Tag: Comedy
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Review: Clown Show
Studied haplessness makes for a brilliant, satirical, physical comedy from Geoff Sobelle and co.
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Review: Marc Jennings: If & When
Marc Jennings shows why he’s one of the most versatile and strongest all-round stand-ups in Scotland
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Review: New York City Dreams
New Yorker Meka Mo’s debut hour is a charismatic if slightly unfocused hour
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Edinburgh Festival Fringe Q&A: Eleanor Morton
Eleanor Morton discusses her latest stand-up show, The Mermaid, which explores coming of age
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Brendan Scannell: The Abyss
Part standup, part monologue, The Abyss sees Brendan Scannell dive deep into his own trauma and upbringing
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Review: Katie Norris: Mother Succubus
Katie Norris embraces her Mother Succubus alter-ego as fiercely cynical agony aunt for younger women
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Alice Fraser
Alice Fraser discusses Oh Man!, her stand-up show exploring masculinity and the manosphere
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Interview: The SNL UK team on their Saturday Night Live (US) influences
Comics behind the hit SNL UK tell us about the Saturday Night Live (US) cast members that inspired them
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Cecily Hitchock’s Family Recipe
We asked the comedian to write us the recipe for a family favourite. Bananas and ham, anyone?
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Marty Gleeson
BBC New Comedy Award finalist Marty Gleeson talks us through their Fringe show Dog Ear
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Review: Alfie Dundas: First Class Panic
Alfie Dundas’s reflections on his privileged upbringing hits a snag after some destabilising crowd work
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Review: Giraffe
Abigail Weinstock’s quirky new solo play follows a young girl as she stands accused of stalking her neighbour
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Alex Franklin
Alex Franklin discusses her stand-up and musical comedy show Kiss Me x, all about kissing and dating
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Review: Burger and a Pint: Treats for the Soul
Sketch comedy duo Burger and a Pint explore compromised masculinity with easy chemistry
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Review: 1979 Persianality Disorder
Reflecting on growing up in Iran and moving to Europe, Sepideh Kaav’s solo dark comedy show is yet to find its feet
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Edinburgh Festival Fringe Q&A: Finlay Christie
Comedian Finlay Christie discusses his latest show Champagne Casanova
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Review: John Kearns: Tilting at Windmills
John Kearns may be at a crossroads in his life, but on stage he’s exactly where he ought to be
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Review: Frankie McNair: Huge Ass Mindset
Frankie McNair’s show excavates childhood trauma with humour
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Review: Adam Flood: Life and Death of the Party
Adam Flood’s relentless exploration of millennial anguish is bombastic, but in need of some fine tuning
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Review: Kate Dehnert: Echo
Kate Dehnert’s emotional show explores the fall-out from a ten-year relationship
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Review: Zoe Wohlfeld: Dog Funeral
Zoe Wohlfield delivers a committed performance exploring grief as she stages a funeral for her furry best friend
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Interview: Joseph Morpurgo on Highlander 70
Cult favourite Joseph Morpurgo on his first solo Fringe show in almost a decade
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Review: Ele Mckenzie: Bringing It All Back Home
Ele McKenzie bears her heart, soul and body in her debut comedy hour
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Review: INDY!
This satire of the Indiana Jones trilogy has roots in postmodern panto
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Rob Preston
Comedian Rob Preston answers our Edinburgh Fringe Q&A in typically tongue in cheek fashion
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Rob Copland: ONE (more please)
Rob Copland grapples with professional woes and becoming a father in his latest show
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Review: Jill’s Tupperware Party
Interactive kitsch nightmare has the makings of a future cult classic
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Mark Thomas’s Core Memory Playlist
Trailblazing comedian and activist Mark Thomas shares a highly personal mixtape
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Review: BIRDS: Alex Hines and Sarah Stafford
Beckettian Aussie Absurdism from Sons of Susan
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Review: Ed Night: We’ll Be Alright, Darling
Ed Night delivers a tight set that is as introspective as it is mischievous
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Review: Josh Pickar: Getting Off
The comedian draws on his past as a death row lawyer to examine the US justice system
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Review: Rob Auton: JUPITER
Rob Auton’s shaggy dog tale is an elaborate vehicle for his mix of standup and storytelling
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Tom Ballard
Australian comedian Tom Ballard discusses his new comedy show based on a recent joke scandal he became involved in
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Review: Marty Gleeson: Dog Ear
Gleeson squeezes meaning into every line that she can, but backs herself into an imaginative corner
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Em Humble
BAFTA-longlisted comedian, Em Humble unpacks her new character comedy show inspired by Arthurian legend
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Review: Tia Rey: Oot Ma Banger
Hotly-tipped Glaswegian comic Tia Rey gives us a charismatic hour exploring psychedelics
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Review: Selina Mosinski: Puss in Boots – A Working Class Fairy Tale
Fringe fairytale debut from Charity Shop Sue shows great promise but offers little levity for the audience
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Review: Jonno: Here Comes Mr Funny
The debut Fringe show from Jonno, SNL UK’s head writer, is unsurprisingly excellent
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Review: Madeleine Brettingham: Legend
Warm, weighty debut exploring geezer culture from natural comic Madeleine Brettingham
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Review: Sam Eley is Basil Crumbwick: Soul Sewage
Sam Eley debuts as Basil Crumbwick, his papier-mâché-headed alter ego
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Review: Crybabies: The Scaring
A surprising, stellar third show from the Crybabies, exploring a washed-up exorcist who takes on one last gig
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Review: Larry Dean: Hellbent
Slick, effortless comedy from stand-up and Saturday Night Live UK star Larry Dean
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Review: Scout Boxall: God’s Favourite
Written and polished to within an inch of its life, God’s Favourite lands as theatre just as much as stand-up
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Review: Li Jin Hao: Falling From a Moon
Li Jin Hao’s hour possesses a weighty structure but sometimes errs too far into overblown whimsy
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Review: Kemah Bob: Love Child
An upbeat, joyful second hour from Fest cover star Kemah Bob
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Review: Roger Prick: Sexopolis
A raucous hour charting a fictional 70s pornographer’s journey from precocious leery youngin to sleazy Soho entrepreneur
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Review: Amanda Knox: Cartwheel
Despite its controversial reputation, Amanda Knox’s comedy debut is surprisingly placid
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Interview: Comedians in Conflict
65 years after Peter Cook quipped about “those wonderful Berlin cabarets which did so much to stop the rise of Hitler”, how do comedians react to war?
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Review: Freddie Meredith: Need a Light?
Freddie Meredith embodies a recognisable archetype: the guy determined to be seen as a nightclub legend
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Review: Gareth Waugh: Is Pepsi OK?
Gareth Waugh unpacks a cracking Fringe-show tale with some nice true-crime touches
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Review: Mark Vigeant: OUT THERE
Mark Vigeant’s high-energy character comedy is an amusing hour, but pulls punches
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Review: Jordan Brookes: The Part of You That’s Always Screaming
Jordan Brookes is a juggernaut spectacle of disturbing fascination
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Review: Ania Magliano: Peach Fuzz
SNL UK’s Ania Magliano performs a sophisticated show with precise and effortless delivery
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Review: Eric Rushton: Could Well Be In
Eric Rushton delivers an hour reflecting on his mum and his upbringing with seven siblings
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Review: Maya Ricote: Ay Am!
For her debut hour, Maya Ricote embodies a parodic version of a telenovela star
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Review: Olga Koch: Fat Tom Cruise
The comedian follows up last year’s standout show with a polished, high-production hour
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Review: Adi Parmar: Sunny Boy
Deeply autobiographical debut introduces us to a confident, prismatic new stand-up
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Review: Milo Edwards: Catamaran
A truly sensational hour of standup exploring grief, love and family
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Review: Hasan Al-Habib: Stuck in the Middle (East) With You
Hasan Al-Habib’s polished show can’t quite support a late dramatic tone shift
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Review: Those People
Fascinating and fresh sketch autofiction from Riana White and Lara Ciulli
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Review: Dan Kelly: How I Went to Every Supermarket in the World
Funny, travel-obsessed stand-up sells us a slice of life as a supermarket data collector
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Amy Matthews: Definitions of Toast
Amy Matthews takes on heavy subjects with aplomb, in this tightly structured set
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Review: Lizzy Hoo – Says Hoo?
Lizzy Hoo delivers a polished hour with outstanding writing and delivery
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Review: Nate Kitch: Replica
Nate Kitch delivers an hour of jazz-inspired deconstructionist, experimental comedy
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Review: Matthew Gallagher: Last Minute
Scattergun hour is delivered with commitment and energy but lacks focus
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Review: Tamsyn Kelly: Rat’s Ass
Crucial, well observed and all-too contemporary stand-up hour hails Tamsyn Kelly as one to watch
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Review: Alex Franklin: Kiss Me x
Gleefully nerdy new hour from Alex Franklin
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Review: Jennifer Jane: Happy Tea
Jennifer Jane is an extraordinary person telling an extraordinary story, in no-frills fashion
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Review: Joseph Morpurgo: Highlander 70
Joseph Morpurgo’s long-awaited Fringe return is a comedy masterclass
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Review: Metroland Live: As Seen On TV
Metroland start strong and fizzle out with the TV-themed follow-up to their debut
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Review: Man Sings Same Song Over and Over Again for an Hour
Man Sings Same Song Over and Over Again for an Hour does exactly what it says on the tin
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Review: Sapphire McIntosh: Squeaky Bum Time
Ex-footballer Sapphire McIntosh delivers a confident stand-up debut that nevertheless isn’t quite a clean strike
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Interview: Kemah Bob on Love Child
Cover story: Comedian Kemah Bob on the trials of growing up, inheritance, and following up their hit debut hour
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comrie sf’s Midnight Snacks Mixtape
comrie sf returns to the Fringe with a soothing charity mixed-bill. We asked him for its soundtrack
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Review: B48Y Crash Lands on Earth!
Lukas Meintjes’ camp clowning show sees an alien crash land into a gay nightclub
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Review: Sami Abu Wardeh Hates You
For his sophomore show, Sami Abu Wardeh offers a personal hour exploring his family and upbringing
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Review: Elf Lyons is The Woman on the Edge
Elf Lyons delivers her most personal piece yet, a must-see journey from heartbreak to rediscovery
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Review: Jess Fuchs: Feral
Jess Fuchs archly engages with the regressive impulses of the post-feminist moment
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Review: Rory Marshall: Thank You for the Opportunity
Rory Marshall goes broad with characters that lack a sharper, more defined edge
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Review: Ifrah Qureshi: 48 Flaws of Power
Ifrah Qureshi’s debut Fringe hour engages with one of the manosphere’s canonical texts
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Review: Amanda Dwyer: Better Than Revenge
Amanda Dwyer’s debut show flips easy survivor narratives on their head for a caustic, complicated hour
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Review: Eva Peroni: Jungled
Potently leftist yet politically incorrect, Eva Peroni’s gleeful bravado glosses over the young comic’s contradictions
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Review: Sophie Duker: Hot Beef Injection
Sophie Duker offers a fresh and charming voice to the discourse on male loneliness
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Review: Jonathan Oldfield: Exquisite Corpse
Jonathan Oldfield’s unpredictable debut show stitches together sketch comedy gold
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Review: UNDERGROUND MONK SHOW
Four monks discover the power of water in this miraculously silly cult favourite sketch show
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Review: Andrew Doherty: Reviewers Welcome… TO DIE!
Andrew Doherty’s camp horror is amusing, but can feel unsophisticated, formulaic and shallow
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Review: Kate Hammer: Government Approved Comedian
Kate Hammer’s frantic Fringe debut is themed around the bureaucratically taxing process of visa applications
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Review: Gareth Mutch Means Well
Even Gareth Mutch’s natural talent and likability can’t save a poorly defined and under-developed show
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Review: Depths of Wikipedia
Annie Rauwerda turns her popular Instagram account @depthsofwikipedia into a fully-fledged comedy show
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Review: Sid Singh: Love Bombing
Sid Singh reflects on the role of political comedy amid global crisis in an earnest, likeable hour
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Review: Rosco McClelland: The Bones
Naturally funny Rosco McClelland has the bones of a killer show, which just needs fleshing out
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Review: How to Art
This absurdist art world satire riffs off of Maurizio Cattelan’s infamous banana stunt to mixed effect
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Review: Jack Brookmyre: Impressionable
Jack Brookmyre offers up whip-smart storytelling, savvy observations and caustic gags
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Review: Chris Rutter: Ignorance Is Chris
Chris Rutter’s debut set is calmly delivered, full of solid gags with similar beats
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Review: Demi Adejuyigbe Sells Out
Demi Adejuyigbe delivers a skilful hour with super sharp comebacks and chaotic energy
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Review: Long Way Home
Layla Warren unpacks her journey from 1980s Iran to LA via London in a solo storytelling show with warmth
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Ethan & Gigi Present: THE MOVEMENT
At every moment THE MOVEMENT shrouds itself in glory and kicks itself in the nuts
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Review: Target Audience
A live wire cast does much of the heavy lifting in this tame critique of corporate interests and careerism
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Review: John Achkar: His country is collapsing. He’s having a baby. So obviously, this is the right year for a Lebanese comedian you’ve never heard of to try English stand-up for the first time
Lebanese comic John Achkar’s nascent English-language career gets off to a promising start
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Review: Abby Govindan: Pushing 30
Abby Govindan’s tour de force personality shines through despite an underpowered Fringe debut
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Review: Harriet Richardson: Creep
The debut stand-up show from performance artist Harriet Richardson tackles parasocial relationships head-on
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Review: Paul Hilleard: Grogg
Hotly anticipated debut showcases some great observational comedy but tends towards gloom
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Review: Jack Ansett: Looks Like a Bit of Me!
Disparate routines don’t quite come together for New Zealander Jack Ansett’s Edinburgh debut
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Review: Finlay Christie: Champagne Casanova
A laidback, winsome approach from Finlay Christie falls short of the mark
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Review: Chris Cantrill: Rewilding
This shaggy dog story about rural Northumberland is confidently handled, but searches in vain for a worthy climax
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Review: The Buddha Wears Prada
American stand-up Sofia May delivers a takedown of a not-yet-infamous cult leader
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Review: Kate Butch: A Kate in the Hand is Worth Two in the Butch
After a variety hour in 2024, Kate Butch shows she can tackle straight stand-up with wit and emotional weight
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Review: Dee Allum: Raumdeuter
Admirably honest, upbeat stand-up is a joy to spend time with
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Review: Lara Ricote: INKLING
Lara Ricote embraces the power of three for an occasionally rapturous third show
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Review: Emmeline Downie: Gail
An unsparing portrait of a certain kind of lost soul, which errs towards middle-class misery over mirth
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Review: Cecily Hitchcock: Family Recipe
Cecily Hitchcock dishes up a brilliant debut about growing up sticking out, with a double helping of charm
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Review: Hannah Platt: Cult Classic
Rising star Hannah Platt tries to convert us to her cult in an enjoyable hour that could go deeper
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Review: Patrick Monahan: I’m Not A Terrorist – I’m Freddie Mercury
Patrick Monahan hints at a hard-hitting show with personal tales but ultimately keeps things light
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Review: Lil Wenker: BOYKING
Energetic and loud tale of a tyrannical young prince relies on a lively audience
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Review: Harriet Dyer: Easily Distra…
The Cornish comedian’s jam-packed show won’t leave you feeling shortchanged. It’s several hours of stand-up in one
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Review: Rob Preston: Amazing Global Solutions
Rob Preston offers up delightfully deranged musings on the sex recession and parodies of masculinity which push cliches to farcical limits
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Review: Jenny Gorelick: SORRY
Depending on your relationship status, Jenny Gorelick’s debut Fringe hour will have you guffawing or debating if heterofatalism has gone too far
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Review: Susie McCabe: Coming of Rage
Susie McCabe’s stand-up hour Coming of Rage promises anger but delivers comfortable laughter
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Review: Darryl J Carrington: Tennish
Darryl J Carrington’s non-verbal clown show serves up good, clean, interactive fun
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Review: Paul Foot: The Future
Paul Foot balances statistics-based frivolity with a story of ancestral struggle in an unexpectedly rousing hour
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Review: Kate Dolan: Trout
Kate Dolan yearns for devolution in a high-key stand-up hour with depth
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Interview: Fringe Comedians on Turning 30
Even at 30, many of us are wondering why we’re still waiting for our lives to start. We speak to five comedians about feeling priced out of growing up
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Interview: Selina Mosinski
Selina Mosinski, the comedian best known as Charity Shop Sue, debuts at the Fringe with a show reviving her stripper persona Randy Cain
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Interview: Stand-up Comedians and their Directors
What exactly is a standup comedy director? Si Hawkins speaks to a trio of comedians and their directors to find out
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Interview: Madeleine Brettingham
After a successful career in writers’ rooms, Madeleine Brettingham prepares for her stand-up debut about being raised a geezer
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Interview: Kate Dolan
Following a Bestie win for last year’s The Critic, Kate Dolan is back with an altogether deeper stand-up hour
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Interview: The Stand Five Comedians Prepare to Debut
Chris Rutter, Ifrah Qureshi, Matthew Gallagher, Amanda Dwyer and Jack Brookmyre on being the inaugural recipients of The Stand’s new sponsorship scheme
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Interview: Catherine Taaffe and Harriet Richardson on Limerence
Catherine Taaffe and Harriet Richardson discuss their Fringe shows dealing with the dizzying heights and crushing lows of romantic infatuation
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Edinburgh Fringe 2026 – Top Picks: Comedy
From Scottish mainstays to international artists making UK debuts, here are just a few comedy shows we’ve got our eye on
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Sid Singh
Comedian Sid Singh discusses his new show Love Bombing, about his date with a stalker
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Mario Adrion
Comedian, content creator and former model Mario Adrion discusses his Zoolander-meets-Baby-Reindeer debut show
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‘Margaret Thatcher’s’ Hollywood Mixtape
Matt Tedford, in character as Margaret Thatcher, picks tracks featured in major motion pictures.
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Mike Wozniak
Mike Wozniak, the comedian seen on Taskmaster and heard on the Three Bean Salad podcast, answers our Fringe Q&A
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John-Luke Roberts Existential Crisis Mixtape
Returning to the Fringe with his first new show in four years, JLR picks songs for stewing on mortality.
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Charlotte Merriam
Charlotte Merriam discusses her new show Sad Bride, the wedding industrial complex, and comphet
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Lil Wenker’s BOYKING Mixtape
American clown Lil Wenker curates a power-hungry playlist
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Li Jin Hao
After his breakthrough hour Swimming In A Submarine debuted in 2024, the comedian returns with Falling From a Moon
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Andrew Doherty’s Underrated Bangers Mixtape
Andrew Doherty selects underrated bangers from Fleur East and Sugababes ahead of his 2026 Fringe show
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Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Molly-Rose Treves and Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson
The Dream Machine cast members Molly-Rose Treves and Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson talk improv and their picks of the Fringe
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Brit Barron’s CHURCH Mixtape
Brit Barron compiles the tracks which inspired her gospel-comedy crossover CHURCH.
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Hannah Byczkowski’s Killer Mixtape
‘The Traitors’ winner Hannah Byczkowski provides an unofficial soundtrack to her death-themed debut
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Liam Withnail’s Long-Haul Flight Survival Guide
In his new show, the English comedian covers how he travelled all the way up to Edinburgh to kickstart his career 18 years ago. Since then, he’s become accustomed to a much, much longer journey.
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The Cycling Man’s Guide to Cycling in Adelaide
Kathy Maniura’s deeply flawed, lycra-clad Cycling Man takes us around Adelaide on a bike
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Interview: Daniel Muggleton
We catch up with the man in red about Adelaide, dodgy audiences and life as a cult comic
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Interview: Elf Lyons
UK clown-comic Elf Lyons on finding new meaning in her Swan Lake adaptation after almost a decade
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Interview: Dane Simpson
The Gamiliaraay comic talks looking back on a decade’s worth of material
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Adelaide Fringe 2026 Top Picks: Comedy
Eight unmissable comedy shows, from charming childhood tales to grasps for meaning
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Interview: Tom Gleeson & Tom Cashman
Taskmaster co-hosts Tom Gleeson and Tom Cashman talk to us ahead of their respective stand-up hours
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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

