local talent
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Daniel Muggleton: You May Be White, I May Be Crazy
An excellent stand-up hour that feels genuinely unique
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The World in Her Hands
Comedian Anisa Nandaula on making people laugh both online and in live performance
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A Share of the Cake
From humble beginnings as an alternative birthday celebration, Ben Volchok’s The Ceremony has taken a life of its own
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Head Over Heels
Kane Enable discusses her very own drag wedding performance, where one lucky audience member will become her groom
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Teaching New Tricks
Billie Duncan on turning the classics into stand-up gold
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Master of the Arts
Comedian Emma Holland chats about her trinkets
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She Sez
Naarm-Melbourne based comedian Sez discusses her comedy and Gen Z coping mechanisms
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Top Picks: Comedy
From loveable hooligans to unhinged bouffons, these comedy shows will have you cackling out loud
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Stage Fright: Samuel Barnett Interview
Ahead of its Adelaide Festival debut, we speak to Samuel Barnett, star of the latest solo play from the producers of Fleabag

