Political

Steve Richards Presents Rock'n'Roll Politics 2020

Steve Richards Presents Rock'n'Roll Politics 2020

A wild political landscape opens up – election-winning Boris is not as mighty as he seems; Brexit not done, a new Labour leader, SNP storms: epic dramas for a brand new show. 

The House Is on Fire

The House Is on Fire

It’s 2086. 

Failure Studies

Failure Studies

Failure Studies is a new short play by Marco Biasioli. 

Geoff Norcott: Taking Liberties

Geoff Norcott: Taking Liberties

Norcott’s unique brand of provocative stand-up is returning to Edinburgh. 

Andrew Maxwell: All Talk

Andrew Maxwell: All Talk

Living in Kent - Maxwell tells us – he is surrounded by the sort of puce-faced, fake WWII heroes who seem to think that having once watched a film with John Mills in it automatic… 

Play Before Birth

Play Before Birth

It’s an old feminist adage that the personal is political – and it doesn’t get much more personal than this. 

In Conversation with... Patrick Harvie

In Conversation with... Patrick Harvie

Co-leader of the Scottish Green Party and MSP for the Glasgow area since 2003. Over the past 15 years he has become one of Scotland’s most notable voices on the subject of climate change and the environment, winning over many converts to the Scottish Greens with his passionate views about the fate of the planet… 

Jena Friedman: Miscarriage of Justice

Jena Friedman: Miscarriage of Justice

Jena Friedman is scared shitless and wants to feel less alone. 

Bismillah! An ISIS Tragicomedy

Bismillah! An ISIS Tragicomedy

Radicalisation, disenfranchisement and the rock band Queen. 

Eurosceptic Song Contest

Eurosceptic Song Contest

Curated by satirical parody-pop pun merchants The Iain Duncan Smiths, the Eurosceptic Song Contest is a Eurovision for Brexit that features intimate live performances from Borrissey, Farage Against the Machine, Snoop Mogg, Maydiohead, David Davis Bowie, Corbzy, Leadsome Zeppelin, Fleetwood McVey, Otis Grayling and somehow even more. 

Football, Feminism and Everything in Between: Live with Alastair and Grace Campbell

Football, Feminism and Everything in Between: Live with Alastair and Grace Campbell

Football and feminism are both huge parts of our culture and everyday lives, but rarely have they been brought together and forced to get along. 

Nish Kumar: It's in Your Nature to Destroy Yourselves

Nish Kumar: It's in Your Nature to Destroy Yourselves

“Is it a stand-up show, is it a rally?” Nish Kumar certainly blurs the boundaries between the two. 

Fear Here and Terror There

Fear Here and Terror There

What would you think of if I told you this was a play about radicalisation? Who would you picture? What did they look like? Where were they from – here, or there? 

Death and the Maiden

Death and the Maiden

What would you do if you had the chance for revenge? 15 years after being kidnapped and tortured in General Pinochet’s Chile, Paulina Salas tries to forget the past and build a quiet life with her husband… 

10:31, MCR

10:31, MCR

It was a day like any other day. 

Ideology and Hair Gel

Ideology and Hair Gel

1983, a boarding school in the German Democratic Republic. Elvi, abandoned by her parents, finds comfort in her relationship with her teacher, Thomas. But how can she care for her younger brother when all he wants is to run away? What will happen if her best friend’s illegal activities are discovered? And who are the mysterious figures that visit Thomas at night? With live music, shadow puppetry, raving punks and enigmatic figures lurking in every corner, Ideology and Hair Gel looks at what it is to be young and free where freedom isn’t an option. 

Beauty is Pain

Beauty is Pain

Beauty is Pain is a political performance art piece surrounding Donald Trump’s support of the Miss USA pageants and treatment of women in the mainstream media. It delves into the superficial nature of the pageants and reveals the inner workings of the industry… 

Black Holes

Black Holes

An Afrofuturist history of the universe from the Big Bang to dreamshout death. Propelling lived experiences onto a cosmic scale, Chimutengwende and Hemsley shapeshift through poetic text and movement… 

Medea Speaks

Medea Speaks

Medea Speaks is a rallying cry to take the conversation begun by #MeToo deeper and further. Franca Rame’s acclaimed interpretation of Medea is directed by author and campaigner Jennifer Nadel and performed by Debby Turner… 

The Passion of the Playboy Riots

The Passion of the Playboy Riots

True story of the role played by theatre in the birth of modern Ireland, set backstage during performances of groundbreaking Irish plays, Cathleen ni Hoolihan (1902), The Playboy of the Western World (1907) and The Plough and the Stars (1926)… 

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

Intense and irreverent, this production strips Julius Caesar to its bare bones to explore the selfish workings of professional politics. Live drumming, choral singing and movement are woven into the narrative to represent the people who are ignored in political battles and who suffer the consequences of failed revolutions… 

Die or Run

Die or Run

The 1980s. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has pronounced that ‘there is no such thing as society’. Die or Run is about society and politics, self-help and anxiety, big hair and 80s disco, and looks at how our mental health has been influenced by political ideology… 

Standard:Elite

Standard:Elite

Hidden Track returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with Standard:Elite, an award-winning choose-your-own-adventure show with a twist that continues to delight audiences of all a… 

Before the Wall

Before the Wall

Playwright Chris Ruffle delivers a blow-by-blow account of the 1860 Opium Wars politics in this atmospheric drama, populated by rarefied creatures of the Chinese and British royal courts and their military henchmen… 

Status

Status

We all have a nationality. Or almost all of us. Status is a Fringe First-winning show about someone who doesn’t want his any more. About running away from the national story you’re given… 

Matt Forde: Brexit, Pursued by a Bear

Matt Forde: Brexit, Pursued by a Bear

Join Britain’s leading political comedian as he once again promises his last show as an EU citizen (maybe). 

The Bugle Live

The Bugle Live

Global smash-hit podcast returns with its unique live cocktail of up-to-the-second satire, powerhosed hogwash and on-demand puns. Hosted by Andy Zaltzman. With global guests. And a big screen… 

In Conversation with... Humza Yousaf

In Conversation with... Humza Yousaf

MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Cabinet Secretary for Justice. First elected in 2011, aged 26, the youngest ever Scottish Government Minister and first from an ethnic minority background as Minister for External Affairs and International Development… 

Alex Kealy: Rationale

Alex Kealy: Rationale

Alex Kealy’s latest Fringe performance is a politically charged, self-deprecating show based on sound political analysis and funny life anecdotes. 

In Conversation with... Kezia Dugdale

In Conversation with... Kezia Dugdale

Kezia Dugdale has been an MSP since 2011 and was leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2015 until 2017. A law graduate from Aberdeen University, Dugdale’s interests range across education, lifelong learning, social justice and welfare reform… 

A Poet's Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse

A Poet's Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse

The economy has crumbled, politics has turned our society on its head. The apocalypse is here. What we need is a strategy to help us navigate this bleak political landscape. And most important of all, we need that strategy to be delivered through poetry… 

Breakfast Plays: The Future Is [...]

Breakfast Plays: The Future Is [...]

Remarkably, if you wander into The Traverse at 9am, you will find an audience willing to watch a rehearsed reading of a brand-new play and not a spare seat in the house. 

Matt Forde's Political Party Podcast

Matt Forde's Political Party Podcast

Following a five-year sell-out residency in London, Matt Forde (as seen on Have I Got News For You, Mock the Week, The Royal Variety Performance and Question Time) returns to Edinburgh for two live shows! The Political Party Podcast is regularly in the Top 10 Comedy Podcasts on iTunes and has over 50,000 subscribers… 

In Conversation with... Nicola Sturgeon

In Conversation with... Nicola Sturgeon

Scotland’s First Minister chats to Graham Spiers about Scotland, politics, gender balance, favourite books and (maybe) eighties pop music. First elected to the Scottish Parliament in 1999, currently MSP for the Glasgow Southside constituency… 

Franz and Marie: Woyzeck Retold

Franz and Marie: Woyzeck Retold

For an incomplete play, Georg Büchner’s Woyzeck has nevertheless managed to secure enduring interest. 

Speaking Out: A Conversation with John Bercow

Speaking Out: A Conversation with John Bercow

Speaking Out: A Conversation with John Bercow. After a decade in his post, John Bercow sets out his views on his role in Parliament and what he has witnessed in a turbulent decade in British political life (not least Brexit). 

Woke

Woke

Fringe First winner returns for six shows only. Against stunning gospel and blues sung live, two women 42 years apart join the struggle for American civil rights. Both are faced with the same choice: fight or flee? ***** (Scotsman). 

Andy Zaltzman: CTRL+Z

Andy Zaltzman: CTRL+Z

‘Might be worth another pop at some of that’ said Future to Present. ‘Really?’ harrumphed Present. ‘What if Andy Zaltzman did a show about it?’ ‘Fffmmmmphfff.’ ‘I blame Past.’ ‘Oh, you’re as bad as each other… 

Tortoise ThinkIn

Tortoise ThinkIn

Tortoise believes the world deserves slower, wiser news. We’d love you to join us in a live news conference. Take your seat at the table alongside our editors. Become a member of our newsroom… 

Frankenstein: How to Make a Monster

Frankenstein: How to Make a Monster

Just what does it take to make a monster? Is inhumanity truly born simply from reanimation, or is it a product of the already inhumane environment? Re-investigating Mary Shelley’… 

In Conversation with… Len McCluskey

In Conversation with… Len McCluskey

Britain’s most influential trade union leader talks about the industrial and political challenges of leading over 1.2m members as General Secretary of UNITE the union; a campaigning 21st-century organisation fighting for justice and fairness in the workplace… 

Tortoise ThinkIn

Tortoise ThinkIn

Tortoise believes the world deserves slower, wiser news. We’d love you to join us in a live news conference. Take your seat at the table alongside our editors. Become a member of our newsroom… 

Jammy Dodgers

Jammy Dodgers

If we started the world again, would we do a better job? The world they’re in has fallen apart. The people are randomly selected out of a diverse pool of candidates to travel to the new world… 

Conscious

Conscious

Held captive in the windowless laboratory where she was first conceived, the AI Alice has only ever seen the world through the skewed words of her captors, moulded by the sinister intentions of those who created her, wish to sell her, and long to possess her… 

Pizza Shop Heroes

Pizza Shop Heroes

Phosphorus Theatre works with refugees and asylum-seekers to create original collaborative autobiographical storytelling. 

Left-Wing Conspiracy Theorist With Dyspraxia 2

Left-Wing Conspiracy Theorist With Dyspraxia 2

After the success of his debut hour, political comedian Don Biswas returns to the festival with a brand-new WIP show: Left-Wing Conspiracy Theorist with Dyspraxia 2. With fire in his belly, jaded and left-wing dyspraxic Don lets loose a tirade of funny… 

Left-Wing Conspiracy Theorist With Dyspraxia 2

Left-Wing Conspiracy Theorist With Dyspraxia 2

After the success of his debut hour, political comedian Don Biswas returns to the festival with a brand-new WIP show: Left-Wing Conspiracy Theorist with Dyspraxia 2. With fire in his belly, jaded and left-wing dyspraxic Don lets loose a tirade of funny… 

Making a Murderer: Part 2 – Brendan Dassey’s Post-Conviction Lawyers Laura Nirider and Steven Drizin in Conversation

Making a Murderer: Part 2 – Brendan Dassey’s Post-Conviction Lawyers Laura Nirider and Steven Drizin in Conversation

Join Brendan Dassey’s lawyers Laura Nirider and Steven Drizin discussing coerced and false confessions, interrogation tactics, and Brendan’s wrongful conviction whose case has captivated the world in the Netflix’s smash docuseries Making a Murderer: Part 2… 

Bismillah! An ISIS Tragicomedy

Bismillah! An ISIS Tragicomedy

The premise of Bismillah! An Isis Tragicomedy, in the Fringe guide, "a story of radicalisation, disenfranchisment and the rock band Queen" was compelling enough to want t… 

Monica: This Play Is Not About Monica Lewinsky

Monica: This Play Is Not About Monica Lewinsky

In order for theatre to be political, it certainly does not have to make any truly profound statement on the state of the world. 

The Passion of the Playboy Riots

The Passion of the Playboy Riots

True story of the role played by theatre in the birth of modern Ireland, set backstage during performances of groundbreaking Irish plays, Cathleen ni Hoolihan (1902), The Playboy of the Western World (1907) and The Plough and the Stars (1926)… 

Sage Francis and B Dolan Are Epic Beard Men

Sage Francis and B Dolan Are Epic Beard Men

After a decade of sharing stages and crafting collaborations in the studio, real-life rap BFFs Sage Francis and B Dolan have finally caved to years of fan pressure to form an official group: Epic Beard Men… 

Trashfuture: Live at the Fringe

Trashfuture: Live at the Fringe

Trashfuture, the political comedy podcast about how the future is trash, is doing its first ever show at the Edinburgh Fringe, for one night only on 10th August. Your favourite Trashboiz Riley, Milo, Hussein and Nate will be joined by a special guest to talk about whatever awful stuff has happened that week and, of course, soup. 

Grace Campbell: Why I'm Never Going Into Politics

Grace Campbell: Why I'm Never Going Into Politics

Everyone is at the Gilded Balloon to catch a glimpse of Alistair Campbell’s daughter, and Grace by name - but not by nature - gives us everything we want and so much more. 

Dream of a King

Dream of a King

Actor/writer Christopher Tajah of Resistance Theatre Company gives an impassioned performance in Dream Of A King at theSpace Triplex, as he reimagines the hours leading up to the a… 

Home

Home

There is no place like Home – but what is it? What does home mean if you don’t have one? Or if it is a place you are scared to be in or to leave? Can you really feel at home if it is temporary or there is a constant threat of eviction? This latest production from Active Inquiry tells different stories of home in Edinburgh… 

DUPed

DUPed

The 2018 Scotsman Fringe First Award-winning show returns for just two performances. Written and performed by John McCann and directed by Erasmus McKenna. The Reverend Dr Ian Richard Kyle Paisley was once a young, firebrand, fundamentalist preacher from the heart of Ulster’s Bible Belt… 

Matt Forde: Brexit, Pursued by a Bear

Matt Forde: Brexit, Pursued by a Bear

Matt Forde’s reputation as one of our finest political satirists moves into even more assured territory with this caustic and superbly angry hour of impressions and observations. 

From the Top

From the Top

A delight, witty but profound exploration of the power relationship between choreographer and dancers, From the Top, choreographed by Hong Kong-based Victor Fung, is a send-up of a… 

In Conversation with... Ruth Davidson

In Conversation with... Ruth Davidson

Whatever else the history books will make of UK politics in 2019, it can at least acknowledge some impressive feminist credentials, with women leading parties right, left and centr… 

Cherie – My Struggle

Cherie – My Struggle

Cherie Blair has been somewhat of an enigma. 

The Butcher, the Brewer, the Baker... and the Commentator

The Butcher, the Brewer, the Baker... and the Commentator

Confused about money? Concerned about the economy? Join editor-in-chief of MoneyWeek and FT columnist Merryn Somerset Webb and/or financial writer and comedian Dominic Frisby as th… 

In Conversation with... John McDonnell

In Conversation with... John McDonnell

Shadow Chancellor since 2015 and MP for Hayes and Harlington since 1997, McDonnell has campaigned against the Iraq war and argued for curbs in bankers bonuses, decent pensions, free elderly care, a fair taxation system, defending the NHS and extending public ownership… 

Mouthpiece

Mouthpiece

A play for naval-gazing theatre goers everywhere, Mouthpiece delivers an impactful message about exploitation and appropriation. 

Fox

Fox

This monologue, written and performed by Katie Guicciardi, addresses the underreported issue of post-partum depression through a thoughtful combination of analogy, props and heartf… 

Conspiracy Theory: A Lizard's Tale

Conspiracy Theory: A Lizard's Tale

Conspiracy theories can sometimes be reduced to light hearted niche interests only fully embraced by weirdos on the fringes of society. 

The Rubbish Show

The Rubbish Show

On the Brink Theatre Company return to Edinburgh, their name having a deeper relevance than ever, with their alternative take on our critically fragile environment; influences happily drawn from Avenue Q and Robin Williams… 

Titania McGrath: Mxnifesto

Titania McGrath: Mxnifesto

Titania McGrath may just be a young Kensington girl with a modest Trust Fund and a thirst for social justice, but she’s in Edinburgh to make a difference, and inspire us common peo… 

Andrew O'Neill – We Are Not in the Least Afraid of Ruins; We Carry a New World in Our Hearts

Andrew O'Neill – We Are Not in the Least Afraid of Ruins; We Carry a New World in Our Hearts

After the apocalypse, hope. Also, jokes. Award-winning cult comedian Andrew O’Neill bring sunshine to the party. ‘Absolutely hilarious’ (Neil Gaiman). ‘The very definition of alternative’ (Time Out). 

Joe Wells Doesn't Want to Do Political Comedy Anymore!

Joe Wells Doesn't Want to Do Political Comedy Anymore!

The news is too horrible to joke about, so Joe’s looking for a new shtick. Support for Frankie Boyle, Stephen K Amos and Alexei Sayle. Writer for BBC1’s Have I Got News for You. As seen on BBC3’s Quickies… 

Kate Smurthwaite: Bitch

Kate Smurthwaite: Bitch

What do you do when after 15 years of making people laugh and campaigning for human rights, you’re still best known as ‘that feminazi bitch off the telly’? The Have I Got News For You writer and international award-winning comedian is doing the only thing that’s left: owning it… 

Trying It On

Trying It On

It’s 1968, the height of the worldwide student revolt. David is 20. The Vietnam War rages. Martin Luther King is assassinated. These events will define David’s politics, his writing and his life… 

Nazis Need Jews

Nazis Need Jews

Conspiracy, science, racism, revolution and white guilt. London, UK and BBC Slam Poetry Champion David Lee Morgan spits rhythm, rhyme and intense lyrics.  

Sarah Southern: Tentatively Tory

Sarah Southern: Tentatively Tory

Sarah Southern worked for the Conservative Party for many years and helped get them elected in 2010. But nine years on, is she still true blue? This is a tale of elections, campaigning, Prime Ministers, Linda at the Job Centre, negative equity, referendums and why David Cameron keeps appearing in her dreams… 

The Butcher, the Brewer, the Baker... and the Commentator

The Butcher, the Brewer, the Baker... and the Commentator

Confused about money? Concerned about the economy? Join editor-in-chief of MoneyWeek and FT columnist Merryn Somerset Webb and/or financial writer and comedian Dominic Frisby as they interview, talk over and argue with a well-known group of economics, politics and finance gurus (with a few comedians chucked in for fun)… 

American Justice

American Justice

No Frills Theatre are proud to present the Scottish premiere of American Justice by Richard Vergette. The action of the play is set in the interview room of a penitentiary in the American South where a young man is imprisoned for life for the murder of a young woman, the daughter of a congressman… 

A Political Breakfast

A Political Breakfast

This show is fun in the morning, in a worrying world, with solutions and breakfast (from the cafe) on offer. 

Like Me

Like Me

What does it feel like to have been raised online? Are there any benefits to this constant connection? This gender neutral script, a debut piece from a new writer, will be performed by both male and female performers, alternating daily… 

Twice Over

Twice Over

Twice Over examines Thatcher and May’s leadership through the lives of two Northern women. As history moves in parallel, we use prose, poetry, verbatim and music to explore gender, democracy and education… 

Westminster Hour

Westminster Hour

Westminster Hour: fatal consequences in this fast-paced and darkly comedic drama with unexpected twists. On the evening Home Secretary Archie Cornwall celebrates the passing of new, tougher sentencing for convicted paedophiles, a seemingly random shooting in South London leads a former lover to implicate Cornwall in a historic abuse case… 

Westminster Hour Part 2

Westminster Hour Part 2

The second instalment of Andy Paterson’s dark and funny Westminster drama finds anti-hero Archie Cornwall installed as a Prime Minister who must derail a Scottish Independence referendum – by any means, and at any cost. 

Confessionals

Confessionals

A coming-of-age character piece, Confessionals tells the story of one shift for young barmaid in a Glasgow boozer. She encounters a society riven by poverty, sectarianism and violence to be united in activism, hope and raw human potential… 

Scottish Feminist Judgments: Reimagining the Law from the Outside In

Scottish Feminist Judgments: Reimagining the Law from the Outside In

Law impacts on people’s daily lives in numerous ways, but we can often feel remote from it. This bold and compelling art exhibition takes the form of a multi-disciplinary selection of creative works that reimagine law through a gender-sensitive lens… 

Chagos 1971

Chagos 1971

This is a bizarre, unbelievable, but true story – and a darkly hilarious play. 

Scotland Today

Scotland Today

Scotland Today, in association with Vivienne Clore, is the new live show from bestselling author and critically acclaimed hip-hop artist Darren McGarvey AKA Loki the Scottish rapper… 

The Good, The Bad and The Brexit

The Good, The Bad and The Brexit

Brexit, eh? Depending on your point of view and when you are reading this, Brexit is a triumph / success / step forward / minor improvement / non-event / problem / mess / shambles / disaster… 

Akala – In Conversation – Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire

Akala – In Conversation – Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire

One of the most important voices in Britain, Akala is a BAFTA and MOBO award-winning hip-hop artist, writer and social entrepreneur. Alongside an extensive and celebrated output as a musician, Akala has produced numerous projects in the arts, education and music worldwide… 

Coming Home With Me

Coming Home With Me

A night exploring the grimy underbelly of a girls’ night out. The perils of creepy dudes, lad culture, and general unwanted attention face almost every girl when partying, so why aren’t we talking about it? Using verbatim testimony and drawing from real news stories, we explore how this affects us all… 

Vote Dr Phil?

Vote Dr Phil?

Phil Hammond was sacked for pledging to stand against his MP, Jacob Rees-Mogg, in 2022 (or next week). Can he win? Or is he another deluded populist desperate for affirmation? Or both? You decide… 

The Guilty Feminist: Live Podcast

The Guilty Feminist: Live Podcast

The Guilty Feminist podcast has become a comedy phenomenon with over 60 million downloads since it launched in early 2016. Deborah Frances-White and her special guests record her hit comedy podcast at the prestigious Pleasance Grand… 

Alistair Williams: How to Lose Weight and Be Less Racist

Alistair Williams: How to Lose Weight and Be Less Racist

If the title of this show doesn’t let you know that Alistair Williams (as seen on Comedy Central) is a real stand up comedian, I don’t know what will. Come and see this show live, because real stand up comedy ain’t dead x 

Tom Ballard: Enough

Tom Ballard: Enough

Best Show Nominee, Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2016. Best Show Winner, Sydney Comedy Festival 2017. Top 3 Best Reviewed Comedy Shows, Edinburgh Fringe 2017. As heard on The Bugle. Tom spent 2018 hosting his own late-night satirical TV show, Tonightly with Tom Ballard, and watching the neo-liberal order continue to destroy our collective future… 

The Two Moronnies – Brexed Off!

The Two Moronnies – Brexed Off!

Sophisticated wit and wordplay as The Two Moronnies lampoon the lampoonable in their unique, energetic musical style. Tunes for all ages and tastes with new, topical lyrics set to familiar songs that target the well known, the gaffe-prone and plain old narcissistic celebrities… 

Ashley Haden: F*ck You, and F*ck Your beliefs

Ashley Haden: F*ck You, and F*ck Your beliefs

Are we good people or just arseholes who are good at lying to ourselves? Ashley Haden once again looks to tackle our own privilege in an hour of, at times, uncomfortable and, at times, hilarious political comedy… 

Simon Munnery: Alan Parker Urban Warrior Farewell Tour

Simon Munnery: Alan Parker Urban Warrior Farewell Tour

Once the most radical, now the only radical. The bedsit anarchist returns with the old gold, the old truths and some new truths (based on the old truths). ‘Gloriously inept radical anorak’ (Times)… 

Rod Shepherd: Slacktivist – Free

Rod Shepherd: Slacktivist – Free

Croydon’s sixth leading conspiracy theorist attempts to debunk the big myths: JFK, Twin Towers, why British Bake Off went to Channel 4. Plus fake news, media lies and why his girlfriend dumped him in 2007!  

Journeys of the Mind and the Megabus

Journeys of the Mind and the Megabus

Joe Bates (BBC Radio 4 Extra, 6 Music) and Luke Chilton (BBC Radio 4, Radio 4 Extra) have both been on a journey: one into the recesses of a broken mind in a foreign land, the othe… 

Immoral Maze

Immoral Maze

As more and more subjects aren’t being talked about, the Immoral Maze deals with them in the most honest way morally possible: by getting comedians to rip them apart. Featuring Steve N Allen (BBC Two’s The Mash Report, Channel 5’s Jeremy Vine, the host of the BBC topical podcast Steve N Allen’s Week) and Erich McElroy (BBC Scotland’s Breaking the News, Sky News, BBC Breakfast and Newsnight) plus guest comedians tackling the immoral questions of the day… 

Talk a Big Game

Talk a Big Game

After shows on gangs, golliwogs, racism and politics, James Nokise returns with last year’s hit show on… sports! Yep. Sports. Between Brexit and Trump, the world’s got too crazy so come enjoy an hour of world cups, world champions but no world events… 

Rod Shepherd: Slacktivist – Free

Rod Shepherd: Slacktivist – Free

Croydon’s sixth leading conspiracy theorist attempts to debunk the big myths: JFK, Twin Towers, why British Bake Off went to Channel 4. Plus fake news, media lies and why his girlfriend dumped him in 2007!  

Traitor

Traitor

Hello. I am Romanian. Don’t worry. It’s a new concept for me being Romanian, because when I was back home I was just a guy. Came over here, became Romanian. In London, they think I’m Polish… 

Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran

Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran

The global gap between rich and poor grows. As the world is decaying, the spawn of the powerful dance like everyone is watching. From the company behind the award-winning The Believers Are But Brothers, this is a darkly comedic, urgent new play about entitlement, consumption and digital technology, exploring cycles of historic decline and rebirth and the ways societies try to reproduce themselves… 

Shit Socialist

Shit Socialist

Chris Tavner presents his new stand-up show about his life of being a socialist activist. Well, we say activist, that depends on what time he gets up. Chris will explore lessons learned from his experience in the context of Brexit, Trump and Corbynmania, working through his own contradictions and hypocrisies along the way… 

Lydia Hirst: I'll Be Your Dog

Lydia Hirst: I'll Be Your Dog

Arrested and kicked out of France, this is a show about the misadventures of a comedian in the Calais Jungle. It’s about how friendships can change you forever. It’s about humanity and where to find it, who controls the narrative and how to fight the power with a hangover… 

Ella Al-Shamahi and Susie Steed: Gold Diggers

Ella Al-Shamahi and Susie Steed: Gold Diggers

Join the digger, British-Arab archaeologist Ella (BBC presenter and National Geographic explorer), and gold-hating economist, Susie (NATYS finalist 2019, Funny Women regional finalist 2018) for an hour of political stand-up… 

The Patient Gloria

The Patient Gloria

The Patient Gloria wowed audiences at the Abbey Theatre during its sold-out world premiere at the Dublin Theatre Festival. Inspired by the 1965 films Three Approaches To Psychotherapy (the Gloria Films), this provocative and upfront meditation on therapy and female desire in a new political context where misogyny is the winning ticket, is a mash-up of re-enactment, real footage, lived experience and a punk gig… 

Sid Singh: American Refugee

Sid Singh: American Refugee

From the mind who performed on / wrote for BBC Three, Comedy Central UK, Boom Chicago and had his debut Comedy Album hit number three on iTunes. The world is filled with hate. Good! There’s nothing wrong with hate… 

Until the Flood

Until the Flood

Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith (Yellowman) performs the UK premiere of her poetic and revelatory play. Based on extensive interviews with Missouri residents after the 2014 shooting of African American teenager Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson, this unmissable drama gives voice to a community rallying for justice and a country still yearning for change… 

Jonny & the Baptists Love Edinburgh and Hate Bastards

Jonny & the Baptists Love Edinburgh and Hate Bastards

We live in a divided world and we want to cross that divide. But how can we be popular now ‘populist’ means ‘I’m a shit’? Answer: we love everyone. Oh, except bastards. Everyone hates bastards, right? We agree… 

Christopher KC: Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Rice

Christopher KC: Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Rice

Twice-nominated Scottish Comedy Awards Best Newcomer, Christopher KC, brings his riotous debut show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. With his original brand of observations and razor-sharp punchlines, Christopher is fast becoming a rising star in the Scottish comedy circuit… 

SOLD

SOLD

‘To be free is very sweet.’ When one woman tells of her extraordinary journey to overcome the brutality of slavery, she becomes a beacon for the British anti-slavery movement. Born into slavery in the British colony of Bermuda, Mary Prince went on to become an autobiographer and champion of freedom… 

Trump Lear

Trump Lear

Last year’s ‘chaotically enjoyable’ (Spectator) sell-out hit Shakespeare adaptation returns. Actor and impersonator Carl David – aka David Carl – is locked up for performing his hilarious Trump-inspired version of Shakespeare’s King Lear… 

Iain Dale: All Talk

Iain Dale: All Talk

Award-winning LBC radio presenter, CNN political commentator and For the Many podcast host brings his acclaimed, incisive insight on current affairs to the Fringe for the first time… 

Reparation

Reparation

2024. In the People’s Republic of the New New South Africa, the people demand reparations for the atrocities committed against them for hundreds of years by white settlers; land, economy, blood… 

Iain Dale: All Talk

Iain Dale: All Talk

Award-winning LBC radio presenter, CNN political commentator and For the Many podcast host brings his acclaimed, incisive insight on current affairs to the Fringe for the first time… 

I’m Afraid of Americans

I’m Afraid of Americans

Comedic musings from an American artist who moved from Ohio to Brooklyn to Iceland. Discussing the current disturbing political state of the USA and how it has affected the ways in which people from around the world view Americans… 

Rahul Kohli: All My Heroes Are Dead, in Jail or Touched Up Your Gran

Rahul Kohli: All My Heroes Are Dead, in Jail or Touched Up Your Gran

Rahul Kohli was unperturbed by the small audience on the evening this reviewer attended, likening it to ‘a Theresa May cabinet meeting’. He then delves into the provocative title of the show, explaining that in the following hour, he won’t provide any answers to society’s questions – instead, he will leave us with more questions... 

Robin Clyfan: The Sea Is Big Enough to Take It

Robin Clyfan: The Sea Is Big Enough to Take It

At the centre of its big, warm heart, The Sea Is Big Enough to Take It is a story about a non-activist boy and his activist mother, and by extension a story about all of us and our relationships with our parents... 

The Guilty Feminist

The Guilty Feminist

Deborah Frances-White (from BBC Radio 4 and Global Pillage) and special guests record an episode of her hit comedy podcast, with over 30 million downloads since 2016. The show is about noble 21st-century feminist goals and the hypocrisies and insecurities which undermine them... 

Working Class Hero

Working Class Hero

Working Class Hero’s biggest flaw is that it isn’t about anything. It involves issues but mentions very little about their impact, and even if it did, our main characters are just insufficiently developed or interesting to make me care... 

Status

Status

Chris Thorpe's solo show for this year is about grappling with national identity as a white british man. It uses a mix of storytelling music, song, wonderful visuals and projection, to tell us the story of struggling with your national identity when your nation does something you fundamentally disagree with... 

I Am Not Your Woman

I Am Not Your Woman

'If I had a name for every woman with a story, I'd run out of space and I'd be writing forever'. One night, Cate, Ben, Jess and Kim's lives are turned upside down... Inspired by real stories and #metoo, this poignant, vital, and hopeful play challenges our attitudes towards sexual assault and gives a voice to those who often go unheard... 

Crack/ed

Crack/ed

Warden, a young single mother, is determined to fight to get her addict son Ryan the treatment that he needs, before it’s too late. But can nurse Clive help guide him to sobriety, or will Ryan’s past and toxic friendship with Simon dictate his future? Highlighting the reality of men’s mental health and addiction. 

Tales of the Unacceptable

Tales of the Unacceptable

In the wake of #MeToo and #TimesUp Sameena Zehra and Seymour Mace set out to examine UK comedy. Come along and find out what happened next. We're on a mission to make the UK comedy industry a place where people can spend their time creating and facilitating art rather than wasting their time fashioning poisoned darts (both literal and metaphorical) to fend off all the f*ckwits... 

Hillary's Kitchen

Hillary's Kitchen

Hillary Clinton and other influential women from history sit at her kitchen table in the days following the 2016 presidential election result, drowning their sorrows in chardonnay and trying to work out where it all went wrong in this Fringe debut comedy from playwright Emily McDermott... 

The Piano Men

The Piano Men

Sing us a song, you’re the piano man... I am sure they are here somewhere – the piano women. My dad is my amazing and inspiring piano teacher. He has been since I was little. Is this connection what led me to seek out other male pianists as I grew up? I was in my late twenties before I discovered my first inspiring female pianist and it was by accident! Through my favourite piano-based songs I share my story of the men I have aspired to be like and the women I had to search to find. 

Please Stop!

Please Stop!

Please Stop! Please Stop! Please Stop! No this is not a command but a comedy documentary which explores the view that all cities in the UK lack identity. Do you love living in a place that could be anywhere? Do you drive past clone towns at 100mph at the risk of prosecution as the thought of seeing another generic town centre erodes your soul? Then this is the show for you! Please Stop! is a show that offers viable solutions to an issue that affects us all. 

Nazanin's Story

Nazanin's Story

The true and ongoing struggle of a family ripped apart, after Nazanin and her baby daughter were taken in Tehran in 2016. Since that time Nazanin has faced horrors we can only imagine, due to the intrigue of the Anglo-Iranian high politics... 

In Conversation With... Emily Thornberry

In Conversation With... Emily Thornberry

Emily Thornberry, MP for Islington South and Finsbury, is the Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Shadow First Secretary of State. As well as representing the Labour Party on foreign affairs, Emily also deputises for Jeremy Corbyn during PMQs... 

Man Down

Man Down

Man Down emerges from three years of research and hours of interviews and discussions with people in Baltimore, USA. It is steeped in the politics of today and the #BlackLivesMatter movement... 

In Conversation With... Richard Leonard

In Conversation With... Richard Leonard

A proud socialist and trade unionist, elected Scottish Labour Party leader in 2017 on a radical programme of change. His ambition is to build a society where the economy serves the interests of the many, not the few... 

We Need To Talk About

We Need To Talk About

Award-winning Jolyon Rubinstein's hit satirical podcast is leaving the comfort of the Spotify studio and traveling to Edinburgh for three exclusive recordings. As always, Jolyon will be joined by three top-notch guests for your amusement and horror... 

Gie's Peace

Gie's Peace

Following her sell-out show Bonnie Fechters at last year’s Fringe, performer/writer/director Morna Burdon returns with more inspiring stories about women of courage. The focus this time is women worldwide who have walked for peace, rebelled against war and sometimes risked everything... 

Pussy Riot: Riot Days

Pussy Riot: Riot Days

It’s very rare that you go to ‘the theatre’ and feel as though you are witnessing a moment in history; with Riot Days, Pussy Riot successfully creates this feeling. The piece combines spoken word and performance art with a live punk gig and documentary with unquestionable impact... 

Matt Forde: Brexit Through the Gift Shop

Matt Forde: Brexit Through the Gift Shop

The whole thing's a mess and only one person can sort it out. Sadly, we have no idea who. Join Britain's leading political comedian, Matt Forde, for his last show as an EU citizen. 'A hugely impressive hour of political comedy... 

Paper Dolls

Paper Dolls

The feelings and concerns of women are very much in our thoughts at the moment and their songs have always been at the centre of our tradition. For their 2018 Fringe show at AMC, Ribbon Road present a new set of songs written by Brenda Heslop for and about women telling some of their stories... 

The Butcher, the Brewer, the Baker... and Merryn Somerset Webb

The Butcher, the Brewer, the Baker... and Merryn Somerset Webb

Confused about money? Concerned about the economy? Join editor-in-chief of Moneyweek and FT columnist Merryn Somerset Webb as she interviews, talks over and argues with a well-known group of economics, politics and finance gurus (with a few comedians chucked in for fun)... 

A Fortunate Man

A Fortunate Man

There are books which are called seminal largely because so many people have read them. The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Pride and Prejudice. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (hush you - we're in Edinburgh - show some respect…)Far more intriguing, however, are those texts which are largely unknown outside of a specific community but, for those communities, are touchstones for their profession... 

The Bugle Live

The Bugle Live

Two live editions of the globally popular topical podcast. Hosted by Andy Zaltzman, with guests from around the world, The Bugle Live will address the week's news with its trademark cocktail of inventive satire and premium-grade hogwash... 

Andy Zaltzman: Right Questions. Wrong Answers.

Andy Zaltzman: Right Questions. Wrong Answers.

Zaltzman, host of long-running global hit podcast, The Bugle, returns to Edinburgh to (a) ask, (b) confront, (c) evade and (d) incorrectly respond to, the biggest questions facing our rightly renowned planet... 

Women for Trump

Women for Trump

A verbatim play created from interviews conducted across America in late 2016, Women for Trump explores why five women were, or were not, persuaded to vote for Donald Trump. The play examines why such a vast number of women chose to vote for him, despite many considering him deeply misogynistic, and considers the long-term social and political factors which may have led to this... 

Snowflake It 'Til You Make It

Snowflake It 'Til You Make It

There is something very reminiscent of Bill Murray in Matt Duwell: the optimistic sarcasm is the overlying note in his voice; he produces easy crowd-pleasing material, imbued with the subtle undercurrents of political fascination; his versatility is self-explanatory in his peerless audience interaction; and there is an innate likeability about his grounded persona... 

Steve Richards Presents Rock'n'Roll Politics 2018

Steve Richards Presents Rock'n'Roll Politics 2018

In a different show every day the audience has the chance to seize back control of Rock'n'Roll Politics as broadcaster and author Steve Richards conducts a tour of the latest seismic political dramas – from Trump to Corbyn to Sturgeon, May and Brexit, discover why we are almost getting used to expecting the unexpected... 

Mr Saxon's Excellently English Evening of Entertainment

Mr Saxon's Excellently English Evening of Entertainment

Roll-up. Roll-up. England. A place for Saxons and bubble-people. Where NHS protests start in nightclubs, Michael Gove’s a goblin and we sing The Ballad of the Brexit Lady. Cabaret-style documentary theatre with satirical original music... 

Falkland – The War the World Forgot

Falkland – The War the World Forgot

Two unlikely friends find a camaraderie against a backdrop of bitter conflict, questionable politics and moral debate waged overseas. Inspired by real events, this is the extraordinary story of the ordinary people of a tiny island at the bottom of the world, the 10-and-a-half week war the world forgot and the inhabitants whose lives were forever changed by the decisions of political leaders a world away... 

Rory Bremner and Jan Ravens

Rory Bremner and Jan Ravens

She’s Merkel to his Trump. He’s Boris to her Theresa. Two of Britain’s top impressionists come together on one bill, also featuring personalities from Farage to Lumley, Dianne Abbott to Fiona Bruce and the sublime to Jacob Rees Mogg... 

A Beginner's Guide to Populism

A Beginner's Guide to Populism

Getting power is easy. Find out what the public care about and make their cause your own. The residents of Little Middleton are up in arms about proposals that could spell the end of their historic community... 

A Kinder, Gentler Comedy

A Kinder, Gentler Comedy

Signing on the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, driving an Austin Maxi to Morocco, asylum seekers*, the Treason of the Blue Books, women's football, Nationalism*, Buck O'Neil, Jeremy Corbyn was my MP, a voiceover for a BAE Systems advert, 'join the army' adverts, parents dying, Rush lyrics, aiming to eventually die penniless, buying a house where someone has just been murdered, fondly remembering Sean Hughes, no sex, no swearing, no picking on the audience, no Brexit... 

Pyg

Pyg

Pyg is a twist on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. Cross-dressed cast explore Shaw's explosive use of language and the impact of dress on gender. 

Connected Lives

Connected Lives

Baz, Muyemba and Poppy are isolated and feel alone – in a city of half a million people. How is this possible? What has caused this isolation? How and where can they make connections again? In partnership with The Bethany Christian Trust, The Alma Project and Shakti Women's Aid, Connected Lives explores the complex reasons that people become isolated including addiction, domestic violence, mental health difficulties and homelessness... 

Conscious

Conscious

Set the night before Project Upgrade is rolled out across the globe, the AI Alice confronts the consequences of her existence and threatens to dismantle the very system she was born to uphold... 

On the Exhale

On the Exhale

“You always thought it would be you”. This line repeats and echoes throughout the first half of the play, reminding the audience just how real these situations are. In the six years since the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting, the prevalence of school shootings has been unavoidable... 

Loki, the Scottish Rapper: Poverty Safari Live

Loki, the Scottish Rapper: Poverty Safari Live

Like stereotypes, labels generally become meaningless upon scrutiny. Loki (aka Darren McGarvey) is a Glaswegian, working-class rapper. Poverty Safari Live offers a perspective which is rooted in, but challenges, the meaning of all these labels in contemporary society... 

Mark Thomas – Check Up: Our NHS at 70

Mark Thomas – Check Up: Our NHS at 70

Mark Thomas regales us with a peppy portrayal of his health-check on the NHS, in commemoration of 70 years since its inception. The NHS is our biggest socialist element in UK society, and Thomas – a lefty politico-comedian – embarked on a month-long residency at the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to find out what state the NHS will be in when he needs it most... 

Loving Monica

Loving Monica

Inspired by Monica Lewinsky’s reappearance in the media, Blancmontage Theatre Group sets out to find the real story behind the White House intern and her famous relationship with President Bill Clinton... 

Beldon Haigh and the Mother of All Bands (MOAB)

Beldon Haigh and the Mother of All Bands (MOAB)

Trump, Putin and Kim Jong-un live on tour! King of the modern protest song Beldon Haigh and Mother Of All Bands bring a weird and wonderful live band performance. Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un performing instruments live as never seen before in an extravaganza of satirical political music, with rock, funk and pop influences... 

In Conversation With... Paddy Hill

In Conversation With... Paddy Hill

One of the so-called Birmingham Six, wrongfully convicted of the Birmingham pub bombings in 1974, at that time the worst terrorist atrocity in mainland Britain. Along with the fight to free Mandela, the campaign to free the Six became one of the biggest human rights campaigns in the world, finally resulting in the quashing of their convictions in 1991... 

Matt Forde's Political Party Podcast

Matt Forde's Political Party Podcast

Following five years of sell-out London shows, Matt Forde's Political Party returns to Edinburgh for two live shows! Previous guests include: Tony Blair, Nigel Farage, Michael Portillo, Liz Kendall and Angus Robertson, as well as Alistair Darling in Edinburgh last year... 

Drowning Not Waving

Drowning Not Waving

A DJ. A raver. A professor of Food Policy. A joyous romp of a live art, performance lecture experience, combining a heady mix of early 90s rave culture with the biggest political issue of our time... 

Don't Knock Your Granny

Don't Knock Your Granny

Six feisty older women shine a light on family violence. The show will make you laugh and cry as you listen to true stories of women’s experiences. And our puppets Reg and Regina will try to get a word in... 

#Hypocrisy

#Hypocrisy

Lost in blissful foreign travel, Imogen joyfully succumbs to the spoils of Western privilege. Returning to Scotland, a harsh society confronts her. Dangerous politicians prevail, the media sells fictions masquerading as reality, an ocean of social media sympathy pours forth for Western terror victims, yet backs turn on the migrant crisis... 

Adventures in Menstruating With Chella Quint

Adventures in Menstruating With Chella Quint

Bloody funny period comedy about breaking taboos and ending period poverty with ad-busting, craftivism and a bleeding ridiculous conga line. As heard on BBC Radio 4’s A Bleeding Shame and Woman’s Hour, charmingly clever Chella Quint is back with all the #periodpositive news from 2018! 'Bloody awesome for all the right reasons' (ScotsGay... 

Adventures in Menstruating With Chella Quint

Adventures in Menstruating With Chella Quint

Bloody funny period comedy about breaking taboos and ending period poverty with ad-busting, craftivism and a bleeding ridiculous conga line. As heard on BBC Radio 4’s A Bleeding Shame and Woman’s Hour, charmingly clever Chella Quint is back with all the #periodpositive news from 2018! 'Bloody awesome for all the right reasons' (ScotsGay... 

Theatre Uncut: Women on Power

Theatre Uncut: Women on Power

The multi award-winning political agitators are back at the Traverse with a morning of outstanding new writing and fiery debate. Join the Theatre Uncut team as they present their brand-new collection of plays by some of the UK's most dynamic female playwrights exploring the theme of power... 

Kill the Boy

Kill the Boy

It starts like this... He’s not going out, he isn’t feeling up to it. It ends like this... Six dead, three hurt, one boy lost forever. Following last year’s sell-out success Dead People Don’t Have Secrets, Byteback Theatre return to the Fringe with their explosive new play, Kill The Boy... 

In Conversation With... Aamer Anwar

In Conversation With... Aamer Anwar

Originally from Liverpool, coming to study at Glasgow University in 1986. Widely recognised as one of Scotland's leading human rights campaigners. Solicitor of the Year 2016, Lawyer of the Year 2017... 

Queen of the F*cking World: The Second Coming

Queen of the F*cking World: The Second Coming

Returning with a brand-new kick-ass sequel, Queen's bass guitar dances across sexual politics. Unleash your inner queen! Must See Show 2017 (List). Funny Women Best Show nominee. 'Voice like Debbie Harry' (Scotsman)... 

Prehistoric

Prehistoric

In an empty and decaying room four performers armed only with limited props, a beat up collection of instruments, and a selection of microphones bring to life a tale of anger, rage, and protest that lifts the spirit and goes down as one of the most thrilling and unique shows you’re likely to see at the Festival this year... 

A Self-Help Guide to Being in Love With Jeremy Corbyn

A Self-Help Guide to Being in Love With Jeremy Corbyn

When Jess Green joined the Labour Party at university she doubled the number of members who met weekly in the Liverpool Philharmonic pub. Since then she’s stuck by them through the downfall of Tony Blair, the disappointment of Gordon Brown and the monolith of Ed Miliband... 

Alistair Barrie – The InternationAL

Alistair Barrie – The InternationAL

Alistair Barrie headlines comedy clubs all over the world and is a BBC Scotland Breaking the News regular. He has been nominated for Best Show at the Fringe twice and lost both times... 

Kate Smurthwaite: Clit Stirrer

Kate Smurthwaite: Clit Stirrer

Kate Smurthwaite finally tells us what she really thinks. The award-winning feminist, atheist, polyamorous comedian, writer for Have I Got News For You and former Question Time panellist, puts away all those years of coquettishness and gets off the fence... 

Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd: Reasons to Be Cheerful

Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd: Reasons to Be Cheerful

Following a string of sell-out live dates and festival appearances, Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd bring their hit podcast to the Fringe. Reasons to Be Cheerful is a show for the politically disheartened, about ideas to make the world a better place, hosted by the award-winning radio presenter and the now off-the-leash former Labour leader... 

A Political Breakfast

A Political Breakfast

Chris O'Neill and four comics will talk about the news and be amusing while being awake! They will be joined by insomniacs in search of laughter. 

Pigs in Blankets

Pigs in Blankets

ADAM, or Autocrats Destiny Altering Machine, is an absurd government that rules over its empire with an iron fist. On the single day of public holiday that they allow their subjects, a few miserable sods hatch a plan to overthrow them during their annual Associates Associate Association Meeting... 

The Welcome Revolution

The Welcome Revolution

\"There is something about the UK, you do not welcome people.\" One woman goes on a mission to make a change. She hosts tea parties around the country, inviting her guests to enjoy a cuppa and share their thoughts on the act of welcoming... 

It's a Dog's Brexit

It's a Dog's Brexit

EU exit day is just seven months after the Fringe. Will we be ready? After the arguments, insults and other showstoppers that only Brexit seems to inspire, is the exit deal any good or are we looking at a complete dog's Brexit? Following hugely successful seasons at the last two Edinburgh Fringes, as well as two weeks at the Adelaide Fringe 2017, Geoffrey Brown returns with his new show – come along and enjoy an entertaining 45-50 minutes exploring what the latest Brexit deal means for the UK and our relations with Europe and beyond. 

Westminster Hour

Westminster Hour

Fatal consequences in this fast-paced and darkly comedic drama with unexpected twists. On the evening Home Secretary Archie Cornwall celebrates the passing of new, tougher sentencing for convicted paedophiles, a seemingly random shooting in South London leads a former lover to implicate Cornwall in a historic abuse case... 

Girls Like That

Girls Like That

Buzz. Click. Pop. Flash. An email. A message. When a naked photograph of Scarlett gets sent to everyone in her small school and goes viral, she becomes the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons... 

A New Political Comedy Show

A New Political Comedy Show

'Social barriers will dissipate as Rick Molland and Sully O’Sullivan go head-to-head in an epic stand-up comedy battle' (TheCultureTrip.com). 'Demonstrated no subject ought to be off-limits if handled intelligently and originally' (Scotsman)... 

Ah Dinnae Ken

Ah Dinnae Ken

It’s Scotland. It’s sometime in the future. A second independence referendum has been called and very soon your parents will ask you to murder your neighbours. An adaptation of a timeless classic; star-crossed lovers stuck in a war of two families... 

Behind Our Skin

Behind Our Skin

Two intertwined monologues about womanhood and immigration merge, coalesce and diverge. Camille transfers to London and finds herself following a well-travelled road. She left her country to grow, yet her reality slowly narrows... 

Hug the Bunny

Hug the Bunny

Rage, nymphomania, ecstasy and numbness. When the ghost of hysterias past comes knocking at Nina’s door, how will she reconcile the different parts of her personality? A piece of new writing that explores the madness and restrictions of modern day society... 

The Arsonists

The Arsonists

'These days most people don't believe in God. They believe in the fire brigade.' As arson attacks plague his hometown, upstanding citizen Gottlieb Biedermann is the last to suspect he'll be next... 

Action Man

Action Man

Upon retirement, Corporal Liam Drury returns to be confronted with sudden and debilitating flashbacks to his time in combat. His marriage disintegrating, he is now being shunted from sofa to sofa... 

Little Potatoes

Little Potatoes

Matchmaking mums at the Shanghai marriage market hatch a plan to get their little emperors hitched. Little Potatoes is a powerful, bittersweet comedy drama which explores the impact of the one-child policy on the lives of two women in China... 

As It Happened (Contemporaneous Notes)

As It Happened (Contemporaneous Notes)

Since the 1st January 2018, five writers have worked collaboratively, writing a new scene each week in response to socio-political events. We’re asking questions of our media consumption, of the events that have defined the year and those that didn’t... 

What's Mark Zuckerberg Got to Do With It?

What's Mark Zuckerberg Got to Do With It?

A tender look at the humble homo sapien and how 200,000 years of steady progress have led us to... Arrrrggggh! Where are we? Who are we? And.... and.... Ah f*ck it, if we're all going to hell on a hand-held device let's laugh our tits off on the way... 

Louise Reay: Eraserhead

Louise Reay: Eraserhead

The first show in Edinburgh was banned... and lawyers told her to can the second show. How will the third show fare? Eraserhead is the third instalment of award-winning comedian Louise Reay’s provocative trilogy on power and oppression... 

Daphna Baram: Sugarcoating

Daphna Baram: Sugarcoating

A Middle Eastern Mary Poppins gets type 2 diabetes from her spoonful of sugar, and gets told to lose weight or lose her toes. And just when her coveted red EU passport arrives, her new compatriots decide to Brexit... 

3000 Trees: The Death of Mr William MacRae

3000 Trees: The Death of Mr William MacRae

Willie MacRae – anti-nuclear campaigner, SNP politician and successful lawyer. His death prompted speculation that he was murdered by the state. MacRae was found dying in his car on a Highland road in 1985 with a single gunshot wound to the head, apparently fired from his own gun... 

Conscious Comedy With Samantha Pressdee

Conscious Comedy With Samantha Pressdee

Ommmm. In a sacred space (not a safe space!). The comedy gurus await your presence. A compilation of socially conscious comedians, raising awareness of important issues in a funny and accessible way... 

Lewis Schaffer: What Have You Heard?

Lewis Schaffer: What Have You Heard?

Something's up with Lewis Schaffer. 'Disturbingly hilarious' (FringeGuru.com). 'You have to admire the gall of the man' (List). 'Unique combination of supreme arrogance and gnawing self-doubt' (Chortle)... 

The Trouble With Being Born Romanian

The Trouble With Being Born Romanian

Is this offbeat Romanian guy supposed to be the future of stand-up comedy? With his introspective and sometimes dark approach to comedy, keep an eye on this young whippersnapper baring his comedic soul on issues like immigration, love and cake... 

Alex Kealy: A Kealy's Heel

Alex Kealy: A Kealy's Heel

Political comedian/ball of anxiety Alex Kealy honks on about love (passionate) and politics (jaded) for show number three. 'Hilariously funny' **** (TheatreWeekly.com). 'Ferociously quick-witted' **** (EdFringeReview... 

Gráinne Maguire: What Has the News Ever Done for Me?

Gráinne Maguire: What Has the News Ever Done for Me?

Hosted by Gráinne Maguire (as seen on Dave's UnSpun with Matt Forde), every day three different comics bring along the story from the news they think is the most important and argue why it's the one you should care about... 

Bronston Jones: God Bless 'Merica 4 – Free

Bronston Jones: God Bless 'Merica 4 – Free

For the 4th year, American atheist Bronston Jones reacts to the chaos of his country with a prayer: God Bless 'Merica, because it'll take a miracle to fix it. Apparently, his first three years of prayers didn't work, so he'll try a new one... 

Ayesha Hazarika: Girl on Girl

Ayesha Hazarika: Girl on Girl

The fight for feminism. Phew! After Weinstein and #MeToo, women of the world have finally united... for a good old-fashioned bitch fight! Who cares about smashing the patriarchy when you can go full-on Prisoner: Cell-Block H? What happened to feminism? Is it too posh? Too white? When did Germaine Greer become Richard Littlejohn? Whose feminism is it anyway? And who asked your opinion, Piers f*cking Morgan? Ex-political adviser and regular pundit on Sky, BBC and CNN, Ayesha analyses the fight for feminism with humour and honesty, and asks – are sisters doing it to themselves? 

Ashley Haden: We All Die C*nts

Ashley Haden: We All Die C*nts

Ashley Haden is back with the eagerly awaited final chapter of the C*nting Trilogy. Haden returns with his most honest show to date to show once and for all that we are all c*nts. Covering subjects from heroes to nationalism to our own privilege, Haden’s vitriolic 'liberatingly transgressive' (ThreeWeeks) take on humanity will be the antidote to the apathetic world... 

Samantha Pressdee: Pulling it Together (WIP)

Samantha Pressdee: Pulling it Together (WIP)

Four years ago Samantha lost everything, including her marbles. In an adventure through the British welfare system, Samantha battles cuts, medication and eventually trolls. The journey back to sanity can be a rough road... 

In Addition

In Addition

Set in a near-future Britain where healthcare is privatised, a young couple's relationship is quietly pulled apart by an aggressive lack of sleep. A piece of physical theatre with score by YouTuber Christopher 'Bing' Bingham, In Addition realises the spiralling of minute problems in a life without the NHS... 

Britain, Let's Talk About the Golliwogs

Britain, Let's Talk About the Golliwogs

***** (Scotsman, 2017). Let's chat about your race relations issue. Who better with than a Samoan/Welsh comedian from New Zealand? Focusing on Britain's unique history with the golliwog, it's all about addressing the mixed-race elephant in the room... 

Shady With a Chance of Sunburn

Shady With a Chance of Sunburn

Dana Alexander offers her unique and irreverent perspective in an industry that is dominated by the privileged and homogeneous – a purple sheep in a group of black sheep. This is her funny, fresh and alternative perspective on our cultural shift which challenges the status quo because you can't be 'woke' if you were never asleep... 

Matt Forde: Brexit Through the Gift Shop

Matt Forde: Brexit Through the Gift Shop

The whole thing's a mess and only one person can sort it out. Sadly, we have no idea who. Join Britain's leading political comedian, Matt Forde, for his last show as an EU citizen. 'A hugely impressive hour of political comedy... 

Sisterhood

Sisterhood

A fearless adventure into the dark heart of a paradigm shift... Three women, aged 20, 40 and 60 (but not a virgin, mother or hag in sight), set about unpicking the fine weave of existence, re-examining with fresh and furious eyes, threads such as gender, fertility, sexual assault and the state of feminism today... 

Not Yet Suffragette

Not Yet Suffragette

Not Yet Suffragette is a potent mix of feminist theatre and stand-up comedy surrounding how – not far – women's rights have come since winning the vote. Do women only have themselves to blame for breaking the internet Kim Kardashian style? Or should Nigel Farage heed his own advice and go sit in a corner? The play documents women's struggles in each decade as they juggle the stereotypes thrown at them by society whilst trying to make their own way in the world. 

Trumpageddon

Trumpageddon

President Trump returns for a third season at his 'summer White House' after two sell-out years (and a most relaxing golfing holiday at Adelaide Fringe). Immerse yourself in Donald's vision for a better tomorrow... 

Brexit

Brexit

A new Tory PM must unite his party’s warring factions with his masterful plan for a final Brexit deal. Just... what was it again? Starring Timothy Bentinck, Jo Caulfield, Hal Cruttenden, Pippa Evans and Mike McShane... 

Disgraced

Disgraced

Amir Kapoor is happily married and about to land the biggest career promotion of his life – but his success has come at a price. When Amir’s Muslim heritage is brought up at dinner, an intimate gathering hosted by him and his wife, Emily, quickly unravels into something far more damaging... 

Left Wing Conspiracy Theorist (With Dyspraxia)

Left Wing Conspiracy Theorist (With Dyspraxia)

Armed with exhaustive statistics, a wild imagination and a uniquely hilarious take on current events and systemic conspiracies, Don Biswas delivers a frantic hour of lighting-fast stand-up... 

Call Mr Robeson

Call Mr Robeson

In view of the recent violence in Charlottesville, KKK sympathisers in the White House and, even on our end of the pond, much of the sentiment behind Brexit, a discussion of the inherent racism in our world could not be more pertinent... 

1984

1984

George Orwell’s magnum opus novel 1984 is eerily relevant today despite being published in 1949 and shows us a world of constant war, omnipresent surveillance and propaganda conditioning... 

In Conversation with… Jeremy Corbyn

In Conversation with… Jeremy Corbyn

The journey from backbench MP to ‘PM-in-waiting’ has been long and eventful. Jeremy speaks to comedian and broadcaster Susan Morrison about what makes him tick, how he deals with adversity, and why our country, and its politics, needs to be transformed... 

A Machine they're Secretly Building

A Machine they're Secretly Building

The audience were completely absorbed by Proto-Type Theater’s exposition of global mass-surveillance in A Machine They’re Secretly Building, the title aptly born from whistleblower Edward Snowden... 

Australia: Still F*cked

Australia: Still F*cked

Kieran Butler (Che Guevara on the Fringe, ****(Scotsman)) joins his favourite antipodean comedian, Sofie Prints, (Jesus was a Rape Baby) for the sequel to his sold-out cult hit, Australia is F*cked... 

Polly Toynbee and David Walker: In Conversation

Polly Toynbee and David Walker: In Conversation

Polly Toynbee and David Walker join Professor Chris Carter to discuss their dream government, constructing an imaginary cabinet from politicians of the past half century. They will also reflect on Labour's problems, Brexit and what to do about it... 

Australia: Still F*cked

Australia: Still F*cked

Kieran Butler (Che Guevara on the Fringe, ****(Scotsman)) joins his favourite antipodean comedian, Sofie Prints, (Jesus was a Rape Baby) for the sequel to his sold-out cult hit, Australia is F*cked... 

Joseph K

Joseph K

Joseph K is a modern day adaptation of Kafka’s The Trial brought to us by students from KGS Theatre Company. Set in 21st century London this piece, written by Tom Basden, follows the life of Joseph K around the time of his 30th birthday... 

Anathema

Anathema

Anathema is a promising first piece of work from Bearded Dog Theatre, starting strong with difficult topics not often discussed on stage – specifically the issue of male rape. The show focuses on the horror, fear and fury that develops in response to rape: showing examples of when the subsequent emotional wounds and request for support, comes up against the dismissiveness and disbelief of the wider society... 

Eurohouse

Eurohouse

Following last year's Fringe success and UK tour, Bertrand & Nasi's darkly comic look at the EU’s founding ideals returns to Summerhall for just four performances. Two performers – one Greek, one French – dance and shout, cry and sing, agree and disagree, about life in the Eurohouse... 

Jim Naughtie – My Life in Broadcasting

Jim Naughtie – My Life in Broadcasting

Jim Naughtie is one of Britain’s most distinguished radio broadcasters and journalists. Best known for co-presenting Radio 4’s Today programme, Jim talks to Chris Carter about highlights from his life in broadcasting, sharing insights about American Presidential Elections, 4am starts, writing novels and the art of the political interview. 

Locker Room Talk

Locker Room Talk

Delve into an hour of real Locker Room Talk, a term made infamous by Donald Trump, and allow yourself to be immersed into the murky and dark world of everyday sexism that society doesn’t seem to want to admit to... 

Australia: Still F*cked

Australia: Still F*cked

Kieran Butler (Che Guevara on the Fringe, ****(Scotsman)) joins his favourite antipodean comedian, Sofie Prints, (Jesus was a Rape Baby) for the sequel to his sold-out cult hit, Australia is F*cked... 

Action at a Distance

Action at a Distance

Confronting head-on complex ethical dilemmas that co-exist with modern Western imperialism, this new play written by Rory Horne is urgent, engaging and also deeply entertaining. Based around the experiences and motivations of out-of-work plumber Chris in Nevada, desperate to support her ill and emotionally cold mother, the narrative develops from a life-changing meeting over the internet with vigilante data analyst Josh... 

5 Soldiers

5 Soldiers

Nestled in the artsy comfort of the Fringe bubble, it is all too easy to forget about the murmurings – or in some cases, bellowings – of war that have been thrown back and fort… 

Year Zero

Year Zero

A tale of two countries. A man in his fifties looks back at growing up in postcolonial South East Asia. Leaving his country of birth, Malaysia, to migrate to greener pastures in Singapore... 

Hear All About It

Hear All About It

Reactivists bring you a new show each week, based on the news of the week before. Hear All About It responds to and engages with current affairs to create a space for conversation. With a different company performing each week, come along and see which headlines have grabbed the attention of our performers, and join the discussion! 

Australia: Still F*cked

Australia: Still F*cked

Kieran Butler (Che Guevara on the Fringe, ****(Scotsman)) joins his favourite antipodean comedian, Sofie Prints, (Jesus was a Rape Baby) for the sequel to his sold-out cult hit, Australia is F*cked... 

Will Hutton – Brexit and the Future of Social Democracy

Will Hutton – Brexit and the Future of Social Democracy

Will Hutton is one of Britain’s best-known public intellectuals. In a distinguished career, Will has served as BBC Economics Editor, Chief Executive of the Work Foundation, Editor of the Observer newspaper and is currently Principal of Hertford College at Oxford University... 

Australia: Still F*cked

Australia: Still F*cked

Kieran Butler (Che Guevara on the Fringe, ****(Scotsman)) joins his favourite antipodean comedian, Sofie Prints, (Jesus was a Rape Baby) for the sequel to his sold-out cult hit, Australia is F*cked... 

Ripe

Ripe

Loosely based on The Handmaid’s Tale, this play takes place in a modern day fertility unit. Here refugees have one use: helping those couples from the capital conceive children. Run by a charming, pioneering and insightful young doctor, treatment has a 100% track record, one way or another. 

Just an Ordinary Lawyer

Just an Ordinary Lawyer

Nigerian Tunji Sowande quietly breaks through multiple barriers to become Britain’s first black judge in 1978. Also a fine concert singer and keen cricket lover, he muses on international politics and history, as they affect the black world across Africa, the USA and Britain, from the point of view of one who would rather watch sports and spread love and peace through the medium of song... 

Maklena

Maklena

Perhaps at the time it was first written this play would have been seen as fantastic, dealing with themes that were deeply entrenched in many of the Soviet plays of the early 1930s... 

The Cause of Thunder

The Cause of Thunder

It’s two years after the referendum, and Bob Cunningham has stuff on his mind: whether or not to take early retirement, politics and what to do about the no vote, Brexit, Corbyn, refugees… that weird thing about rising into the heavens… and not forgetting the letter from Ethel, his ex... 

Morale Is High (Since We Gave Up Hope)

Morale Is High (Since We Gave Up Hope)

Manchester dark comedy duo Powder Keg (Ross McCaffery and Jake Walton) scream out their political statements in Morale Is High (Since We Gave Up Hope) but none which make an impact... 

Bonnie Fechters – Songs and Stories of Hope and Resistance

Bonnie Fechters – Songs and Stories of Hope and Resistance

'In the 1970s there was a wee bit of a stooshie here in Scotland. I understand it reached other parts of the world too... it was called the Women’s Liberation Movement.' Inspiring stories and songs about women’s activism and struggle from Edinburgh’s Magdalene institutions for "fallen women” to the Vietnam war, from the medieval witch killings to zero tolerance... 

X The Musical

X The Musical

Robert S J Lucas’ new show, X The Musical is set in a vaguely sketched-out dystopian future where politics are the most important thing in the world and everyone is required to vote... 

In Conversation With… Barry Crimmins

In Conversation With… Barry Crimmins

Legendary American stand-up, political satirist, activist and child sexual abuse survivor talks frankly about his life’s emotional and intellectual journey that has had audiences sobbing with both laughter and, well, sobbing... 

The Vagina Dialogues – The Völvas

The Vagina Dialogues – The Völvas

The Völvas is an international feminist performance ensemble. The Vagina Dialogues is a cabaret-style theatre and variety piece that includes a series of episodic monologues, duologues, and movement pieces set to live music... 

Parable of Lysistrata

Parable of Lysistrata

A modern adaptation of the Ancient Greek comedy Lysistrata. Written partially in Scots dialect, this performance contains song, comedy and witty political insights. In a wee Scottish pub, the patrons put on their own performance of Lysistrata to soften the heart of a government official who's come to seize the premise... 

Breakfast Plays: B!rth

Breakfast Plays: B!rth

The Traverse Theatre sadly need to offer more than a bacon roll to make Breakfast Plays: B!rth worth getting up for. Whilst the addition of breakfast and a hot drink is a nice touch, they aren't enough to compensate for a dull performance... 

John Prescott: In Conversation

John Prescott: In Conversation

John Prescott, returns to the Edinburgh Fringe after his sell-out performance last year. In conversation with Chris Carter, John will discuss key events from his long and distinguished political career... 

Blurred Justice

Blurred Justice

Amnesty International Award winning Blurred Justice is a thrilling and humorous play where the fate of one man lies in the hands of the audience. Sharif is a member of the Yemeni Houthi militia and is being tried in an eccentric court for taking part in an attack on Saudi Arabia... 

Matt Forde's Political Party Podcast

Matt Forde's Political Party Podcast

Following four years of sell-out London shows, Matt Forde's political interview returns to Edinburgh for one show only with special guest, Alistair Darling. Alistair was Chancellor of the Exchequer during the most turbulent period since the war, and also at the centre of another major event – the Scottish independence referendum of 2014... 

The Class Project

The Class Project

This is a show about belonging. About tribes and families. About the place you belong because you were born there and the places you change yourself to try and belong in. It’s about class mobility... 

Topical Storm 2017

Topical Storm 2017

The Stand’s resident satire team of Mark Nelson, Stuart Murphy, Keir McAllister and Vladimir McTavish return with their unique take on the news in a world gone crazy. Following the sell-out success of Aye Right? How No? in the run-up to the 2014 referendum, Nelson, Murphy, McAllister and McTavish went on to develop a best-selling monthly show, and to appearances on Radio Scotland’s Breaking The News... 

Hero

Hero

Let me preface by saying that Hero suffered from technical issues when I saw it, which was announced at the play’s beginning and therefore meant that some of the lights for the production were compromised... 

Hear All About It

Hear All About It

Reactivists bring you a new show each week, based on the news of the week before. Hear All About It responds to and engages with current affairs to create a space for conversation. With a different company performing each week, come along and see which headlines have grabbed the attention of our performers, and join the discussion! 

Ayesha Hazarika: State of the Nation

Ayesha Hazarika: State of the Nation

Politics, power and how we lost the plot. Ayesha Hazarika MBE lifts the lid on what life's really like behind the scenes at Westminster and, with her characteristically brutal honesty, asks what's next for British politics... 

Australia: Still F*cked

Australia: Still F*cked

Kieran Butler (Che Guevara on the Fringe, ****(Scotsman)) joins his favourite antipodean comedian, Sofie Prints, (Jesus was a Rape Baby) for the sequel to his sold-out cult hit, Australia is F*cked... 

Pistorius: A Shakespearean Tragedy

Pistorius: A Shakespearean Tragedy

Macbeth. Othello. Hamlet. Pistorius. In 2013, three cackling news anchors predict the fall of the first Olympian double amputee. Amidst the madness at his fame and father, our so-called tragic hero kills his lover, Reeva, and shockingly pleads his innocence... 

Domestic

Domestic

Can the state go into your home, uncover your secrets and trap you with what it finds? Domestic is a love story between Mia – an activist, and Cal – the policeman sent to spy on her... 

Gunshot Medley

Gunshot Medley

“Black lives matter!” Hold it there and let that well-known refrain ring in your head, along with the image it conjures up in your mind. What sort of play are you anticipating? I can almost guarantee it won't be Gunshot Medley... 

Trumpus Interruptus: The Impeachment of Donald J Trump

Trumpus Interruptus: The Impeachment of Donald J Trump

A panoply of productions about Brexit, Trump and alt-right politics are gracing this year’s Edinburgh Fringe – Trumpus Interruptus is Mea Culpa Theater’s contribution to the emerging sub-genre... 

Bob Slayer: Whatever Next?

Bob Slayer: Whatever Next?

Something akin to Grand Master of the bits of the Fringe that aren’t ‘a capitalist mess’, as he styles it, a visit to Bob Slayer’s double-decker bus is a source of rejuvenation for your festival... 

Alex Salmond... Unleashed

Alex Salmond... Unleashed

A festival of fun, friends and freedom. Join Alex Salmond and friends in an afternoon of chat, stories, a little bit of music and lots of fun. Have you ever wondered what Scotland's longest-serving First Minister really thinks? Well, now’s your chance... 

Commons

Commons

In an upmarket hotel room, two men – one a disgraced politician, the other an ex-rent boy – meet to rekindle old loves and re-open old wounds in this darkly comedic character study of love, loss, greed and politics... 

Geoff Norcott: Right Leaning but Well Meaning

Geoff Norcott: Right Leaning but Well Meaning

There’s one point during Geoff Norcott’s latest show when it really flies, when you sense he really has most of the audience on his side — even though at least one or two of them must have seen him already use the material on his regular five minute slot on BBC Two’s The Mash Report... 

Thom Tuck: An August Institution

Thom Tuck: An August Institution

Thom Tuck’s stand-up show, An August Institution, opens with an extended maths joke, which sets the tone for an hour of fairly niche humour. In this territory, Tuck is at his best; a geeky and somewhat odd approach to comedy works well for him... 

In Conversation With… John McDonnell

In Conversation With… John McDonnell

Shadow Chancellor since 2015 and MP for Hayes and Harlington since 1997, McDonnell has campaigned against the Iraq war, and argued for curbs in bankers’ bonuses, decent pensions, free elderly care, a fair taxation system, defending the NHS, and extending public ownership... 

Chris Mullin: In Conversation

Chris Mullin: In Conversation

Chris Mullin returns to the Business School to reflect on the great political disasters he’s known, in conversation with Professor Chris Carter. Back by popular demand, this talk is part of the Media Series at the Fringe, where prominent and influential public figures reflect on the current political and media scene. 

Escaping Trump's America

Escaping Trump's America

I’ll start off by saying that the lack of an audience on this particular viewing did not afford much opportunity to the performers. Some adapted better to their vacant surroundings than others... 

Ramy: In the Frontline

Ramy: In the Frontline

We all saw the coverage of the Egyptian revolution in 2011, but who can say they’ve been in the same room as someone personally involved? Ramy wasn’t just a participant in the action; he became a musical icon during the public’s fight for freedom... 

Nina – A Story About Me and Nina Simone

Nina – A Story About Me and Nina Simone

1960s America. A hot day; 38 degrees in the shade. We certainly feel the heat in this piercing, soulful production at the Traverse theatre.Josette Bushell-Mingo writes and performs in this one-woman show, using Nina Simone’s music and political acts to make parallels with today’s society and question how far we have really come... 

Brown Bag Events

Brown Bag Events

If you have a passion for current affairs, a thirst for knowledge, or are simply looking for an interesting topic to discuss at the dinner table, these free events are for you! Our guest panellists and esteemed scholars will discuss an eclectic mix of interesting and extremely relevant topics, designed to create debate and discussion and to get you thinking. 

Wall 2.0! A Thinly Veiled Manifesto for How to Mend Our Broken World Disguised as a New American Musical

Wall 2.0! A Thinly Veiled Manifesto for How to Mend Our Broken World Disguised as a New American Musical

Wall 2.0! follows the citizens and aristocrats of Nowallia, a dystopian land which had in the past been divided by an impassable wall. The backstory to this is explored further in the company’s other Fringe show – Wall 1... 

Hardeep Singh Kohli: Alternative, Fact

Hardeep Singh Kohli: Alternative, Fact

Hardeep Singh Kohli is a Fringe favourite and you can tell immediately by his stage presence that he is relaxed with the audience. He is suave and wears his pink turban and kilt well; he knows what he is doing... 

Mark Thomas: A Show That Gambles on the Future

Mark Thomas: A Show That Gambles on the Future

Early in his Fringe show Mark Thomas reveals the impressively religious character of his upbringing. The discovery that the comic's family tree is littered with preachers and clergy cannot help but elicit an ‘Oh really? Ah that makes sense’ response... 

Australia: Still F*cked

Australia: Still F*cked

Kieran Butler (Che Guevara on the Fringe, ****(Scotsman)) joins his favourite antipodean comedian, Sofie Prints, (Jesus was a Rape Baby) for the sequel to his sold-out cult hit, Australia is F*cked... 

The British Idles

The British Idles

Alcohol, drugs, zero-hour contracts and love triangles befall this bunch of misfits, who desperately search for a way out. Watch as relationships fall apart amidst the political and social storm ignited in Britain... 

Know Brexit

Know Brexit

Geoffrey Brown guides us through the sticky path that is Britain’s exit from the EU armed with a gaudy slide show, an intro song, It’s the End of the World as We Know it and I Feel Free, and a collection of statistics... 

Sink

Sink

Sink is a poignant and fascinating drama about one of China’s greatest playwrights, Lao She; a man who wrote for his country and was once honoured as an ‘Artist of the people’ but was later renounced as a reactionary capitalist sympathiser during China’s Cultural Revolution in 1966... 

Queen of the F*cking World

Queen of the F*cking World

Unleash your inner queen! Via Shakespeare, Chekhov to RuPaul, a kickass theatre-cum-cabaret tour de force exploring sexual politics and identity, revealing how an exotic dancer became Queen of her F*cking World... 

Joe Wells: I Hope I Die Before I Start Voting Conservative

Joe Wells: I Hope I Die Before I Start Voting Conservative

Received opinion says that we become more right-wing as we get older. Joe Wells (support for Frankie Boyle and Alexei Sayle) is determined to grow up without selling out. Joe's third solo stand-up hour after the critically acclaimed Night of The Living Tories and 10 Things I Hate About UKIP... 

Gareth Morinan: Brexitocracy (Explained With Graphs)

Gareth Morinan: Brexitocracy (Explained With Graphs)

Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit graphical comedy Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit Brexit death Brexit... 

Chris Coltrane: Make Love and Smash Fascism

Chris Coltrane: Make Love and Smash Fascism

Comedian and activist Coltrane returns with another hour of uplifting, Tory-smashing comedy. If politics in 2017 is getting you down, come see this show: Chris will make you laugh, and give you that inspiration you need to keep fighting... 

Tiernan Douieb: Miserably Happy

Tiernan Douieb: Miserably Happy

‘Very friendly but fiercely political’ (Time Out) comedian, Tiernan Douieb, considers if ignorance is indeed bliss, and if so, surely he shouldn't know that. Tiernan tries to work out what anyone actually wants anymore, what being civilised actually means and whether or not he’ll ever be able to persuade his wife to like raw tomatoes... 

Chris Coltrane: Make Love and Smash Fascism

Chris Coltrane: Make Love and Smash Fascism

Comedian and activist Coltrane returns with another hour of uplifting, Tory-smashing comedy. If politics in 2017 is getting you down, come see this show: Chris will make you laugh, and give you that inspiration you need to keep fighting... 

Tiernan Douieb: Miserably Happy

Tiernan Douieb: Miserably Happy

‘Very friendly but fiercely political’ (Time Out) comedian, Tiernan Douieb, considers if ignorance is indeed bliss, and if so, surely he shouldn't know that. Tiernan tries to work out what anyone actually wants anymore, what being civilised actually means and whether or not he’ll ever be able to persuade his wife to like raw tomatoes... 

Australia: Still F*cked

Australia: Still F*cked

Kieran Butler (Che Guevara on the Fringe, ****(Scotsman)) joins his favourite antipodean comedian, Sofie Prints, (Jesus was a Rape Baby) for the sequel to his sold-out cult hit, Australia is F*cked... 

Matt Panesh – Freedom...!

Matt Panesh – Freedom...!

New show. New characters-ish. 'Funny, filthy, furious. Dominates the stage' (Jersey Evening Post). 'If he was a musician he'd be Billy Bragg' (Venue Magazine). Winner, ThreeWeeks Editors Award, Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2014. 

Our Christian Nation

Our Christian Nation

What if the extreme Christian right in the USA got everything they wanted? Emmy winner Joe Janes's play, featuring 10 Chicago actors performing 40 characters, shows us the absurdity of a Christians-only country... 

Wrecked

Wrecked

Based on The Tempest, Wrecked is an absurd political satire chronicling two days in the lives of six pirates and one dead parrot, shipwrecked on a tropical island. When there is no longer an authority to rebel against, these buffoonish buccaneers turn on one another, each vying for power... 

The Lynching

The Lynching

Jackie Walker tells the story the media wouldn’t let her tell you. Until recently, Jackie was a successful Labour activist campaigning for Jeremy Corbyn. Then her world exploded. She was accused of anti-Semitism, suspended from her party, and abused and demonised on TV and the internet... 

Jimmyville

Jimmyville

A naturalistic drama with a cast of eight and duration of 60 minutes with strong elements of Brechtian theatre. Full of a sweaty Vegas vibe the story of cult culture lead by Jimmy (based on Jim Jones) in 1950s Nevada, USA... 

Another Political Comedy Show

Another Political Comedy Show

'Social barriers will dissipate as Rick Molland and Sully O’Sullivan go head-to-head in an epic stand-up comedy battle' (CultureTrip.com). A comedy event so contentious its Edinburgh Fringe debut saw an audience member ejected for hurling abuse and later ‘arrested in connection with three counts of assault’ (Daily Record)... 

Narcos – A Conversation on the Capturing of Pablo Escobar With DEA Agents Steve Murphy and Javier Pena

Narcos – A Conversation on the Capturing of Pablo Escobar With DEA Agents Steve Murphy and Javier Pena

The real-life actions of Murphy and Pena were the inspiration for the hugely successful Netflix crime series Narcos, which tells the story of Colombia’s infamous drug cartels and Pablo Escobar’s fight to maintain his position as its most powerful player... 

Sink

Sink

'I love this country, but who loves me?’ The play is based on the true story of Lao She, a Chinese writer of great esteem, who, at one stage, was given the title of People’s Artist... 

Tobias Persson: Sweden Sour

Tobias Persson: Sweden Sour

What do you call a burning police car in Sweden? Monday. Seriously, everything is (boom!) fine. Nothing happened in Sweden last (bang!) night! Weekly shootings? Recruiting ground for Isis? Let me (kaboom!) get back to you, my head is on fire… 'Persson’s insights are sharp, his analysis is intelligent and his everyday dilemmas over how to be a good human being come from the heart…it’s clear he’s got it in him to become one of Europe’s top political comedians' (Sunday Herald). 

Out of the Bad

Out of the Bad

A black comedy dealing with complicated lives, loves and buried secrets. Mary has the hangover from hell after last night’s reunion for the women of the Caterpillar Occupation's 30th anniversary... 

Digital Fart from the Neo-Archaic Futureland (Russia)

Digital Fart from the Neo-Archaic Futureland (Russia)

Is Putin's Russia in fact a closer-than-it-looks, post-fact global future? Can it be avoided? And are we really that different? Fringe's first Russian alternative comedian, Oleg, cuts to the cheese of information politics... 

We Are Still All C*nts

We Are Still All C*nts

While the world grips onto its safe space with progressively whitened knuckles, We Are Still All C*nts will be a haven where the left, the right, the old, the young, the rise of fascism, the rise of vegans and anyone in between can all go f*ck off. 

Gráinne Maguire: What Has the News Ever Done for Me?

Gráinne Maguire: What Has the News Ever Done for Me?

Every day, Gráinne is joined by three top comics who try to persuade the audience why their favourite news story is the most import of the week’s news. Will it be Trump, Brexit or Kate Middleton getting a fringe – you decide! Plus, Labour Party Harry Potter Fan Fiction! The joy of the Daily Mail Online comment section! Like Newsnight, but sexier and during the day. 

David Sheeran: I Am Donut

David Sheeran: I Am Donut

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Skyfall and Love Actually: three films President Trump will encourage the Prime Minister to stream during his state visit to the UK (probably)... 

Samantha Pressdee: Back 2 Basics

Samantha Pressdee: Back 2 Basics

A bittersweet tale of political awakening. With nothing left to lose but everything to fight for, Samantha followed Russell Brand to the frontline of the revolution – a council estate in Barnet... 

Fin Taylor: Lefty Tighty Righty Loosey

Fin Taylor: Lefty Tighty Righty Loosey

The most talked about comedian from last year’s Fringe is back. He’s still white, and you’re still hippies. Something’s got to give. And I’m not blacking up. It’s been a globe-trotting year for Whitey... 

Ahir Shah: Control

Ahir Shah: Control

In an age of global socio-political turmoil, Shah presents a show about freedom, fascism, complacency, complicity, resistance, and milk. Ahir's last show enjoyed packed runs at the Edinburgh Fringe, the Soho Theatre, and a national tour... 

Infant Hercules

Infant Hercules

Loud, outspoken and very accessible political comedy from a Northern working-class prospective. Likened to a hybrid of Jerry Sadowitz and Johnny Vegas, Chris is opinionated and a tour de force... 

Susie Steed: Money Walks – The Unofficial Story of Capitalism

Susie Steed: Money Walks – The Unofficial Story of Capitalism

Follow in the footsteps of power on this walking tour of capitalism from British Empire to banking crisis, with jokes. As Britain leaves the EU and Scotland tries to leave Britain, explore the shared history we’d rather forget... 

Jack Barry: High Treason

Jack Barry: High Treason

This show is about why we should legalise all the drugs. It's serious business, so has a serious name. But it's also a pun, so you know you'll have fun. As seen/heard on Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV 2 and BBC Radio 4... 

Rahul Kohli: A Not So Chubby, Brown

Rahul Kohli: A Not So Chubby, Brown

Geordie Rahul Kohli's back with his much anticipated second hour following from his critically appraised debut. Focussing on the capitulation of the centre ground, the rise of the far right, then weirdly the rise of the far left, then the rise of the far right… again? All while taking aim at all the big targets who’ve strong-armed their way into power through this chaos: Trump, ISIS and them b*stard fidget spinners... 

Start Swimming

Start Swimming

A Young Vic Taking Part Production. It’s small versus big. It’s pressures of the future. It’s everything being stacked against you and all options feeling equally terrible. James Fritz (Ross and Rachel) teams up with Genesis Future Directors Award winner Ola Ince (Dutchman) to bring you a show about occupation, revolution and the future of our youth... 

Bin Laden: The One Man Show

Bin Laden: The One Man Show

‘Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, I am going to show you how to change the world…’ The world's most notorious terrorist tells his remarkable, provocative and multi award-winning story... 

Trump’d!

Trump’d!

A new comedy musical from the Cambridge Footlights. The year is 2030. As supreme dictator, Donald Trump has brought American society to the brink. As a unified resistance grows, the time for reckoning has come… Will the Mexican Resistance find their way home? Will the last remnants of ISIS finally have their revenge? Is Arnold Schwarzenegger really a robot, or just that good an actor? Find out on an all-singing, all-dancing parody-musical journey through the desolate wasteland of future America... 

Wall! A Thinly Veiled Metaphor for Our Current Political Landscape Disguised as a New American Musical

Wall! A Thinly Veiled Metaphor for Our Current Political Landscape Disguised as a New American Musical

Two cultures have thrived, one on each side of an impenetrable wall. The two worlds could not be more different. One is reverent to the wall; the other despises it. Yet they are similarly stubborn when it comes to change... 

Just An Ordinary Lawyer

Just An Ordinary Lawyer

Nigerian Tunji Sowande quietly breaks through multiple barriers to become Britain's first Black judge in 1978. Also a fine concert singer and keen cricket lover, he muses on international politics and history as they affect the Black world from Africa to the USA and Britain, but only as one who would rather watch sports, and spread love and peace through the medium of song... 

Fandom Undivided

Fandom Undivided

We are slowly falling apart, we are stagnating. We live on the edge of society. We live in fear of your judgement, and you may want our voices to simply disappear. But we will not go away quietly... 

Price (still) Includes Biscuits

Price (still) Includes Biscuits

Satirical, witty and topical. With Jewish humour, original songs and biscuits, Naomi Paul brings her four-star show to Brighton. From lingerie to libraries, Birmingham to the Balkans, the personal to the political... 

Obama & Me

Obama & Me

“I am a cog in the wheel of free movement. I am my ancestors’, my contemporaries’, and my descendants’ wildest dreams.” While Barack Obama is fulfilling his American Dream as the first black president of the United States, Sylvia Arthur, a black Brit, is in Brussels in pursuit of the European version... 

Hang

Hang

Set in the near future, Hang imagines a world where the death penalty has returned and, with a sinister game-show-like feel to it, the victim determines the fate of the offender. This production, by Yellow Jacket Productions, believably thrusts us into this world, but barely scratches the surface of its potential to engage and affect its audience... 

Agent of Influence: The Secret Life of Pamela More

Agent of Influence: The Secret Life of Pamela More

In a time of pre-war political tension, gone are the days of frothy fashion journalism for Pamela More, a feisty and glamorous Times journalist who stubbornly prioritises haute-couture over Hitler... 

David Sheeran - I Am Donut: Work In Progress

David Sheeran - I Am Donut: Work In Progress

Skyfall, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Ghost, The Godfather, Citizen Kane, Beauty and the Beast, Notting Hill, 50 Shades Darker and Beetlejuice are just some of the DVDs President Trump will give Theresa May on his first state visit to the UK (probably)... 

Sexual Fears of a Modern Day Virgin

Sexual Fears of a Modern Day Virgin

Kids these days! No one knows what they’re up to. Well, we do and we’re willing to let you in on the secret. What if I told you that you know nothing about sex? You don’t even know what a virgin is... 

Know Brexit

Know Brexit

“The UK has voted out... 48% scream and shout... Will the Union end up dead? Is economic ruin where we head? Brexit plans remain unclear... Who knows where we go from here... ” Enjoy a humorous and entertaining look at the Brexit options, our future relationship with the EU, and what it all means for the UK... 

A Remarkable Person

A Remarkable Person

This critically-acclaimed, award-winning Norwegian (but performed in English) play philosophises: Do we humans really have a deep need for an identity, or is this need utter nonsense? For her ability to convey deeply existential material in a humorous and crystal clear way, and for her courage to be politically incorrect, the playwright was awarded First Priority by the Norwegian Centre for New Play-writing... 

Between You and Me

Between You and Me

This Brighton-based forum theatre company produce thought-provoking performances about social and political matters, using storytelling, discussion, and re-enactment. 'Between You and Me' has been created in collaboration with Mankind and is based on true stories and experiences... 

Smurthwaite on Masculinity

Smurthwaite on Masculinity

Left-wing, highbrow, feminist, atheist comedian Kate Smurthwaite finally takes on the issue right at the very heart of women’s rights: men. And she’s taken "getting inside the subject" to a new level – performing the whole show in drag as her male alter-ego Milo Standards! From cage fighting to dating, the football terraces to the House of Lords, Smurthwaite will be asking what men in the 21st century are up to and more importantly – why?! “Hilarious ... 

Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons

Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons

“The average person will speak 123,205,750 words in a lifetime”. Set against a backdrop of increasingly polarised politics, and a cruelly oppressed working class, Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons explores the power of language, and presents a world where inhabitants are limited, by law, to speaking only 140 words per day... 

Ross And Doug Present Scenes From The Life And Death Of Lord Haw Haw, Britain's Most Patriotic Traitor

Ross And Doug Present Scenes From The Life And Death Of Lord Haw Haw, Britain's Most Patriotic Traitor

Funny. Political. Ends with a hanging. 

Samantha Pressdee: Work in Progress

Samantha Pressdee: Work in Progress

A bitter-sweet tale of political awakening. With nothing left to lose but everything to fight for, Samantha followed Russell Brand onto the frontline of the revolution - a council estate in Barnet... 

Happy Birthday, Bob

Happy Birthday, Bob

From his first eponymous album in 1962 to his latest, Fallen Angels, via his never-ending tour, Bob Dylan has always divided opinion: Upsetting the Establishment as a Folk/protest singer, his own fans when he “went electric” and winning the Nobel Prize for literature... 

Harun Musho'd: Harun With a View

Harun Musho'd: Harun With a View

Harun Musho'd's stand-up comedy explores his own identity, weaving politics and history into the story of his family and their antics. Religion is another theme explored, leaving no religion untouched... 

Under My Thumb

Under My Thumb

Six women. One prison cell. After committing crimes that didn’t conform with the dystopian and misogynistic society these women live in, they are thrown together and forced to create their own society in jail... 

Zahra Barri: Talk Like An Egyptian

Zahra Barri: Talk Like An Egyptian

Zahra’s a bit like the country of Turkey, in that she’s a mix of Eastern and Western culture, and also she is a bird. A fun look into Eastern and Kanye Western Culture. As heard on BBC Radio 4 Extra, BBC Radio 2 and Talk Radio... 

The Print-shop

The Print-shop

Brighton comics creators and graphic novelists Joe Decie, Hannah Eaton and Daniel Locke are spending a week producing hundreds of original drawings, prints and comics that explore and respond to the daily life of Brighton... 

I'm The Hero of This Story

I'm The Hero of This Story

CTRL ALT DEL: Restart, Repeat, Restart, Repeat... Really? Again? Why isn’t it working? This is about not knowing where you belong. After taking a massive leap of faith and deciding to move home, Roxanne believed she had sussed it out ... 

Hidden Mother

Hidden Mother

In her mind Diana is a glamorous singer-raconteuse at a Petrograd nightclub, and Leon her accompanist. In reality the pair are patients in a British mental hospital heading for closure... 

Sajeela Kershi: Paradise Beneath Her Feet!

Sajeela Kershi: Paradise Beneath Her Feet!

A new work-in-progress show from this multi award-winning comedian. Growing up Sajeela was taught that all mothers should be revered, as paradise lay beneath their feet. A difficult concept to understand for a child suffering from a verucca and sweaty, smelly feet... 

Meet Fred

Meet Fred

Hijinx Theatre in association with Blind Summit. “Prejudice against puppetry is the only acceptable form of prejudice” (David Sefton, Artistic Director, Adelaide International Festival)... 

SpokeEasy

SpokeEasy

Do you remember a time when we all SpokeEasy? A time before every movement, word and thought was watched? Before cameras in trees? Come! Follow the signs for The Yellow Canary, a retro cabaret set in a near future with peculiar wanton acts that tell the story of how we got from there to here... 

OUT

OUT

We are presented with two bodies: a loud Jamaican dance hall music and disco lights. As we enter The Marlborough we are not seated in the usual position. Instead we are on the stage and the performers are on the floor... 

Guy Wah: Professional Arsehole

Guy Wah: Professional Arsehole

'Professional behaviour': a series of actions deemed acceptable in the workplace. Also: a term used to justify inhumane behaviour and enable idiots to maintain positions of power... 

Tez Ilyas: Teztify (WiP)

Tez Ilyas: Teztify (WiP)

“Ilyas has a slickness more reminiscent of US comics, and the gags to back it up, though his most prized asset could yet be his bold, subversive streak” (The Guardian). “Radiantly entertaining” (The Times)... 

In Debt We Trust

In Debt We Trust

Fusing stand-up, cabaret and live documentary, we go on a journey through that most deceptively fascinating of subjects - debt! With comedy vignettes (laughs), appearances from historical figures (laughs), and hard core social anthropology (no laughs - but hey! Learning is fun!) we’ll explore the historical relationship of debt within social institutions such as marriage, friendship, slavery, law, religion, war and, our old pal, austerity... 

A Pessimist's Guide to Being Happy

A Pessimist's Guide to Being Happy

Are you, have you been or do you know a pessimist? Are you, have you been, or do you want to be happy? This is the stand-up comedy show for you! Matt Duwell is happy and he is ill-equipped to deal with it... 

Undercover Refugee

Undercover Refugee

What happens when a 25-year-old Norwegian girl travels alone through Europe together with refugees? Karen Houge, a Norwegian documentarist and Gaulier-trained actor, went to Lesvos and followed seven Syrian refugees from the beach and through Europe... 

UK Subs

UK Subs

This legendary Punk band continues to represent the true spirit of Punk Rock. From the birth of British Punk, the now equally legendary Charlie Harper 71 years young, still touring worldwide, they maintain that true spirit of Punk Rock continuing to inspire each subsequent generation of fans... 

Chicken Soup Crusader

Chicken Soup Crusader

In this unsafe space, with Brexit looming and Trump trumpeting, Daphna Baram attempts to clear us all a path. The Middle Eastern Mary Poppins, armed with a semi-automatic umbrella, a tub of Jewish penicillin and a spoonful of hummus, will lead you safely to shore - if you don't drown laughing... 

David Hoyle

David Hoyle

Post-drag, post-gender, impossible to beat, performance avalanche and avant-garde legend David Hoyle returns for an unmissable evening of high comedy, sound, vision, paint and song... 

Octopus

Octopus

Intelligent, funny and thought provoking theatre at The Warren. Octopus presented shades of Hanif Kureshi’s insightful wit and sharp irony about race and “Britishness” in this refreshing and dynamic production... 

Last Orders At The Dog & Dumplings

Last Orders At The Dog & Dumplings

Boogaloo Stu’s dark comedy 'Last Orders At The Dog & Dumplings' is an uproarious and merciless exposé of the cold-blooded takeover striking our communities in the name of regeneration... 

Taliesin: A Tale of Power, Class and Environmental Catastrophe

Taliesin: A Tale of Power, Class and Environmental Catastrophe

Plunge into tales of the legendary Welsh bard Taliesin. Tread the line between history and myth in a world of magic and wonder, courage and cruelty, and a very special boy who would defy a king... 

Wet Bread

Wet Bread

Adele can’t work out how the Tories are in power – everyone she knows voted Labour, and don’t get her started on Brexit. It would be much better if the rest of the country just agreed with her... 

Protect and Survive

Protect and Survive

1984. The doomsday clock stands at 23:57. Five strangers take part in exercise ‘HOT SEAT’, a role-play simulation for a pre- and post-nuclear attack on the UK. In 2017, the doomsday clock, once again, reads 23:57 and the game becomes reality! "Unchecked climate change, global nuclear weapons modernizations, and outsized nuclear weapons arsenals pose extraordinary and undeniable threats to the continued existence of humanity... 

Rahul Kohli: A Not So Chubby Brown

Rahul Kohli: A Not So Chubby Brown

Geordie Rahul Kohli is back with his much anticipated second hour following on from his critically acclaimed debut hour: 'Newcastle Brown Male'. A look back at the political, topical events of the year all from this young Newcastle Brown’s perspective... 

Juliet Meyers: The Dog and Other Global Irritations

Juliet Meyers: The Dog and Other Global Irritations

Juliet Meyers (Writer on 'Sarah Millican TV Programme', '8/10 Cats' and 'News Quiz') returns with her show about her clingy rescue dog, unconditional love and being a wolf. Last year Juliet proclaimed he had ruined her life (even though he's for keeps... 

Alex Kealy: Too Early To Say

Alex Kealy: Too Early To Say

Comedian and vertebrate Alex Kealy presents his second comedy show. There now follows a reading from The Book of Press Quotes, please be seated: “Hilarious... fresh, insightful and original... 

Anti-White PC Mangina Rises!

Anti-White PC Mangina Rises!

Dick Coughlan thought he was a good guy. That was until he met the internet and soon found out he was actually an evil, ball-less, genocidal, race-traitorous bastard! Now, after seven years, even he doesn't know... 

The View from the Mountaintop

The View from the Mountaintop

A pitch-black comedy from award-winning playwright, Matt Morrison. Set somewhere in England, it follows three party activists as they head off on a morale-building weekend in the wake of an unfolding political scandal... 

I Hope I Die Before I Start Voting Conservative (Work In Progress)

I Hope I Die Before I Start Voting Conservative (Work In Progress)

Apparently we all get more right-wing as we grow older. This is a stand-up show about trying to mature without losing hope for a fairer society. A work-in-progress outing of the third solo show by critically-acclaimed and award-winning stand-up Joe Wells... 

Reality Check

Reality Check

Athena Kugblenu has watched, listened and looked for a long time, and now she's grown tired of the conventions of the left wing press. 'Reality Check' is the hotly anticipated debut hour from an adroit comic who's found her voice and isn't afraid to use it... 

Immigrant Diaries for Refugees - Sajeela Kershi & Guests

Immigrant Diaries for Refugees - Sajeela Kershi & Guests

Immigration, migrants, the refugee crisis; hot divisive topics of debate that have been blamed for Brexit, Trump, rise of hate crimes in the past year. How many are there? Why are they coming here? What do they want? And who exactly are these 'bloody foreigners’ anyway? Immigrant Diaries is a chance to come and hear some of those who chose to live and work on this marvelously multi-cultural island... 

The Writers' Bloc

The Writers' Bloc

Soviet Russia, 1937. Deflecting public attention away from his deadly purges, Joseph Stalin commissions a great book to be written. Five great writers are placed in a room with an infinite supply of vodka, cigarettes and fear... 

Shell Shock

Shell Shock

One soldier's story of coping with PTSD. After serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, Tommy's observations on civvy life are comic and moving. His emotional responses to Post Office queues, a trip to Ikea and his relationships and family lead to alienation and anger... 

Mobile

Mobile

Co-commissioned by Live Theatre/The Marlowe Theatre. A Paper Birds production. We are taught from a young age to aim high, to reach for the stars, to want more, more than our parents, more than the generations before us, to climb the social ladder... 

Discretion Guaranteed

Discretion Guaranteed

There’s a lot going on in Discretion Guaranteed at Paradise in the Vault. An infinitely able cast runs us through a myriad of concerns for modern women. While at times too many ideas are only touched on without being explored sufficiently, the effect of the production is undeniable... 

Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary

Timelines blur as Queen Mary Tudor stands reading the Financial Times in this capable performance that draws parallels between the purging reign of Bloody Mary and the policies of the Conservative party... 

One for the Road

One for the Road

Harold Pinter’s short play, One for the Road, concerns torture, and you can assume it’s talking about state-sanctioned torture, given Rising Phoenix Repertory’s decision to tack on a clip of the playwright saying “political theatre is important” at the play’s end... 

Child’s Play

Child’s Play

Child’s Play begins with the tidying away of props and banners at the end of an organised demonstration; in the meantime, characters exchange strident opinions on how frustratingly futile protest movements are nowadays... 

Vince Cable: In Conversation

Vince Cable: In Conversation

Professor Chris Carter welcomes distinguished economist and highly respected parliamentarian, Rt Hon Sir Vince Cable. The former Liberal Democrat cabinet minister discusses his time at the heart of the coalition government, economics and forays into ballroom dancing... 

John Prescott: In Conversation

John Prescott: In Conversation

Lord John Prescott discusses his career in the public eye. One of the most recognisable and formidable politicians of his generation, the former Deputy Prime Minister joins Professor Chris Carter to share what it was like to serve at the heart of Blair’s government... 

Collateral Damage

Collateral Damage

The programme for Collateral Damage states that, while the play was written in 1999 in response to contemporary issues, it “has many resonances for us today”. Yet this production fails to resonate... 

IndyRef2: The Rebellion Continues?

IndyRef2: The Rebellion Continues?

Tory victory at the General Election, the crushing of Labour in Scotland, chaos on the Opposition front benches. England voted Leave, Scotland voted Remain. Britain’s on the edge of Brexit, so is the stage set for Indyref 2? Was the referendum a once in a lifetime opportunity? Which referendum? Join us to hear what Tommy Sheppard (MP and Scottish National Party politician) and Nicola McEwen (Professor of Territorial Politics at the University of Edinburgh and Associate Director of the ESRC Centre on Constitutional Change) have to say – but more importantly, get your voice heard. 

Antigone

Antigone

Eleventh Hour Theatre’s fresh and admittedly interesting take on Sophocles’ Classic tragedy presents a new spin on the classic tale that, whilst successful enough, fails to realise its full potential... 

Adam Boulton: In Conversation

Adam Boulton: In Conversation

Professor Chris Carter welcomes one of the leading journalists of our time, Sky News political editor Adam Boulton, to share his take on the leaders and major events that have provided the backdrop to his distinguished career... 

ScotlandsFest 2016

ScotlandsFest 2016

Big thinking in a small country – sparky talk, flyting, debate discussion and soapbox slots. Discover how Scotland’s national conversation today is forging the Scotland of tomorrow... 

ScotlandsFest 2016

ScotlandsFest 2016

Big thinking in a small country – sparky talk, flyting, debate discussion and soapbox slots. Discover how Scotland’s national conversation today is forging the Scotland of tomorrow... 

You, Me and the Distance Between Us

You, Me and the Distance Between Us

Ellen spent six months volunteering in Europe’s refugee camps. She gave out clothes, blankets, and made many cups of tea. It gave her lots to think about. Like what everyone was fleeing from, why she had really come to help and whether borders were such a good idea after all... 

Lifted

Lifted

Lifted is a play about Scotland, identity, immigration, police violence, racism and mermaids. Basically, it's bang on trend. 'The funniest, freshest, rawest and most alive and kicking hour I've spent at the Fringe this year' (Liz Lochhead)... 

The Calm

The Calm

In the near future, the line between war and terror is blurred in a military hospital behind the front lines, ahead of the final push. 

I Love Ursula Hamdress

I Love Ursula Hamdress

Theatre and physical theatre about the contemporary condition of women and farmed animals, created following Carol Adams' lecture The sexual Politics of Meat. On the stage an aspiring showgirl talks about herself... 

Hang

Hang

Hang, the latest show from Yellow Jacket Productions, set in the near future where the death penalty has returned with an added feature, the victim is able to choose the method of execution... 

Ears on a Beatle

Ears on a Beatle

Billed as “not simply a docu-drama”, Ears on a Beatle promises perspective on the post-Summer-of-Love, post-Fab-Four decade in which the two protagonist agents find themselves.Rookie Daniel and battle-hardened Howard do the grunt work in investigating John Lennon and his revolutionary comrades... 

Counting Sheep

Counting Sheep

Counting Sheep is a theatrical triumph that throws the audience into the centre of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution. In slightly over an hour and half we eat, we dance and we riot together, playing witness to the horrors of state-sanctioned violence against its own people - it’s an invigorating experience that properly connects you to the other members of the audience and reminds you of humanity’s capacity for compassion in the face of unspeakable suffering... 

On the Conditions and Possibilities of Hillary Clinton Taking Me as Her Young Lover

On the Conditions and Possibilities of Hillary Clinton Taking Me as Her Young Lover

On the Conditions and Possibilities of Hillary Clinton Taking Me as Her Young Lover definitely wins the title of most intriguing show title at the Fringe, and it’s definitely worth seeing for the demented, skewed logic of why Richard Meros, B... 

Private Manning Goes to Washington

Private Manning Goes to Washington

Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning remains in a high security US Military Prison on a 35-year sentence for passing nearly a quarter of a million classified files to Wikileaks in 2010... 

Glasgow Girls

Glasgow Girls

2005. The Home Office has just declared a number of war torn countries ‘safe’ and Britain’s refugees are being forcibly removed from their homes and deported. Unfortunately the Home Office hadn’t anticipated a ragtag resistance from a group of schoolgirls who would later become known as the Glasgow Girls... 

We Are All C*nts

We Are All C*nts

What you see is what you get with Ashley Haden’s notoriously dark humour in this aptly-named free show. He is not afraid to call you, your mum, himself, or anyone else in the world a cunt – he is genuinely convinced you all are anyway... 

Matt Forde's Political Party Podcast

Matt Forde's Political Party Podcast

Following three years of sell-out London shows Matt Forde's Political Party returns to Edinburgh for a one-off special! Previous guests include: Tony Blair, Nigel Farage, Michael Portillo, Liz Kendall, and Alastair Campbell... 

This Evil Thing

This Evil Thing

Many appreciate conscientious objectors because they seem on the right side of history. Because war’s pointless, isn’t it? Many British appreciate Muhammad Ali for spurning Vietnam; but could an audience appreciate the conscious objectors (C... 

Call Mr Robeson

Call Mr Robeson

Call Mr Robeson is Tayo Aluko’s tribute to one of the twentieth century’s most recognisable singers in terms of looks and voice. A towering man, both physically and professionally, he is most widely remembered for his songs and film credits, but there was far more to him... 

Ayesha Hazarika: Tales from the Pink Bus

Ayesha Hazarika: Tales from the Pink Bus

Ayesha Hazarika spent eight years as political adviser to Harriet Harman and Ed Miliband. Before working for the Labour party she was a stand-up comedian – who knew. In her first show since leaving front-line politics, Ayesha ponders the big questions... 

Steve Richards Presents Rock 'n' Roll Politics

Steve Richards Presents Rock 'n' Roll Politics

Loyalty. Betrayal. They are the themes of a brand new show from the journalist on stage, the dark and absurd conflicts between conviction, ambition and friendship. The award-winning columnist and broadcaster takes you behind the scenes of the latest epic dramas, bringing to life the characters from Nicola Sturgeon to Boris and Jeremy Corbyn and their nerve shredding dilemmas... 

Brexit at Tiffany's

Brexit at Tiffany's

In the aftershock of the Brexit referendum, what do the world’s funniest folk in comedy have to say about it and other world matters? Join us for one night only of International Comedy hosted by world renowned funny man Stephen K Amos... 

Ayesha Hazarika: Tales from the Pink Bus

Ayesha Hazarika: Tales from the Pink Bus

Ayesha Hazarika spent eight years as political adviser to Harriet Harman and Ed Miliband. Before working for the Labour party she was a stand-up comedian – who knew. In her first show since leaving front-line politics, Ayesha ponders the big questions... 

Private Manning Goes to Washington

Private Manning Goes to Washington

A new play imagining a secret meeting between US President Barack Obama and Chelsea Manning, the transgender US soldier currently imprisoned for leaking classified information to Wikileaks... 

The Echo Chamber

The Echo Chamber

Current affairs can be baffling, and we have all been overcome with the need to turn off the news and pretend that horrific acts of terrorism around the world aren’t happening. In this piece of theatre, however, Trimaran Productions succeed in outlining the issue of radicalization to a much younger audience, and making current affairs accessible to all... 

Faslane

Faslane

On the surface Jenna Watt’s new show Faslane sounds like it should be a simple comparison of the reasons for and against renewing the Trident nuclear base; it turns out to be just as tricky and knotty as its subject... 

The Inspectors Call

The Inspectors Call

Exploring the impact of creeping corporatism and excessive accountability. George Smith cares deeply for his school, his local community and the embattled values of comprehensive education... 

YPFii

YPFii

0.04 AX, 14 days since the Omnis war came to its catastrophic end. Hecs and sister Cass, along with several other 16- to 18-year-olds of the fallen, are being held in the YPFii enclosure awaiting their fates, to be decided by the victors... 

Mark Thomas: The Red Shed

Mark Thomas: The Red Shed

Mark Thomas’ new one-man-play blends spoken word and storytelling to create a compelling, intimate and rousing performance that lifts the spirit in this pitch perfect personal and political drama... 

Knowing EU

Knowing EU

Although this show might have been more useful to see before the EU referendum, Knowing EU’s straightforwardness pushes to one side all the unclear statistics and hot headed debating surrounding the referendum and presents nothing but clear facts... 

Expensive Shit

Expensive Shit

Theatre audiences are, for the most part, quite comfortable with their self-assigned role of secret voyeurs of the people on stage who go about their lives with no apparent knowledge that they’re being observed... 

Acting Alone

Acting Alone

Acting Alone is a thoughtful, introspective piece of solo storytelling in which actor Ava Hunt reflects on the suffering of the Palestinian people and the frustration she feels at not knowing how to help... 

Reality Check

Reality Check

BBC New Comedy Award 2015 finalist Athena Kugblenu has an opinion on everything. Whether you agree or disagree, her astute mind and savvy observations will have you laughing out loud... 

Sins Borne

Sins Borne

Absolutely implausible and performed implausibly too: there are moments where Sins Borne’s premise works but they are too sparse.EJ’s a crusty old hermit: a widower shut off from the world and the tumult of societal change... 

Bash

Bash

Neil LaBute sets out to upset and disturb audiences and he made a spectacular start with his first play Bash: Latterday Plays. Initially having Mormon connections, he later revised the work: it was no longer just a slanted assault on the Latter Day Saints, from which non-Mormons could exempt themselves, but instead became a universal statement of the human condition... 

The Surge

The Surge

With the parliamentary Labour party at apparent loggerheads with a huge chunk of its ordinary party members, and a Prime Minister arguably governing without a strong mandate, the growing alienation of the British electorate from their representatives has rarely been in sharper focus... 

David Steel: My Life in Politics

David Steel: My Life in Politics

Lord David Steel joins Professor Chris Carter to reflect on an illustrious career in public life. Listen as he discusses his battles steering reforming legislation through Parliament, three general elections as Liberal Party leader, and his term as the Scottish Parliament’s inaugural Presiding Officer... 

Diary of a Madman

Diary of a Madman

Little remains of Gogol’s original short story, Diary of a Madman, with Al Smith taking much artistic licence in updating it to post-Brexit Britain and turning it into a story of nationalism and traditional values in an increasingly modernised and globalised world... 

Just an Ordinary Lawyer

Just an Ordinary Lawyer

Nigerian Tunji Sowande quietly breaks through multiple barriers to become Britain’s first black judge in 1978. He is also a fine singer and keen cricket lover. Finding himself stranded in the heart of the Empire, he muses on international politics and history from the point of view of one who would rather watch sports, and spread love and peace through the medium of song... 

Poena 5X1

Poena 5X1

How can hell be liberal and forgiveness be punishment? Contradictions like these are part of the challenge of this provocative piece of writing and performance.The premise is simple, if you buy it: we are listening to a report on a drug that has been developed as a “humane” punishment or deterrent... 

Iraq Out & Loud: Reading the Chilcot Report in Full

Iraq Out & Loud: Reading the Chilcot Report in Full

A group of performers, writers, politicians and you plan to stage a reading of the Chilcot Report. Respectfully, humbly, and relentlessly, a cast of thousands, continuing non-stop. 24-7 until it’s done... 

Call Mr Robeson

Call Mr Robeson

Paul Robeson is a world-famous American actor, singer and civil rights campaigner. When he gets too radical and outspoken for the establishment's liking, he is branded a traitor, is harassed, and denied opportunities to perform or travel... 

Samantha Pressdee: Sextremist

Samantha Pressdee: Sextremist

"Every woman is a riot," is roughly painted on the wall behind the stage area of this hidden-away New Town bar’s seldom used attic space. What we’re actually shown on a large TV screen is a group of women on a march who, after being stopped by the police, decide instead to do some impromptu sunbathing on Edinburgh's High Street setts... 

Hot Brown Honey

Hot Brown Honey

To Edinburghians “welcome to The Hive” could mean a questionable night out in a seedy, sticky floored club. Not to worry, this Hive located at Assembly Roxy is a safe space inhabited by six empowered women to teach us about society, culture and smashing the patriarchy... 

Out of Our Father's House

Out of Our Father's House

The self-empowerment of interesting American women from history is a dramatic premise that instantly arrests your attention. Unfortunately, Red Compass’ production, in every sense, fails to captivate... 

A Boy Named Sue

A Boy Named Sue

A Boy Named Sue written by Bertie Darrell provides an interesting insight into the experiences of members of the LGBT+ community, played with great energy by the cast of three. Standing on a bare stage, director Claudia Lee is clearly smart and confident enough to let the script and actors shine without any gimmickry... 

Rocking Your Vote!

Rocking Your Vote!

We Will Rock You meets Yes Prime Minister in this hilarious story of electioneering by 2015 MP candidate Will Goodhand (Channel 4’s Beauty and the Geek, 99 Club stand-up), featuring ex-MP Lembit Opik! A comedy rollercoaster ride! Composed by Olly Nelken (Pigbag, Royal Marines Band)... 

Iraq Out & Loud: Reading the Chilcot Report in Full

Iraq Out & Loud: Reading the Chilcot Report in Full

A group of performers, writers, politicians and you plan to stage a reading of the Chilcot Report. Respectfully, humbly, and relentlessly, a cast of thousands, continuing non-stop. 24-7 until it’s done... 

House and Amongst the Reeds

House and Amongst the Reeds

London-based Clean Break fit two plays into one show: House, a tight family drama set in a British-Nigerian household, and Amongst the Reeds, a nondescript tale of homelessness, friendship and pregnancy... 

The Chicken Trial

The Chicken Trial

Was it animal cruelty to bring 6 chickens to a rowdy nightclub, and is that the wrong question? The Chicken Trial is a “documentary fantasy” recounting the trial of Makode Linde, an art student who brought chickens to an animal-themed club night... 

James Christopher – What's the Tory? Mourning Glory

James Christopher – What's the Tory? Mourning Glory

James Christopher looks back in anger at a government driven by greed, for the benefit of the privileged few. Free entry (unless you're poor or disabled). ‘Thoroughly enjoyable and funny’ **** (GiggleBeats... 

Eddy Brimson: Up the Anti

Eddy Brimson: Up the Anti

Raided at dawn, arrested for terrorism and a possible 13 years in prison: I've had better mornings! MI5, surveillance, democracy, class and them... a mix of stand-up and spoken word... 

10 Things I Hate About UKIP

10 Things I Hate About UKIP

Joe Wells believes that you should treat all people with love and respect, but does that include UKIP voters? Follow up to the critically acclaimed **** (Chortle.co.uk), **** (BroadwayBaby... 

Chris Coltrane: Socialist Fun Times

Chris Coltrane: Socialist Fun Times

A new hour of super-fun political comedy from your second-favourite activist comedian, Chris Coltrane. Friendly, uplifting, Tory-smashing punchlines for fans of feminism, socialism and joy... 

Smurthwaite on Masculinity

Smurthwaite on Masculinity

The award-winning comedian, campaigner and writer for Have I Got News for You and The Revolution Will Be Televised sizes up the patriarchy and 21st century male culture. ‘Sharp, quick-fire, intelligent comedy' (Scotsgay)... 

A Common Man: The Bridge That Tom Built

A Common Man: The Bridge That Tom Built

Striding onto the stage accompanied by thunderous fanfare, taking his place on a podium and decrying the evil of tyrants and the chains of authority, Dominic Allen’s blistering and bombastic entrance as Thomas Paine in his one man show about the life of the free thinker and revolutionary scholar certainly grabs your attention and sets the tone for a gripping and completely enthralling hour of astounding storytelling and theatre... 

Waiting for Garbo

Waiting for Garbo

The world’s largest landfill, an island of floating plastic the size of Texas and Greta Garbo! This theatrical vortex of recycled plays, Garbo’s Divine Woman and words from environmental prophets explores our devastating addiction to plastic consumerism... 

Your Majesties

Your Majesties

In the award-winning performance of Your Majesties, Navaridas and Deutinger reenact Barack Obama's Nobel lecture, held at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo in 2009. Performer Alex Deutinger delivers the US President’s legendary speech while behind the audience, Marta Navaridas pulls the strings – manipulating and guiding the politician’s movements with invisible strings as a gesturing puppeteer... 

The Rooster and Partial Memory

The Rooster and Partial Memory

The Rooster is a Palestinian/Lebanese production influenced by thrilling Palestinian dabke folk dance, conveying the sociopolitical experience of the region through the character of Al-Deek, the rooster... 

Murdered Artists' Society

Murdered Artists' Society

Tribute to all the artists who have been murdered, tortured and exiled. The performance takes the form of a scream for the freedom of art and artists currently being suppressed around the world, based on Kharms' and Vvedensky's life and work... 

Lifted

Lifted

Lifted is a play about Scotland, identity, immigration, police violence, racism and mermaids. Basically, it's bang on trend. 'The funniest, freshest, rawest and most alive and kicking hour I've spent at the Fringe this year' (Liz Lochhead)... 

Gráinne Maguire: What Has the News Ever Done for Me?

Gráinne Maguire: What Has the News Ever Done for Me?

Who has time to care about all the day’s news? Not when most of us have so many good box sets on the go. Luckily Gráinne Maguire has found a way! Three top comedians bring in a news story they think is the most important of the day and aim to persuade the audience why theirs is the one they should care about too... 

Scotland's Democracy Trail

Scotland's Democracy Trail

Democracy is a hot topic in Scotland. In 2014's independence referendum, thousands of people in Scotland even got enthusiastic about it. Take the gentle uphill path to the top of Calton Hill to hear a 500-year-old story of democracy in Scotland, much of it almost forgotten... 

Apocalypse Wow

Apocalypse Wow

Ever looked at the world around you? Ever thought about your future in that world and decided the only prudent and logical move is to down tequila and dance on rooftops? This is the end... 

Just an Ordinary Lawyer

Just an Ordinary Lawyer

Nigerian Tunji Sowande quietly breaks through multiple barriers to become Britain’s first black judge in 1978. He is also a fine singer and keen cricket lover. Finding himself stranded in the heart of the Empire, he muses on international politics and history from the point of view of one who would rather watch sports, and spread love and peace through the medium of song... 

Freedom of Speech

Freedom of Speech

Nothing will remain sacred when the ‘bombastically liberal’ Rick Molland (ThreeWeeks) meets the ‘shamelessly shocking’ Sully O'Sullivan (Australian Times) in this stand-up comedy face-off on Freedom of Speech, where low blows aren't just legal, they're encouraged... 

John Scott Smashes It to F*ck

John Scott Smashes It to F*ck

A stand-up comedy show in which John promises to rip up the room for the full hour, or you can leave throughout. 'Among the top five comedians in Scotland.' (Observer). 'Sensational' ***** (MumbleComedy... 

Bronston Jones – God Bless 'Merica (Again)

Bronston Jones – God Bless 'Merica (Again)

Bronston Jones: God Bless ‘Merica (Again). Once more, the state of the union makes this atheist mutter ‘God bless 'Merica, because it'll take a f*cking miracle to fix it!’ His homeland is crazier now than 2015... 

This Belongs to George Osborne

This Belongs to George Osborne

Sit back and relax as we honour today’s real comedic geniuses – our very own tax-shirking, pig-pumping Westminster massive! Come join in a celebration of the absurdist joy that is Britain in century 21! Featuring alternative political analysis; a tax-dodging, sanction-busting game show and a touching and tender ballad from former bastard Iain Duncan Smith... 

Anti-White PC Mangina Activate!

Anti-White PC Mangina Activate!

Dick Coughlan thought he was a good guy. That was until he met the internet and soon found out he was actually an evil, ball-less, genocidal, race-traitorous bastard! Now, after seven years, even he doesn't know... 

Aidan Killian: The Money Shot

Aidan Killian: The Money Shot

‘Ireland’s hottest comedian’ (OneWorldChronicle.com) brings his intelligent, passionate comedy show about the secret history of money. If you have ever spent a penny you need to be there... 

James Nokise: So So Gangsta

James Nokise: So So Gangsta

Useless former gang member James Nokise takes a light-hearted look at the way we see each other, examining how people end up in gangs and what happens when you're kicked out. So So Gangsta is a mixture of personal stories from his time in youth gang The Bloodz in the late 90s, a history of New Zealand's gang culture and a look at political perceptions... 

Poetry Can F*ck Off

Poetry Can F*ck Off

'A picker pucker panoramic poetry parade' (John Hegley). Combining words from Heathcote Williams with poems from Mesopotamia to Tahrir Square and an original score composed and performed by Mike Dr Blue, this is a rabble-rousing call to arms that celebrates the revolutionary power of words... 

2061

2061

The year is 2061 and Tom Skelton is dead. This is the strange history of the intervening 45 years, as Tom's unborn son takes you on a masterful Orwellian odyssey. A cartel of characters emerges in this absurd and compelling one-man romp, from troubled troubadours to despotic political leaders, as we find out how we'll get here... 

Haggis McSporran: Is Out of His Box!

Haggis McSporran: Is Out of His Box!

With referendum fever sweeping the country, Haggis’s face was on every TV. Then something happened. Scotland voted no and Haggis was never heard from again, sparking several conspiracy theories and several more apathetic shrugs... 

No Help Sent

No Help Sent

In the near future, the government approves a bill to cancel the NHS. Private healthcare is now the only option. With no money, sharing a flat with three of his mates, a third year university student is diagnosed with cancer, and it seems he must now live his life on a timer... 

The Communist Threat

The Communist Threat

It’s 1950 Vienna and two British spies are sent to kill a traitor. Yet, despite having the same aim, the characterisations of the two are very different. Cambridge graduate Kip is a celebrated war hero and an esteemed operative... 

Poetry Can F*ck Off

Poetry Can F*ck Off

By Heathcote Williams (Archangel award-winner). Poetry f*cks off tyrants. Incendiary words from revolutionary wordsmiths have changed the world... and the firestorm rages on. Stellar cast voice Williams’ radical new work– with live music from Dr Blue... 

Samantha Pressdee: Sextremist (Work in Progress)

Samantha Pressdee: Sextremist (Work in Progress)

Samantha's a radical feminist, political activist and very funny (maybe not always for the ‘right’ reasons)! Join her for an hour of topless comedy in support of the Free the Nipple Campaign... 

Tez Ilyas: Progress in Work

Tez Ilyas: Progress in Work

Edinburgh Fringe's Funniest Newcomers 2015 (The Guardian). Following the success of his smash hit debut show at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, rising star Tez Ilyas is back with a brand new show... 

Athena Kugblenu: Reality Check

Athena Kugblenu: Reality Check

Bubbling with energy and wit, Athena Kugblenu shares with us her opinions and musings on just about every topic you might need to navigate life as a British millennial. Her material gallops through Indian wedding preparations; dating with dreadlocks; gross misconduct at work and the price of sperm... 

Code of Conduct

Code of Conduct

London, 2014. CID officer, Adam, believes punishing his neighbour will justify what he knows to be right, but will he go too far? He is demanding to be heard! For what? [newline] Justice... 

How I Almost Became the First Lady of the USA

How I Almost Became the First Lady of the USA

This is a true story. In the early '90s in Chicago, I fell in love with a man who was running for president - in a dress. This man was Joan Jett Blakk, and he promised to "Lick Bush in ’92". 

Aidan Killian: A Life of Silver Linings

Aidan Killian: A Life of Silver Linings

Aidan Killian's World Tour - 'Around the World in 80 Jokes' is here. Expect an uplifting, passionate, hilarious stand-up comedy show that focuses on seeing life's challenges as moments of gold... 

Ahmed and the Feather Girl

Ahmed and the Feather Girl

Ahmed, a poor orphan, escapes his war torn homeland and joins the circus. He meets a knife thrower, a one-eyed ballerina, a talking cat and a clown. Everything changes when he finds a friend born from a golden egg... 

Twisted and Tongue Tied

Twisted and Tongue Tied

Nothing like a wild, dark comedy cabaret and a dash of activism to kick off your afternoon! The girls will cross-dress, undress, and try to redress gender imbalance in just 30 mins through song and dance! Whatever the odds, their mission will be to amuse, provoke and arouse you... 

Rahul Kohli: Newcastle Brown Male

Rahul Kohli: Newcastle Brown Male

One Geordie specialising in current affairs. You'll laugh, you'll learn, you could orgasm. You won’t orgasm - that'd be insane. But now you’ll definitely come? As seen on BBC 'Big Asian Comedy Night'... 

Torn Apart (Dissolution)

Torn Apart (Dissolution)

'Torn Apart (Dissolution)' is about talking to your lover, drinking beer, ultimate rejection, the white picket fence fantasy, sexuality, the rules of being on a visa, The Berlin Wall, but mostly it's about love... 

Eggs Collective present Late Night Love

Eggs Collective present Late Night Love

A tender and ridiculous show that clambers up your drainpipe with a rose between its teeth. Raw-edged and warm-hearted, join Eggs Collective for an unflinching attempt to unpick the truth from the fiction of power ballads... 

Rebel with a Puncture

Rebel with a Puncture

Sell-out comedian Sam Quinn will do whatever his sponsors want: tell jokes, do accents, dance, sing. Even inject himself with Coca-Cola. Then his six-month-old baby niece arrives on stage, Sam’s sponsors aren’t happy, and s*** gets real... 

The White Crow: Eichmann in Jerusalem

The White Crow: Eichmann in Jerusalem

I should have known from the start.As we filed into the Theatre Box, we were greeted by a screen showing video clips of 1930s Germany, interspersed with title cards giving information about Hitler’s rise to power, Kristallnacht, and so on... 

Apostrophe's

Apostrophe's

Chris Parkinson, famous poet and professional troublemaker, returns with a high octane poetic voyage through subjects including party politics, dangerous grammar and anthropomorphic seals... 

Tribute Acts

Tribute Acts

Everyone wants their dad to be a hero. But what happens when your heroes let you down? Cheryl and Tess interviewed their socialist dads and filmed it. 'Tribute Acts' is a hilarious and boldly honest exploration of father-daughter relationships... 

Nick Revell: Heart of Darkness

Nick Revell: Heart of Darkness

"Exhilarating and thought-provoking, angering and very funny" (Kate Copstick, Scotsman), "If you are looking for some first-class, experienced satire, this is your show" (Broadway Baby), "Incisive analysis, accessorised with colourful imagery and lots and lots of proper jokes" (The Guardian) 

Eggs Collective Get A Round

Eggs Collective Get A Round

Back by popular demand! Pinned on the arse-end of a night out, 'Eggs Collective Get A Round' is a show with lipstick on its teeth and Wotsits on its face. A wayward exploration of friendship, kindness and belonging that spills out towards its audience... 

Did I Choose These Shoes?

Did I Choose These Shoes?

A thought-provoking, one-woman show exploring the themes of feminism, love, media, society and nature vs nurture. This spoken-word poetry performance focuses on the issues of growing up in the 21st century, incorporating elements of physical theatre, images, film and music. 

Knowing EU

Knowing EU

So, is it good to be in or out? A humorous look at the EU: the good, the bad and the ugly – you’ll learn, laugh and cry – you may even think again about that vote! 

Call Mr Robeson

Call Mr Robeson

As soon as Taylo Aluko, in the guise of Paul Robeson, takes to the stage we know we’re in for a treat. He is a commanding figure and his stage presence is impressive. I had heard of Paul Robeson before I went to the show but didn’t know much more than that he was a singer, had sung Ol’ Man River and starred in the musical Show Boat... 

In the Land of Gold

In the Land of Gold

A country at conflict with itself, torn between it's culture and the growing need for democracy, turns to its often-absent King to save them, but does he even care? Now those closest to the King must choose between loyalty or their people. 

10 Things I Hate About UKIP

10 Things I Hate About UKIP

Joe Wells believes that you should treat everyone with kindness, but that's not easy when some of them vote UKIP. The follow-up to the critically-acclaimed 'Night Of The Living Tories' *** (Chortle), **** (Broadway Baby), this is a show about learning to love the people whose politics you hate. 

The Other

The Other

Gaël Le Cornec (Argus Angel award-winner with Frida Kahlo) returns to Brighton with a new play on immigration based on refugees’ stories. Join young Mana from the war-torn Red-Yellow planet on a coming-of-age upside-down fairy-tale, full of poetry, humour and fantasy, where nothing is what it seems. 

Memories of a Lullaby

Memories of a Lullaby

A one-woman show questioning how socio-political conditions shape us as individuals, while attempting to give a perspective on how our realities differ greatly depending on where we are born and raised... 

University of Brighton's Festival of Social Science Annual Lecture: Fairness and the City - A Better Politics

University of Brighton's Festival of Social Science Annual Lecture: Fairness and the City - A Better Politics

In this lecture, Danny Dorling considers how the UK, one of the 25 richest countries in the world, has become one of the most unequal and is on course to win the 'global race' to become the most economically unequal of all by 2030. 

Zahra Barri: Talk Like An Egyptian

Zahra Barri: Talk Like An Egyptian

Zahra’s a bit like the country of Turkey, in that she’s a mix of Eastern and Western culture, and also she is a bird. A fun look into Eastern and Kanye Western Culture. As heard on BBC Radio 4 Extra and BBC Radio 2... 

Future of Food: Burgers... or Bugs?

Future of Food: Burgers... or Bugs?

Population growth, climate change and food inequality mean we need to take a fresh look at what’s on our plate. From edible insects to algae and lab-cultured meat, local, small-scale farming and waste reduction, what is the future of food? Come discuss and taste some bugs! At zero waste restaurant SILO. 

TTIP: What Price the EU-US Trade Agreement?

TTIP: What Price the EU-US Trade Agreement?

Will the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership bring growth, jobs and prosperity, or will it kill democracy? A debate with Jacqueline Minor (European Commission), John Hilary (War on Want) and Prof David Schneiderman (Toronto), chaired by Prof Marie-Bénédicte Dembour. 

Think Tank: a comedy, politics and debate show

Think Tank: a comedy, politics and debate show

Think Tank is a live comedy and debate show where professional comedians propose policy ideas to a panel of politicians and experts. Created by Joe Wells ****(Chortle), "star of the future" (The Guardian), Think Tank lies somewhere between Mock The Week and Question Time. 

Kate Smurthwaite: The Wrong Sort of Feminist

Kate Smurthwaite: The Wrong Sort of Feminist

Left-wing, highbrow, feminist, atheist comedy from 'Have I Got News For You?' writer Kate Smurthwaite. As seen on both 'Question Time' and 'This Morning' but too controversial for Goldsmith’s College! 

Not Yet Suffragette

Not Yet Suffragette

Time is of the essence in this absolutely faultless performance from EntreprenHER Productions. Detailing the endless hurdles women have had to face over time, from the start of the suffragette movement in the early 1900s to present day, Natalie Cutler’s very first one-woman show offers hope for the many that still have to be overcome... 

I Demand a Recount!

I Demand a Recount!

One year on from "the closest election in modern times" 'I Demand a Recount!' tackles the questions that can't wait until GE2020. Is Beyonce to blame for voter apathy? Is The House of Commons a bit like Wilkos? Could a game of British Bulldog aid constitutional reform? Using magic, music and mentalism! 

Worst Case Scenario

Worst Case Scenario

An expert juggler, an acrobat and dancer, a musician and inventor, and a brave warrioress present an archive of 23 thoughts about conflict, collected over a single year. Everything you see on stage is real... 

Cut

Cut

Tanglehead Productions & Spiral Arts present 'Cut'. Two women are forced to face their own cultural beliefs when a friend of their daughters is about to be sent away to the country of her birth to be cut... 

Groomed
BOBBY WINNER

Groomed

Groomed is an incredibly difficult show to watch but such a necessary one. The subject matter is abuse; abuse of a child and the effect that has had on his life. Harrowing to watch at times, it is full of pain but also bravery and is incredibly inspiring to watch... 

Follow Suit

Follow Suit

A madcap frenzy of physical comedy with a political bite. In this absurd office, nothing is more important than avoiding the skeletons in the stationery cupboard. Leap on the desks... 

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Based on the true story of Crookshank’s time in the R.A.F. With over 5 million views on Channel 4 News and fresh from a five star run at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Best New Play, Best New Production, Best Actress and Best Director - Broadway World Award nominations... 

Necessity

Necessity

'Necessity' is a compelling new play by writer and director Paul Macauley, about our need to hold onto ideals and what we create in the world when our needs go unmet. From the award-winning production team behind last year's Best New Play (New Writing South Award). 

Rory O'Keeffe: Job's Worth

Rory O'Keeffe: Job's Worth

Affable funnyman and "intelligent youngster" (Time Out), Rory O'Keeffe brings his first stand-up show to Brighton. "Comedy for a post-recession graduate generation" ???? (Fest), “A tightly composed and expertly delivered romp, articulating the woes of many a young graduate... 

Immigrant Diaries: Sajeela Kershi & Guests

Immigrant Diaries: Sajeela Kershi & Guests

Refugees! Immigrants! Statistics don't tell the story, people do. Who are these 'bloody foreigners' anyway? Fourth year for this award-winning hit show. Light hearted antidote to anti-media rhetoric... 

Brighton Rocks! Power Sucks? Creating a New Democracy for Brighton & Hove

Brighton Rocks! Power Sucks? Creating a New Democracy for Brighton & Hove

Inspired by the new democratic movements at home and abroad, this is a day of creative engagement aiming to develop a vision on how democracy can be extended, enriched and made fit for purpose in 21st century Brighton... 

Care Takers

Care Takers

His teacher believes Jamie is being bullied because he's gay. She wants to help but the Deputy Head thinks it will sort itself out. Is she speaking from experience or is there something more unsavoury about her unwillingness to help? An explosive new play about bullying and homophobia. 

The Bula Loop

The Bula Loop

A darkly comic new play about a family living with autism. Adam dreams of travelling round the world, but when his brother announces his gap year plans, the family have to face some crucial questions... 

Not Fast Enough

Not Fast Enough

'Not Fast Enough' is a provocative and dynamic sprint through contemporary gender politics and imaginative theatre structures. Bringing a free preview of an abridged version of NFT to Patterns nightclub, OvaryActing make their Brighton Fringe debut, before a run at Coachwerks later in the month. 

Theatre Uncut

Theatre Uncut

Theatre Uncut commissions playwrights to respond to current events, then make the resulting plays available online so that anyone can perform them. The result is a vast number of international performances, and the production at Summerhall brings six of the most successful together... 

Roaring Boys

Roaring Boys

Roaring Boys makes a welcome and very successful return to the Festival Fringe this year adding a further chapter to its interesting history. Commissioned in 1994 by Sandbach School from former Head of Drama, Phelim Rowland, it went on to be selected to launch the Connections project at the National Theatre in July 1994 and subsequently receive excellent reviews at the 1994 Festival Fringe... 

Spoken Word Sundays: Women Speaking Their World

Spoken Word Sundays: Women Speaking Their World

On Sunday afternoon, myself and around fifteen other people – most of them women – perch ourselves on armchairs in a cosy room in Appletree Writers at The Whole Works, on a quiet alley just off the Royal Mile... 

Islands

Islands

Islands is a bit madcap. Caroline Horton's play, which she stars in, was commissioned by the Warwick Arts Centre and the Harlow Playhouse, and is a blatant, angry attack that explores the decadent, exploitative world of tax havens... 

Party

Party

Party isn’t that sort of party; well, it sort of is, and maybe it should be, but overall it isn’t – though it might be after it’s finished. Clear? Good. Now prepare for an hour of linguistic lampoonery in this stunningly clever show by Lyons Productions from the students of Exeter University... 

Polly Toynbee and David Walker

Polly Toynbee and David Walker

Polly Toynbee and David Walker are two of Britain’s leading social democratic commentators and policy analysts. They join Professor Chris Carter to discuss their latest book, Cameron’s Coup, the current political scene, the future for social democracy, and what it’s like to contemplate life at the Guardian newspaper post-Alan Rusbridger... 

Will Hutton: How Good We Can Be

Will Hutton: How Good We Can Be

Will Hutton examines how Britain could create an economy, society and democracy in which the mass of citizens flourish – reinventing and repurposing core institutions like the company, the bank, the shareholder and trade union that have in varying ways lost their way... 

For Queen and Country

For Queen and Country

For Queen and Country. That’s why Jamie Robson joins the British Army at the age of twenty-one. Actually, for the Queen and his brother. Though not his life plan, when the decision is made he pursues it wholeheartedly... 

Confirmation

Confirmation

At a certain point in Confirmation’s 85 minutes of perspective-smudging, you just want to get up and scream – so inescapably does Chris Thorpe’s script put you face-to-face with an articulate, holocaust-denying white supremacist... 

Owen Jones: The Politics of Hope

Owen Jones: The Politics of Hope

In Owen Jones: The Politics of Hope, Jones proves himself to be an engaging and eloquent speaker without any airs of pretension. In fact he’s quick to mock himself and the Right’s image of him as the “princeling of the Far Left elite” which imbues his words and message with a sense of real honesty... 

Polly Toynbee and David Walker: In Praise of Tax

Polly Toynbee and David Walker: In Praise of Tax

A sage said 'nothing can be certain but death and taxes'. In fact the 'who pays' question is obscured and avoided by politicians and public alike. Polly Toynbee and David Walker, authors of Cameron's Coup and Unjust Rewards, argue that the biggest issue in modern politics is honesty: you can't have Swedish services on US tax rates... 

Hooray for All Kinds of Things

Hooray for All Kinds of Things

Sandy Nelson's comic play examines the intriguing events of the 2010 Reykjavik Municipal elections, in which comedian and actor, Jon Gnarr, became the Mayor of Iceland's capital, despite his candidacy and formation of the "Best Party" originally being designed as a satirical joke... 

Accidental Death of an Anarchist

Accidental Death of an Anarchist

Trying to keep up with the ever changing and intense plot of Dario Fo’s fast paced and absurd play can often be a challenge that leaves many productions lagging behind the playwright’s anarchic writing style... 

Chris Coltrane: Left-Wing Propaganda Machine

Chris Coltrane: Left-Wing Propaganda Machine

It’s amazing at times how little Chris Coltrane has to do to make his audience laugh. Whilst the audience finds their seats, he has a slide show playing of Donald Trump tweets, each more ridiculous than the last... 

Geoff Norcott: The Look of Moron

Geoff Norcott: The Look of Moron

At the start of his show Geoff Norcott claims he’s a moron. ‘Clever in here, but stupid out here’, he says, going on to explain his everyday clumsiness. Yet it’s clear from the get go this is untrue; he’s a shrewd, intelligent observer of human behaviour and society, giving his set plenty of material... 

Edinburgh Book Fringe

Edinburgh Book Fringe

As part of the Edinburgh Book Fringe, for an hour on Sunday afternoon theatre director and performer Morna Burdon takes the audience through a series of real-life stories and songs about ‘bonnie fechters’ – strong women who stand up for causes they care about, but whose names do not always appear in the history books... 

Newcastle Brown Male

Newcastle Brown Male

One Geordie specialising in current affairs. A cutting edge insight into free speech? Do we have free speech? Do we need free speech? Do we deserve free speech? Not if social media is anything to go by, you banal bastards... 

My Name is Rachel Corrie

My Name is Rachel Corrie

Why did a 23-year-old woman leave her comfortable American life to stand between a bulldozer and a Palestinian home? From the words she left behind, My Name is Rachel Corrie tells the story of the young American activist killed on March 16, 2003, as she tried to block the demolition of a Palestinian family’s home in the Gaza Strip. 

Alan Johnson

Alan Johnson

Professor Chris Carter talks to the Rt Hon Alan Johnson about his career in the trade unions, Labour party politics, and his time as a government minister and author. Johnson will discuss the current political scene and the future for centre-left politics in the UK... 

A Requiem for Edward Snowden

A Requiem for Edward Snowden

A Requiem for Edward Snowden is a new audio-visual piece on the very current themes of privacy, security and loss in the 21st century. Based on the choices and actions of whistle-blower Edward Snowden, it uses electronic sound, live acoustic instruments and real-time visuals to explore how our everyday communications inevitably compromise our privacy... 

Electric Dreams

Electric Dreams

Rose’s earliest memory is a ruined birthday party at the age of eighteen. The rest of her past is a blur to her: snatches of information, electric dreams. She meets Sebastian, a Chilean migrant and opponent of the Pinochet regime, on a bridge... 

The Litvinenko Project

The Litvinenko Project

Go ahead and sip the gunpowder green tea poured into dainty cups by Tom Barnes and Matt Wilks, the handsome, engaging young performers of The Litvinenko Project. The more you hear about the cups of that tea that killed Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006, however, the bitterer the stuff will taste... 

We May Have to Choose

We May Have to Choose

We May Have To Choose is a one-person show performed by Emma Hall. The structure is refreshingly simple. For 45 minutes, she states 621 different opinions and declarations about the world around her... 

Australia is F*cked

Australia is F*cked

Kieran Butler **** (Scotsman) returns with an updated version of his political comedy/satire. In 2013/14, capacity crowds saw Butler lampoon the myopic psyche that the current Australian government has since put on display for the world... 

Australia is F*cked

Australia is F*cked

Kieran Butler **** (Scotsman) returns with an updated version of his political comedy/satire. In 2013/14, capacity crowds saw Butler lampoon the myopic psyche that the current Australian government has since put on display for the world... 

Aidan Killian: Holy Trinity of Whistle Blowers

Aidan Killian: Holy Trinity of Whistle Blowers

Aidan Killian is not the kind of performer to shy away from big questions. This August he is back in Edinburgh with a stand-up show-cum-sermon, centring on the actions of Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning, and Edward Snowden... 

Newcastle Brown Male

Newcastle Brown Male

Rahul Kohli is not just a skilled comic; he has brains, heart, and guts enough to make Newcastle Brown Male something truly special.Right from the outset he presents an affable, quick-witted, and easy-going stage presence... 

Valiant

Valiant

Valiant is an hour of verbatim stories from women who have experienced war, adapted from the book Valiant War and Exile by Sally Hayton-Keeva who collected interviews from women across the globe... 

where.to

where.to

Post-rock performance troupe Needless Alley present Where.To, an ongoing performance piece sitting somewhere between theatrical performance and live gig. Beginning with a conversation between friends, addressing our shifting perspectives on the state of the world, our right to privacy and social preconceptions of gender and class, it evolves into an exploration of hypothetical realisations of our collective ideals... 

Danny Dorling: Economic Inequality and Our Grandchildren’s Future

Danny Dorling: Economic Inequality and Our Grandchildren’s Future

Did Scotland vote the wrong way on independence? Predicting the future is hard, but if we carry on the path we’re on what becomes of our grandchildren? There is no way that everyone can be rich... 

Sexmaniac. Anarchist Theatre Only for the Mentally Unhinged

Sexmaniac. Anarchist Theatre Only for the Mentally Unhinged

It’s 2015. Alex, 25, is like everybody else. Almost. To others. Precocious. High school diploma at 17, to college. Majored in business, bombed his exams. Now a bio major, ninth semester... 

I Hat Lenny Henry – 50p a Ticket

I Hat Lenny Henry – 50p a Ticket

#comicreliefwesternphilanthropiccolonialismandpoliticalantipathyinrésistanceanupdatedanalysisofthecomediesofidentityinpopularculture. Lenny Henry ignored me when I tried to meet him backstage in 2011... 

Matt Forde's Political Party Podcast

Matt Forde's Political Party Podcast

Matt Forde’s Political Party comes to Edinburgh for one night only, following a complete sell-out London run with guests including; Alastair Campbell, Nigel Farage, Michael Portillo, Alan Johnson, Tessa Jowell, David Davis, Jack Straw, George Galloway and Stella Creasy... 

Australia is F*cked

Australia is F*cked

Kieran Butler **** (Scotsman) returns with an updated version of his political comedy/satire. In 2013/14, capacity crowds saw Butler lampoon the myopic psyche that the current Australian government has since put on display for the world... 

Mark Thomas: Trespass – Work in Progress

Mark Thomas: Trespass – Work in Progress

It’s hard these days to find comics, amongst the slick and edgy big leagues, with a genuine sense of mischief. But if you look up the word “raconteur” in the dictionary, I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw Mark Thomas smiling impishly out from the pages... 

Tony's Last Tape

Tony's Last Tape

I remember hearing Tony Benn speak many years ago, when I was still in school. I had heard quite a few politicians speak and whilst I listened to them all with interest and respect, Benn was the first to make a real impression… 

Pip Utton: Playing Maggie

Pip Utton: Playing Maggie

Margaret Thatcher was – still is, two years after her death – a divisive figure, loved and hated in equal measure. This aspect of her is a repeated theme in Pip Utton’s new show, in which he plays an actor who, in turn, is playing “the Iron Lady”... 

Cinema

Cinema

It has been said that we all tell stories simply to stave off Death. For the storyteller Scheherazade, of One Thousand and One Nights, Death literally awaits the conclusion of a tale... 

Mind the Gap

Mind the Gap

Six passengers travel on the tube from Stratford to Ealing Broadway. One is an objectophile, one is a drunk, one is the runner up in the 2014 Irish beatboxing championships. A confusing mix of people that forms a perfect metaphor for Mind The Gap: an awkward blend of spoken word, bad jokes and beatboxing that never coheres into an understandable whole... 

Kate Smurthwaite: The Wrong Sort of Feminist

Kate Smurthwaite: The Wrong Sort of Feminist

Watching Kate Smurthwaite doing stand up is like watching a recording of a Tory Peer’s night terrors: not only is she funny, but when it comes to tearing apart injustice, she’s absolutely bloody unstoppable... 

Lifted

Lifted

If you can find it, there is some brilliant (and also free – bonus!) storytelling nestled beneath a dark, dingy pub at this year’s Fringe.Ikram Gilani is an unassuming man. He sits quietly on a chair as the audience settle down in the tiny mismatched chairs around the room and we make ourselves comfortable... 

Lost in Transition

Lost in Transition

Lost in Transition looks at Romania’s decretei: children born as a result of Ceausescu’s 770 Decree that forbade contraception and abortions. These children, Romanian citizens, lived through numerous transitions: from communism to democracy, from trying to make a home in Romania to making a home abroad, from highly-skilled to illegal and un-skilled labour, from speaking Romanian to dreaming in English... 

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown: Promiscuous England

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown: Promiscuous England

The English have been typecast as imperial snobs, rule-bound, repressed, class-ridden, prejudiced – their racism cuts and scars. But reel through their long history to now and you find they can be passionate, wanton, infinitely curious and open... 

John Bercow

John Bercow

The Rt Hon John Bercow is one of the best known modern British parliamentarians, gaining great praise for his role as the Speaker of the House of Commons. Professor Chris Carter talks to Bercow about his career in politics, the role of Speaker and the future for the Westminster Parliament... 

Chris Mullin: The Art of Political Leadership

Chris Mullin: The Art of Political Leadership

Churchill, Attlee, Thatcher, Blair. Who were the great British political leaders of the 20th Century and what were the qualities that made them stand out? And is it true that today's politicians are minnows by comparison? Political diarist and former Labour minister Chris Mullin goes in search of greatness... 

Kafka's Ape

Kafka's Ape

Franz Kafka’s short story A Report to an Academy takes the form of an informative lecture given by an ape called Red Peter. In it, he describes to the academics his journey from Africa’s Gold Coast to the music halls of Europe, a journey that includes training to become a music hall entertainer and learning to drink alcohol... 

Sameena Zehra: Homicidal Pacifist

Sameena Zehra: Homicidal Pacifist

Who hasn’t thought about culling parts of the human race? I have and I’m practically an angel! Surely even the greatest pacifist can’t resist, with the forces of UKIP at large... 

Open

Open

Taking place in the greatest of British institutions — a chip shop — on election night, Open is a devised work by the student-run Nottingham New Theatre. It asks what it means to be British today, and offers responses from the average citizen down the street... 

Walking the Tightrope: The Tension Between Art and Politics

Walking the Tightrope: The Tension Between Art and Politics

Walking the Tightrope was created as a response to the cancellation of three high profile cultural events last summer. Writers were invited to react to these events in whichever way they chose, leading the pieces to cover the subjects of boycott, 'dirty' funding, offensive art, protest, political correctness and censorship, largely in the name of Freedom of Speech... 

Dyspraxia and Politics: The Two Sides to Don Biswas

Dyspraxia and Politics: The Two Sides to Don Biswas

Learning difficulties, the truth in conspiracy theories and politics are the topics of a brave stand up. Don Biswas is indeed brave, he is a cool presence onstage casually looking back into the audience as he cracks his jokes, and whilst his patter is agreeable and interesting, the jokes are more miss than hit... 

Counting Stars by Atiha Sen Gupta

Counting Stars by Atiha Sen Gupta

“Some people would kill to have what we have,” says Sophie, describing her job as a toilet attendant in a nightclub. This seems to sum her up. Ever the optimist, seeing the good in everyone and treating her clients like ‘stars’, it’s unclear why she is with persistent pessimist, Abiodun, who describes their job as ‘slavery’... 

Myriam Francois-Cerrah: Overstating Religion in the Middle East

Myriam Francois-Cerrah: Overstating Religion in the Middle East

Politics or religion as a source of conflict? From the Israeli Palestinian conflict, via Iran and ISIL, much of what we hear about the Middle East is couched in the language of ancient religious hatreds and as the inevitable outcome of religion's presumed divisiveness – but how important is religion really as an explanatory variable in the region and what are the dangers in over stating it? 

John Pilger: Power and Propaganda (Q&A)

John Pilger: Power and Propaganda (Q&A)

Journalist, film-maker and author, John Pilger is one of only two to win British journalism’s highest award twice. For his documentary films, he has won an Emmy and a BAFTA. His epic Cambodia Year Zero is ranked by the BFI as one of the ten most important documentaries of the 20th century... 

Bronston Jones: God Bless 'Merica – Free

Bronston Jones: God Bless 'Merica – Free

With the accompanying subtitle, this show becomes God Bless ‘Merica, Because It’ll Take A Miracle To Fix It; whilst that’s quite a mouthful, it certainly encompasses the sentiment in Bronston Jones’ lovingly scathing homage to his home country... 

Treacle

Treacle

This devised two-hander attempts to confront the social stigma faced by those with mental illnesses. One Ginny Turner unwittingly posts a video online revealing her schizophrenia: the play examines the impact of this public admission on her work and family life, interspersed with updates about the growing popularity of the video from newsreaders... 

Comedy Manifesto

Comedy Manifesto

Britain's top live political panel show. Hosted by Kate Smurthwaite with team captains Amy Goodchild and Phil Loweth and different special guests every day. ‘There is very little for me to write here... 

Hearing Loss Or Deaf Gain?

Hearing Loss Or Deaf Gain?

Imagine we are creating an encyclopaedia for extraterrestrials. An argument breaks out over how we describe deaf people: some say hearing loss and others say it's deaf gain. Help us to decide! In this engaging debate presenters will describe arguments from each side, drawing from research in the field of deaf studies... 

Dark Matter

Dark Matter

A political satire and a dark comedy revealing an uncompromised view of our political world from behind the scenes. Washington DC, USA, in a near future. The Western Empire is sinking like the Titanic... 

Secret Honour

Secret Honour

'Remarkable' (Press). Sequestered in his home, disgraced President Richard Milhous Nixon arms himself with a bottle of scotch and a gun to record memoirs that no one will hear. He is surrounded by the silent portraits of his demons, as he resurrects his past in a passionate attempt to defend himself and his political legacy... 

Gabriel Ebulue: Armchair Anarchist

Gabriel Ebulue: Armchair Anarchist

Gabriel Ebulue is an anarchist, a self-proclaimed revolutionary. However the closest he’s been to a march is the queue at Greggs on a busy Saturday afternoon. This year he decided enough was enough, dusted off his Che Guevara t-shirt, and aimed to make a difference... 

David Mulholland's Conspiracy

David Mulholland's Conspiracy

This comedy show started with a question: why is it that conspiracy theorists will chew your ear off explaining that 9/11 was an inside job, global warming is a hoax, and chemtrails are poisoning us, but they adamantly reject real conspiracies? Comedian and former investigative reporter David Mulholland explains why... 

Gabriel Ebulue: Armchair Anarchist

Gabriel Ebulue: Armchair Anarchist

Gabriel Ebulue is an anarchist, a self-proclaimed revolutionary. However the closest he’s been to a march is the queue at Greggs on a busy Saturday afternoon. This year he decided enough was enough, dusted off his Che Guevara t-shirt, and aimed to make a difference... 

David Mulholland's Conspiracy

David Mulholland's Conspiracy

This comedy show started with a question: why is it that conspiracy theorists will chew your ear off explaining that 9/11 was an inside job, global warming is a hoax, and chemtrails are poisoning us, but they adamantly reject real conspiracies? Comedian and former investigative reporter David Mulholland explains why... 

Scotland's Democracy Trail

Scotland's Democracy Trail

Democracy is a hot topic in Scotland. In last year’s Independence Referendum, many thousands of people even got enthusiastic about it, and the world was watching. Based on the book of the same name, this walking tour takes a gentle uphill path to the top of Calton Hill, with its fabulous views of the city and beyond, to tell a 500-year-old story of democracy, with a spotlight on writers and ideas... 

12.10.15

12.10.15

Exactly 100 years apart, two women’s lives are defined by conflict. A war-hardened, weary and cynical 21st century female war correspondent is being held in a Middle Eastern city... 

David von Jones: Ethically Adventurous

David von Jones: Ethically Adventurous

An adventure through a moral maze. Challenging perspectives on Amazonic deforestation, sociopaths and fish, whilst exploring the application of Disney films in the world of morals. ‘Thoughtful and funny’ (Los Angeles Times)... 

Erich McElroy's Imperfect Guide to Picking the Perfect President

Erich McElroy's Imperfect Guide to Picking the Perfect President

American comic Erich McElroy presents a brand new hour of stand-up. This time Erich explores why no other nation does politics with the same absurdity and insanity as America, and how with the right recipe (a pinch of God, a dash of freedom and a flatbed full of firearms) anyone can be President of the United States... 

St George is Cross

St George is Cross

Like Britain? Too bad, asshole. The EU is invading – and only one man can stop the onslaught of cafe culture, workers' rights and emotionally intelligent films. A new comedy play... 

The Gospel Inquiry

The Gospel Inquiry

The Gospel Inquiry by Sandy Nelson. As the inquiry into journalistic standards continues, four men deliver their testimonies: Mark, Mathew, Luke and John. How much of what was written actually happened? Or rather, how did it happen? Did Jesus really use the laying on of hands to heal a lame man? Did he really turn water into wine? Or was there another explanation? After all they were only being recorded by the journalists of their time and what journalist is not prone to a little bit of puffing up the truth - or just lying. 

Grace Campbell: Why I'm Never Going Into Politics

Grace Campbell: Why I'm Never Going Into Politics

Grace Campbell survived a childhood in British politics. 

(The Boy with) Green Hair Poems

(The Boy with) Green Hair Poems

A light broadcasts from Mars. At first it falters, is interfered with, then it becomes clear. It is The Boy with Green Hair, anti-war. A short film. 

Steve Richards Presents Rock'n'Roll Politics 2018

Steve Richards Presents Rock'n'Roll Politics 2018

In a different show every day the audience has the chance to seize back control of Rock'n'Roll Politics as broadcaster and author Steve Richards conducts a tour of the latest seismic political dramas – from Trump to Corbyn to Sturgeon, May and Brexit, discover why we are almost getting used to expecting the unexpected... 

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