Shows at Pleasance Courtyard

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No Such Thing As A Fish

No Such Thing As A Fish

After 250 million downloads, multiple awards and tours across the globe, NSTAAF returns to the Fringe for three nights only! There will be facts, jokes, in-jokes, more facts and th… 

All Killa No Filla

All Killa No Filla

Following a sold-out UK tour, the smash-hit, true crime podcast All Killa no Filla is back for a limited run of huge shows including a one-off special at the Edinburgh Fringe. 

The Showstoppers' Kids Show

The Showstoppers' Kids Show

Two shows only! Fringe favourites and Olivier Award-winning improvisers, The Showstoppers, take your kids’ ideas and transform them instantly into interactive musical adventures. 

Paul Merton's Impro Chums

Paul Merton's Impro Chums

Paul Merton and his highly acclaimed Impro Chums are wonders of nature. 

Simon Amstell: Work in Progress

Simon Amstell: Work in Progress

‘Simon Amstell has a gift for taking a social norm and gently mocking it until it seems utterly ridiculous’ (New York Times). 

Best of Edinburgh Showcase Show 2020

Best of Edinburgh Showcase Show 2020

Great value lunchtime comedy compilation showcase featuring the best and brightest of this year’s Fringe comics. 

Jess Robinson: Jess to Impress!

Jess Robinson: Jess to Impress!

Get your glad rags on for festival favourite Jess Robinson – as she returns with her incredible live band and a brand-new show! Join the quadruple award winner for an hour of ele… 

The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden

Olivier Award-nominated Wizard Presents has created an entertaining, interactive and imaginative production based on this timeless classic. 

Chloe Petts: Alpha

Chloe Petts: Alpha

As seen on Dave’s Hypothetical and heard on BBC Radio 5 Live, join Petts, one of the most exciting prospects in comedy, in her debut hour of stand-up, Alpha. 

In Loyal Company

In Loyal Company

After total sell-out Edinburgh Fringe runs in 2018 and 2019, In Loyal Company returns in a bigger venue for 2020. 

Ben Moor: Who Here's Lost?

Ben Moor: Who Here's Lost?

What do we make with our lives? An artist worries his work has lost its way. 

Ben Hart: Wonder

Ben Hart: Wonder

Britain’s Got Talent 2019 finalist and multi award-winning magician Ben Hart returns to the Fringe for the fourth consecutive year, and following a completely sold-out run in 2019 … 

Mark Watson: This Can't Be It

Mark Watson: This Can't Be It

Watson, at 40, is halfway through his life according to the life expectancy calculator. 

George Lewis: Nudes

George Lewis: Nudes

When you type ‘George Lewis’ into Google, the suggestions that follow are pretty boring. 

Josh Jones: Waste of Space

Josh Jones: Waste of Space

Born and bred in Manchester and just your atypical northern bloke, Josh Jones is taking the circuit by storm. 

Sindhu Vee: Alphabet

Sindhu Vee: Alphabet

A new hour of stand-up from the 2018 Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer nominee. 

Angela Barnes: Hot Mess

Angela Barnes: Hot Mess

Angela Barnes (Mock The Week, Live At The Apollo, 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and chair of BBC Radio 4’s The News Quiz) has good intentions but trying to live your best life, a… 

Catherine Bohart: This Isn't For You

Catherine Bohart: This Isn't For You

Unless you want it to be. 

Sarah Keyworth: Lil' Keys

Sarah Keyworth: Lil' Keys

Lil’ Keys, big jokes. 

Aaron Simmonds: Hot Wheels

Aaron Simmonds: Hot Wheels

Four years ago, Aaron gained a nickname based solely on being in a wheelchair. 

Dane Baptiste: The Chocolate Chip

Dane Baptiste: The Chocolate Chip

Dane is now a grown-ass black man. 

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical

The Edinburgh must-see, Olivier Award-winning (Best Entertainment and Family Show) West End hit returns for an incredible 13th consecutive year! A brand-new musical comedy is creat… 

Jake Lambert: Shimmy Shake

Jake Lambert: Shimmy Shake

Fresh from supporting Michael McIntyre and Romesh Ranganathan, ‘Fringe favourite’ (BroadwayWorld. 

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Empathy Pains

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Empathy Pains

Multi award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean (Have I Got News for You, Live at the Apollo, 8 out of 10 Cats, Frankie Boyle’s New World Order) is back with her fourth full-len… 

Adrian Bliss: How to Not Go Extinct

Adrian Bliss: How to Not Go Extinct

Seeing how well it did for Greta Thunberg, a budding social media star jumps on the climate change bandwagon, inviting you to the launch of his new book, How to Not Go Extinct – … 

Katie Pritchard: Disco Ball

Katie Pritchard: Disco Ball

Ever felt like what people see on the outside doesn’t convey what’s on the inside? Ever felt like you can reflect yourself out in 1000 different ways depending on who you speak to … 

Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show

Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show

Good morning, Edinburgh! After many successful Fringe sell-outs, we’re back for our fabulous 15th anniversary! Three new, stimulating, delicious, rotating “menus” of 10-15-minute c… 

Ivo Graham: Hyper Reality

Ivo Graham: Hyper Reality

Life coming at Ivo ever faster; Ivo trying to respond ever funnier. 

Tom Lucy: Melt

Tom Lucy: Melt

After sell-out runs at the Fringe in 2017 and 2018, Tom Lucy has appeared on a number of TV shows (Stand Up Central, Roast Battle, Live At The Comedy Store, Stand Up Sketch Show) a… 

Reginald D Hunter: Work in Progress

Reginald D Hunter: Work in Progress

Reginald returns to the Fringe with his off-year, set-building, work-in-progress show with working titles: The Things That I Was Wrong About, The Death of Uncle Fluffy, and The Man… 

Not Quite Midnight Radio

Not Quite Midnight Radio

After total sell-out Edinburgh Fringe runs in 2018 with In Loyal Company, and 2019 with Fragility of Man, David William Bryan returns with a brand-new psychological drama for 2020. 

Sean McLoughlin: Gold Rush

Sean McLoughlin: Gold Rush

International micro-star Sean McLoughlin (Chortle Award nominee, Ricky Gervais tour support) returns to the Fringe to give the people what they’ve paid for. 

Murder, She Didn't Write: The Improvised Murder Mystery

Murder, She Didn't Write: The Improvised Murder Mystery

A classic murder mystery created on the spot in this ingenious and hilarious show from The Bristol Improv Theatre’s resident company. 

Jamie D'Souza: Stop Drawing Willies on My Poster

Jamie D'Souza: Stop Drawing Willies on My Poster

Join rising star Jamie D’Souza as he performs his highly anticipated debut stand-up show about his first school crush. 

The Wild Unfeeling World

The Wild Unfeeling World

The Wild Unfeeling World is an ingenious bit of storytelling; not only is it an innovative and eccentric reimagining of Moby Dick, but a stunning example of a wonderfully modern ap… 

The Death Hilarious: Razer

The Death Hilarious: Razer

The Death Hilarious: Razer starts out with a pretty solid premise: since his Fringe debut in 2017, Darren J. 

The War of the Worlds

The War of the Worlds

If you saw a live news report of an alien invasion on a network you trusted, would you believe it? Rhum & Clay’s production of The War of the Worlds poses that exact question… 

Stand Up with Janine Harouni (Please Remain Seated)

Stand Up with Janine Harouni (Please Remain Seated)

When will Joanne Harouni get to do the Ted Talk she deserves?In an unusual standup routine, Harouni devotes her hour-long performance to stories about her multifaceted father and l… 

The Archive of Educated Hearts

The Archive of Educated Hearts

Casey Jay Andrews, resplendent in red dungarees in an intimate venue of her own creation, begins by reminding us pointedly that in her show she is not an actor but will “remain a… 

dressed.

dressed.

Dressed is an intensely personal and moving account of Lydia Higginson's journey through the trauma of being stripped and assaulted at gun point. 

Beach Body Ready

Beach Body Ready

In our current day and age with consuming media in whatever shape it may take, it’s not difficult to find an advert, article or commentary about the body and how we should look i… 

Edinburgh Comedy Awards Gala

Edinburgh Comedy Awards Gala

The UK’s first and premier award for celebrating live comedy. See the 2019 winner and nominees for one show only! Previous Best Comedy Show winners include: Rose Matafeo, Hannah Gadsby, John Robins, Al Murray – Pub Landlord, Lee Evans and Frank Skinner… 

Stand Up with Janine Harouni (Please Remain Seated)

Stand Up with Janine Harouni (Please Remain Seated)

Janine’s father is a lifelong New Yorker and son of Middle-Eastern immigrants. 

Bobby & Amy

Bobby & Amy

A new dark comedy about foot-and-mouth disease by Fringe First award winner Emily Jenkins. 

Drowning

Drowning

“I am not a bad person”. 

Best Girl

Best Girl

Best Girl is a story told by the nervous, but likable Annie. 

Simon Brodkin: 100% Simon Brodkin

Simon Brodkin: 100% Simon Brodkin

After three hugely successful BBC series as Lee Nelson, multiple sell-out tours and various court appearances following world-famous stunts on Theresa May, Sepp Blatter, Donald Tru… 

Suzi Ruffell: Dance Like Everyone's Watching

Suzi Ruffell: Dance Like Everyone's Watching

Suzi has made a name for herself turning tragedy and anxiety into big laughs. 

Gill Sims: Why Mummy Doesn’t Give A ****!

Gill Sims: Why Mummy Doesn’t Give A ****!

Author of online sensation Peter and Jane, Gill Sims is the number one best-selling author behind Why Mummy Drinks, its follow up “Why Mummy Swears and the recently announced Why Mummy Doesn’t Give A… 

Fern Brady: Power and Chaos

Fern Brady: Power and Chaos

As seen on Live from the BBC, Live from the Comedy Store, The Russell Howard Hour and Live at the Apollo. 

Steve

Steve

A fanfic no one asked for, a sprawling eulogy to a deceased robot that wears it’s fragile heart on it’s sleeve, a meme made by someone you can’t relate to. A security robot named Steve has appeared to have drowned itself… 

Amusical

Amusical

Hosted by Jayde Adams and Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Amusical is a comedy celebration of all things West End (or Broadway if you’re American, or more well off than us). A handful of comedians, assisted by our in-house band Dave Cribb and The Quavers, will go up against each other to perform their favourite musical theatre song from stage and screen, and it’s up to you, the audience, to determine who is best… 

Josh Widdicombe: Work in Progress

Josh Widdicombe: Work in Progress

Ahead of his nationwide tour, Josh returns to Edinburgh for a strictly limited run of work-in-progress shows. It’ll feature grumbles and jokes which tackle the hot comedy topics of advent calendars, pesto and the closing time of his local park… 

You're Safe 'Til 2024

You're Safe 'Til 2024

In 2018, David Finnigan met with 30 scientists and asked each of them a question: ‘What’s the biggest change happening in the world today?’ What they told him was a fascinating mix of surprising, scary and beautiful… 

Rose Matafeo: Horndog

Rose Matafeo: Horndog

The Edinburgh Comedy Award 2018 Best Show winner returns for one week only. Rose Matafeo has kissed nearly 10 men in her life aka she’s a total horn dog. But what is horniness? Is it that intangible essence of excitement and opportunity? A fire that flickers in the beating heart of each and every human being? Or is it simply wanting to bone everyone, all the time? ‘A near perfect comedian’ **** (Guardian)… 

Kieran Hodgson: '75

Kieran Hodgson: '75

One of four shows he’s bringing to the Edinburgh Fringe this year, Kieran Hodgson showcases the best of his comedic talents in ’75, which uses the 1975 referendum on the UK’s… 

FATTY FAT FAT

FATTY FAT FAT

FATTY FAT FAT, performed by Katie Greenall, explores one woman’s journey of growing up fat and surviving in a world where your body is viewed as wrong, unhealthy and disgusting. 

Medea Electronica

Medea Electronica

Pecho Mama return with their smash hit gig theatre production. A heart-stopping story of a family caught in the brutal throes of a marriage unravelling. A powerful and deeply moving retelling of the Greek tragedy, set in 1980s rural England and staged amidst an electrifying live gig… 

Andrew Doyle: Exodus

Andrew Doyle: Exodus

One of the UK’s foremost political satirists, Andrew Doyle returns to Edinburgh for his eighth solo stand-up show. He is the creator of internet sensation Titania McGrath, and has co-written numerous viral videos featuring spoof reporter Jonathan Pie… 

The Incident Room

The Incident Room

True crime obsession has reached new heights in the past few years with a seemingly endless stream of documentaries, books and podcasts available to armchair sleuths everywhere. 

Ruby Wax: How To Be Human

Ruby Wax: How To Be Human

Based on her bestselling book, Ruby’s new show How to Be Human answers every question you’ve ever had about evolution, thoughts, emotions, the body, addictions, relationships, sex, kids, the future and compassion… 

SWIM

SWIM

SWIM is a show about wild swimming and grief, as theatremaker Liz Richardson tells the audience at the start. 

Bible John

Bible John

In the late 1960s three women were murdered by an Old Testament quoting serial killer by the name of Bible John. 

The Rebirth of Meadow Rain

The Rebirth of Meadow Rain

Trauma is never an easy thing to talk about. 

Tarot

Tarot

When three people in white nightgowns run frantically into an attic pouring a circle of salt, you know the devil can’t be far behind. 

London Hughes: To Catch a D*ck

London Hughes: To Catch a D*ck

Beyoncé’s Diva is blasting out as we wait for London Hughes to arrive. 

Lucy McCormick: Post Popular

Lucy McCormick: Post Popular

Post Popular is Lucy McCormick's attempt to follow-up her fantastic and hugely popular show Triple Threat. 

Glenn Moore: Love Don't Live Here Glenny Moore

Glenn Moore: Love Don't Live Here Glenny Moore

Tucked away in a corner of Pleasance Courtyard, Glenn Moore delights a packed crowd with an hour of non-stop puns and twisted humour. 

Giants Are Fjörd

Giants Are Fjörd

Everything about Giants Are Fjörd, the Fringe favourite duo’s new show for 2019, is exciting. 

Electrolyte

Electrolyte

A show unlike anything I’ve seen before, Wildcard Theatre bring award-winning Electrolyte back to the Fringe for a second year running. 

Boar

Boar

Stage mist and ethereal warfare sounds are the backdrop to this wonderful hour of bloodthirsty battle and adventure, with a cast of thousands resonating through the medium of Lewis… 

Catherine Bohart: Lemon

Catherine Bohart: Lemon

After 2018’s ‘funny, warm. 

Kieran Hodgson: Maestro

Kieran Hodgson: Maestro

The Tales of Kieran Hodgson: Part Three. Nominated for Best Show, Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2016. In 2003 Kieran Hodgson heard the music of Gustav Mahler and decided to write a symphony… 

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). 

Phil Wang: Philly Philly Wang Wang

Phil Wang: Philly Philly Wang Wang

Following a sell-out 2017 run, Phil ‘Philly Philly Wang Wang’ Wang is back with a new hour of absolute gold. 

Suzi Ruffell: Dance Like Everyone's Watching

Suzi Ruffell: Dance Like Everyone's Watching

Good comedy doesn’t come out of a comedian being happy, right? Wrong! Suzi Ruffell proves her own point wrong when she begins her show, Dance Like Everyone’s Watching, by sayin… 

Sophie Duker: Venus

Sophie Duker: Venus

“I wanna be woke, but I’m tired. 

Kieran Hodgson: Lance

Kieran Hodgson: Lance

The Tales of Kieran Hodgson: Part Two. Nominated for Best Show, Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2015. In 2003 Lance Armstrong won his fifth Tour de France title, and a young boy in West Yorkshire believed in him… 

Catherine Bohart: Lemon

Catherine Bohart: Lemon

Writing a Fringe show on the premise of an audience member who hated your show last year is a bold move, but Catherine Bohart pulls it off and even manages to make a political poin… 

An Audience with Yasmine Day

An Audience with Yasmine Day

If character comedy tickles your funny bone then look no further than An Audience With Yasmine Day at Pleasance Courtyard. 

A Grave Situation

A Grave Situation

This World War II farce is a good choice for a 25-strong company to showcase their talents, with a wide range of roles on show. 

Tim Key

Tim Key

Tim Key from Peep Show, Partridge, Taskmaster and his own BAFTA-nominated Wonderdate, brings new poems to Edinburgh. 

Kieran Hodgson: French Exchange

Kieran Hodgson: French Exchange

The Tales of Kieran Hodgson: Part One. In 2003 a US-led coalition went to war with Iraq and Kieran Hodgson spent 10 days living with a very nice French family. Triple Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Kieran Hodgson returns to the Fringe with his smash-hit show from 2014, a sweet and hilarious coming-of-age tale about the unforgettable school trip where he truly learnt the meaning of croissants, which is crescents… 

Dan vs Food

Dan vs Food

A man eats a meal on stage. This is the greatest cultural event of the year. For one lunchtime only, a man called Dan will eat a three-course meal live on stage in a 750 seat theatre… 

Wild Swimming

Wild Swimming

Wild Swimming is the story of two friends across centuries of change and development. 

Typical

Typical

Ryan Calais Cameron’s powerful new work plays with the meanings of its title in many ways: our central, point-of-view character has the “distinctive qualities of a particular t… 

Ivo Graham: The Game of Life

Ivo Graham: The Game of Life

Tommy Fury once said “if life is a game, then love is the prize”. 

Colin Cloud: Sinful

Colin Cloud: Sinful

Colin Cloud is the undisputed rockstar of the Edinburgh Fringe magic world and one of the festival’s greatest success stories of recent years. 

Bryony Kimmings: I'm a Phoenix, Bitch

Bryony Kimmings: I'm a Phoenix, Bitch

Bryony Kimmings’ I’m a Phoenix, Bitch is a glimmering, harrowing, firework display of a show, and is easily among the best performances at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. 

Birth

Birth

Life and death, love and loss, birth and miscarriage are all explored in this visual cycle of life. 

Audible Live

Audible Live

Audible hosts two weeks of completely free live comedy shows, showcasing the finest acts the festival has to offer, all being recorded for the audio series, Audible Live. Previous shows have featured Reginald D Hunter, Lost Voice Guy, Janeane Garofalo, Josie Long, Phil Wang, Mark Watson, Dane Baptiste, Felicity Ward, Sofie Hagen, Ed Gamble, Suzi Ruffell and Jason Byrne… 

The Tartan Ribbon Comedy Benefit

The Tartan Ribbon Comedy Benefit

The best night of comedy on the Fringe, with all proceeds going to Waverley Care: a charity the Pleasance has supported for the last 28 years, providing care and support to people living with HIV and Hepatitis C throughout Scotland… 

Berk's Nest Mid-Fest Comedy Special

Berk's Nest Mid-Fest Comedy Special

Complete sell-out 2017 and 2018. A spectacular night of comedy celebrating the middle of the festival from award-winning production company (and your good friends) Berk’s Nest. With festival favourites, hot new acts and special guests… 

Rosie Jones: Backward

Rosie Jones: Backward

We first encounter the witty Yorkshire whirlwind that is Rosie Jones, as she bops along to what we assume is a silent disco, as she is adorned with massive red headphones. 

Lucy Porter: Be Prepared

Lucy Porter: Be Prepared

Before even taking the stage, Lucy Porter announces that we’ve won the ‘Sexiest Audience at the Fringe’ award, so you know we’re onside by the time she grabs the mic. 

Reverend Richard Coles: #SimpleCountryParson

Reverend Richard Coles: #SimpleCountryParson

Revd Richard Coles is on a fortnight’s leave from his country parish and has been excused from his co-presenting duties of Saturday Live (BBC Radio 4) to bring to Edinburgh this hilarious yet deeply moving one-parson show… 

Chortle Student Comedy Award Final

Chortle Student Comedy Award Final

Hundreds entered, only a handful survive – now one will be crowned Britain’s Funniest Student 2019. We’ve scoured the UK’s universities for the finest new comedy talent, now we need to choose the very best of the best… 

Love (Watching Madness)

Love (Watching Madness)

This one-woman show, written and performed by Isabelle Kabban, is a tender, thoughtful and deeply moving account of a mother-daughter relationship affected by mental illness. 

Helen Bauer: Little Miss Baby Angel Face

Helen Bauer: Little Miss Baby Angel Face

Helen Bauer hits the Fringe hard with this compelling comedy debut which is slick, sassy and super satisfying. 

The Last of the Pelican Daughters

The Last of the Pelican Daughters

The Wardrobe Ensemble is back at the Fringe with a powerfully emotional story of family. 

The Accident Did Not Take Place

The Accident Did Not Take Place

YesYesNoNo are searching for the truth. 

Amy Annette: What Women Want

Amy Annette: What Women Want

Join Amy and a panel of her more famous comedian friends at the recording of a live comedy conversation show. Previous guests such as Aisling Bea, Lolly Adefope, Sara Pascoe, James Acaster, Nish Kumar and more have sought to understand this great, unknowable, mystery of our time: women… 

Vikki Stone: Song Bird

Vikki Stone: Song Bird

A tambourine aficionado from the Midlands, Vikki Stone delights us with this hour of joyful mirth as she delves into modern life as a millennial. 

Murder She Didn't Write: The Improvised Murder Mystery

Murder She Didn't Write: The Improvised Murder Mystery

To say that Murder She Didn’t Write, from Degrees of Error, is a slick production is an understatement. 

Rosie Jones: Backward

Rosie Jones: Backward

After a sell-out debut hour Rosie “triple threat” Jones returns to the Fringe with a big question: am I backwards, or are they? She explores the hilarious difficulties of navigatin… 

So You Think You Know About Dinosaurs...?! with Dr Ben Garrod

So You Think You Know About Dinosaurs...?! with Dr Ben Garrod

The hit stage show starring dinosaur aficionado Dr Ben Garrod. Get ready to go on an exciting prehistoric adventure as Ben explores the biggest, deadliest and weirdest predators that ever roamed the planet… 

Mark Watson: The Infinite Show

Mark Watson: The Infinite Show

Cluster-bombed with yoghurt on Taskmaster, half-killed by Bear Grylls on Celebrity Island, scrawny Fringe legend Watson returns with his show about empathy: one of the top-ten best reviewed comedy shows of last year’s Fringe, where it sold out all 30 performances… 

The Burning

The Burning

Witch is an old word. 

Murder on the Dancefloor

Murder on the Dancefloor

Death on the depressing dancefloor that is the job and house hunting game – certainly not the most ideal outcome for a 21 year old just trying to live. 

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. 

Paul Merton's Impro Chums

Paul Merton's Impro Chums

Paul Merton and his highly acclaimed Impro Chums are wonders of nature. They take audience suggestions and create cascades of fantastic tumbling laughter. The Impro Chums are Paul Merton, Suki Webster, Richard Vranch, Lee Simpson and Mike McShane… 

Sarah Keyworth: Pacific

Sarah Keyworth: Pacific

Keyworth has become something of an internet sensation in the last year, and her performance showcases a very confident and comfortable performer, owning her space and her audience… 

Orlando

Orlando

Rocking a minimalist set of a stool and a book, Lucy Roslyn performs this one person play drawing parallels between Virginia Woolf’s classic novel, and her own tumultuous foray i… 

Getting to Know Katie

Getting to Know Katie

We enter stage and Jonathan Ashby-Rock delicately tends to his flowers, encased in boxes across the stage. 

Endless Second

Endless Second

This innovative piece by Cut The Chord Theatre is a fresh perspective on sexual violence, consent and how to open conversations that empower both men and women. 

Adam Riches: The Beakington Town Hall Murders

Adam Riches: The Beakington Town Hall Murders

Somewhat new to the interactive theatre scene, and a little suspicious of what I would find, Adam Riches: The Beakington Town Hall Murders was an unexpected delight. 

Sara Barron: Enemies Closer

Sara Barron: Enemies Closer

Sara Barron returns to the Fringe after a bumper year in 2018 where her show For Worse as nominated for Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcommer. 

Phil Wang: Philly Philly Wang Wang

Phil Wang: Philly Philly Wang Wang

Phil Wang needs this more than us, or so he tells the packed Pleasance venue he’s playing this year. 

Fishbowl

Fishbowl

Hootingly funny and devilishly clever, Fishbowl is a masterpiece of physical comedy. 

Flanders and Swann

Flanders and Swann

In the queue for Flanders and Swann, I was struck (but not entirely surprised) that the audience were of a higher age demographic than any of the other 250 or so Edinburgh Fringe s… 

HUB Fresh

HUB Fresh

The best place to discover new comedy on the Fringe! Join us for a changing line-up of comedians all making their Pleasance debuts this year. See established acts performing alongside the very best comedy newcomers in one of the most exciting and original shows at the festival… 

Blodeuwedd Untold

Blodeuwedd Untold

This bold, poetic, storytelling performance by Jo Blake is more of a series of questions than a search for truth. 

Yuriko Kotani: Somosomo

Yuriko Kotani: Somosomo

It is common to see stand-up comedians at the Edinburgh Fringe be either unnecessarily controversial or unimaginatively bland. 

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… 

Spencer Jones: The Things We Leave Behind

Spencer Jones: The Things We Leave Behind

Spencer Jones took last year’s Edinburgh Fringe off, but did he waste his time idling? Not a chance. 

Sexy Lamp

Sexy Lamp

Katie Arnstein has brought her joyous mix of caustic wit, a cautionary tale and a call to arms to her first Fringe. 

Marcus Brigstocke: Devil May Care

Marcus Brigstocke: Devil May Care

In a festival where comedians eager to share their personal histories, foibles and perspectives on the world can oft seem ten-a-penny, it makes a pleasant change of pace to spend a… 

Jayde Adams: The Ballad of Kylie Jenner's Old Face

Jayde Adams: The Ballad of Kylie Jenner's Old Face

Jayde Adams is back and this time it’s serious. 

It'll Be Alt-Right on the Night

It'll Be Alt-Right on the Night

In the past 20 to 30 years, our world has drastically changed, especially within the realm of politics and culture. 

Algorithms

Algorithms

This raucous monologue from Sadie Clark gives us a tale of dating and identity from the bleeding edge of the 21st century. 

Bobby & Amy

Bobby & Amy

On a bare stage at Pleasance Upstairs, Bobby & Amy promises storytelling in its purest form. 

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… 

The Mae Martin Experiment

The Mae Martin Experiment

The star of her own highly-acclaimed Netflix stand-up special and 2017 Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee, Mae Martin builds an improvised hour of stand-up based on the audience’s su… 

Pleasance Newcomer Comedy Gala

Pleasance Newcomer Comedy Gala

A one-off comedy extravaganza! For the past 35 years, the Pleasance has been the home of new comedy talent in Edinburgh. Check out some of the most exciting new comedians at the Fringe as they make their Pleasance debuts in this late-night comedy party… 

Mervyn Stutter's Pick of the Fringe

Mervyn Stutter's Pick of the Fringe

‘It’s like the Royal Variety Show of the Fringe’. Mervyn and his team carefully research the Fringe and bring you live extracts from seven top shows in a packed 90 minute lunchtime extravaganza… 

Captain Jake and the Search for the Red Queen

Captain Jake and the Search for the Red Queen

Join Captain Jake’s Crew as he takes you on a journey to the high seas in this historic adventure. Learn what it takes to be a pirate as we battle foes, avoid sea monsters, keep the ship afloat and try to keep the captain out of the tavern, all in search of the elusive Red Queen… 

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… 

Arthur Smith: SYD

Arthur Smith: SYD

The story of an ordinary man who lived through extraordinary times, told with love, laughter and song. ‘A touching and funny tribute to Arthur Smith’s own father. Beautiful’ ***** (Young-Perspective… 

Nicholas Parsons' Happy Hour

Nicholas Parsons' Happy Hour

Join Nicholas Parsons, comedy actor and legendary host of Radio 4’s Just a Minute, for an unmissable hour of fun and laughter in the company of some very special guests. Celebrating a magnificent 19 years on the Fringe, this sell-out comedy and chat show has previously featured Jason Byrne, John Bishop, Sue Perkins, Shappi Khorsandi, Gyles Brandreth, Micky Flanagan, Michael McIntyre and many more top acts… 

Ray Badran: Everybody Loves Ray, Man

Ray Badran: Everybody Loves Ray, Man

Australian comedian Ray Badran recently moved to the UK and is performing his debut Fringe show. A show about the big issues plaguing us all such as pockets, Subway sandwiches, fridges and more… 

Best of Edinburgh Showcase Show

Best of Edinburgh Showcase Show

Great value, great venue and great fun! Lunchtime compilation showcasing comedians you must not miss with new line-ups every day hand-picked from across the Fringe. If you want to start your day on a comedy high plus get tips on which acts to check out, this is the place to be! See edcomproductions… 

Snort

Snort

New Zealand’s favourite comedy improv show Snort makes its way to Edinburgh for the first time! Cheeky, topical, and relentlessly silly, Snort sees NZ’s best young comedians (including Rose Matafeo, Guy Montgomery, Alice Snedden, Eli Matthewson, Chris Parker) build an intricate hour of far-fetched, high-stakes comedy, entirely made up on the spot… 

Tom Rosenthal: Manhood

Tom Rosenthal: Manhood

Let the beaky boy from Friday Night Dinner (Channel 4) and Plebs (ITV2) tell you the story of how he spent his life trying to avenge the theft of his foreskin. Previous winner of the Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year and nominated for Best Breakthrough Artist at the British Comedy Awards… 

Einstein

Einstein

Pip Utton is one of the world’s most respected performers of solo theatre and a Fringe legend. Over the past two decades he has written and performed some of the most internationally successful solo shows, Adolf, Churchill, Chaplin, Playing Maggie, Dickens and And Before I Forget I Love You, I Love You… 

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… 

Will Duggan: Class Two

Will Duggan: Class Two

During an odd and turbulent time in recent history Will found himself questioning every poor decision he has ever made (namely everything he has ever said or done). He decided to talk this through with his four oldest friends and try to figure out what happened to the icon that he was destined to be, but ultimately failed in becoming… 

Wireless Operator

Wireless Operator

This gripping true story of a terrifying night-time Lancaster Bomber raid in WWII uncovers the triggers of the lifelong legacy that traumatised those airmen who survived. This tense visceral play is told through the eyes and ears of the wireless operator… 

Rhys James: Snitch

Rhys James: Snitch

The boy from Mock the Week (BBC Two), Roast Battle (Comedy Central), The News Quiz and star of Rhys James Is… (BBC Radio 4) returns to Edinburgh. I’m not being hyperbolic when I, the editor of this website, tell you that Rhys James is my favourite comedian in the world… 

Stephen Buchanan: Baby Dove

Stephen Buchanan: Baby Dove

Winner of the prestigious BBC New Comedy Award 2018 and the reigning Scottish Comedian of the Year, Stephen brings his much anticipated debut hour to the Fringe. Expect sharp storytelling and offbeat observations, as the 27-year-old delves into the reality of living at home with his mum and a refugee… 

The Showstoppers' Kids Show

The Showstoppers' Kids Show

Fringe favourites and Olivier Award-winning improvisers, The Showstoppers, take your kids’ ideas and transform them on the spot into interactive musical adventures. Captain Underpants underwater? Done! SpongeBob and the Gruffalo on the moon? No worries! Kids (and only kids!) decide who we meet and where we go to create a show tailor-made to their imaginations… 

Boulder

Boulder

In this reimagining of the Greek myth, a beautiful mechanical puppet is doomed with the hopeless task of pushing a colossal stone up a hill. Trapped in an endless cycle, the man wrestles with his pointless existence, cursing the futility of life… 

Superhero Academy: Environmental Adventure!

Superhero Academy: Environmental Adventure!

Join the Superhero Academy to be part of the greatest quest of all: to save the world… quite literally! The planet needs all the help it can get and we can’t rely on David Attenborough to do all the work! The young superheroes will be defeating human actions; learning ways to fight climate change and save the planet through the art of interactive storytelling, music, puppets and games! Join us as we train up the next generation to go green (not like the Hulk!) 

Tom Parry: Parryoke!

Tom Parry: Parryoke!

Fresh from his Best Newcomer nomination in 2015, Parry is back with a brand-new hour celebrating life, love and going tops off! Join the largest (girth, height) third of the legendary sketch team Pappy’s as he sweats, shouts and explains everything he loves about a wedding… 

Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show

Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show

Good morning, Edinburgh! After Fringe sell-outs in 2017 and 2018, we’re moving to a lovely new venue. Three new, stimulating, delicious, rotating “menus” of 10-15-minute comedies, eccentricity and mini-drama – all served up with free fresh coffee/tea, croissant and strawberry… 

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical

The Edinburgh must-see, Olivier Award-winning (Best Entertainment and Family Show) West End hit returns for its 12th consecutive year! A brand-new musical comedy is created from scratch at every performance of this multi award-winning show… 

Mustard Doesn't Go with Girls

Mustard Doesn't Go with Girls

When the children of Bow-on-Tie start mysteriously disappearing, Abigail decides to investigate further. She embarks on a music-filled adventure to uncover the town’s secrets, topple the cabinet of treacherous animals in charge and prove that girls are made of more than just sugar and spice… 

AAA Stand-Up

AAA Stand-Up

Total sell-out 2005-2018 returns with a brand-new line-up. ‘Comedy the way it should be: laugh-a-minute, leaving the audience wishing the show was a little bit longer’ **** (Fest). Sarah Iles: ‘Left the room quaking with laughter… 

A Holy Show

A Holy Show

Written and directed by Janet Moran A new comedy about the most Irish of hijackings. There’ll be music, nostalgia, heroism, praying, visions, romance (maybe), sex (maybe), a special appearance by Our Lady (definitely)… 

With Child

With Child

A solo show – six different women, one thing in common. Inspired by society\'s expectations and the pressures on women to be maternal, kind, considerate individuals. There is one thing these women share, they are all pregnant, however they rarely refer to this – but do we as an audience judge them differently because of their impending motherhood? This series of talking heads style monologues will make you laugh and cringe as we share a glimpse into these women\'s daily lives, warts and all… 

Reginald D Hunter

Reginald D Hunter

Reginald D Hunter returns to the Fringe this summer with his highly anticipated new show. For over 20 years his searingly honest material has garnered him a cross-generational fan base… 

The Land of My Fathers and Mothers and Some Other People

The Land of My Fathers and Mothers and Some Other People

The Land of My Fathers and Mothers and Some Other People is an all-singing, all-dancing re-enactment of what Rhys’s Mam wrote down 40 years ago. This frenzied one-man cabaret mixes stand-up, dance and good old-fashioned singalong to breathe life into his Mam’s stories, and bring Treherbert rugby club back to life. 

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… 

Audacious Mr Astley

Audacious Mr Astley

Meet the man who invented circuses! From cavalry hero to circus founder, Sergeant-Major Philip Astley is the real Greatest Showman, telling first-hand of the dawn and spread of circus from simple beginnings in London 250 years ago when he and his wife presented their trick-riding on an open field, then took their new entertainment to the royal courts of Europe… 

Camille O'Sullivan: Cave

Camille O'Sullivan: Cave

The queen of the Fringe premieres a new show exploring the dark and light of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds’ music in her dangerous yet fragile theatrical style. Camille embarks on a personal discovery of a man of many guises; violent, beautiful, crazy, devout and religious… 

Jordan Brookes: I've Got Nothing

Jordan Brookes: I've Got Nothing

No tricks. No gimmicks. No plan. Just an hour in my company as we reach the end. Things will be over soon. We’re nearly there everyone! Great work. But before we go, I’m making one last attempt to find connection in the here and now, to snuffle out any remaining joy in this rapidly crumbling world, before it’s too late… 

Briony Redman is Indecisive (or Isn't, You Decide!)

Briony Redman is Indecisive (or Isn't, You Decide!)

Life is short. There’s no time to debate options, consider details or use spellcheck. At some point you have to make a choice. So choose this comedy shoe, it’ll be fin! From the mind of a BAFTA Rocliffe-winning comic, find character comedy, storytelling and sketches that may or may not contain a werewolf dance-off, Benedict Cumberbatch’s auto-biopic and classic computer games – live! ‘A vibrant and articulate sense of mischief’ (Times)… 

David Benson – Cato Street 1820

David Benson – Cato Street 1820

Benson shares his fascination with the infamous plot to murder Lord Liverpool’s entire cabinet and the grisly aftermath on the gallows at Newgate. Drawing on verbatim accounts, hear how outrage at the 1819 Peterloo Massacre led five men into a deadly trap… 

Simon Brodkin: 100% Simon Brodkin

Simon Brodkin: 100% Simon Brodkin

You may know him as ‘comedy legend Lee Nelson’ (Sun) or ‘some unfunny pillock’ (Deputy Prime Minister) who gave Theresa May a P45, but you definitely won’t know him as ‘hilarious little Jew Simon Brodkin’ (someone on Twitter)… 

Alice and the Little Prince

Alice and the Little Prince

A girl from Oxford meets a boy from Asteroid B-612. A chance encounter between two of the world’s favourite fictional characters – inspired by the fantastic books by Lewis Carroll and Saint-Exupéry… 

Jake Lambert: Never Mak the Same Mistak Twice

Jake Lambert: Never Mak the Same Mistak Twice

Following on from his sold-out, ‘solidly entertaining debut’ (Scotsman), Jake Lambert returns with a brand-new show packed full of ‘brilliant one-liners’ (Chortle.co.uk). As seen on Comedy Central, writer for Mock The Week and The News Quiz… 

Jamie Loftus: Boss, Whom is Girl

Jamie Loftus: Boss, Whom is Girl

Learn how to empower yourself by participating in capitalism in this fabulous keynote speech from Silicon Valley girlboss and founder of Pee-Pee Smarthomes, Shell Gasoline-Sandwich, as played by LA comedian Jamie Loftus… 

John Robins: Hot Shame

John Robins: Hot Shame

Edinburgh Comedy Award winner, digital DJ, vibe-magnet, yells into a well. Join John Robins for his new stand-up show following the critically lauded sell-out smash, The Darkness of Robins… 

Catherine Cohen: The Twist...? She's Gorgeous

Catherine Cohen: The Twist...? She's Gorgeous

A show about living, laughing, loving and losing your debit card five times in one year. Through original songs and stand-up, New York sensation Catherine (with Henry Koperski on keys) explores life as an immortal millennial who is tragically unverified on Twitter… 

I'll Take You to Mrs Cole!

I'll Take You to Mrs Cole!

The 1980s! Ska music pulses and young Ashley creates havoc by getting lost in a wild, imaginative world. When Jedi battles and forest adventures go too far, will their hard-working mum resort to the scariest threat of all? Accompanied by an original ska soundtrack and stunning video animation… 

Lucy Beaumont: Space Mam

Lucy Beaumont: Space Mam

The hugely anticipated new show from Best Newcomer nominee. Lucy feels she’s finally turned into a real woman and she’s ready to shout about it. Join her for an hour of proper belly laughs, unique off-beat humour and surreal anecdotes about bubble wrap, boxing and tits… 

The Noise Next Door's Comedy Lock-In

The Noise Next Door's Comedy Lock-In

The eleven-time sell-out sensation returns for an evening of improvised anarchy with the biggest names in comedy. See your favourite stand-up stars dive into a world of ludicrous characters, witty one-liners and explosive physicality with the comedy circuit’s favourite improv group, as seen on BBC One and ITV1… 

Schalk Bezuidenhout: South African White Boy

Schalk Bezuidenhout: South African White Boy

Two-time SA Comic’s Choice Award winner, South African comedian Schalk Bezuidenhout is back in the UK with his Edinburgh debut. South African White Boy shares his journey as one of South Africa’s best and most exciting young comedians… 

James McNicholas: The Boxer

James McNicholas: The Boxer

James' grandad, Terry Downes, became world middleweight champion in 1961. By contrast, James' school PE teacher once told him he was so unfit he'd be dead by the time he was 23. This is a story about boxing told by someone who's never boxed… 

Pierre Novellie: You're Expected to Care

Pierre Novellie: You're Expected to Care

Existing is exhausting. Endless empathy and engagement is expected of everyone. You’ve got to be aware of all the complicated, horrific things in the world, don’t you? Even if they’re absolutely nothing to do with you? The only thing worse than trying is not trying, and vice-versa… 

George Fouracres: Gentlemon

George Fouracres: Gentlemon

George Fouracres, Wolverhampton’s fancy-pantsiest son, tells stories of a Black Country childhood, sings ancient ballads, becomes occasional grotesques and splatters his odd brain matter all over the stage in his debut stand-up hour… 

Matt Winning: It's the End of the World as We Know It

Matt Winning: It's the End of the World as We Know It

(And I feel fine (but not all the time)). A storytelling lecture about how we cope with climate change from the ‘attractively impish’ (Guardian) Dr Matt Winning. As seen as the Environmental Correspondent on Unspun with Matt Forde on Dave, BBC Three and BBC Radio 2… 

Michael Odewale: Black Bears Matter

Michael Odewale: Black Bears Matter

Michael Odewale is selfish. And apathetic. And so are you. Join the fast-rising star as he tries to figure out what matters, and what’s just noise, in his highly anticipated debut show… 

Ciarán Dowd: Padre Rodolfo

Ciarán Dowd: Padre Rodolfo

World-famous lothario, swordsman and butthead Rodolfo is back! Following an unspeakable tragedy he turns his back on his lifestyle – rejects the sword, takes a vow of chastity and joins the priesthood… 

I, AmDram

I, AmDram

Amateur dramatics: the unspoken past of many a Fringe performer. From four generations of leading ladies comes one queer Londoner, sharing a story of return and reconciliation – with her history, hometown and love of musical theatre… 

Moon Dragon for 5 and Under

Moon Dragon for 5 and Under

Bertie the Moon Dragon is having a terrible day! Nothing is as it should be. However, all is not yet lost, as with the help of the audience and some wonderful characters along the way to help him, Bertie can ensure that the night will be saved, and all can return just as it should be… 

Adam Hess: My Grandad Has a Fringe

Adam Hess: My Grandad Has a Fringe

The star of Tonight at the Palladium (ITV), Stand Up Central (Comedy Central) and Live From The BBC is back with, without doubt, his funniest show yet. Expect a lot of good stand-up comedy and also a story about getting stuck in a lift for 25 hours… 

Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs: The Magic Cutlass

Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs: The Magic Cutlass

Captain Flinn is ready for an adventure! Les Petits return to the high seas after their hugely successful shows David Walliams’ The First Hippo on the Moon and Adventures in Wonderland… 

Micky Overman Presents: Presenting Miss Micky Overman

Micky Overman Presents: Presenting Miss Micky Overman

This brand-spanking-new hour by the 2018 Chortle Best Newcomer nominee finally answers the question no one is dying to have answered: ‘where is she from?!’. It also covers: the value of friendship, the power of perception, the importance of agency and how to deal with terminally ill toys… 

Girl Wasp

Girl Wasp

Bees are immediately punished for their stings. Wasps don’t learn their lesson. One small person’s journey to discover that she has and is everything she’s always wanted. She’s just one fib away… 

Sunil Patel: White Knight

Sunil Patel: White Knight

Fire emoji. Dove emoji. Aubergine emoji. Head exploding emoji. Money emoji. Brown fist emoji. As seen on BBC Two’s Big Asian Stand-Up and Dave’s Beat The Internet. ‘A clearly gifted comedian’ (EdFestMag… 

Jennifer Tyler: Ready or Not

Jennifer Tyler: Ready or Not

For years, Jennifer liked to be over-prepared. Every move was meticulously thought-through and every possible outcome was assessed. She was always really really ready. It took being offered a slot at the Fringe at the last minute for her to realise that she’d never be “ready” – no one ever is… 

Stiff & Kitsch: Bricking It

Stiff & Kitsch: Bricking It

Musical Comedy Award winners 2018 sing about everything keeping them awake at night: tax, wooden cutlery and the consequences of last night’s eight double G&Ts. Each. From the creators of the hit show, Adele Is Younger Than Us, Stiff and Kitsch: Bricking It is a story of life’s favourite fears, told through one big night out and one miserable morning after… 

Tom Taylor: Is the Indie Feel-Good Hit of the Summer

Tom Taylor: Is the Indie Feel-Good Hit of the Summer

From the maker of sell-out Fringe hit: The Charlie Montague Mysteries; tour support for Ed Sheeran’s tour support, Tom Taylor, stars in his debut stand-up show packed full of jokes, songs and silliness… 

Anna Drezen: Okay Get Home Safe!

Anna Drezen: Okay Get Home Safe!

The Saturday Night Live writer and former editor-at-large of online satirical women’s magazine Reductress comes to the Fringe for the first time with a show all about true crime, the dark side of reality TV and very powerful ghosts… 

Mighty

Mighty

The ‘remarkable’ (Scotsman) and bite-sized Jack AG Britton presents Mighty; a TED-talk-meets-theatre show that combines comedy, live music and spoken word to ask the big (or little) question: should we be taking heightism more seriously? Often whimsical, sometimes woeful, Mighty delves into masculinity, body image and mental health in a documentary performance that could just about make it onto the best rides at Alton Towers… 

Pete Firman & The Amazing TBC

Pete Firman & The Amazing TBC

Come and witness the first and possibly final performance of The World’s Greatest Magical Double Act! Award-winning magician/comedian Pete Firman returns to the Fringe with a magic show like you’ve never seen before… 

Aaron Chen: Piss Off (Just Kidding)

Aaron Chen: Piss Off (Just Kidding)

Winner: Best Newcomer 2017, Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Winner: Best Newcomer 2017, Sydney Comedy Festival Winner. Directors’ Choice 2016, Melbourne International Comedy Festival… 

Not Black and White

Not Black and White

United by love, broken by reality. Remelle faces a constant battle to feel comfortable in her own skin. Her family want her to be proud of her heritage but she hasn’t become a successful business woman by flaunting her Jamaican roots… 

Alexander Fox: Snare

Alexander Fox: Snare

‘Mrs Richardson, you’re trying to seduce me. Aren’t you?’ In 2011, Alexander Fox left school and went to music college, where he began an illicit affair with his drum teacher. Their lives became intertwined, then increasingly dark and dangerous as Alexander learned a few more lessons at college than he’d anticipated… 

Heidi Regan: Heidi Kills Time

Heidi Regan: Heidi Kills Time

Silly, surreal show about time travel, love and time travel. Tired of immature ‘I slept with your mum’ jokes? Come see more thoughtful comedy like, ‘Heidi, why have you put on weight?’ ‘Whenever I travel back in time, have sex with your great grandparents and accidentally become your ancestor, they give me a cookie’… 

Moon: We Cannot Get Out

Moon: We Cannot Get Out

Two provincial louts perform grotty comedy sketches. There’s something wrong with their venue though: it keeps trying to kill them. An immersive comedy-horror experience that’s ‘wonderfully warped’ (**** Scotsman)… 

Ed Night: Jokes of Love and Hate

Ed Night: Jokes of Love and Hate

‘His stand-up is some of the cleverest, funniest and most unassuming comedy I’ve encountered’ ***** (AYoungerTheatre.com). ‘There can’t be many young comics talking about big ideas with such eloquence’ ***** (Entertainment-Focus… 

Ben Pope: Dancing Bear

Ben Pope: Dancing Bear

Ben Pope is a ‘classy, stylish and accomplished’ (Chortle.co.uk) stand-up comedian. But he’s also been a ghost-tour guide, teacher and actor. He’s worked in museums, cathedrals, toyshops and bakeries… 

Darren Harriott: Good Heart Yute

Darren Harriott: Good Heart Yute

Best Newcomer Nominee Darren considers himself a good person. Now he’s 30 and he’s never been in love. It can’t always be someone else’s fault? Learning more about himself and realising maybe he’s never actually been happy with who is, join Darren for his trademark passion and insightful wit as he tries to work himself out… 

Brave Macbeth

Brave Macbeth

Primary Times Children’s Choice Award winner Brave Macbeth is back. On his way home from battle, Brave Macbeth meets the witches who tell him that he will become king. Now, he quite likes that idea and so does his wife, the rather scary Lady Macbeth… 

Kelly Convey: Telephone Voice

Kelly Convey: Telephone Voice

Kelly Convey ‘Chatham girl done good’ brings us her debut hour which travels back in time to her errant teenage years, through her high-flying twenties as an executive, right up to the life-changing decision to become a comedian in her thirties… 

Jack Gleadow: Mr Saturday Night

Jack Gleadow: Mr Saturday Night

Winner of Amused Moose National New Comic and Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year makes his Fringe debut after performing as part of the prestigious Pleasance Comedy Reserve in 2018… 

Huge Davies: The Carpark

Huge Davies: The Carpark

From Comedy Central at the Comedy Store. Huge, one the most exciting and unique new acts in the UK, presents his highly anticipated debut show. Expect dark humour, surreal songs, his customised wearable keyboard, and of course, car parks… 

One Duck Down

One Duck Down

One Duck Down. 7000 rubber ducks. Seven Seas. One big adventure! Inspired by a true tale (featured on Blue Planet II) that saw 7000 rubber ducks cast adrift in a mighty storm, jam packed with music, clowning and puppetry and with a set and props which are recycled from the lost and found of rubbish both on land and at sea, join us on an ocean clear-up adventure that would make David Attenborough proud… 

Chris Washington: Raconteur

Chris Washington: Raconteur

Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer nominee, Chris returns with a brand-new show. If you like your comedy hard-hitting, boundary-pushing, genre-defying, jaw-dropping, eye-watering and Brexit-berating, then this is definitely not the show for you… 

Kai Samra: Underclass

Kai Samra: Underclass

Award-winning stand-up comedian Kai Samra presents his hotly tipped debut hour. Join Kai as he hilariously dissects life as a young, working class, British Asian in the 21st Century – from police stop-and-searches to a complete lack of options at fancy dress parties… 

Moonbird

Moonbird

‘He doesn’t listen for his name’ said a father (who happened to be a king.) A tale of a family who don’t know how to communicate. Can the Moonbird and animal friends show them that listening is not always about hearing? Handprint have inspired children for 10 years and now make their Fringe debut with this heart-warming story based on the popular book by Joyce Dunbar and Jane Ray… 

Catching Comets

Catching Comets

After discovering a comet hurtling towards Earth, Toby snaps and turns into the action hero in his own movie on a mission to save the world from impending doom. Flashback a year: Toby is knocked off course when somebody crashes into his life… 

Fragility of Man

Fragility of Man

After a total sell-out run in 2018 with In Loyal Company, David William Bryan returns with a brand-new solo play exploring the effects of one man’s lifelong battle with the justice system… 

I Run

I Run

I Run is a Danish one-man play about running and grief. A dad loses his six-year old daughter to cancer and his world falls apart. He starts running to deal with his loss. He runs to try and find the point where he no longer runs, but soars – the point where he is close to her again… 

Nigel Ng: Culture Shocked

Nigel Ng: Culture Shocked

Nigel Ng (as seen on Comedy Central’s Standup Central, Roast Battle) brings you on a joyous romp through his life in the UK as a Malaysian immigrant. See him tackle topics close to his heart, both big and small, from ‘how to retain one’s cultural identity when in a foreign land?’ to ‘is Wagamama actually Asian?’… 

Ladybones

Ladybones

Archaeologist Nuala unearths a skeleton and her ordered life starts to unravel. Digging into the mystery of the bones, can she handle the chaos of what she discovers? Based on personal experience, this is an uplifting and compelling story about OCD, dungarees and being weird but not a weirdo… 

Comrade Egg and the Chicken of Tomorrow

Comrade Egg and the Chicken of Tomorrow

‘We are going to liberate the hell out of 20,000 chickens.’ Welcome to The Chicken Appreciation Society and welcome to the mind of former meat processor, Comrade Egg. She wants to change our future and she needs your help… 

The Listies: Ickypedia

The Listies: Ickypedia

***** (Fest). ***** (List). ***** (ThreeWeeks). ***** (FringeReview.co.uk). ***** (BroadwayBaby.com). ****½ (Age). Australia’s kidult comedians are back with a new show filled with trademark bottom-waggling anarchy! Based on The Listies best-smelling book, Ickypedia aims to answer all of life’s unimportant questions, like: How do you take a smellfie? What are udderpants?* How many bubble machines are too many? What’s the Snot Ness Monster? What happens if you never ever clean your room? ‘If the Wiggles are the Eagles, the Listies are the Sex Pistols’ (Age)… 

The Cabinet of Madame Fanny Du Thé

The Cabinet of Madame Fanny Du Thé

Tales of woe, tales of science, tales of curses, tales of defiance. Also, some juggling. Reach into Fanny’s cabinet for a musical voyage of hilarity. But beware! Somebody’s out to sink her ship… 

I Lost My Virginity to Chopin\'s Nocturne in B-Flat Minor

I Lost My Virginity to Chopin\'s Nocturne in B-Flat Minor

'I'm not going to gamble the happiness I have with you for a chance at happiness with someone else – what's the point?' Ollie and Laura have been together for three years, an… 

Cam Spence: The Sunshine Clinic

Cam Spence: The Sunshine Clinic

Cam Spence presents an explosive debut hour of idiosyncratic character comedy. Welcome to The Sunshine Clinic (rehab facility closest to the M4, 2009-2010), where Britain’s most patient patients are free to pay for some extremely untherapeutic group therapy… 

Nina Conti: Work in Progress

Nina Conti: Work in Progress

British Comedy Award winner Nina Conti is boldly experimenting and discovering fresh ideas as she develops her next new show. ‘Put simply, Nina Conti is a genius’ **** (Mirror). ‘Uproariously hilarious’ **** (Scotsman). 

Anna and Helen: Stuck in a Rat

Anna and Helen: Stuck in a Rat

Ever found yourself stuck in a rat? Unpleasant, isn’t it? Time marches on, but you’re on the spot. Not even marching. Very still. Stagnating, even. Stuck in that rat. We’ve all been there… 

Alun Cochrane: Brave New Alun

Alun Cochrane: Brave New Alun

Strap. The heck. In! No more Mr Nice Person! Alun (The Cockerel*) Cochrane intends to drop truth bombs and articulate thoughtcrimes about vegetables, gender, religion and washing machines… 

Alice Snedden: Absolute Monster

Alice Snedden: Absolute Monster

Who are we? What are we doing here? Do you like me? And what are you saying behind my back? Let’s all get together and definitively find out if I’m the best or worst person you know… 

Marcel Lucont: No. Dix

Marcel Lucont: No. Dix

The Fringe’s favourite Frenchman returns for his tenth year with an exquisite new show and a live band to abuse. Expect wit sharper than a pint of English wine, poems sexier than an art déco brothel and jibes more devastating than an ill-judged referendum… 

Beetlemania: Kafka for Kids

Beetlemania: Kafka for Kids

The smash hit of last year’s festival is back! Join the Kafkateers for their ‘riotously cheerful’ (Chortle.co.uk) show packed with stories, songs, puppets and laughter for all ages… 

Moon Dragon Babies for Under 1's

Moon Dragon Babies for Under 1's

This interactive show, written especially for babies aged one and under, tells the story of Bertie the Moon Dragon who misses his cue to send the Moon up into the night sky. With the help of our young audience, some very chatty owls and the most magnificent unicorn ever to have been seen on the Edinburgh Fringe, can we all pull together to save the night? This show is perfectly interactive for this age group with all senses being explored… 

AAA Stand-Up Late

AAA Stand-Up Late

Total sell-out 2010-2018 returns with a brand-new line-up. ‘Comedy the way it should be: laugh-a-minute, leaving the audience wishing the show was a little bit longer’ **** (Fest). Tom Elwes: Quick wit, high-energy storytelling and acute observations of his chaotic existence… 

I Believe In Unicorns by Michael Morpurgo

I Believe In Unicorns by Michael Morpurgo

Olivier Award-nominated Wizard Presents brings Morpurgo’s treasured story to life, sparking imagination in both young and old. This intimate five-star show is set in a library full of books that hold more than stories within their pages… 

Rubbish Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream

Rubbish Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream

Runaways. Fairies. Goblins. Water pistols? The Dream’s been ‘rubbished’! Following 2018’s five-star Fringe run (Romeo and Juliet), the all-male, all-silly Rubbish Shakespeare Company are back… 

Don\'t Be Terrible

Don\'t Be Terrible

Can stand-up save your love life? Self-confessed nice guy Steve thinks so. That\\\'s why he\\\'s asked Alice, an up-and-coming stand-up, how to make people laugh. It\\\'s his last-ditch attempt to distract his girlfriend from the funny guy at work… 

Tobacco Road

Tobacco Road

Tobacco Road is, more than anything, a lot of fun to watch and a strong example of the power of devised theatre and the ensemble. Incognito Theatre, the creators of the sell-out All Quiet On The Western Front, return to the Fringe with the story of a group of young Londoners seeking to climb to the top of their city's underworld in the 1920s... 

Our Man in Havana

Our Man in Havana

The widely acclaimed ex-Young Pleasance physical theatre ensemble Spies Like Us returned to the Festival Fringe this year with not only one show but two brilliant shows in an adaptation of Büchner’s Woyzeck and the return of their award winning debut Our Man in Havana, based on Graham Greene’s iconic novel... 

In Loyal Company

In Loyal Company

If you were anywhere near the Pleasance Courtyard this year, you’ll of heard of Lab Rats Theatre’s In Loyal Company as it shook the Fringe with its sell out run and critical acclaim... 

Daniel Cook: Carpet

Daniel Cook: Carpet

Watching Daniel Cook run wildly around Pleasance’s Bunker Two, three things are clear: 1. He’s really, really funny; 2. He knows who he is as a performer; and 3. He really likes his sky blue trainers... 

UNCONDITIONAL

UNCONDITIONAL

There’s a lot going on in the world at the moment, isn’t there? So many stories needing to be told, so many national myths being rewritten, so much is constantly changing that any attempt to make a coherent artistic response feels futile... 

Finding Fassbender

Finding Fassbender

The Fringe is all about first impressions; the opening minutes of a free stand up show, the six word spiel spurted at you by flyerers with an outstretched hand, the carefully chosen pose for the poster that will adorn Edinburgh’s walls for a month... 

Great British Mysteries: 1599?

Great British Mysteries: 1599?

After a sell out run last year the Great British Mysteries return to the Fringe with a new show set 400 years earlier, but still the containing the wit, charm, and ridiculous sense of silliness that make it more than a worthy successor to the groups earlier stellar work... 

Signals

Signals

There are shades of Beckett but without the plodding pretentiousness in Signals, Footprint Theatre’s new show all about human connection and the search for life beyond Earth. Two unnamed scientists (refreshingly played by two women, Eve Cowley and Immie Davies) are on the night shift, poring over piles of data and endlessly waiting for a reply to all the messages humanity has thrown out into the cosmos... 

Felicity Ward: Busting a Nut

Felicity Ward: Busting a Nut

Fresh off the back of her new BBC Radio 4 series Appisodes, a Netflix special Live from the BBC, and regular co-host of The Guilty Feminist Podcast, Felicity Ward returns to the Edinburgh Fringe after a two-year hiatus... 

Jake Lambert: Little Lost Lad

Jake Lambert: Little Lost Lad

Jake lives alone, cuts his own hair, has an ability to remember the exact date he first tasted each specific food for the first time and has a one-eyed cat. If this sounds like it needs some explaining and, let's face it, it probably does, then this is the show for you... 

Catherine Bohart: Immaculate

Catherine Bohart: Immaculate

Catherine Bohart is the bisexual, OCD daughter of an Irish Catholic Deacon and she's got a hell of a lot to say about it. Debut show from a rising comedy star. Finalist: BBC New Comedy Award 2016... 

Future History: 1968

Future History: 1968

Mikhail Zygar and Karen Shainyan are two of Russia’s most controversial journalists, still holding the Putin Government to account. Join them for a discussion about their latest project, docuseries Future History: 1968, available to stream in the UK exclusively on BuzzFeed News, and to discuss the Russian Government and where it is heading... 

Kill the Beast: Director's Cut

Kill the Beast: Director's Cut

Acclaimed comedy troupe Kill the Beast returns to the Fringe with a new show that is a bizarre mash up of Poltergeist and The Room. The performance is at times hysterical, even if it isn’t always able to hit the mark... 

Sindhu Vee: Sandhog

Sindhu Vee: Sandhog

Loving your children, spouse and aging parents (in that order, please don't tell my mother) is very hard work, very intense and, a lot of the time, it sucks. But who wants to live without love? Highly anticipated debut from host of BBC Radio 4's Comedy of the Week podcast... 

Amusical

Amusical

For one night only. Jayde Adams and Kiri Pritchard-McLean host this celebration of all things West End (or Broadway if you're American/better off than us). Accompanied by our house band, Dave and the Quavers, comedians perform their favourite songs from stage and screen and it's up to you to decide who's best... 

The Archive of Educated Hearts

The Archive of Educated Hearts

"People are amazing, aren’t they?" So asks a lone voice in the darkness. It is, of course a rhetorical question: The Archive of Educated Hearts is a tiny gem, far away from the hysterical melee of the Fringe... 

No Kids

No Kids

Should we have kids? It’s a difficult question, but one that becomes even more complex when you’re a gay couple, and have to grapple with a whole cavalcade of unique problems completely unknown to a straight couple... 

AART TV Live!

AART TV Live!

AART TV Live! Mikey the Aartist return to the Pleasance with his all new AART TV show featuring guest artists Amrit Maghera from Hollyoaks and Jim Parkyn/Aardman Animations discussing his finest creations including Shaun the Sheep! As seen on Harry Hill, Deep Relief TV ad, and as Herman in Colin Hoult’s Anna Mann... 

Unspoken

Unspoken

From the team who brought you the winner of the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award for the groundbreaking The Two Worlds of Charlie F, Bravo 22 Company\'s new drama, Unspoken, brings to light the lives interrupted and forever changed by war, on a heart-wrenching and hilarious journey of love, loss, loneliness and hope, performed by ex-Service personnel... 

Anna Mann's Late Night Cheese and Sex Party

Anna Mann's Late Night Cheese and Sex Party

Colin Hoult's 'masterclass in character comedy' (Time Out). Anna Mann (actress, singer, welder – got to have a backup) brings her late-night extravaganza to Edinburgh for five nights only, joined by special guests... 

Ivo Graham: Motion Sickness

Ivo Graham: Motion Sickness

Everyone’s favourite ‘virgin until the tender age of twenty one’ stand-up is back. Ivo Graham has a new flat, a looming marriage and a whole host of new self-aware gags. But, luckily for us, he’s just as charming and hilarious as we remember... 

Drenched

Drenched

A raincoated man bursts into one of two bunkers in the lower section of the Pleasance Courtyard. He fumbles around in the darkness before the lights come up and he introduces himself as Daniel Drench, Cornwall’s most prolific storyteller... 

Colin Cloud: Psycho(Logical)

Colin Cloud: Psycho(Logical)

Colin Cloud conjures a cryptic presence as the audience enter to him trapped motionless in a large perspex box. Cloud creates an atmosphere where anything can happen, with eerie classical music setting a backdrop to screens where the more intrepid guests are invited to take a selfie in front of the box... 

Ciarán Dowd: Don Rodolfo

Ciarán Dowd: Don Rodolfo

Don Rodolfo opens his debut fringe hour duelling with an unseen coat rack. Whilst his lookalike Ciaran Dowd may have years of experience performing with perenially-underrated sketch trio Beasts at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, this is a new experience for the latin lothario swordsman Don Rodolfo... 

Alex Edelman: Just for Us

Alex Edelman: Just for Us

Alex Edelman’s full name is David Yosef Shimon Ben Illouz Haleivi Alexander Edelman. Which means that a meeting of Nazis probably isn’t the place for him. But that doesn’t stop him from going, an experience he describes in his latest hour of comedy, Just For Us... 

Ruby Wax: Frazzled

Ruby Wax: Frazzled

Your passport to saner living. Drop-dead gorgeous, sassy and smart, Ruby brings her one-woman show back to Edinburgh after sell-out success in 2017. Poster girl for mental illness, once crazy, now less so, she gives a tour of the mind – how to use it, not lose it, based on her bestseller, A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled... 

Nutty Noah: You Might Die!

Nutty Noah: You Might Die!

Nutty Noah, recently crowned UK Family Entertainer of the Year 2018, invites you to join him in poking his tongue out at death and stamping on the foot of St Peter. You could get squashed by an elephant that’s out of control, or you could come and see this ‘death defying’ fun packed show for all the family... 

Kieran Hodgson: '75

Kieran Hodgson: '75

Ask most people to remember the early 70s and they won't. But for character comedian and tedious party guest Kieran Hodgson, they might hold the answer to the biggest question of our time: Europe? Twice nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award, Kieran returns to the Fringe with the epic tale of how Britain joined Europe in the first place... 

Tom Lucy: Reluctant Millennial

Tom Lucy: Reluctant Millennial

Tom Lucy is one of the youngest professional comedians on the circuit. He is also, apparently, a millennial. This is not something he is happy about. An hour of blistering new material from the snowflake of his generation... 

Rosie Jones: Fifteen Minutes

Rosie Jones: Fifteen Minutes

Rosie Jones is a comedian with a penchant for being mischievous. Her cerebral palsy doesn't slow her down in the slightest. Catch her before she wobbles her way to stardom! As seen on 8 Out of 10 Cats and Silent Witness... 

The Tape Face Show

The Tape Face Show

As a genuine YouTube sensation, TV talent show star, and with a Las Vegas residency, Tape Face is a comedy rock god but he isn’t here to play the hits; this is an hour of brand new whimsical material that doesn’t stray far from what you’d expect from this unique act and yet has some delightfully baffling moments... 

Propeller

Propeller

Propeller is a play which relates a small town’s struggle to reinstate a railway line, in order to make a much wider statement on the merits and masquerade of social action. A story delivered by the Network Ensemble, it feels local, but sits on your wider political reasoning long after you have seen it... 

Dietrich: Natural Duty

Dietrich: Natural Duty

Sex, sequins, and scintillating musical numbers are all brought to bear into writer/performer Peter Groom’s one man (Woman?) show about the life and times of the glamourous gay icon, the one and only Marlene Dietrich... 

WHITE

WHITE

If you’ve ever felt stuck between two groups, both suspicious of you and neither accepting of the other, you may have the slightest indication of what Koko Brown is trying to communicate in WHITE, her solo show about being mixed race in modern Britain... 

Joel Dommett and Friends: The 100th Show

Joel Dommett and Friends: The 100th Show

One man. One day. 100 shows. After an epic test of stamina, endurance and comedy, which will see Joel Dommett appearing in 99 shows at the Fringe, join us for ‘Joel Dommett and Friends: The 100th Show’... 

Tim Key: Megadate

Tim Key: Megadate

A brand-new 70 minutes, blending poeticals, talking, standing, spotlights, cables, Kronenburg, foot-stamping and old-school wistfulness. Edinburgh Comedy Award winner years ago. Key has appeared in Taskmaster, Inside Number 9 and the Alan Partridge franchise... 

An Instinct for Kindness

An Instinct for Kindness

In November 2010, Chris Larner accompanied his chronically ill ex-wife to Dignitas in Switzerland. He returned home with an empty wheelchair and a story to tell…This extraordinary one-man theatrical event has been acclaimed by press and public alike... 

Gruff Rhys: Resist Phony Encores!

Gruff Rhys: Resist Phony Encores!

Fictional musician Gruff Rhys plays selections from his four-decade career and explores how he overcame chronic shyness, stoner culture and communicative dysfunction, by placing commands on cue cards to whip audiences into a frenzy... 

Birthday Girls: Late-Night Comedy Party

Birthday Girls: Late-Night Comedy Party

Ever wanted a lock-in with the cream of the UK's comedy circuit in a cool cabaret bar late at night at the Edinburgh Fringe? Hell yeah! Well your dreams have just come true. Join critically acclaimed sketch group and shit-hot party legends Birthday Girls as they host a chaotic evening of comedy guests, drinking and kissing... 

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... 

Suzi Ruffell: Nocturnal

Suzi Ruffell: Nocturnal

If you don't have anxiety, I don't think you're concentrating! Suzi is worried about everything – from someone breaking into her flat, to human rights across the globe, to her cat's quality of life – and it's keeping her awake... 

Sam Campbell: The Trough

Sam Campbell: The Trough

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (often referred to as simply The Fringe) is the world's largest arts festival, which in 2017 spanned 25 days and featured 53,232 performances of 3,398 shows in 300 venues... 

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Victim, Complex

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Victim, Complex

You might have seen Kiri on Comedy Central at the Comedy Store, The Russell Howard Hour or heard her on The Now Show. You might have no idea who she is, that's fine too. What you should know is, she's very quietly been going mad for a few years and, to borrow a phrase from Uma Thurman, she's been 'waiting... 

Medea Electronica

Medea Electronica

Of all the Greek tragedies I think it is Medea that sticks with us the most as modern audiences. The distance of thousands of years can make many of the central concerns of the other plays seem antiquated or alien, but the idea at the centre of Medea is one so universal and visceral that we feel it as painfully as the Athenians must have when it was first performed... 

Emma Sidi: Faces of Grace

Emma Sidi: Faces of Grace

Emma Sidi’s one-woman show Faces of Grace is absolutely bonkers. But if you happen to think absolutely bonkers is a good thing (which this reviewer does) then you will absolutely love it... 

Sirens

Sirens

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if figures from Greek myth were around today? Well, Zoo Co Theatre Company have got you covered. In Sirens, three of the half-bird, half-woman creatures are transplanted to modern day Hastings... 

Busking It

Busking It

'If I don’t know you and you don’t know me, then you're free in your anonymity.' Cities are full of stories – it’s amazing what you hear if you stop and listen. Drawing on her decade of singing on the tube, Danusia Samal’s Busking It is a journey through the tunnels of the London Underground... 

Sarah Keyworth: Dark Horse

Sarah Keyworth: Dark Horse

Dark Horse covers lots of ground and it is evidently the result of Keyworth tirelessly exploring multiple comic avenues. The hour touches on gender, sexuality, the comedian's childhood, and her current job being a nanny to two children from a very wealthy family, but it is well-structured and never spreads itself too thinly... 

Lauren Pattison: Peachy

Lauren Pattison: Peachy

Following a whirlwind year of awards, nominations and sold-out shows on top of a run at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Lastminute.com Best Newcomer nominee 2017 Lauren Pattison is back in Edinburgh... 

The Tartan Ribbon Comedy Benefit

The Tartan Ribbon Comedy Benefit

A top night of comedy with all proceeds going to Waverley Care, a charity the Pleasance has supported for the past 27 years, providing care and support to people living with HIV or Hepatitis C throughout Scotland... 

Audible Presents

Audible Presents

Audible hosts two weeks of completely free live comedy shows, showcasing the finest acts the festival has to offer, all being recorded for audio series Audible Presents. Previous shows have featured Reginald D Hunter, Josie Long, Mark Watson, Dane Baptiste, Sofie Hagen, Ed Gamble, Phil Wang, Angela Barnes, Paul Foot, Jason Byrne, Jayde Adams, Andrew Maxwell and Tony Law... 

Seann Walsh: After This One I'm Going Home

Seann Walsh: After This One I'm Going Home

Every year I have to write a 100 word blurb for a new show and basically I've now been doing this long enough to know that none of this bullsh*t makes any difference. I've never heard anyone say 'I think the bloke's an unfunny c*nt but my, what a cracking blurb – two tickets please!' Come, or don't come. 

Dracula

Dracula

This is not your grandmother’s Dracula, which may be immediately obvious when you walk into the theatre to the sounds of a Queen song. No, instead this Dracula gives you a whole new way of looking at the two century old Romanian immigrant, and makes sure it’s as hilariously irreverent as possible... 

And Before I Forget I Love You, I Love You

And Before I Forget I Love You, I Love You

As a character actor, Pip Utton is renowned for his depictions of world-famous figures, ranging from Margaret Thatcher to Charles Dickens and everything in between. This year is a much more intimate affair as we enter the life of Michael, a fictional carer for his childhood sweetheart Christy whose life has slowly deteriorated following her diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease... 

The Pin: Backstage

The Pin: Backstage

The Pin return to the Edinburgh Fringe with an Alan Ayckbourn type conceit: as suggested by this year’s title Backstage, the bulk of the show has performers Alex Owen and Ben Ashenden apparently biding their time as the warm-up act behind the red curtain while long-established big name performers Phillip and Robin (also Owen and Ashenden) get the actual stage time and plaudits... 

No One Is Coming to Save You

No One Is Coming to Save You

No One is Coming to Save You is an abstract piece of theatre which eschews character development and plot narrative, in favour of exploring recurring images. Glasses of water, a hammer, a television set, and a dawning and dying light... 

Berk's Nest Mid-Fest Comedy Special

Berk's Nest Mid-Fest Comedy Special

Complete sell-out 2017. A spectacular night of comedy to celebrate the middle of the festival from award-winning production company (and your good friends) Berk's Nest, featuring festival favourites, the best new acts and special guests... 

Reverend Richard Coles: Confessions

Reverend Richard Coles: Confessions

Join former 80s pop star turned vicar and broadcaster Reverend Richard Coles – co-host of BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live and BBC One's The Big Painting Challenge, star of Strictly Come Dancing 2017 and panelist on Have I Got News for You, QI and Would I Lie to You? – for an hour of candid chat and confessions with special guests and celebrity friends... 

Chortle Student Comedy Award Final

Chortle Student Comedy Award Final

Hundreds entered, only a handful survive – now one will be crowned Britain's funniest student 2018. We've scoured the UK's universities for the finest new comedy talent, now we need to choose the very best of the best... 

The Canterville Ghost

The Canterville Ghost

Tall stories brings an incredibly charming and old school production of one of Oscar Wilde’s lesser known novellas, The Canterville Ghost, that perfectly embodies the spirit - pun not intended - of traditional music hall and vaudeville performers... 

The Vanishing Man

The Vanishing Man

Knowledge = Belief and Truth. This is the backdrop to the performance, as we enter the room to an Edwardian showman - David Aula – standing on a grand piano. With a brooding sense of anticipation, Simon Evans reassures us that "it’s going to be okay", and with that we are catapulted into the story of the greatest magic trick ever performed... 

Ladykiller

Ladykiller

With little more than a bedside lamp, a leather armchair and a helpful cadaver, The Thelmas have brought to life a deliciously morbid monologue that will please fans of Fleabag, Making a Murderer and everything in between... 

Polaris

Polaris

Holly & Ted’s Polaris opens with a slow explanation of the characters the two actors will be playing, frustratingly broken up by the use of a tablet to control an impressive soundscape... 

Fronting

Fronting

A bold and convention-bashing introspection on the impact of HIV, through the medium of two young gay men. David and Will catch each others’ eyes over the mist of a steamy nightclub... 

Sindhu Vee: Sandhog

Sindhu Vee: Sandhog

Loving your children, spouse and aging parents (in that order, please don't tell my mother) is very hard work, very intense and, a lot of the time, it sucks. But who wants to live without love? Highly anticipated debut from host of BBC Radio 4's Comedy of the Week podcast... 

Ed Gamble: Blizzard

Ed Gamble: Blizzard

After a sell-out national tour in 2017, Ed Gamble is back with another bracing flurry of idiocy. Off of BBC Two's Mock the Week, Sky's The Russell Howard Hour, Comedy Central's At the Comedy Store and Drunk History, BBC Two's The Apprentice You're Fired, Channel 4's Man Down, TBS's Conan and a short film he can't remember the name of where he killed a man from ITV's The Bill with a spade... 

Ed Patrick: Comedians' Surgery

Ed Patrick: Comedians' Surgery

Welcome to the Comedians' Surgery, take your seat, we'll be with you shortly. Following a highly successful Fringe 2017 season, and a BBC Radio 5 Live recommended podcast, comedian and junior doctor Ed Patrick returns with a limited run of his unique chat show – comedians talking health... 

Norris & Parker: Burn the Witch

Norris & Parker: Burn the Witch

First and foremost, this is not a show for the faint-hearted. This is not the show for a shy audience. This is the perfect show for any Late-Night Comedy fan. Well, any comedy fan with a thick skin and iron stomach... 

Rose Matafeo: Horndog

Rose Matafeo: Horndog

As the audience file in Rose Matafeo is playing table tennis with members of the front row, in a gimmick that does not factor into the later story at any point. This transparent effort to endear herself to the audience as literally approachable is one that pays off, breaking down the initial barrier between comedian and crowd and allowing Matafeo to thrive off the energy of the vocal audience... 

Let's Inherit the Earth

Let's Inherit the Earth

World premiere. Global warming, environmental destruction, mass extinction – this is the life! Morna Pearson’s punky new climate change comedy with songs, directed by Ben Harrison, design by Ulla Karlsson, and music by Jonny Hardie... 

Mark Watson: The Infinite Show

Mark Watson: The Infinite Show

Cluster-bombed with yoghurt on Taskmaster, half-killed on The Island, Watson returns to what he's best at: being indoors. This show began as a work-in-progress in Edinburgh last year and now makes its official premiere... 

Everything Is Going to Be KO

Everything Is Going to Be KO

Everything’s Going to be KO begins with an educational psychologist. Shapes, numbers and letters are shown in an increasingly confusing series of exercises. They seem daunting and impossible to get right... 

Kerry Godliman: Work in Progress

Kerry Godliman: Work in Progress

Kerry Godliman is back in Edinburgh to try out material she's never said out loud before. Both an incredibly talented comedian and a phenomenal actor, Kerry is best known for her appearances on BBC's Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, Jack Dee's Referendum HelpDesk, ITV's Bad Move, Sky Atlantic's Save Me and Channel 4's Derek... 

Paul Merton's Impro Chums

Paul Merton's Impro Chums

Paul Merton and his highly acclaimed Impro Chums are wonders of nature. They take audience suggestions and create cascades of fantastic tumbling laughter. The Impro Chums are Paul Merton, Suki Webster, Richard Vranch, Lee Simpson and Mike McShane... 

Jayde Adams: The Divine Ms Jayde

Jayde Adams: The Divine Ms Jayde

As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons you make lemonade. Life gave Jayde Adams a Bristolian upbringing, great comic sensibility, an affinity for drag queens, and an impressive set of pipes... 

Flies

Flies

I was excited about Flies. An award-winning theatre company. A sold-out show. An eager looking crowd. A delicious cheese toastie in preparation. I was ready to be swept away on an absurdist wave... 

Angela Barnes: Rose-Tinted

Angela Barnes: Rose-Tinted

If you enjoy relatable comedy which is sprinkled with a dusting of political satire, then Angela Barnes: Rose Tinted is the show for you. Barnes delivers an intelligent, and at times hilarious, thought-provoking comedy set... 

When You Fall Down: The Buster Keaton Story

When You Fall Down: The Buster Keaton Story

If silent Hollywood star Buster Keaton is remembered for anything, it's his emotionless, mask-like expression; so the initial shock here is that this Buster speaks and smiles. "Yes, I have a voice... 

Olga Koch: Fight

Olga Koch: Fight

When you think of Russians, funny and comedian are probably not two words that instantly spring to mind; but in time, Olga Koch will change that. Her show is centred around the events of 2014 – when her father was stopped on the Russian border trying to board a plane to Germany... 

Lauren Pattison: Peachy

Lauren Pattison: Peachy

Pattison explodes onto the stage in sparkly hot pants, boots and a crop top. It's a high energy introduction during which she barely draws breath, setting the scene for the next hour... 

HUB Fresh

HUB Fresh

The best place to discover new comedy on the Fringe! Join us for a line-up of comedians, all making their Pleasance debuts this year. Expect sketches, characters, stand-up and everything else in-between! All for free! 

Robert White and His Particularly Silly Organ

Robert White and His Particularly Silly Organ

Fresh from Britain's Got Talent 2018, Robert White brings you his unique form of musical stand-up in a laugh-packed hour. Just him, some jokes, some songs, a keyboard and maybe a tank top or two... 

Pete Firman: Marvels

Pete Firman: Marvels

Pete Firman enters the stage in his trademark three-piece suit, warming the audience up with a cascade of comedy nuggets which sets the scene for what is to come. Firman is undoubtedly funny, and his heady combination of slapstick comedy and well-presented magic makes for an enjoyable hour which concludes with an astonished audience... 

Freeman

Freeman

Theatre is often defined as a means of offering a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. With a powerful narrative and dynamic performance, Freeman by Strictly Arts Theatre does exactly that... 

Infinita

Infinita

Familie Flöz are back with another beautiful, gentle and poignant piece of physical theatre. It's a delightful way to spend 90 mins. From the gorgeous opening image of a masked woman playing cello alone on a bench, to the final scene where a quartet of cheeky old men tap, slap and backflip their way into the afterlife... 

Evelyn Mok: Bubble Butt

Evelyn Mok: Bubble Butt

Evelyn Mok hungers to speak about the uncomfortable, but for a Swedish-Chinese woman, who will gladly "take cake over di*k any day of the week", this is something that comes easy to her... 

Opera Mouse

Opera Mouse

Tilly Mouse lives under an opera house, and she just loves to sing! Her dream is to perform on stage. But whenever anybody sees her, they scream and run away. With determination, imagination and help from her friends, Tilly proves that even a mouse can be a star! Featuring arias from several operas, including Gianni Schicchi, Carmen and The Magic Flute... 

The Fetch Wilson

The Fetch Wilson

The Fetch Wilson is the type of play that might work very well as a film, or so you might think upon leaving the theatre. The story follows Liam Wilson, or Bill, as he becomes after encountering a child at school with the same name... 

Elise

Elise

Elise Cowen. The poet who disappeared from history, leaving little more than an envelope of burnt verses as her legacy. In these dramatised interviews which were recorded after her suicide, various figures from Elise’s life struggle to put the writer into words... 

A Dragon in the Family

A Dragon in the Family

All the best stories begin with a game. When Gilly finds an abandoned cave deep in the mountains, a strange-looking stone is discovered. Or is it an egg? Could it be... a dragon egg? Gilly is sure dragons don't exist... 

Grimm's Fairer Tales

Grimm's Fairer Tales

With wolves, witches and goblins, the story unfolds as the audience is invited to become part of the drama. The Brothers Grimm collected their classic tales over 200 years ago. Today, interactive storyteller Eden Ballantyne has reimagined them for a contemporary audience... 

Mervyn Stutter's Pick of the Fringe

Mervyn Stutter's Pick of the Fringe

It's like the Royal Variety Show of the Fringe. Mervyn and his team carefully research the Fringe and bring you live extracts from seven top shows in a packed 90 minute lunchtime extravaganza... 

Bite-Size Plays Presents: Neverwant

Bite-Size Plays Presents: Neverwant

Neverwant: the algorithm of life. A brand-new story about a passion that can't breach the firewall. If everything you've ever yearned for is just a constant impending update, what's left to want? Isn't the definition of freedom a heart without desire? Neverwant explores a world where love is nothing more than a bug in the system... 

Pleasance Newcomer Comedy Gala

Pleasance Newcomer Comedy Gala

Join us for a one-off comedy extravaganza! Come check out some of the new kids on the block as they make their Pleasance debut in this late-night comedy gala! Best of all, tickets are totally free! 

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... 

John Hegley: Morning Wordship

John Hegley: Morning Wordship

Join the morning chorus of clappy, clippy, cloppy, floppy, flappy sing-song and poem pong. All is shipshape with the crew of creatures that visit Squirrel Island. Dig deep into a wealth of stories, japes and verses with plenty of healthy vocab for both young and older... 

The Red Shoes

The Red Shoes

A reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen's tale, the 'superbly talented' (List) Young Pleasance bring the glitz, glamour, and seedy underworld of interwar Berlin to life with characteristic high production values, 'sheer professionalism and talent' (EdinburghGuide... 

Questing Time

Questing Time

London's best comedy Dungeons & Dragons show is rolling into Edinburgh to ask the funniest people on the Fringe if they have what it takes to be heroes. Then, regardless of their answer, we make them play Dungeons & Dragons... 

Nicholas Parsons' Happy Hour

Nicholas Parsons' Happy Hour

Join Nicholas Parsons, comedy actor and legendary host of BBC Radio 4's Just a Minute, for an unmissable hour of fun and laughter in the company of some very special guests. Celebrating a magnificent 18 years on the Fringe, this sell-out comedy chat show has previously featured Jason Byrne, John Bishop, Sue Perkins, Shappi Khorsandi, Gyles Brandreth, Micky Flanagan, Michael McIntyre and many more top acts... 

Gary Delaney: Gagster's Paradise

Gary Delaney: Gagster's Paradise

One of Britain's leading one-liner comics returns with another onslaught of lean, expertly crafted gaggery. A Mock the Week regular and recent star of Live at the Apollo, Gary's shows are known for an unrivalled volume of high-class gags... 

Best of Edinburgh Showcase Show

Best of Edinburgh Showcase Show

Great value lunchtime compilation showcase featuring the best and brightest of this year's Fringe comics. Hand-picked and with changing line-ups daily – take a seat, you're in for a treat! Now in its 15th successful year in the Cabaret Bar, this is the best way to start the day for comedians and festival comedy fans alike... 

Peter Straker Sings Brel

Peter Straker Sings Brel

Straker is unquestionably the finest interpreter of Brel's songs. He does not just sing the words, he inhabits them. His dramatic delivery is full of passion and power. Straker's career spans 50 years since the West End hit musical Hair and recording albums with his friend and colleague, the legendary Freddie Mercury, but now he is back in Edinburgh for a strictly limited run... 

Wilde Creatures

Wilde Creatures

A motley crew of storytelling musicians bring Oscar Wilde's classic fairy tales to life in Tall Stories' magical new show, direct from London's West End. Characters from The Happy Prince and other stories spring to life as the pompous mayor, the petulant princess and the love-sick student compete to become the new town statue... 

Brennan Reece: Evermore

Brennan Reece: Evermore

After the sold-out success of Everglow and Everlong, English Comedian of the Year winner, Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and voice of ITV's Survival of the Fittest is back with a lovely story from a loveable boy about loving things... 

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... 

Rob Kemp: The Elvis Dead

Rob Kemp: The Elvis Dead

The multi award-winning Fringe cult hit is back. Rev up the Delta and come on a trip to a cabin in Tennessee, to witness the classic horror movie Evil Dead 2 reinterpreted through the songs of Elvis Presley... 

Jordan Brookes: Bleed

Jordan Brookes: Bleed

The Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Show 2017 nominee returns for more loosely justified nonsense. Critically acclaimed and adored by his peers, Jordan is riding high. There's been so much buzz about him... 

Natalie Palamides: Nate

Natalie Palamides: Nate

For the first time in history, it's hard to be a man. Natalie Palamides (2017 Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer) doesn't understand this... but Nate does. Natalie Palamides is Nate... 

Ed Gamble: Blizzard

Ed Gamble: Blizzard

After a sell-out national tour in 2017, Ed Gamble is back with another bracing flurry of idiocy. Off of BBC Two's Mock the Week, Sky's The Russell Howard Hour, Comedy Central's At the Comedy Store and Drunk History, BBC Two's The Apprentice You're Fired, Channel 4's Man Down, TBS's Conan and a short film he can't remember the name of where he killed a man from ITV's The Bill with a spade... 

William Andrews: Willy

William Andrews: Willy

A joyful return to stand-up for this cult idiot. William is wholeheartedly embracing the Willy he always was, telling remarkable stories with a beguiling blend of daft creativity and ingenuity... 

Sparks

Sparks

'Fall in love in my early 20s, get married in my late 20s, have at least one child by the time I'm 30. F*ck!' Life is hard to navigate when you've got so many questions. Can I put this jumper in the washing machine? Do you have my birth certificate? Where did you find love? How did you do it? How do you survive? A story of a kamikaze love affair with unexpected consequences... 

Songlines

Songlines

Stevie is 17. She’s peak cool, or so she thinks. In the middle of the wide-eyed stagger from girlhood to womanhood, Stevie is sent to live in the middle of nowhere with her Grandma... 

Outside

Outside

As the UK emerges from a state-mandated curfew, three young friends see their newfound freedom arrive but with shackles of its own. What does it mean to come of age in an age quickly running out of options? A brand-new dramedy produced in association with the Pleasance Trust... 

Build a Rocket

Build a Rocket

'Scarborough is turning into Tenerife. This is global warming gone wrong. This isn't the story of Icarus and Daedalus. It's Yasmin and Jack. And we won't fly too close to the sun. We'll fly through the f*cker... 

VELVET

VELVET

'I think you're really talented... I got hard as I watched you.' Ben has always dreamt of being a successful actor, and now after years of disappointment he is finally presented with his golden opportunity... 

Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho

Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho

Following four sell-out Fringe runs and marking 30 years of Section 28, the Iron Lady returns in her original 80s drag cabaret extravaganza! On the eve of a crucial vote, Maggie gets lost in Soho and accidentally becomes a cabaret superstar... 

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical

The Edinburgh must-see, Olivier Award-winning (Best Entertainment and Family Show 2016) West End hit returns for its 11th consecutive year! A brand-new musical comedy is created from scratch at every performance of this multi award-winning show... 

George Rigden: George-ous

George Rigden: George-ous

Adjective: someone called George who is irresistibly beautiful to any gender. Clever, funny and devastatingly sexy with the voice of an angel. Often found serenading and sweeping people off their feet with incredible ease, eg 'George Rigden is George-ous'... 

Audacious Mr Astley

Audacious Mr Astley

In this, the 250th anniversary year of the world's first circus performance, the 'father of the modern circus' Serjeant-Major Philip Astley is reincarnated by his modern-day equivalent... 

How to Be Amazingly Happy!

How to Be Amazingly Happy!

How do you find a new ‘once upon a time’ after the ‘happy ever after’ never turned up? Victoria is on a quest to discover how you make a new life when you can’t have the one you imagined... 

Kwame Asante: Teenage Heartblob

Kwame Asante: Teenage Heartblob

Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and medical doctor Kwame was overweight in his late childhood and obese in his early teens. Dealing with weight issues in his formative years, split between growing up in London and spending his summers in rural Ghana played a significant part in the person he is today... 

Rob Oldham: Worm's Lament

Rob Oldham: Worm's Lament

Rob Oldham, Amused Moose Breakthrough Comic 2017 and tour support for John Kearns and Abandoman, considers politics, youth and death. He does jokes to ensure this is funny. Worm's Lament is an hour of stand-up, poetry, reflective nostalgia and ambient anxiety drawing on Rob's 'quirky, offbeat sensibilities that distil into smart jokes that rarely sound like anyone else's' (Chortle... 

Heidi Regan: Heidi vs Sharks

Heidi Regan: Heidi vs Sharks

Winner of BBC New Comedy Award 2017 and So You Think You're Funny 2016, Heidi Regan brings her debut show to the Edinburgh Fringe. In Heidi vs Sharks, the aforementioned Heidi explores our relationship with an increasingly confusing world via the medium of bad shark films (starring the aforementioned sharks)... 

John Hastings: Float Like a Butterfly, John Hastings Like a Bee

John Hastings: Float Like a Butterfly, John Hastings Like a Bee

Last year, John Hastings was hit by a car and broke his arm. He then became homeless (his choice) with a long distance girlfriend (her choice) and now has a lot of thoughts on pigeons and bicycles (your choice)... 

Richard Todd: We Need the Eggs

Richard Todd: We Need the Eggs

An artist draws the same image repeatedly with indomitable zeal. A convenience shopkeeper eschews convenience to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams. Chortle's One to Watch 2018, Richard Todd, returns to Edinburgh with a new show... 

Micky Overman: Role Model

Micky Overman: Role Model

Rising star Micky Overman presents her highly anticipated debut show. Being a nanny and raising a teenage girl, Micky figures out how to set an example when she herself has made some pretty questionable choices... 

Tessa Coates: Witch Hunt

Tessa Coates: Witch Hunt

After a sell-out debut, one third of Massive Dad ('Hilarious' (Guardian)) returns with another show about how we got here­­ and where we're supposed to go next. Armed with an absolutely useless degree in Anthropology, she'll be combining storytelling with very intense academic research... 

Tom Lucy: Reluctant Millennial

Tom Lucy: Reluctant Millennial

Tom Lucy is one of the youngest professional comedians on the circuit. He is also, apparently, a millennial. This is not something he is happy about. An hour of blistering new material from the snowflake of his generation... 

Rosie Jones: Fifteen Minutes

Rosie Jones: Fifteen Minutes

Rosie Jones is a comedian with a penchant for being mischievous. Her cerebral palsy doesn't slow her down in the slightest. Catch her before she wobbles her way to stardom! As seen on 8 Out of 10 Cats and Silent Witness... 

Avocado: Definitely Maybe Not

Avocado: Definitely Maybe Not

After last year’s millennial-bashing debut, Avocado! are back and invite you to take a leap into the twisted little world of two twenty-something nothings for a second helping of hotly anticipated sketches exploring the WTFs and surely nots of life... 

Ivo Graham: Motion Sickness

Ivo Graham: Motion Sickness

A feisty new hour about facing the future named after my fourth favourite Hot Chip song (and a beaut by Phoebe Bridgers). As seen/heard on Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, Live from the BBC, Jon Richardson's Ultimate Worrier, Fighting Talk, The Now Show, It's Not What You Know and eating Subway sandwiches in petrol stations... 

Flo & Joan: Alive on Stage

Flo & Joan: Alive on Stage

Following a sell-out run of their critically acclaimed 2017 show The Kindness of Stranglers, musical comedy duo and sisters Flo & Joan return to Edinburgh with a new hour of their dark and witty songs... 

Ivan Aristeguieta: Juithy

Ivan Aristeguieta: Juithy

Third World meets First World when this award-winning Venezuelan makes his Edinburgh debut. After escaping Venezuela and immigrating to Australia, Ivan Aristeguieta became one of the hottest comics Down Under... 

Ed Night: An Aesthetic

Ed Night: An Aesthetic

'Ed Night stands at the dawn of the new age of stand-up' (Fest). He 'has no right to be as good as he is' **** (Fest). 'One of the future stars of British comedy' (iNews.co.uk). 'Blisteringly quick fire and jam-packed with jokes' (BroadwayBaby... 

Ben Pope: Baby Sasquatch

Ben Pope: Baby Sasquatch

Ben Pope is an award-winning comedian and cosmopolitan mammal. In this, his debut hour of stand-up, the hapless beast tries to find a nest. Expect jokes and stories on millennial rootlessness, finding and escaping yourself, Scandinavia and milk... 

Tom Brace: Brace Yourself (It's Magic Time!)

Tom Brace: Brace Yourself (It's Magic Time!)

Hold on to your raincoats! Tom Brace brings a jam-packed hour of laughs and magic that you simply won't believe! Expect the unexpected in this mind-boggling variety show. Suitable for the entire family, Tom is the magician for the Britain's Got Talent era! With something for everyone, this brand-new show promises to bamboozle the brain and fool even the sharpest of minds! 

Impact

Impact

A terrible crime has been committed. The guilty want to talk. They stand before you, offering their side of the story. Will you listen? The victims have written letters sharing their experience and you have access to them... 

Owen Roberts: I Let a Six-Year-Old Write My Show

Owen Roberts: I Let a Six-Year-Old Write My Show

After a severe case of writer\'s block, Owen has thrown caution to the wind and decided to let a child write his show for him. Kids are funny, right? What could possibly go wrong? She can\'t spell, she can\'t sit still for more than 30 seconds, and her ideas are wildly unrealistic to say the least... 

Sindhu Vee: Sandhog

Sindhu Vee: Sandhog

Loving your children, spouse and aging parents (in that order, please don't tell my mother) is very hard work, very intense and, a lot of the time, it sucks. But who wants to live without love? Highly anticipated debut from host of BBC Radio 4's Comedy of the Week podcast... 

Suzi Ruffell: Nocturnal

Suzi Ruffell: Nocturnal

If you don't have anxiety, I don't think you're concentrating! Suzi is worried about everything – from someone breaking into her flat, to human rights across the globe, to her cat's quality of life – and it's keeping her awake... 

Anuvab Pal: Empire

Anuvab Pal: Empire

The British Empire gave Anuvab a colonial accent and British values and suddenly left. Now he lives in contemporary India – a billion confident humans, fed on social media and American consumerism and way past their colonial hangover... 

Narcissist in the Mirror

Narcissist in the Mirror

  • Listing
    • Theatre
  • London Fringe
  • Multiple Venues
  • 1st Aug 2018 - 14th Mar 2019

Optioned for TV by Lime Pictures, Ed Fringe 2018 SELLOUT SHOW, Manchester Theatre Awards 'Best New Play', Stagedoor 'Most Anticipated Show' at VAULT Festival 2019. A dark comedy about life, ambition and millennial expectation: Narc is a love addict, a starving artist and a lost soul searching for self-worth… 

Gyles Brandreth: Break a Leg!

Gyles Brandreth: Break a Leg!

They say all political careers end in tears. In Brandreth's case it's tears of laughter as the actor, author, ex-MP, One Show reporter and QI, Have I Got News for You and Countdown star returns with his new show celebrating all things theatrical... 

Chris Turner: We're Where We Were

Chris Turner: We're Where We Were

Los Angeles hasn't changed Chris – he's a Manchester lad, born and gluten-free bread. Tricksy wordplay, niche references, and jaw-dropping freestyle raps from an award-winning 'virtuoso' (Guardian)... 

George Lewis: A Man, a Plan, a Girl With Fake Tan

George Lewis: A Man, a Plan, a Girl With Fake Tan

When George was 12 he fell for the most beautiful, orangest girl in Stockport. To win her heart, he decided he needed to act less like a boy and more like a man. Specifically, Liam Gallagher... 

Pierre Novellie: See Novellie, Hear Novellie, Speak Novellie

Pierre Novellie: See Novellie, Hear Novellie, Speak Novellie

Last year, Pierre gave you observational comedy for people who think they don't like observational comedy (***** (Metro)), this year it's satire for people without a team. Pierre's views don't please anyone 100% of the time, so who exactly is his demographic? Other white South African Manxmen? When you feel alienated by life, mock it vigorously... 

Kieran Hodgson: '75

Kieran Hodgson: '75

Ask most people to remember the early 70s and they won't. But for character comedian and tedious party guest Kieran Hodgson, they might hold the answer to the biggest question of our time: Europe? Twice nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award, Kieran returns to the Fringe with the epic tale of how Britain joined Europe in the first place... 

The Half

The Half

A brand-new play from Danielle Ward, writer of cult Fringe shows Take-A-Break Tales, Psister Psycho, Gutted and Dani Frankenstein. Starring Anna Crilly (Succession, Lead Balloon). Thirty minutes before curtain up, a double act meet for the first time in over a decade, but whatever happened to cause such a rift? Ambition, friendship, motherhood, ageing and mice are all explored in this tragicomedy... 

Better Together

Better Together

Join the three delightful clowns who make waiting for a bus a tragically complicated affair. Tropizo, Doa and Squiggle are on a journey to become best friends. But how do you make real friends in a modern world? Through loneliness and laughter, they learn to cast aside the everyday distractions that stand in the way of what matters most... 

Beard: Baby Come Back

Beard: Baby Come Back

Returning after their award-winning, sell-out 2015 show, Beard (‘one of the best kept secrets in comedy-town’ (List)) are back with their genre-defying comedy. Part-romance, part-nightmare, part-darkly-intimate-experience, Baby Come Back is the latest offering from these masters of tension and surprise... 

Pricks

Pricks

I've had over 70,000 pricks – of the medical kind. This is my chance to set the record straight about type 1 diabetics like me. I'm not bankrupting the NHS. And I can eat a cake – a whole bloody cake – if I want to... 

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Victim, Complex

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Victim, Complex

You might have seen Kiri on Comedy Central at the Comedy Store, The Russell Howard Hour or heard her on The Now Show. You might have no idea who she is, that's fine too. What you should know is, she's very quietly been going mad for a few years and, to borrow a phrase from Uma Thurman, she's been 'waiting... 

Jake Lambert: Little Lost Lad

Jake Lambert: Little Lost Lad

Jake lives alone, cuts his own hair, has an ability to remember the exact date he first tasted each specific food for the first time and has a one-eyed cat. If this sounds like it needs some explaining and, let's face it, it probably does, then this is the show for you... 

Cat in the Hat

Cat in the Hat

From the moment his tall, red and white striped hat appears around the door, Sally and her brother know that the Cat is the funniest, most mischievous Cat they have ever met. With the trickiest of tricks, he turns a rainy afternoon into an amazing adventure... 

Mr Thing

Mr Thing

The live, chaotic, comedy chat show Thing. Join the late-night mayhem of Mr Thing and the studio house band as they dive into a world of special guests, live music, interviews, sketches, games and jingles... 

Matt Rees: Happy Hour

Matt Rees: Happy Hour

Matt Rees returns to Edinburgh with his highly anticipated debut Happy Hour. The multi award-winning Welshman and sober drunk brings 60 minutes of 'very funny lines with a compelling, unforced lugubriousness' (Chortle... 

Chris Washington: You Beauty!

Chris Washington: You Beauty!

Edinburgh Best Newcomer nominee, Chris Washington debuts his brand-new show about the best year of his life! Including receiving the prestigious 10 years service tie pin from Royal Mail and the series of 'You Beauty!' moments that followed... 

For the Record

For the Record

The needle falls barely an inch, and with a fuzzy click finds it’s groove. A warm and uplifting journey gently spiralling through life’s absurdities, interweaving the singular poetic voice of Toby Thompson with some outrageously good songs... 

The Story Beast: Myths, Monsters & Mayhem

The Story Beast: Myths, Monsters & Mayhem

Hairy, ever so slightly scary tales for kids from the multi award-nominated wizard (alias John Henry Falle) and his arch-enemy, Mandy the Witch Who Lives Under The Sink (Funny Women semi-finalist Mandy Dassa)... 

The Showstoppers' Kids Show

The Showstoppers' Kids Show

Fringe favourites and Olivier Award-winning improvisers, The Showstoppers, take your kids' ideas and transform them on the spot into interactive musical adventures. Harry Potter in space? Done! Dora and the Gruffalo meet dinosaurs under the sea? No worries! Kids (and only kids!) decide who we meet and where we go to create a show tailor-made to their imaginations... 

AAA Stand-Up

AAA Stand-Up

Total sell-out 2005-2017 returns with a brand-new line-up. 'Comedy the way it should be: laugh-a-minute, leaving the audience wishing the show was a little bit longer' **** (Fest). Jon Long: 'Clever gags and witty songs... 

The Extinction Event

The Extinction Event

At the end of 60 minutes, mankind will vanish. 'A magician is an actor playing the part of a god', or so said Hugo Cedar. So, what happens when science makes gods of us all? Hypnotist magicians David Aula and Simon Evans present another mind-hopping, time-space continuum-busting, misdirection-bending examination of what really happens when science starts thinking for itself... 

Stevie Martin Vol. 1

Stevie Martin Vol. 1

One third of critically-acclaimed sketch group Massive Dad, **** (Guardian), Stevie Martin presents her debut solo show. Expect comedy. Expect laughing. Expect a stage. Do not expect a live horse because there won't be one... 

Lolly Adefope: Lolly 3

Lolly Adefope: Lolly 3

The hotly-anticipated new show from the multi-award-winning character comedian and star of Taskmaster (Dave), Loaded (Channel 4), Miracle Workers (TBS USA) and Damned (Channel 4). The Observer's Rising Star 2017, Lolly is 'nothing short of outstanding' ***** (ITalkTelly... 

...And This Is My Friend Mr Laurel

...And This Is My Friend Mr Laurel

Jeffrey Holland (Hi-de-Hi, You Rang M'Lord) returns in this sell-out one-man show about friendship, memories and a couple of remarkable lives. Set in the bedroom of a sick Oliver Hardy, the show takes place during Laurel's visit to the dying man... 

Catherine Bohart: Immaculate

Catherine Bohart: Immaculate

Catherine Bohart is the bisexual, OCD daughter of an Irish Catholic Deacon and she's got a hell of a lot to say about it. Debut show from a rising comedy star. Finalist: BBC New Comedy Award 2016... 

The Duke

The Duke

In 2015 I sit at my desk waiting for an email to tell me what the final changes are that I need to make to the film script I've been working on for 10 years. I turn the radio on. I hear a report about the refugee crisis... 

Fin Taylor: When Harassy Met Sally

Fin Taylor: When Harassy Met Sally

'The most relevant comedian in Edinburgh' (EdFestMag.com) is back! His finger's still on the pulse, except now he doesn't know whether that's flirting or harassment. This is the third year in a row Fin has picked a stupid title after five-star sell-outs Whitey McWhiteface and Lefty Tighty Righty Loosey... 

Murder She Didn't Write: The Improvised Murder Mystery

Murder She Didn't Write: The Improvised Murder Mystery

A classic murder mystery is created on the spot from audience suggestions in this ingenious show from Fringe favourites, Degrees of Error. Ms Violet in the parlour with the flamethrower? Dr Gold in Debenhams with the canon? Will you guess whodunnit? And for your Sunday night entertainment, don’t forget our late-night shows with a twist! 'Everything a Fringe comedy should be: original, professional and very, very funny' **** (EdFringeReview... 

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... 

The Song of Lunch

The Song of Lunch

Robert Bathurst (Cold Feet, Downton Abbey, Toast of London) and Rebecca Johnson (The Trip, The Flood) star in this hilarious and poignant drama of a disastrous attempt to rekindle lost love... 

Sisters: On Demand

Sisters: On Demand

After a sell-out debut show, innovative sketch duo Sisters are putting you in control of their highly anticipated second hour. ‘A genuinely exciting new voice in sketch comedy’ (Telegraph)... 

Michael Morpurgo's Kensuke's Kingdom

Michael Morpurgo's Kensuke's Kingdom

Off on the adventure of a lifetime, Michael, his parents and their faithful dog Stella set sail around the world. Then, the night before his 12th birthday, disaster strikes. Washed overboard, Michael finds himself stranded on an island in the Pacific... 

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet

Enemies. Balconies. Kissing. Sausage rolls! Shakespeare's iconic tale is ‘rubbished’ in this debut Fringe run. Sporting a national reputation, from school tours to work with the RSC, this all-male, all-silly troupe present Shakespeare's most hilarious tragedy ever... 

Luke Kempner: House of Faces

Luke Kempner: House of Faces

Comedian and impressionist Luke Kempner and his multiple personalities host an ultimate reality show where no one is off limits. Expect to see celebrities, politicians and even royalty help Luke face his faults and fears... 

Marcus Brigstocke: Devil May Care

Marcus Brigstocke: Devil May Care

Snowflake. Remoaner. Libtard. Brextremist. Feminazi. Piers Morgan. As we divide each other up into more and more unpleasant categories of evil, it's time to establish, once and for all, what is good and what is bad... 

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... 

Hal Cruttenden: Chubster

Hal Cruttenden: Chubster

Hal’s literally filled our screens in the last few years on such shows as Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News For You, The Apprentice: You’re Fired and The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice... 

Author, Composer, Soldier-of-a-Sort

Author, Composer, Soldier-of-a-Sort

Celebrating the friendship between composer and war poet, Ivor Gurney, and musician and first woman music critic, Marion Scott; written and performed by Jan Carey. It was to Scott, that Gurney sent his music and poetry from the trenches... 

Mr. Swallow and the Vanishing Elephant

Mr. Swallow and the Vanishing Elephant

Following the five-star, sell-out success of Houdini, Nick Mohammed's alter ego Mr. Swallow is back with another hour of magic, music and elephants. 'Breathtaking' ***** (Guardian)... 

Brett Goldstein: What Is Love Baby Don't Hurt Me

Brett Goldstein: What Is Love Baby Don't Hurt Me

Sex. Porn. Love. Addiction. Can Brett tell the difference? Brett Goldstein, award-winning comic, actor and writer, returns with a new stand-up show about relationships, psychology, living in a post-porn world and the hell that is being in love... 

The Noise Next Door's Comedy Lock-In!

The Noise Next Door's Comedy Lock-In!

The 10-time sell-out sensation returns to Edinburgh with a jaw-dropping, side-splitting evening of finely-tuned anarchy, featuring a cavalcade of incredible special guests and some once-in-a-lifetime comedy curiosities... 

Short & Curly: Young at Start

Short & Curly: Young at Start

Curly is convinced that appearing youthful is the answer to success and he will do whatever is necessary to get 'youth'. Cut a long story short. Short ruins it. If you thought pink custard was good you'll crap your pants over this! 'It's completely hilarious and amazing' **** (BroadwayBaby... 

Adam Hess: Seahorse

Adam Hess: Seahorse

Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer nominee, as seen on Tonight at the Palladium and Live at the BBC. Adam can't imagine the Queen with wet hair and he can't get his head around the fact his cat has a grandad... 

Jacqueline Novak: How Embarrassing for Her

Jacqueline Novak: How Embarrassing for Her

Jacqueline Novak finds everything embarrassing... except for the obvious. Revealing intimate details of her life to strangers? Her chosen profession. Crying in public? She wrote a book encouraging it... 

Felicity Ward: Busting a Nut

Felicity Ward: Busting a Nut

Fresh off the back of her new BBC Radio 4 series Appisodes, a Netflix special Live from the BBC, and regular co-host of The Guilty Feminist Podcast, Felicity Ward returns to the Edinburgh Fringe after a two-year hiatus... 

Kika's Birthday

Kika's Birthday

Kika, a little French mouse, is going to be five years old! Her family has planned a birthday surprise, with friends, songs and a grasshopper band. But who is that with a twitchy tail and shining eyes watching them closely? It's that bright orange cat... 

Darren Harriott: Visceral

Darren Harriott: Visceral

Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer nominee, Darren Harriott returns with a brand new show that explores everything from the personal to the political with his trademark warmth and proper jokes... 

WEIRD

WEIRD

Critically acclaimed company return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Yasmin feels different, she feels weird. She longs to be normal like everyone else but that’s proving difficult... 

Ad Libido

Ad Libido

Fran wants to want sex. But no matter how many wonder cures she tries, she doesn't feel like her fire's been lit. Sometimes it hurts. Join Fran on a 'relentlessly hilarious' (Stage) quest, with songs, as she pursues a "normal" sex life... 

Briony Redman: Sketch Artist

Briony Redman: Sketch Artist

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Unless you're driving. A comedy show that asks the big questions*. What's worse, an alien invasion or peer pressure? What is military zumba? Can you have an attempted murder mystery? Stories, sketch and a who-almost-dunnit... 

Lucy Porter: Pass It On

Lucy Porter: Pass It On

A brand-new stand-up show from the perennial Fringe favourite. As seen on QI, Room 101 and Live at the Apollo. As heard on BBC Radio 4's News Quiz and The Now Show. Always warm, witty and thought-provoking, this is Lucy's best show yet... 

Egg: Richard Pictures

Egg: Richard Pictures

Brand-new sketch show from stars of award-winning Fringe favourites BattleActs (BBC Radio 1). Anna and Emily are two off-white women ready to ask all the big questions that have nothing to do with fertility... 

Trump Lear

Trump Lear

Direct from its hit New York season, Trump meets Lear in this 'biting political satire' (Theasy.com) that's inspired upon the whims of a madman! From the team behind award-winning Gary Busey's One-Man Hamlet comes an absurdly funny take on Shakespeare's greatest tragedy as you've never seen it before... 

Clingfilm

Clingfilm

What do you get when a Pole, a Turk and a Brit turn up at a funeral? A cabaret. Obviously. Clingfilm is the dark, sparkly and anxiety-ridden world of three hipsters hashing out one WTF after another, from turning 30 to the imminence of Brexit... 

Moon

Moon

Moon is a comedy double-act by Jack Chisnall and Joshua Dolphin, two proud sons of England’s provincial backwaters. They’ll be hawking up their brand of dark, unexpected, and immersive sketches at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe for the first time... 

Alice Snedden: Self-Titled

Alice Snedden: Self-Titled

After performing to sold-out crowds at the New Zealand Comedy Festival, Alice Snedden is bringing her debut show, Self-Titled, to Edinburgh. Watch as she tells jokes and you laugh. Smile as she tells stories and you relate... 

The Bear

The Bear

The Bear by Raymond Briggs, adapted by Pins and Needles Productions. One night when she's fast asleep, an enormous white bear climbs into Tilly's bedroom. It has a big black tongue and a yawn as big as your head... 

The Crooners

The Crooners

An hour of non-stop, razor-sharp, unadulterated show business. Comedy, crooning, cocktails and class from critically acclaimed character comedians, Brendan Murphy and Kiell Smith-Bynoe (stars of BBC Radio 1's improvised comedy show BattleActs!)... 

AAA Stand-Up Late

AAA Stand-Up Late

Total sell-out 2010-2017 returns with a brand-new line-up. 'Comedy the way it should be: laugh-a-minute, leaving the audience wishing the show was a little bit longer' **** (Fest). Saskia Preston: 'Interesting, quirky act, alien weirdo with odd observations... 

The Free Association: Jacuzii

The Free Association: Jacuzii

The Free Association – London's leading improv comedy theatre and school – returns with their smash-hit show Jacuzii. Every night, a special guest comedian will share stories and anecdotes from their lives, inspiring an all-star team of improvisers to create a completely spontaneous and hilarious show... 

Mark Watson: The Infinite Show

Mark Watson: The Infinite Show

Cluster-bombed with yoghurt on Taskmaster, half-killed on The Island, Watson returns to what he's best at: being indoors. This show began as a work-in-progress in Edinburgh last year and now makes its official premiere... 

Offside

Offside

It is seldom that we discuss the inherent inequalities in our nation’s most beloved sport. Perhaps because of the very fact football is so loved safeguards it from scrutiny. It is only recently that conversation has been sparked about racism in football, and there is yet to be a significant discussion of its misogyny... 

Yvette

Yvette

Every once in awhile a piece of theatre comes along so powerful that it wobbles you, requiring time long after the curtain call to be processed in its entirety. Yvette, a one-woman play written and performed outstandingly by Urielle Klein-Mekongo, is one of these pieces... 

When We Ran

When We Ran

Patch of Blue’s production of When We Ran is very much a case of style over substance, substituting complexity for clarity and failing to achieve its ambitious aims. Every aspect of the production is over-complicated and while it aims for power and emotional intensity the play ends histrionic and ineffective... 

Nina Conti: In Therapy

Nina Conti: In Therapy

Nina Conti’s In Therapy is a hysterical and intelligent piece of improvised comedy that plays with the idea of what would happen if we actually said our uncensored thoughts out loud... 

Speaking in Tongues: The Lies

Speaking in Tongues: The Lies

Andrew Bovell’s Speaking in Tongues: The Lies is one half of a Doughnut Productions double bill showing at the Pleasance Courtyard this August. Matched by its sister play The Truths, The Lies gives us a glimpse of the lives of four married individuals who initiate a quartet of love and infidelity... 

Vikki Stone – Concerto for Comedian and Orchestra

Vikki Stone – Concerto for Comedian and Orchestra

For one night only, award-winning comedian/composer Vikki Stone will perform her brand-new orchestral work Concerto for Comedian and Orchestra, alongside one of Scotland's finest youth orchestras: the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland Camerata... 

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Appropriate Adult

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Appropriate Adult

Kiri Pritchard-McLean creates a universe in the hot box room: dangling planets hang from the ceiling, and she wears a starry skirt and planet earrings to orbit her black-and-white hair... 

G and Ste's Big Gay Wedding

G and Ste's Big Gay Wedding

G and Ste are Fringe fanatics who felt that becoming part of the Fringe was the perfect way to celebrate their nuptials. No, really, this is their actual wedding! Should you be lucky enough to get hold of one of the available tickets, please bear in mind that this is not just a Fringe show, but a major event in two people's lives... 

Ingrid Oliver: Speech!

Ingrid Oliver: Speech!

Ingrid Oliver delivers an hour of speeches in Speech! From a TED talk to the ramblings of a right-wing shock-jock, and all manner of voices in between, the connecting thread between all of the scenes is public speaking – the voices we hear, whether we want to or not... 

The Gruffalo's Child

The Gruffalo's Child

Much as it is a pleasure to discover a hidden gem amongst the mass of shows in Edinburgh, there’s also something very reassuring about having a list of reliable prospects. Whether it’s a venue, a regular show, a stalwart performer or a company, it’s nice to have these tentpoles around which to build your Fringe schedule... 

Dr Carnesky's Incredible Bleeding Woman

Dr Carnesky's Incredible Bleeding Woman

Created through a series of devised rituals performed every month during the dark moon (when the moon is black against the sky) for three months, this show is part lecture, part sideshow and part catharsis... 

Lauren Pattison: Lady Muck

Lauren Pattison: Lady Muck

One of the brightest young talents on the comedy scene, with a fresh and fierce female voice, Lauren Pattison has arrived with her hotly anticipated debut hour about embracing your flaws... 

Mark Watson: I'm Not Here

Mark Watson: I'm Not Here

This show, a high spot of Watson's notorious Edinburgh career, began as a work-in-progress at the Fringe two years ago. After 111 performances, and a Pleasance run last year which sold every ticket and was officially the third best reviewed comedy show of the festival, it returns for three farewell evenings... 

Girls

Girls

Deeply political, magnificently performed and filled with tense action and witty dialogue, Girls manages to grip and amaze the audience with its characters and powerful message from start to finish... 

The Noise Next Door: 10

The Noise Next Door: 10

Noise Next Door are supremely proficient improvisers, and know how to create an evening show which will please a rowdy audience. For those audience members with a large beer in their hands, this show was a winner... 

Creatives

Creatives

At a college songwriting class in Chicago, an end-of-year competition involves the students performing each other’s anonymous submissions for a celebrity guest judge. It’s like no contest I’ve ever heard of in real life, and there’s something gloriously petty about the characters’ investment in it – it’s all very musical theatre dahling... 

Amusical

Amusical

For one night only Jayde Adams and Kiri Pritchard-McLean host this celebration of all things West End (or Broadway if you're American/better off than us). Accompanied by our house band, Dave and the Quavers, comedians perform their favourite songs from stage and screen and it's up to you to decide who's best... 

Sue Perkins Live! in Spectacles

Sue Perkins Live! in Spectacles

A rare chance to enjoy an afternoon with Sue Perkins packed full of sparkling wit, great stories, a user's guide to Mary Berry plus the opportunity to put your burning questions to Sue in a lively Q&A session... 

Plan B for Utopia

Plan B for Utopia

How do we start a conversation about a better future without sounding like dreamers? This is the question that Joan Clevillé Dance’s Plan B For Utopia tries to answer as its narrative weaves and floats through a postmodern landscape of dance, storytelling and physical theatre... 

Not I

Not I

Jess Thom has Tourettes, a condition that means she makes movements and noises she can't control, called tics. Following the award-winning Backstage in Biscuit Land, she takes on Samuel Beckett's short play in a theatrical experience that explores neurodiversity and asks who is allowed to perform what and who gets the final say... 

An Audience With Jeffrey Archer

An Audience With Jeffrey Archer

He's sold 330m books worldwide, was President of Oxford University Athletics Club, ran the 100yds in 9.6seconds for Great Britain, and served 25 years in the House of Lords. Hear more about his astonishing life in An Audience With Jeffrey Archer... 

Murder, She Didn't Write: The Improvised Murder Mystery

Murder, She Didn't Write: The Improvised Murder Mystery

A murder has been committed. But the detective can’t remember who died, who is the murderer or where it happened. That’s where the audience comes in. Murder, She Didn’t Write by Degrees Of Error has an excellent concept... 

The Free Association: Jacuzzi

The Free Association: Jacuzzi

Jacuzzi may have been a random title for the Free Association to use for their improvised comedy show, but this hour is indeed relaxed, warm, and bubbly. And much like the aforementioned baths, it's a late-night activity made more enjoyable by the presence of alcohol... 

Iain Stirling: U OK Hun? X

Iain Stirling: U OK Hun? X

Iain Stirling’s latest sell out Edinburgh Fringe Festival performance has a lot of Love Island quips, but is truly grounded in Iain’s life experiences.The set begins in true Love Island style, with Iain well at home providing a voice-over introduction that has his audience in hysterics... 

A Heart at Sea

A Heart at Sea

Half a String Theatre's new show is a delightfully charming and immaculately produced tale of triumph, travel and terrific adventure told through innovative puppetry and wonderfully lyrical song... 

Kwame Asante: Open Arms

Kwame Asante: Open Arms

An antidote to egotistical stand-up, Kwame Asante’s Open Arms is a charming hour of anecdotal and observational comedy.Asante balances his stand-up career with being a full-time Junior Doctor... 

Nutty Noah – Wear Your Pants With Pride

Nutty Noah – Wear Your Pants With Pride

Grab a seat, hold on tight and have as much fun as your kids. Finally making his Fringe debut after selling-out venues including Komedia, Bristol's Tobacco Factory and the Tropicana (Dismaland)... 

Home

Home

A tale of unexpected friendship. Exploring a new and unknown world, Home immerses audiences with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD) in a multisensory story of discovery... 

Daphne: The Best of Daphne

Daphne: The Best of Daphne

Daphne are Phil Wang, Jason Forbes and George Fouracres – the UK’s most racially diverse sketch trio. This year they’re bringing their first ‘Best Of’ show to the Fringe, featuring a heady mix of sketches from their 2015 Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated debut Daphne Do Edinburgh, and their critically-acclaimed follow-up, Daphne’s Second Show... 

John Hastings: Audacity

John Hastings: Audacity

John Hastings is back at the Fringe and this time he’s in love - for real. With stories of life and falling for the woman of his dream, his sparkling blend of observational comedy and enema jokes is a pleasure to behold... 

Phoebe Walsh: I'll Have What She's Having

Phoebe Walsh: I'll Have What She's Having

It's difficult to know when Phoebe Walsh is being ironic, and when she is simply revelling in being a stereotypical millennial.Every line from Walsh’s script could be posted to Twitter with the hashtag #relatable... 

Natalie Palamides: LAID

Natalie Palamides: LAID

The Edinburgh Fringe debut of LA-based comedian Natalie Palamides will not be what you expect but it will be one of the best things you see at the festival this year. This one-woman show is co-devised and directed by Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Doctor Brown and features more eggs than sense (even though few eggs survive the hour)... 

Ed Gamble: Mammoth

Ed Gamble: Mammoth

Ed Gamble’s Mammoth is a strong example of observational comedy at this year’s Fringe. Gamble is undeniably posh with a self-deprecating sense of humour. He claims to be a heavy metal fan but has what is known as a ‘’Coldplay face’’... 

Sara Pascoe: LadsLadsLads

Sara Pascoe: LadsLadsLads

Sara is enjoying a year-long, one-woman stag do. From spiritual retreats, city breaks, life drawing classes and football matches – she has been drunk and lonely everywhere. Following a sell-out live tour of Animal (inspired by her acclaimed book of the same name), the multi award-winning comedian and star of Live at The Apollo, Mock the Week, QI and Taskmaster, returns to Edinburgh with a brand-new (best ever) stand-up show... 

Spank!tacular

Spank!tacular

Spank's big sister returns with sexier hosts and more awesome comedy and cabaret – don't miss the 'best wild night out' (Scotland on Sunday). Previous acts include Katherine Ryan, Jason Byrne, Pete Firman and many more! Follow @spankcomedy or check venue box-office for line-ups... 

Follow Suit

Follow Suit

Set in a stark environment of desks and bare lightbulbs, Silent Faces’ Follow Suit is a cutting parody of life in the corporate sector. Through clowning and physical theatre, the four actors portray the mind-numbing drudgery of stocks, shares and portfolios... 

Future Perfect

Future Perfect

Tall Stories return to Edinburgh for their 20th birthday with an updated version of Future Perfect. Pitched at children aged 6 and above, Future Perfect is an enjoyable 45 minutes with a wholesome moral and traditional setup... 

Tom Lucy: Needs to Stop Showing Off in Front of His Friends

Tom Lucy: Needs to Stop Showing Off in Front of His Friends

Fresh from supporting Jack Whitehall, Rob Beckett and Shappi Khorsandi on sold-out tours, Tom brings his hotly anticipated debut show to the fringe. Tom is one of the youngest professional comedians working in the UK and in 2016 became the youngest ever winner of the prestigious Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year award... 

Phil Wang: Kinabalu

Phil Wang: Kinabalu

Kinabalu is an astutely clever and astutely silly hour of stand up from British-Malaysian comic Phil Wang. A routine loosely structured around questions of race, privilege and empire, with a healthy dose of observational material thrown in, this is comedy with substance... 

Poll Function

Poll Function

A play that will make you laugh, cringe and cry in equal measure, Poll Function is a masterstroke. From theatre company HailToThePeople, their debut Fringe show delves into the world of the outcast and disenfranchised: the young men who screwed the system and got screwed back... 

Gary Delaney: There's Something About Gary

Gary Delaney: There's Something About Gary

Back due to popular demand! Gary thinks a good joke should be like a drunk Glaswegian, short and punchy. This show is not only great for people who like lots of jokes, but also fun for people who enjoy getting offended by jokes too... 

The Toxic Avenger

The Toxic Avenger

Based on the 1984 cult classic, The Toxic Avenger captures everything good about spoof musicals. It’s smart enough to not be too witty, silly enough to have fun with its premise, and it's executed with dazzling ability... 

Simon Amstell: Tour Previews (Work in Progress)

Simon Amstell: Tour Previews (Work in Progress)

'Simon Amstell has a gift for taking a social norm and gently mocking it until it seems utterly ridiculous. Highly literate... an endearing mixture of offhanded candor and sharp wit... 

Phil Wang: Kinabalu

Phil Wang: Kinabalu

Phil Wang is a son of the British Empire. But in a world suddenly intent on building walls and bolstering borders, what is a Commonwealth man to do? A blistering new hour of comedy gold – that's what... 

Replay

Replay

Replay is a tense and atmospheric play which deftly explores loss, trauma and determination. Written and performed by Nicola Wren, this one-woman show is thoughtful and well-executed... 

Pippa Evans: Joy Provision!

Pippa Evans: Joy Provision!

This is the show we’ve been waiting for.Don’t get me wrong, I love politics, but if I have to hear one more Sean Spicer gag this Fringe I will be forced to rip out my own spleen... 

Secret Life of Humans

Secret Life of Humans

An eclectic and beautiful production – Secret Life of Humans combines a baffling diversity of genres into a single theatrical masterpiece. It’s a daring show that explores history, science and human nature in a way that is mesmerising to watch... 

Gein's Family Giftshop: Volume 3

Gein's Family Giftshop: Volume 3

Sketch comedy is the medium in which an original voice is most important in order to be successful. Without the same club route that stand-ups have, a sketch comedy troupe’s only real chance of lasting success is to be picked up for a television/radio pilot and become a brand in their own right... 

Tez Ilyas: Teztify

Tez Ilyas: Teztify

Tez Ilyas shows throughout this hour that he is an assured stand-up with serious political messages to get across about intolerance. Having recently moved back to Blackburn, Ilyas recounts his experiences of having reconnected with his family there and the casual racism that he says typifies the North, both key strands in the narrative running throughout the show... 

Bare Skin on Briny Waters

Bare Skin on Briny Waters

Bare Skin On Briny Waters is part of the Hull Takeover of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and is one of five plays presenting from the 2017 UK City of Culture. It is Bellow Theatre’s salt-water-smelling story about storytelling, survival and female selfhood... 

Roald Dahl's Marvellous Medicine

Roald Dahl's Marvellous Medicine

Did you know that Roald Dahl not only wrote George's Marvellous Medicine, but came up with some marvellous medicine of his own?! Join Roald Dahl’s doctor, Professor Tom Solomon, for a fascinating trip into the whoopsey-splunkers world of Dahl’s amazing medical inventions... 

Jelly Beans

Jelly Beans

Jelly Beans is a really, really horrible play. A new work by Dan Pick, the piece describes one day in the life of an unnamed man in Port Glasgow. Wasting time, money and relationships, the man is suffering from severe alienation... 

David Walliams' The First Hippo on the Moon

David Walliams' The First Hippo on the Moon

From the team behind Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs comes a brand new adaptation of David Walliam’s children’s book The First Hippo on the Moon. The ensemble of Les Petits has produced an entertaining, if formulaic, show for children... 

The Tartan Ribbon Comedy Benefit

The Tartan Ribbon Comedy Benefit

A top night of comedy with all proceeds going to Waverley Care, a charity the Pleasance has supported for the past 26 years, providing care and support to people living with HIV or Hepatitis C throughout Scotland... 

Jordan Brookes: Body of Work

Jordan Brookes: Body of Work

In August 2015 Jordan's Nanna, Gwendoline Martha Brookes, passed away. She was 95. This show is a genuine attempt to pay tribute to her. That can't be the whole thing can it? I thought Brookes did absurdist stuff? Like bits that go on for ages and horrible physical stuff, daft faces, spitting down himself etc? Is he just going to talk about his Nan for an hour? Surely not... 

Mark Watson's Festival of Bad Ideas

Mark Watson's Festival of Bad Ideas

Mark Watson asked a range of top comedians: 'what is your bad idea? What show would you like to put on, but never dare?' Now, one a night, they attempt these projects. Shows – or sort-of-shows – that have never been seen before and maybe never will be again... 

The Wrestling

The Wrestling

Clotheslines versus punchlines – the biggest show in the history of Edinburgh is back. 11pm. Pleasance Grand. One night only. And this time, there's a title belt hanging above the ring... 

Kae Kurd: Kurd Your Enthusiasm

Kae Kurd: Kurd Your Enthusiasm

Kae Kurd has the self-possession and charisma of a seasoned performer, which is particularly impressive given that Kurd Your Enthusiasm is his debut Fringe show. In his stand-up routine, Kurd combines the personal and political – a fusion that characterises his very identity, as part of the largest ethnic group in the world without an independent country and as a Muslim... 

Matt Forde: A Show Hastily Rewritten in Light of Recent Events – Again!

Matt Forde: A Show Hastily Rewritten in Light of Recent Events – Again!

Matt Forde is a consummate professional, with sharp observations and confident crowd work, it’s just a shame this show lacks the biting satire expected from political comedy at the fringe... 

Joseph Morpurgo: Hammerhead

Joseph Morpurgo: Hammerhead

Joseph Morpurgo has earned a reputation for being both a crowd pleaser and a comedian’s comedian with his inventive, high-concept multimedia shows. Hammerhead more than lived up to these expectations, providing us with a monster of epic proportions... 

Labels

Labels

The superfluous orations of Joe Sellman-Leava see his one-man act deliver strong discourse aimed at unboxing the confines that social tags put upon our species. He does not seek to take on the world for its many faults as much as he implores it to conform to a unilateral standard... 

Nick Helm: Masterworks in Progress '17

Nick Helm: Masterworks in Progress '17

After spending two years in the wilderness, international treasure Nick Helm (Dave's Best Joke 2011) crawls his way back from the depths of hell to find the world he once loved has turned to piss and shit... 

Sara Pascoe: LadsLadsLads

Sara Pascoe: LadsLadsLads

Sara is enjoying a year-long, one-woman stag do. From spiritual retreats, city breaks, life drawing classes and football matches – she has been drunk and lonely everywhere. Following a sell-out live tour of Animal (inspired by her acclaimed book of the same name), the multi award-winning comedian and star of Live at The Apollo, Mock the Week, QI and Taskmaster, returns to Edinburgh with a brand-new (best ever) stand-up show... 

Charlie's Letters

Charlie's Letters

An escaped POW's battle for survival whilst on the run in war-torn Italy, as his wife and son wait for news in England. 16-year-old aspiring director Elliott Hasler's epic depiction of his great-grandfather's WWII experiences... 

2017 Chortle Student Comedy Awards Final

2017 Chortle Student Comedy Awards Final

Hundreds entered, eight survive – now one will be crowned Britain's funniest student 2017. We've scoured the UK's universities for the finest new comedy talent, now we need to choose the very best of the best... 

Giants: For an Hour

Giants: For an Hour

With so many comedy double acts at the Fringe – many of whom are also middle-class white boys from London – Will Hislop and Barney Fishwick have their work cut out to stand out from the crowds... 

Rhys James: Wiseboy

Rhys James: Wiseboy

I’ve never seen an hour of stand-up with such a high density of laughter points. Rhys James’ sets are tightly crafted, original, and confident. His improvised material flows naturally too, and his criticism of our (many) latecomers hits the mark even with those he is targeting: ‘I’m going to leave you alone now, because it doesn’t seem that you like me, and I’m having problems at work’... 

Jayde Adams is Jayded

Jayde Adams is Jayded

After a bumper month at the Fringe last year Jayde Adams comes to a new venue with her latest comedy offering Jayded. It’s a tale of struggle and strife navigating the pitfalls of humankind’s greatest desire – friendship... 

Speaking in Tongues: The Truths

Speaking in Tongues: The Truths

Sometimes, just one good idea is enough to make a show a success. It seem that this is what Doughnut Productions were counting on with their production of Speaking In Tongues: The Truths... 

Tessa Coates: Primates

Tessa Coates: Primates

Putting on a Fringe show is, for any performer, a risky endeavour. Costing almost a year’s supply of time and money, taking chances with the cumulative creative effort of months of work is perhaps something that shouldn’t be accepted or required to create a great Fringe show... 

Angela Barnes: Fortitude

Angela Barnes: Fortitude

After sold out Fringe shows in 2014 and 2015, Angela Barnes is back with a new routine that is, at times, remarkably and worryingly prescient. Especially given the developments in the relationship between the US and North Korea in the last week... 

Ed Night: Anthem for Doomed Youth

Ed Night: Anthem for Doomed Youth

Anthem for Doomed Youth is the hilarious new debut hour from Ed Night. The unassuming figure of Night hides an intimidatingly sharp comedic mind, who’s not afraid to do low-brow humour in an intelligent way... 

Spank!tacular

Spank!tacular

Spank's big sister returns with sexier hosts and more awesome comedy and cabaret – don't miss the 'best wild night out' (Scotland on Sunday). Previous acts include Katherine Ryan, Jason Byrne, Pete Firman and many more! Follow @spankcomedy or check venue box-office for line-ups... 

Red Bastard: Lie With Me

Red Bastard: Lie With Me

The Bastard is back! Returning after taking a year away from the Fringe to conquer the world, Red Bastard, the beastly bouffon, is here to feast on our lies and he has prepared a spectacular smorgasbord for us to share whether we want to or not... 

Mavis Sparkle

Mavis Sparkle

There is more to Mavis Sparkle than meets the eye. The simple-seeming cleaner on her last day chats happily away as she finishes up her dusting, trying to decide where to go next. Mavis travels the country with her trolley of tricks, moving from one job to another and sprinkling glitter from her fingers, whilst accompanied by a bedazzled cuckoo clock and a shy but incredibly endearing hedgehog called Spike... 

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical seems to have become synonymous with the Fringe; their billboards plastering every major walkway across Edinburgh. The buzz is palpable as one files into the packed Pleasance Grand, an expectant excitement common among the several hundred ready to see what delights this talented troupe will dole out in spades tonight... 

1 Woman, a High-Flyer and a Flat Bottom: Samantha Baines

1 Woman, a High-Flyer and a Flat Bottom: Samantha Baines

Award-winning comedian Samantha Baines (The Crown, Sunny D, BBC Radio 4) returns to Edinburgh after a smash-hit, sell-out run in 2016. This year she's exploring the lost women of science... 

A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad)

A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad)

A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad) is about a woman’s struggle with depression, told through a simple, storytelling format and soundtracked by original music from Frisky and Mannish’s usually excellent Matthew Floyd Jones... 

Sara Schaefer: Little White Box

Sara Schaefer: Little White Box

Before even starting the show, Sara Schaefer has the advantage of a unique perspective. Brought up in the Bible Belt of America and being sent to Christian Camp every year, she has an outlook that is both interesting and hilarious to the British viewer... 

Let Me Look at You

Let Me Look at You

Starving Artists are back with a compelling show about homosexuality in which Mark Pinkosh shares how being gay has affected his life.Written by his husband, Godfrey Hamilton, the play is set in present day Soho where Pinkosh can’t take his eyes off a young man leaning against a motorcycle... 

Skin

Skin

Last year, 201 Dance Company shattered the stereotypes associated with hip-hop dance with the critically acclaimed Smother. This year, they bring us Skin, which explores one boy’s struggle through gender transition using urban and contemporary dance and a fantastic original score of hip hop and dubsteb beats... 

The Showstoppers' Kids Show

The Showstoppers' Kids Show

Seeing The Showstoppers’ Kids Show is like watching a new improvised episode of Horrible Histories. So yes, on this day at least, there are plenty of poo jokes which are met with due glee... 

Iain Stirling: U OK Hun? X

Iain Stirling: U OK Hun? X

Edinburgh's BAFTA-winning comedian returns to the Fringe after a summer narrating ITV2's Love Island and five consecutive sell-out runs. As seen on Drunk History (Comedy Central) and The Dog Ate My Homework (CBBC)... 

Tom Allen: Absolutely

Tom Allen: Absolutely

As seen on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Live at the Apollo, The Great British Bake Off's Extra Slice, The John Bishop Show, Virtually Famous, Channel 4's Comedy Gala at the O2 and heard on Radio 4's Just a Minute... 

Sara Schaefer: Little White Box

Sara Schaefer: Little White Box

In her debut show Schaefer employs her vulnerable, whip-smart comedy style to confront her complicated relationship with Jesus, America, and death. In the age of Trump, Sara can't separate the deeply personal from the absurdly political and mines her own life to find answers... 

James Acaster: The Trelogy – Recognise

James Acaster: The Trelogy – Recognise

James Acaster is a comedian who, for many, requires no introduction. He has achieved enormous success at the Fringe, with the shows he has brought to Edinburgh over the last five years earning a record-breaking five consecutive nominations for ‘Best Comedy Show’... 

Pip Utton's Greatest Hits

Pip Utton's Greatest Hits

Pip Utton is a veteran of the stage, and of the Edinburgh Festival. This year he returns with Pip Utton’s Greatest Hits performing four of his one-man shows based on famous historical characters in repertoire... 

DIGS

DIGS

DIGS, devised by newly formed company Theatre with Legs, offers insight into how the millennials of ‘Generation Rent’ think about community and belonging. It is a frank, honest portrayal of the both the positive and negative sides of flat sharing; the parties it can result in alongside the ways in which it can affect your wellbeing... 

Dane Baptiste: G.O.D. (Gold. Oil. Drugs.)

Dane Baptiste: G.O.D. (Gold. Oil. Drugs.)

The world is too insane right now to claim the traditional gods are dead but our modern culture has definitely found a few new idols to worship. Dane Baptiste has identified a few of them in his new religiously charged and often insightful show, and while it's not a total success it remains a thought-provoking hour of comedy littered with sharp observations and belly laugh provoking one-liners... 

Testosterone

Testosterone

Testosterone is a touching, funny and incredibly brave piece of theatre from Rhum and Clay Company and Kit Redstone. It chronicles his experience of physically transitioning from female to male and the social minefield of modern masculinity that he’s had to navigate... 

Kafka and Son

Kafka and Son

At the age of 36, Franz Kafka sat down to write a letter to his father that would never be sent. Kafka and Son is the dramatic adaptation of this letter, which details the father’s tyrannical behaviour and the effect it had on Kafka’s mental state... 

Lucy Porter: Choose Your Battles

Lucy Porter: Choose Your Battles

Choose Your Battles is Lucy Porter's 11th Edinburgh Show and it's a wonderfully crafted hour that is both funny and, at times, a poignant look at someone who goes out of their way to avoid conflict... 

Richard Herring: Oh Frig, I'm 50!

Richard Herring: Oh Frig, I'm 50!

The King is back, long live the King. After a couple of years away from the Fringe the self proclaimed, (although no one is arguing with this notion) King of the Fringe is back on familiar territory... 

Tom Lucy: Needs to Stop Showing Off in Front of His Friends

Tom Lucy: Needs to Stop Showing Off in Front of His Friends

When you're genetically blessed with an unthreatening physique and the voice of Frank Spencer, comedy cannot go much more in your favour. Such is the case for Tom Lucy who, for a 21-year-old, has an excitable confidence, like a lion cub inheriting control of his pack... 

Twayna Mayne: Black Girl

Twayna Mayne: Black Girl

An intimate one-woman show about race and gender. Sounds about as typical of the Fringe as it gets, right? How is it possible, then, that Twayna Mayne is the only black female comedian at the festival? It’s her opening joke – and Mayne continues to make uncomfortable and deeply necessary observations about the lack of diversity in mainstream comedy and the overwhelming whiteness of her audiences throughout the show... 

Colin Cloud: Dare

Colin Cloud: Dare

The Fringe is full of mind readers but Colin Cloud’s framing device of presenting his skills as deduction and manipulation creates a whole different feel.It’s a sell-out crowd in Pleasance Grand and the majority seem already convinced from his first moments on stage that, even though this isn’t magic, his abilities transcend normal human reach... 

Last Clown on Earth

Last Clown on Earth

Derevo are a legend. This is not clowning Coco-style, but dark, surreal and dreamlike with an apocalyptic vision tempered by absurd humour and heart-wringing moments of pathos. The company have been coming to the Edinburgh Fringe for 20 years and their latest show, Last Clown On Earth is as weird and magical as word of mouth promised... 

John Robins: The Darkness of Robins

John Robins: The Darkness of Robins

Having developed a strong reputation at the Fringe in previous years, John Robins remains a safe bet for sarcastic, pithy self-loathing, although he seems to have a lost a little of his original bite... 

Nicholas Parsons' Happy Hour

Nicholas Parsons' Happy Hour

To say Nicholas Parsons is a legend, and this being his sixteenth season at the Fringe I imagine he must see this like his own version of an annual end of the pier summer show where a TV star hosts a variety bill for holidaymakers... 

Monster

Monster

Boy meets girl. Boy is an actor, working on a show based around anger and Shakespeare’s text from various plays. Joe Sellman-Leava (writer and performer in this one man show) takes this idea and uses it for the basis of telling his tale, weaving in and out of different personas and voices... 

The Duke

The Duke

Greeting you with a handshake as you enter, Schôn Dale-Jones and his piece, The Duke, warmly invite you to participate in a really special experience. This sense of intimate connection, established with every single member of the audience, embodies the personal nature of the show... 

Alan, We Think You Should Get a Dog

Alan, We Think You Should Get a Dog

A problem that a lot of shows face is an inability to commit to tone, or to perform in agreement with the tone that the show sets forth. Case in point – Alan, We Think You Should Get a Dog... 

Darren Harriott: Defiant

Darren Harriott: Defiant

Birmingham born and London-based, Darren Harriott has been billed as one of the most exciting up-and-coming comedians on the circuit right now. In his Edinburgh Fringe debut Darren Harriott: Defiant, he gets the opportunity to flash the quick wit and cheeky smile that, I can tell you now, is going to make him a pretty big deal very soon... 

Josh Pugh: A Boy Named Pugh

Josh Pugh: A Boy Named Pugh

Having recently won English Comedian of the Year, Josh Pugh has the air of a rising star. He’s confident but not cocky, immediately likeable, and a natural on stage. He introduces his show as a mission to get his life made into a film... 

What Goes on in Front of Closed Doors

What Goes on in Front of Closed Doors

What Goes on in Front of Closed Doors is an examination of homelessness and the situations which lead to it which matches the pace of how those problems develop. The show goes from real, but fun, to extremely harrowing within a fraction of a second, to such a degree that you’re almost given whiplash... 

Goody

Goody

Nestled in what seems, somewhat appropriately, to be a shipping container in the Pleasance Courtyard, two creatures on a journey with no origin point or destination try to figure each other out... 

Ella Enchanted

Ella Enchanted

This production is based on Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted, a young adult novel that previously inspired Anne Hathaway’s second turn as a movie princess. Despite the older age group that the original book is aimed at, this is very much a show for children, and serves as an excellent way to keep the kids entertained and engaged for 1hr 15mins of the festival... 

Colin Hoult / Anna Mann in How We Stop the Fascists

Colin Hoult / Anna Mann in How We Stop the Fascists

Anna Mann is, according to herself, the greatest actress of her generation—a quote she can now legitimately edit for future Fringe posters with no fear of censor. Yet is this former star of “terribly polite” political play No More War, Please really the right person to show us how to stop the rise of right wing politics? After a glorious hour in her company, it’s clear to say that—wonder of wonders—she is... 

Terry Alderton: All Crazy Now

Terry Alderton: All Crazy Now

From the moment you enter – greeted by several songs in multiple genres, all with the lyrics ‘chops not ham’ – you have already begun to tumble down the rabbit hole into the surreal world of Terry Alderton... 

Luke Kempner: Take a Long Hard Luke at Yourself

Luke Kempner: Take a Long Hard Luke at Yourself

Luke Kempner takes a Luke in the mirror in this gently funny show, poking fun at himself and the impressions he uses to express himself. He is a comedian and impressionist and uses these skills to investigate who he really is... 

Rose Matafeo: Sassy Best Friend

Rose Matafeo: Sassy Best Friend

Despite failing to romantically woo Matthew in the front row, who resolutely resisted her bookish clumsiness and snazzy jacket, Rose Matafeo delivers a tour-de-force performance in her second hour at the Fringe... 

The Ping-Pong Ball Effect

The Ping-Pong Ball Effect

Upsala Circus have been doing incredible work in St. Petersburg for seventeen years and is currently working with more than ninety vulnerable children and adolescents from the street or in difficult or dangerous situations... 

Evelyn Mok: Hymen Manoeuvre

Evelyn Mok: Hymen Manoeuvre

Evelyn Mok is the kind of uncensored, unapologetic and uncouth human I can get on board with. Her show Hymen Manoeuvre is, in layman's terms, a story about losing her virginity as an adult, but it became a kind of ode to her vagina, and girl, let me just say you did your V proud... 

Best of Edinburgh Showcase Show

Best of Edinburgh Showcase Show

Have a bite to eat and take a seat – you're in for a treat. The bustling Pleasance Courtyard hosts this lunchtime show, presenting a selection of bite-size stand-up performances. The line up changes each day, but on the bill when I was there were Mark Simmons, Eleanor Tiernan, Matt Richardson and Jo Caulfield... 

The Andy Field Experience

The Andy Field Experience

It's a hard task to sum up quite what The Andy Field Experience is about without using the words surreal and odd. Hilarious is another apt phrase that could be used. What the show is? It's a hilarious romp through the life of a comedian who is clearly going places... 

Perfectly Imperfect Women

Perfectly Imperfect Women

‘Who thinks they are perfect?’ Is the question Danyah Miller poses to the audience at the onset of the performance. This question of perfection versus imperfection forms the basis of this emotional, tender and heart-warming show brought to us by Wizard Presents... 

Sisters: White Noise

Sisters: White Noise

In their Fringe debut comedy hour Sisters hit the ground running with a fast paced, intensely dark and gut bustingly funny show of sketches, skits, and more jokes about live streaming than you thought were possible... 

The Listies Make You LOL

The Listies Make You LOL

Back after last year’s fantastic show, the Listies are just as wonderfully ridiculous as ever. Playing to a packed room of children, Matt Kelly and Rich Higgins are still two besties having a great time... 

Romantic Encounters in a Darkened Room

Romantic Encounters in a Darkened Room

Romantic Encounters in a Darkened Room is a thoroughly enjoyable one-man show, mixing sketches of various different formats in a bizarre outpouring from the brain of comedian Charlie Robb... 

Sophie Willan: Branded

Sophie Willan: Branded

It is a bittersweet moment in any girl’s life when they find out that The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft isn’t their real father. The pain is all the more acute if you’re a young, working-class, Northerner like Sophie Willan... 

TUTU: Dance in All Its Glory

TUTU: Dance in All Its Glory

The dance world can sometimes take itself a little too seriously, it often seems to be too caught up in technical comparisons to just enjoy itself, however, Chicos Mambo is the opposite of that notion... 

Translunar Paradise

Translunar Paradise

Theatre Ad Infinitum have been a Fringe favourite for years; creating thought provoking and beautiful shows to touch both your heart and your mind. Translunar Paradise premiered here in 2011 and the show presented here is near enough the same... 

Sean Patton: Number One

Sean Patton: Number One

Flatulence, fornication and filth; Sean Patton brings his show Number One to Edinburgh armed with a New Orleans attitude and an unashamed subject matter of all things vulgar and bodily... 

A Gym Thing

A Gym Thing

A Gym Thing is narrated by Will, a person obsessed with his body, for whom staying in shape becomes a kind of unpaid profession. But this obsession might cost him exactly what brought him to the gym in the first place: attention in general, and Bec, specifically... 

Ballistic

Ballistic

In a darkened room surrounded by blinking lights a young angry man tells us his life story, from childhood through teen years to the miseries of universities we see what the struggles of trying to be to be a man in the 21st century are, and the horrible consequences the weight of that pressure can cause... 

From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads

From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads

Based on how From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads is marketed, one would be justified in expecting it to be a David Bowie tribute act – a musical, tightly knit to the art and mind of Ziggy Stardust... 

The Damned United

The Damned United

Powerful and demanding, Red Ladder Theatre Company’s production of The Damned United is every bit as belligerent and uncompromising as the protagonist of its story.An adaptation of David Peace’s novel of the same name, The Damned United tells the story of Brian Clough’s doomed 44 day tenure as manager of Leeds United... 

Snowflake by Mark Thomson

Snowflake by Mark Thomson

Snowflake, a new play written and directed by the former Artistic Director of Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre, Mark Thomson, feels a necessity to explain its title right from the start; essentially, that the “millennials” who became adults during the 2010s have—thanks to their upbringing—an inflated sense of their own uniqueness and, as a result are less resilient than previous generations... 

Our Man in Havana

Our Man in Havana

Spies Like Us Theatre’s adaptation of Graham Greene’s classic novel is, quite simply, a joy. I’ve rarely seen physical theatre done this seamlessly, and I’ve rarely laughed so consistently for an hour-long show... 

Meeting at 33

Meeting at 33

Alcoholics' recovery meetings are happening all around us, all the time. While the people in those rooms never chose to be there, they are privy to some remarkable personal storytelling... 

You Forgot the Mince

You Forgot the Mince

‘And in the end, we were all just humans, drunk on the idea that love, only love, could heal our brokenness’. Rosa lives with her grandma Lily. She’s just finished college and can’t wait to leave Yorkshire… until she meets Niko... 

Rachel Tucker: Unplugged

Rachel Tucker: Unplugged

West End and Broadway sensation Rachel Tucker makes her debut at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Rachel rose to fame on Andrew Lloyd Webber's BBC show I'd Do Anything. Since then her many theatre credits include Elphaba in Wicked (London and Broadway) and a leading role in Sting's musical The Last Ship (Broadway)... 

Tom Ballard: Problematic

Tom Ballard: Problematic

If you’re looking for fresh stand-up comedy this Fringe, you could do much worse than Tom Ballard. He may not be a household name on the British comedy scene yet, but there is evidence to suggest he is on the brink of great things... 

Tape Face

Tape Face

Tape Face, a show that mixes circus, variety, clowning and who knows what else, presents me with somewhat of a dilemma. How best to recommend it to you strongly enough whilst spoiling as little of the delight as possible? Much of the joy of Tape Face, and joy is dripping from every orifice of this show, comes from the moments of sudden realisation of what Sam Wills, as Tape Face, has constructed in front of our eyes... 

Kat Bond: Loo Roll

Kat Bond: Loo Roll

Loo Roll is a comedy sketch show about a woman who’s been left in a giant green bin. Kat Bond plays Pat (no surname), who begins by explaining why she started her journey to becoming to a Loo-Roll Reader and sets out to convince us of loo roll’s hidden depths... 

Briony Redman: Theory of Positivity

Briony Redman: Theory of Positivity

Briony Redman’s solo show revolves around a screenwriter who wants to test out her movie-in-the-making on a fresh audience. What the character desires most is to make money from her scripts, so she’s attempting to cover every Hollywood cliché in order to get paid... 

The Nature of Forgetting

The Nature of Forgetting

What’s more important when telling a compelling story of human emotion, feeling or narrative? The answer to this is largely dependent on the viewer’s personal preferences as to how an emotional response is best brought up in them... 

Annie Sertich: How to Not Kill Yourself for 30 Days... and the Next 330

Annie Sertich: How to Not Kill Yourself for 30 Days... and the Next 330

There’s certainly no shortage of solo shows about mental health at the Fringe so it takes a certain level of quality to stand out. Luckily, Annie Sertich manages to more than keep afloat... 

Mervyn Stutter's Pick of the Fringe

Mervyn Stutter's Pick of the Fringe

It's like the Royal Variety Show of the Fringe. Mervyn and his team carefully research the Fringe and bring you live extracts from seven top shows in a packed 90 minute lunchtime extravaganza... 

Instant Sunshine

Instant Sunshine

Instant Sunshine is a unique musical comedy team that has been entertaining audiences for years with their particular blend of humorous, witty songs and hilarious routines. They take a sideways look at everyday life in a beguiling and very funny style all their own... 

Pleasance Newcomer Comedy Gala

Pleasance Newcomer Comedy Gala

Join us as we celebrate our 33rd year at the Fringe with a one-off comedy extravaganza on our opening Saturday! Come check out some of the new kids on the block as they make their Pleasance debut in this late night comedy party! Best of all, tickets are totally free! ‘Without the Pleasance finding ways to bring new comic talent to Edinburgh the Fringe wouldn’t be quite the same... 

The Dreamer

The Dreamer

Chinese physical theatre influenced by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the contemporary Tang Xianzu’s The Peony Pavilion. Quite a synopsis to get your head around, but Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre in association with Gecko do an astounding job at making this piece an accessible, slick, sexy and sensational watch... 

Chris Turner: What a Time to Be Alive

Chris Turner: What a Time to Be Alive

Chris Turner has moved to the good old US of A and he’s back in Edinburgh to tell the festival audiences about it. In a dextrous hour of comedy and freestyle rap the comedian provides entertaining insights and impressive lyrical improvisations as he shares the observations and experiences of a well-mannered, tea-swilling, thoroughly decent English fellow in a whole new world... 

James Acaster: The Trelogy – Reset

James Acaster: The Trelogy – Reset

Undercover cops. Jury duty. Witness protection. Comedy. All this and more as James Acaster, Edinburgh Comedy Award Nominee (Recognise, 2014, Represent, 2015, Reset, 2016) brings a trilogy of shows back to the Fringe... 

Curse of Cranholme Abbey

Curse of Cranholme Abbey

Doors creak and dust falls; the Curse of Cranholme Abbey has awoken once more. The 'superbly talented' (List) Young Pleasance presents a tale of intrigue and horror as the past and present collide... 

Ellie Taylor: This Guy

Ellie Taylor: This Guy

Following a sell-out 2016 Fringe and nationwide tour, the star of BBC's Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week and The John Bishop Show, Channel 4's 8 Out of 10 Cats, and BBC Radio 4's The Now Show presents an unmissable new hour of stand-up... 

James Acaster: The Trelogy – Represent

James Acaster: The Trelogy – Represent

Undercover cops. Jury duty. Witness protection. Comedy. All this and more as James Acaster, Edinburgh Comedy Award Nominee (Recognise, 2014, Represent, 2015, Reset, 2016) brings a trilogy of shows back to the Fringe... 

Late Night Gimp Fight

Late Night Gimp Fight

The washed-up boy band of sketch comedy are back with their first new show in four years. Now in their thirties and with no other career options they have decided to abandon their wives, jobs and in one case their child, to jump back in the gimpy saddle... 

The Death Hilarious: The Scum Always Rises

The Death Hilarious: The Scum Always Rises

Bible-black Welsh comedy duo do sketches. They're not a cult. They inhabit irregular folk: Creole exorcists, apelike weirdos, a homemade sex robot. But they're not a cult. Forget what you've heard on the news... 

Doug Anthony All Stars: Near Death Experience

Doug Anthony All Stars: Near Death Experience

The monster gods of comedy and 2016's winners of Mervyn Stutter’s Spirit of the Fringe award return to Edinburgh. Paul McDermott, Tim Ferguson and Paul "Flacco" Livingston drag their unsuspecting audience screaming down memory lane... 

Katy Brand: I Could've Been an Astronaut

Katy Brand: I Could've Been an Astronaut

Ever wished you could start life again on a new planet? Or wondered what you're doing right now in a parallel universe? How have your choices affected who and what you have become? Can you change them? The possibilities are endless once you get to grips with the mind-bending realities of space: time travel, worm holes and dark matter... 

Suzi Ruffell: Keeping It Classy

Suzi Ruffell: Keeping It Classy

Suzi Ruffell returns with a new hour of thought provoking and hilarious stand-up. 'Ruffell has nabbed the working-class comedy crown of her generation… Sparking, energising, fun, an accomplished act who knows how to engage an audience' (Chortle... 

Buzz: A New Musical

Buzz: A New Musical

Winner of the 2016 Eddies Award, the sell-out hit Buzz returns; a hilarious musical journey through the history of the vibrator and a brutally honest story of a singleton's quest to fall back in love with herself... 

Phil Dunning: The House of Pigs

Phil Dunning: The House of Pigs

You are cordially invited to The House of Pigs. ‘I'd recommend that you have a few drinks beforehand’ (EdFringeReview.com). ‘Tremendously entertaining... a very special show’ (BroadwayBaby... 

Ken Cheng: Chinese Comedian

Ken Cheng: Chinese Comedian

Cambridge University drop-out and now professional poker player, Ken applies his unique analytical brain to his debut stand-up hour. Ken burst onto the UK comedy scene after reaching the final of the 2015 BBC New Comedy Awards... 

Michael Stranney: Welcome to Ballybeg

Michael Stranney: Welcome to Ballybeg

As seen on ITV2, Michael Stranney (NATY winner, Chortle Best Newcomer nominee, BBC New Comedy Award finalist) presents the debut hour from his character Daniel Duffy. Daniel invites you to a tourist board presentation for his beloved village of Ballybeg – a curious Northern Irish backwater where the milkman brings his cow door-to-door every morning, where you can win a new husband in the annual raffle, and where the local hearse doubles as a minicab service... 

Small Laces

Small Laces

There's a new band in town! Bringing you toe-tapping, hand-clapping, bottom-wiggling tunes full of feel-good factor. A mini pop concert for mini humans. Warning: extremely catchy tunes. 

NewsRevue 2017

NewsRevue 2017

Guinness World Record-breaking, Fringe First-winning, Perrier finalist, news-based song and sketch show. In need of a cathartic dose of comic exasperation? Book now for the longest-running live comedy show in the world... 

Brennan Reece: Everlong

Brennan Reece: Everlong

Edinburgh Best Newcomer nominee (me) and English Comedian of the Year (also me) returns with a ‘powerfully entertaining’ (Chortle.co.uk) show about the stars (in the sky), memories (in the mind) and my Nanna (in a home)... 

Me and My Bee

Me and My Bee

Climate change is massive. Bees aren’t. Our fuzzy little friends need our help and so we’re launching a political party disguised as a party party disguised as a show. Multi award-winning theatre company, ThisEgg, invites you to save the world – one bee at a time... 

Finding Nana

Finding Nana

'Room 17. Four walls full of lipstick, laughter, hairspray and Horlicks. Nana is nut brown and wrinkled and she has chicken fillets for arms. And she treats me like I’m way more amazing than I actually am... 

Whalebone

Whalebone

Whalebone is about bodies: who takes up space, how much, and why. Three puppeteers stand awkwardly in corsets. A woman decides to take control of her body – deleting it, piece by piece... 

Alasdair Beckett-King: The Alasdair Beckett-King Mysteries

Alasdair Beckett-King: The Alasdair Beckett-King Mysteries

The award-winning comedian Alasdair Beckett-King is legendary, in that there is little historical evidence he exists. But he does exist. His debut solo show opens a cabinet of curiosities, tackling the conundrums of impending extinction, archaic axioms, emotional repression and vegan flimflam... 

The Little Prince and the Pilot

The Little Prince and the Pilot

When famous author/pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who lived many different lives, meets The Little Prince, two adventurous explorers discover the world and what is important in life... 

Phil Jerrod: Submerged

Phil Jerrod: Submerged

Fresh from supporting Romesh Ranganathan on his nationwide tour, the 'cynical, astute and impassioned' (Chortle.co.uk) comedian returns with his third debut show at the Fringe. Everyone’s obsessed with living longer, looking better, being healthier, but Phil’s still overweight, still hairy and still just about keeping his head above water in a world that’s gone mad... 

Great British Mysteries?

Great British Mysteries?

Do you like mysteries? Are you the sort of person who says: ‘I wonder what that was?’. Then this is the show for you. Join Olive Bacon (Supernaturalist) and Dr Teddy Tyrell (Scorpio), in this live mockumentary adventure investigating monsters, myths and Noel Edmonds... 

Confabulation

Confabulation

Every act of remembering is an act of storytelling. So, here's mine. It starts with a spotty teenager at a Motorhead gig and ends at the cutting edge of memory research. The bellowing fans, the smell of beer and sweat, the thunderous music... 

Pierre Novellie

Pierre Novellie

Pierre Novellie is a South African from the Isle of Man who lives in London. Pierre does observational comedy for people who think they hate observational comedy, mixed with anecdotes and reasonable whimsy... 

What If the Plane Falls Out of the Sky?

What If the Plane Falls Out of the Sky?

What if how I feel about myself and the world at 4am is the truth? What if people really do think I’ve got a disappointing face? What if I take off all my clothes and my lover just politely turns away? Join residents of Fear Camp as they tackle their sense of impending doom with gleeful enthusiasm and complimentary in-flight drinks... 

Garrett Millerick: The Devil’s Advocate

Garrett Millerick: The Devil’s Advocate

I’ve just accidentally bought a house in the heart of Brexit country. My membership of the Urban Liberal Elite has been rescinded, subsumed into the ranks of the silent majority, I’m totally consumed by home improvement, car magazines, property values, bin day and reality television... 

The Giant Jam Sandwich

The Giant Jam Sandwich

One hot summer's day, four million wasps invade the quiet village of Itching Down. Noisy, nasty and worst of all, they don't mind who they sting! That is until the baker has an ingenious idea... 

Lauren Pattison: Lady Muck

Lauren Pattison: Lady Muck

One of the brightest young talents on the comedy scene, with a fresh and fierce female voice, Lauren Pattison has arrived with her hotly anticipated debut hour about embracing your flaws... 

Victim

Victim

A one-woman show, Victim follows the power struggle between a prison guard and criminal as they come face-to-face with a notorious inmate. Hot on the heels of Villain – The 2016 Edinburgh sell-out, five-star, Offie-nominated hit – Bruised Sky return with Martin Murphy's darkly comic new play Victim... 

Cockroached

Cockroached

Nearly everyone is dead and Taylor is alone. Their life was fine until they found an orange coat, a radio and a voice on the other end. What follows is a harmful conversation between two people trying to survive both mentally and physically... 

Tom Allen: Absolutely

Tom Allen: Absolutely

As seen on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Live at the Apollo, The Great British Bake Off's Extra Slice, The John Bishop Show, Virtually Famous, Channel 4's Comedy Gala at the O2 and heard on Radio 4's Just a Minute... 

David Edwards – How to Get a Second Date

David Edwards – How to Get a Second Date

Join David Edwards as he gives advice concerning how to navigate the messy world of modern-day dating. Edwards is a cult performer, regularly appearing at Brian Gittins’ monthly night ‘Gittins to Know You’ and co-hosting Gittins’ legendary Podcast... 

Stuart Laws Stops

Stuart Laws Stops

Stuart has got fast-paced, hilarious observations and he ain't afraid to say them over the course of an hour. He does all the comedy at Turtle Canyon Comedy and supported James Acaster on tour loads... 

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

Brought to you by Parallax Theatre, Stephen Adly Guirgis's The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is a riotous look at life beyond. 2000 years after that deed, Judas is finally put on trial for 'that business' in Judea... 

Next Best Thing: How to Be Good at Everything

Next Best Thing: How to Be Good at Everything

Being a millennial in the modern world is hard. But best friends Jay and Katie have all the answers. Luckily, they're willing to share their wisdom with you. Over a riotous hour of absurd, grotesque and boldly original sketch comedy, these two idiots will make you good at everything... 

Sara Pascoe: LadsLadsLads

Sara Pascoe: LadsLadsLads

Sara is enjoying a year-long, one-woman stag do. From spiritual retreats, city breaks, life drawing classes and football matches – she has been drunk and lonely everywhere. Following a sell-out live tour of Animal (inspired by her acclaimed book of the same name), the multi award-winning comedian and star of Live at The Apollo, Mock the Week, QI and Taskmaster, returns to Edinburgh with a brand-new (best ever) stand-up show... 

Alexander Fox: Ringo

Alexander Fox: Ringo

A show about the world's most famous drummer. And his part in my downfall. In 2006 then teenager Alexander Fox met, and soon began a pen-pal relationship with, Beatles icon Ringo Starr... 

1 Woman, a High-Flyer and a Flat Bottom: Samantha Baines

1 Woman, a High-Flyer and a Flat Bottom: Samantha Baines

Award-winning comedian Samantha Baines (The Crown, Sunny D, BBC Radio 4) returns to Edinburgh after a smash-hit, sell-out run in 2016. This year she's exploring the lost women of science... 

Joe Sutherland: Model / Actress

Joe Sutherland: Model / Actress

London. Paris. Coventry. Joe Sutherland started from the bottom, now he's... here. This is the tale of a former model turned aspiring model, chasing fame at any cost. From the depths of poverty to the heights of the fashion industry, to the middles of a temp agency... 

Chris Betts: Bewilderbeest

Chris Betts: Bewilderbeest

Betts is back, but he's got a problem. What do you do when you can't trust the law, the elderly or even yourself? Join him for a hilarious dissemination of human nature, featuring crooked cops and superstitious children... 

James Acaster: The Trelogy

James Acaster: The Trelogy

Undercover cops. Jury duty. Witness protection. Comedy. All this and more as James Acaster brings a trilogy of shows to the Fringe. The shows in question are: Recognise (Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Show nominee 2014), Represent (Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Show nominee 2015), Reset (Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Show nominee 2016)... 

Ben Fogg: How I Won Best Newcomer 2017

Ben Fogg: How I Won Best Newcomer 2017

A once in a lifetime opportunity to see the greatest living comic of every generation. I’ve written a heart-warming, pole-stiffening watermelon of a show. I'm delightful and inspiring, like a hill-top wizard battling a sadness dragon... 

Lee Nelson: Serious Joker

Lee Nelson: Serious Joker

You’ve seen him sneaking into places he shouldn’t be, now come and see him where he most definitely should be: live on stage with his sensational new show. 'Comedy legend' (Sun)... 

AAA Stand-Up Late

AAA Stand-Up Late

Total sell-out 2010-2016 returns with a brand-new line-up. 'Comedy the way it should be: laugh-a-minute, leaving the audience wishing the show was a little bit longer' **** (Fest). Leo Kearse: 'Kearse is seriously good... 

Tim Vine: Sunset Milk Idiot

Tim Vine: Sunset Milk Idiot

Hey, website skimmers! It's Tim Vine returning to the Edinburgh festival, telling lots of silly new jokes, showing off new home-made props, singing some new daft ditties and all with the appearance of confidence! The following subjects will be touched upon briefly: pixie football, jet-propelled Y-fronts and the modern postal system... 

Rachel Jackson: Bunny Boiler

Rachel Jackson: Bunny Boiler

Bunny Boiler is the debut hour from rising star and ever so slightly unhinged comedian Rachel Jackson (BBC Three, Tupperware Party, Scot Squad). Part biopic, part therapy session and fully geared towards hilarity... 

Jon Pointing: Act Natural

Jon Pointing: Act Natural

In this much anticipated debut show, Jon Pointing presents Cayden Hunter, an actor who will demonstrate the importance of selflessness and sharing through this (non-participatory) workshop... 

Ivo Graham: Educated Guess

Ivo Graham: Educated Guess

After an eventful year off (got a new laptop, etc), the boy's back in town with resolutions galore but less courage in his convictions than ever. How much has Ivo learnt? And what good has it done him? As seen on Mock the Week, Live at the Apollo, As Yet Untitled, Live from the BBC, Fighting Talk... 

Omid Djalili: Schmuck for a Night

Omid Djalili: Schmuck for a Night

Omid Djalili’s not used to a four o’clock crowd. It’s full of prim Middle Englanders, he jokingly complains, who aren’t prepared to run with material with edge. But, standing onstage in a black velvet jacket, Djalili is not so far removed from the audiences he gently mocks, and his set could really benefit from something of the edge he says the afternoon audience wouldn’t be able to handle... 

Delphine

Delphine

Delphine is a gently comical one-woman show about about a shy and sheltered woman falling in love for the first time. The show is written and performed by Clare Rebekah Pointing, who plays the anxious and quirky Delphine as she negotiates the novelty of first love... 

Edinburgh Comedy Awards Show

Edinburgh Comedy Awards Show

Every year an absolute sell-out! The UK's first and premier award for celebrating live comedy. See the 2016 winner and nominees for one show only! Book early to avoid disappointment as we bring you the stars of tomorrow... 

Massive Lazy Girls

Massive Lazy Girls

Up-and-coming sketch troupes Massive Dad, Lazy Susan and Birthday Girls join forces for a hilarious hour of high-energy comedy. Each group are allotted a third of the show but the atmosphere is one of camaraderie and collaboration, with frequent cameos in sketches bringing all the performers together and giving the show a sense of cohesion... 

Tom Allen: Indeed

Tom Allen: Indeed

Tom Allen presents a hilarious hour of standup comedy in his show Indeed. His jokes fly fast, and innuendos abound. His delivery is quick, and it is laced with witty banter. It seemed like he was dropping as many hilarious asides to the wings as he was jokes... 

NewsRevue 2016

NewsRevue 2016

Over the course of an hour, Canal Cafe Theatre manage to shape the politics of this year into an hour of songs and sketches that feel fun and fresh. If you’ve been keeping up with the news lately – or, realistically, if you have a pulse – you’ll probably know what NewsRevue is going to cover... 

Happiness is a Cup of Tea

Happiness is a Cup of Tea

Life is transient. One day we’re here, the next day we’re at sea, a wisp or a distant memory. Happiness is a Cup of Tea, a one-woman show written and performed by Annie McKenzie, is a treatise on grief... 

Stuart Mitchell: Dealt a Bad Hand

Stuart Mitchell: Dealt a Bad Hand

From BBC Radio Scotland's Breaking the News, 'Scotland's brightest comedy talent' **** (Sun), this is a must-see for 2016. Stuart has been dealt a bad hand, and not just in life. From tragic accidents and medical complications to losing both parents, this debut is a hilarious take on dealing with life's misfortunes and coming out the other end unscathed... 

Kieran Hodgson: Maestro

Kieran Hodgson: Maestro

In 2003 Kieran Hodgson heard the music of Gustav Mahler and decided to write a symphony. 13 years later Kieran returns to the Fringe with a violin and a story about falling in love and attempting something far beyond your abilities... 

Katy Brand: I Was a Teenage Christian

Katy Brand: I Was a Teenage Christian

One Sunday, aged 13, Katy Brand went to a local church service and became a fundamentalist Christian. From then on she attended church four times a week. For seven years she put the 'fun' into fundamentalism... 

The Amazing Scene Machine Does Aardinburgh!

The Amazing Scene Machine Does Aardinburgh!

Celebrate Aardman's 40th birthday with expert Aardman model maker Jim Parkyn and his Amazing Scene Machine. Help create a very special 3D clay painting of Edinburgh featuring some of Aardman’s stars including Morph, Shaun the Sheep, Wallace and Gromit – and your own cast of Aardman-esque people and creatures. 

Tez Ilyas: Made in Britain

Tez Ilyas: Made in Britain

Last year Tez Ilyas experienced something that turned his world upside down. In this hotly anticipated follow up to his 2015 smash hit debut, TEZ Talks, this smart and subversive rising star is back with another bold and deeply personal show... 

A Tale of Two Cities: Blood for Blood

A Tale of Two Cities: Blood for Blood

A Tale of Two Cities: Blood for Blood is neither the best of times, nor the worst of times, but over a ninety-minute running time it is a something of an odd construction. There is no extra blood (in fact, much less than the book) and even the two cities themselves seem reduced in status... 

Spill: A Verbatim Show About Sex

Spill: A Verbatim Show About Sex

Spill: A Verbatim Show About Sex is the sex-ed class we all wish we’d had. Starring a young cast and recounting real life experiences, Propolis Theatre’s production talks honestly about sex... 

Rose Matafeo is Finally Dead

Rose Matafeo is Finally Dead

The initial conceit of this show is that we’re all present at the funeral for Rose Matafeo. This seems interesting enough, at the start, not to mention it’s probably one of the reasons a lot of people go to the show... 

Goggles

Goggles

Goggles is a simple, quirky and deeply endearing devised piece in which comedy double-act ThisEgg explore the complexities of love and friendship through that most profoundly allegorical of animals: the goldfish... 

Playing Maggie... The Iron Lady

Playing Maggie... The Iron Lady

Fringe favourite Pip Utton returns for his superlative performance of Margaret Thatcher in his enlightening and intimate show Playing Maggie…The Iron Lady. However this isn’t just a simple impersonation: this show operates on multiple levels with Utton first playing an actor named Simon, who in turn is preparing to play Maggie, allowing Utton to explore multiple perspectives and make us think more deeply about the issues raised in the show... 

Orlando Baxter: Suspensions, Detentions and Summer Vacations

Orlando Baxter: Suspensions, Detentions and Summer Vacations

Watching Orlando Baxter perform is like sitting down with your favourite teacher again: you hang on his every word. He’s levelheaded, devastatingly clever, and above all, brutally honest... 

Paul Merton's Impro Chums

Paul Merton's Impro Chums

Paul Merton returns to the Edinburgh Fringe this year with an improvised comedy show. Unsurprisingly, the hype and expectations of the audience were high, but Merton, along with his four guest comics, did not disappoint... 

Folie à Deux

Folie à Deux

High-wire improvised comedy from two of the stars of Chortle Award-winning Fringe hit, Austentatious. Riffing on a single word from the audience, Andrew Hunter Murray (QI's No Such Thing as a Fish) and Charlotte Gittins (Grand Theft Impro) fearlessly entangle themselves in an hour of hilariously inventive character improv... 

Cardinal Burns Presents

Cardinal Burns Presents

British Comedy Award-winning sketch heroes Seb Cardinal and Dustin Demri-Burns – fresh from their sell out monthly show in Hackney where anything goes – bring their show to Pleasance for four nights only... 

Helen Duff: Come With Me

Helen Duff: Come With Me

Helen Duff has gone from strength to strength, after her hilarious yet heart-breaking Vanity Bites Back show last year. She’s proven herself to be a veritable master of shamelessly silly yet socially conscious clowning in Come With Me... 

Rory O'Keeffe: Monoglot

Rory O'Keeffe: Monoglot

Monoglot is a show about linguistics and languages. It is a show that is thoughtful and self-aware. It is a show that is funny, and not particularly outrageous or crude. In other words, this is a show you could bring home to mum... 

Emma Sidi: Telenovela

Emma Sidi: Telenovela

Emma Sidi manages to squeeze in all of our favourite soap opera tropes, from relationship problems to paternity tests, drug addiction to hot-headed murder (don’t worry no spoilers), as she romps through this histrionic hour of riotous character comedy... 

Beardyman: One Album Per Hour

Beardyman: One Album Per Hour

Starting a show with a song containing the lyrics “it’s a stupid idea and it’ll never work” feels somewhat disingenuous when the song’s fully orchestrated and lit. Nonetheless, Beardyman (Darren Foreman) doesn’t disappoint when it comes to his incredible ability to conjure up new tracks on the spot... 

Paul McMullan: Alcopop

Paul McMullan: Alcopop

Paul McMullan’s debut fringe show is stuffed full of clever insights into the world of British drinking culture and its potentially destructive nature. The show is less stand-up and more spoken-word and storytelling, yet still manages to be an amusing and heartfelt piece from an endearing and engaging performer... 

Mr Swallow – Houdini

Mr Swallow – Houdini

It’s not every day you find yourself leaning forward on your seat due to the sheer suspense of a show. Looking across, the tension has caught everybody in the same way: people are straining their necks to get the best view... 

Hal Cruttenden: Straight Outta Cruttenden

Hal Cruttenden: Straight Outta Cruttenden

Hal Cruttenden is an accomplished comedian. This is accomplished comedy. Sometimes provocative, sometimes self-deprecating, Straight Outta Cruttenden seamlessly integrates an entertaining set with razor-sharp audience interaction... 

Cafe Palestine

Cafe Palestine

Young Palestinian performers from Aida refugee camp, Bethlehem, will come together with Fringe favourites and surprise guests for this unique review show. Featuring the Alrowwad Youth Theatre's take on traditional Palestinian dabka dance and a changing roster of well-known comedians and musicians from the Artists for Palestine UK network... 

The Forest

The Forest

Trapped in lives filled with daydreams, Thea and Robin both crave an escape from their everyday routines. One day, they are drawn into the dark and mysterious forest and find themselves on an unexpected journey of self-discovery filled with surprising encounters and experiences that change their lives forever... 

Liza Pulman: Everything's Coming Up Roses

Liza Pulman: Everything's Coming Up Roses

Enjoy an afternoon with Liza in an expertly pruned show about flowers, gardens and all things green! From Tip Toe Through The Tulips to Neil Diamond’s You Don’t Bring Me Flowers... 

Yokes Night

Yokes Night

A loophole in Irish law allows for the legal of consumption of Class-A drugs for 24 hours, and the youth of Dublin are not going to let Yokes Night slip by without taking full advantage... 

AART

AART

As Mikey (Andrew Bridge) welcomes you to thePleasance Green, he’s very chatty, dressed in an unusual combination of sports shorts, a yellow jumper and a sparkly poncho. This is a workshop... 

Birthday Girls: Sh!t Hot Party Legends

Birthday Girls: Sh!t Hot Party Legends

Birthday Girls blast party anthems as the crowd files in. Beattie Edmondson, Rose Johnson and Camille Ucan are daubing glitter onto the faces of audience members and handing out vodka shots: pre-state pre-drinks... 

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Hysterical Woman

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Hysterical Woman

Standing defiantly under the glare of a neon working men’s club sign, Kiri Pritchard-Mclean tackles schema in a bold and impressive solo hour. Pritchard-Mclean lays down her own world of pre-conceived notions and invites us to do the same- after all, it’s only human nature... 

James Acaster: Reset

James Acaster: Reset

James Acaster finds himself with something to look forward to. Something he's always wanted. Something we all want. Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Show nominee 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015... 

We Live by the Sea

We Live by the Sea

We Live by the Sea is a feel-good tale, exploring the day-to-day life of an autistic teenager in Filey. With strong performances, excellent live music and ambitious direction, there is a lot to like about this production... 

Mark Watson: I'm Not Here

Mark Watson: I'm Not Here

Returning once again to the Pleasance stage, Mark Watson is not all there. He’s having a bit of an identity crisis... and you are invited to watch the hilarious breakdown.Mark Watson is one of those comedians that come across as nervous, fidgety on the stage, though oddly it puts you at immense ease in their show... 

Swivelhead

Swivelhead

It is my objective and dream, when at the Edinburgh Fringe, to discover great new writing – plays that are just beginning to make their way onto the world's stages, at the forefront of contemporary drama... 

Matt Forde: It's My Political Party (and I'll Cry if I Want to)

Matt Forde: It's My Political Party (and I'll Cry if I Want to)

Matt Forde begins by promising his audience that he will definitely not resign in the middle of his act. Having originally written his show on the premise that Britain votes to remain in the European Union, Forde has had to rewrite all his material for this year’s Fringe – and on tonight’s evidence, the Brexit outcome seems to have given him more license for mischief, more politicians to make fun of; a gift, in fact, for a comedian like him... 

Pete Firman – TriX

Pete Firman – TriX

Pete Firman’s tenth Edinburgh Fringe show has a short prelude: a montage of the posters of his previous nine shows. This is a nice touch, to remind you that you are in the hands of probably the most prolific comedy-magician there is at the moment... 

Mark Watson's Edinborolympics

Mark Watson's Edinborolympics

The third biannual sports-meets-comedy smashdown returns to Edinburgh to cause even more mess, blood and hilarity. Top international comedians compete in stupid, inadvisable events... 

Lolly 2

Lolly 2

Thirty seconds in and an audience member is on the stage already: Lolly Adefope doesn’t mess around. Diving straight in, this is a comedic character actor who doesn’t stop for breath once in this incredibly slick show... 

Sean McLoughlin: Kamikaze

Sean McLoughlin: Kamikaze

Looking like footballer Lionel Messi, and bearing a name that has him often confused with comedian Sean Locke, this year Sean McLoughlin is on the lookout for some fans of his very own... 

Seann Walsh: One for the Road

Seann Walsh: One for the Road

Seann Walsh is a brilliant observational comic, with an ability to tease out the comicality of even the most mundane, everyday occurrence. In his latest show, One for the Road, he explores the ways in which his life has changed recently, and questions whether these changes are down to his age or becoming middle class... 

Comedy Reserve at the Courtyard

Comedy Reserve at the Courtyard

Comedy Reserve presents a great opportunity to see four of the Fringe’s ‘up-and-coming’ acts in an hour-long compilation show.This year’s line-up includes Alasdair Beckett-King, Jack Carrol, Kae Kurd, and Tom Lucy... 

Ribbet Ribbet Croak

Ribbet Ribbet Croak

Ribbet Ribbet Croak is a gentle and successful piece of theatre for younger children, as well as being very suitable for PMLD and ASD family groups.The story is simple. Grandpa Frog and Grandma Frog leave the pond to plan a surprise for their little Grandfrogs... 

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... 

Sleeping Trees: Sci-Fi?

Sleeping Trees: Sci-Fi?

After Mafia? and Western? at previous Fringes, comedy trio Sleeping Trees now turn their gaze to the stars. Sci Fi? is a gloriously parodic space opera, complete with an evil army of French robots, plenty of planet-hopping and a melodramatic supervillain... 

Rhapsodes

Rhapsodes

Improvised comedy at its most virtuosic, Sean McCann and Adam Meggido (of Showstoppers! The Improvised Musical and School of Night fame) are two masters of their artform, with an awe-inspiring level of verbal and imaginative prowess and wit... 

Carl Donnelly: Bad Man Tings

Carl Donnelly: Bad Man Tings

Carl Donnelly has reached peak age, he’s a vegan, he recently took up yoga, and he’s content with his life – I know it doesn’t sound like a good recipe for stand-up but somehow, it really, really is... 

Naomi Petersen: I am Telling You I'm Not Going

Naomi Petersen: I am Telling You I'm Not Going

Naomi Petersen is a newcomer to the Fringe and in this whirlwind hour of musical and character comedy the laughs fail to keep pace with her sky-high enthusiasm.Petersen is agoraphobic and has been living in her performance venue in Pleasance Courtyard for the last year... 

Swansong

Swansong

Four strangers survive the end of the world and end up stranded in a swan pedalo. Together, they try to piece together what life was like in the old world and what it could be in the new... 

Bella Younger’s Deliciously Stella

Bella Younger’s Deliciously Stella

Deliciously Stella is what you expect her to be: if you’ve seen the Instagram account which has become a viral hit with its piss-take of ‘fitspiration’ and other smug hashtags, you’re pretty much set up for the hour... 

60 Acts in 60 Minutes

60 Acts in 60 Minutes

Since its Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut back in 2001 this incredible variety show has been performed on BBC Three, BBC Radio 4, and London's West End. The show is a high-octane extravaganza that does exactly what it says on the tin... 

Chortle Student Comedy Award Final

Chortle Student Comedy Award Final

Hundreds entered, eight survive – now one will be crowned Britain's funniest student 2016. Previous Chortle student finalists include Simon Bird, Chris Ramsey, Tom Rosenthal, Joe Lycett... 

The Tartan Ribbon Comedy Benefit

The Tartan Ribbon Comedy Benefit

A top night of comedy with all proceeds going to Waverley Care, a charity providing care and support to people living with HIV or Hepatitis C throughout Scotland. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Pleasance and Waverley Care working in partnership together at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, so it's sure to be an extra special show! Previous Tartan Ribbon line-ups include Michael McIntyre, Russell Howard, Katherine Ryan, Tim Vine and Jason Byrne, plus many more... 

Daniel Nils Roberts: Honey

Daniel Nils Roberts: Honey

Life from a bear’s point of view is as strange and wonderful as you would expect it to be. Daniel Nils Roberts ursine-themed Honey mixes character comedy and multimedia in a very clever, very confident Edinburgh Fringe solo debut... 

John Hastings: Integrity

John Hastings: Integrity

Unbelievably clever, deftly executed and outrageously funny, John Hasting returns once again to the Fringe with his new show Integrity. In a faultless performance Hasting’s guides us through one day of his five weeks of purgatory back home in Canada awaiting for his renewed British visa while simultaneously battling with a blonde woman in the audience who had the temerity to go to the loo half-way through the show... 

Chris Turner: Observational Tragedy

Chris Turner: Observational Tragedy

Last year Chris Turner brought a show about his physical wellbeing to the Edinburgh stage, blending stand-up and rapping to explore his brushes with mortality. This year he uses that same approach but turns the spotlight on cerebral matters... 

Follow Me

Follow Me

Nansi has just become a big sister for the very first time. She’s worried that her life is going to change forever. To deal with the new arrival she escapes into her own imaginary world and becomes an elephant like her favourite soft toy... 

Flanders and Swann

Flanders and Swann

The songs and wit of those masters of mayhem, mirth and Madeira – timeless comedy legends, Flanders and Swann. This internationally award-winning show is back with all the favourites – The Hippopotamus (Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud), The Gnu, The Gas Man Cometh and more... 

Zero Down

Zero Down

If you’ve been living a safe, healthy lifestyle under a rock, then you might not know that the NHS has been doing less than fantastic as of late. Underfunded and overcrowded, it’s a serious topic for political conversation and, apparently, plays... 

Spanktacular

Spanktacular

Spank! returns for an incredible 13th year with sexy hosts, awesome comedians and the inevitable gratuitous nudity. With the most exciting comedy and cabaret talent on the Fringe, don't miss the 'best wild night out' (Scotland on Sunday) at the festival! Spank! You love it! 'This is what the festival should be about' (List)... 

This Glorious Monster: Wrong 'Uns

This Glorious Monster: Wrong 'Uns

Wrong ‘Uns is aptly titled because there is plenty of them packed into this hour of sketch comedy. The easily offended beware, this probably isn’t for you.This show is a mixed bag and fails to rise above the average level set for sketch comedy, but it's certainly entertaining viewing... 

Jonathan Pie: Live

Jonathan Pie: Live

Pretend news reporter Jonathan Pie – the creation of actor Tom Walker – has risen to public attention, during the last year, thanks to a succession of videos on YouTube which allegedly reveal what happens in-between the regular “in the field” reports to camera that have become the basic vocabulary of television news... 

Andrew Hunter Murray: Round One

Andrew Hunter Murray: Round One

Star of Austentacious, No Such Thing as Fish (and its television transfer - No Such Thing as the News), the QI Elf finally has his one-man-show. Luckily, he carries it off with delight and offers something out of the ordinary for character show... 

Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally

Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally

If you’re expecting a cosy drawing-room comedy about an aging female relative then you have clearly not read the publicity and are in for a big surprise. There is no aunt Sally. Instead, you’re treated to seventy minutes of minimalism, mathematics, mobile phones and much, much more... 

Radio Active

Radio Active

Radio Active is an 80s Radio 4 satirical sketch show, born from the Oxford Revue at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It ran for seven series and was hugely popular. Episodes were geared towards sending up celebrity and the media more than politicians, with the show not to taking itself too seriously... 

The Bookbinder

The Bookbinder

It’s not every day that you stumble across a play that is as enchanting as The Bookbinder. Through stunningly crafted puppetry and ingenious lighting solutions, this one-man fiction breathes life into a fragile paper world, and it is marvellous to watch... 

Gulliver's Travels

Gulliver's Travels

Familia de la Noche’s production of Gulliver’s Travels is an adaptation of Jonathan Swift’s satirical novel following several adventures of Lemuel Gulliver as he travels to the land of the tiny people on Lilliput, the giant people in Brobdingnag, the Castle in the Sky of Laputa and finally to the country of the Houyhnhnms... 

Something Borrowed

Something Borrowed

A surprisingly moving hour of theatre, Something Borrowed deals with the struggles of a 21st-century, 20-something feminist trying to reconcile the desire for the perfect fairy tale wedding, ingrained in her from childhood, and her rebellion against the patriarchal tradition of marriage... 

Nicholas Parsons' Happy Hour

Nicholas Parsons' Happy Hour

It was immediately evident upon walking into the jam-packed Cabaret Bar that I was significantly changing the demographic awaiting the arrival of radio and television legend and national treasure, Nicholas Parsons... 

Marcus Brigstocke: Why the Long Face?

Marcus Brigstocke: Why the Long Face?

As it turns out there are lots of reasons for Marcus to have a long face at the moment, not least because he was born with one. Having suffered heartbreak for the first time in his 43 years, it’s somewhat appropriate that Marcus’ latest fringe offering revolves around reasons to be unhappy... 

Kill the Beast: He Had Hairy Hands

Kill the Beast: He Had Hairy Hands

Imagine Hot Fuzz meets Hollyoaks meets Hammer Horror. Then add some incredibly camp, fabulously choreographed dance sequences and a host of bizarrely grotesque facial expressions. Now you’re getting close to an approximation of Kill The Beast’s hilariously macabre production of He Had Hairy Hands... 

Scary Shit

Scary Shit

A combination of silly and serious is something rarely achieved with any success. However Rhiannon Faith’s production of Scary Shit seems to have excelled in this niche field of theatre... 

Hamlet in Bed

Hamlet in Bed

Hamlet in Bed is an exploration of one man’s obsession with Shakespeare’s tragic masterpiece ‘The play's the thing’ that forms the subject of the production and also the means by which the plot is created... 

Norris & Parker: See You at the Gallows

Norris & Parker: See You at the Gallows

Dark humour isn’t in short supply this Fringe - in case you hadn’t noticed, celebrity and political news of late has had a tangible effect on performers. That’s what happens when you find topical comedy in 2016, we’re all learning... 

Phil Jerrod: Hypocrite

Phil Jerrod: Hypocrite

This is a very funny hour of stand-up from a bearded man. With an impressive eye bulge and great stage presence Jerrod builds a rapport with the audience very shortly after entering the stage... 

Colin Hoult / Anna Mann: A Sketch Show for Depressives

Colin Hoult / Anna Mann: A Sketch Show for Depressives

There’s surely no better sign that mental health issues – and depression in particular – are becoming more openly discussed than for the likes of Colin Hoult to come along and start taking the piss... 

Yeti's – Demon Dive Bar

Yeti's – Demon Dive Bar

There’s a warm and weird welcome upon arrival at Yeti’s - Demon Dive Bar. Popcorn flies, hands are stamped and the two hosts climb around the audience, ensuring everyone is immediately immersed in the distinctly oddball scene... 

The Doug Anthony All Stars (DAAS) Live on Stage!

The Doug Anthony All Stars (DAAS) Live on Stage!

Australian musical trio Doug Anthony All-Stars were the anarchic kings of the alternative comedy scene in the late 80s and early 90s, achieving considerable success with such sleeper hits as "Commies for Christ" and "I Fuck Dogs"... 

Loren O'Brien: Who?

Loren O'Brien: Who?

A cross between the mass appeal of Amy Schumer and the niche quirkiness of Jenna Marbles, Loren O’Brien is trying to work out her own identity. Everyone at school forgot they’d met her, no-one could even remember her name: “Loren isn’t even a name!” she laments... 

Loyiso Gola: Dude, Where's My Lion?

Loyiso Gola: Dude, Where's My Lion?

Loyiso Gola is a rare kind of stand-up comic. There’s no doubt that he’s practised and polished his material but his performance is so natural and relaxed that you forget he’s doing a set and think he’s just having a chat with you, with a few fantastic stories thrown into the mix... 

Iain Stirling: Onwards!

Iain Stirling: Onwards!

Iain’s latest Fringe offering, Onwards!, focuses on his own experiences to explore life as a twenty-something in 2016. He questions his life’s direction, with musings on his career path, fitness level, and how he’s doing compared to his friends... 

Teatro Delusio

Teatro Delusio

Possibly the most beautiful show you will watch at the Edinburgh Fringe this year, Teatro Delusio is a marvel: original, stunningly choreographed, very funny and incredibly moving. This is physical theatre at its zenith... 

Lucy Porter: Consequences

Lucy Porter: Consequences

In her latest hour, family favourite Lucy Porter reflects on her younger, more radical self with trademark warmth and verve.‘If you’re in your twenties, this show is not for you’, she says as she stands beside a drinks trolley, doling out sherry to members of the audience... 

Lazy Susan: Crazy Sexy Fool

Lazy Susan: Crazy Sexy Fool

Comedy twosome Freya Parker and Celeste Dring are back with more off-the-wall sketches and impeccably observed characters.Crazy Sexy Fool feels like playtime on speed. Indeed the show opens with Parker and Dring in enormous furry bear heads snorting a pound of white powder – coke “generously provided by the Arts council”, Parker informs us... 

Felicity Ward: 50% More Likely to Die

Felicity Ward: 50% More Likely to Die

Delivered with buckets of energy and enthusiasm, Felicity Ward’s new show is lively, facetious and a little erratic. Her performance style is so unerringly likeable that even the meanest of her frequent episodes of audience bullying feel warmly administered, sandwiching patronising words of encouragement about the audience’s attempts at laughter between self-deprecation and humility... 

Kate Lucas: Whatever Happened to Kate Lucas?

Kate Lucas: Whatever Happened to Kate Lucas?

Wickedly naughty and deliciously dark, Kate’s dual talents as a comedian and singer/songwriter are ripe for consumption. Forbidden fruits aplenty, come and enjoy the toe-curling honesty that makes this show a stand out in the comedy lineup this year... 

Jonny Pelham: Fool's Paradise

Jonny Pelham: Fool's Paradise

Jonny Pelham returns to the Fringe for his second year performing stand up at the Pleasance Courtyard. Jonny Pelham: Fool’s Paradise is an introduction to Jonny – what makes him tick, his social phobias and inability to a find love... 

William Shakespeare's Long Lost First Play (abridged)

William Shakespeare's Long Lost First Play (abridged)

In a festival saturated with comedy shows about Shakespeare, the Reduced Shakespeare Company continue to reign supreme as the undisputed masters at reimagining the Bard into hilarious entertainment... 

My Name is Gideon: Songs, Space Travel and Everything In-Between

My Name is Gideon: Songs, Space Travel and Everything In-Between

Gideon Irving is a travelling musician looking for new friends all over the world. Full of stories to tell and music to play, Gideon is a dry-humoured, charismatic, and inventive talent... 

Dropped

Dropped

There’s a lot of camouflage in Dropped. The physical sort is evident from the outset. Two female soldiers dressed in desert gear sit tented beneath netting waiting to be rescued. The scene is heavily military... 

Labels

Labels

Joe Sellman-Leava has lived with labels his entire life and he also has to live with the consequences of them. He knows they can be helpful: his dad uses them to find reduced items in the supermarket... 

1 Woman, a Dwarf Planet and 2 Cox: Samantha Baines

1 Woman, a Dwarf Planet and 2 Cox: Samantha Baines

Put Miranda Hart in a rocket with an extra dose of feminism and whimsy and you get Samantha Baines’ 1 Woman, A Dwarf Planet and 2 Cox. Baines bounces about the space with an infectious energy, spouting popular science facts and wrangling every single googled tidbit into a pun... 

Jess Robinson: Impressive

Jess Robinson: Impressive

I should declare an interest here. I was a professional impressionist for twenty years (Dead Ringers, series 1 – they didn't invite me back for the next fifteen) who understands that every impressionist has ten bankers, twenty pretty accurate soundalikes and a plethora of cartoon voices that live or die by the chutzpah and belief with which they are imbued... 

Tom Ward: Sex, Snails and Cassette Tapes

Tom Ward: Sex, Snails and Cassette Tapes

Bigmouth Strikes Again by The Smiths is playing loudly when Tom Ward ambles into his Pleasance performance space, setting an informal tone which persists throughout this enjoyably offbeat hour of comedy... 

Tez Ilyas: Made in Britain

Tez Ilyas: Made in Britain

Tez Ilyas’ new show Made in Britain is not subtle. And in his defence it can’t be. Explaining what it is like to grow up as a British Muslim, or a British National Pakistani (BNP for short), is far from straightforward... 

Giants

Giants

Like every year, there are an awful lot of young white men who’ve arrived at this year’s Fringe, sketch show in tow. Will Hislop and Barney Fishwick — the duo behind Giants — are fully aware of this, sheepishly acknowledging the genre-wide homogeneity during their opening skit... 

Gráinne Maguire: Great People Making Great Choices

Gráinne Maguire: Great People Making Great Choices