While other big names are sure to be announced in the coming weeks for the annual month-long festival, there are already some big names from comedy and entertainment confirmed as coming to Edinburgh in August to perform.
A host of top comedians will hit the Capital this year, including Paul Merton, Nish Kumar, Jason Byrne and Alan Davies. They will be joined by actors Miriam Margolyes and Michelle Collins, ventriloquist Nina Conti, as well as musicians Bob Geldof and Peter Doherty.
Also appearing in Edinburgh in a matter of weeks are politician turned comedian Mhairi Black, ‘The Chief’ himself from Scot Squad Jack Docherty, and Glasgow comedian Susie McCabe.
See our gallery below to see the household names already announced to appear at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
1. Miriam Margolyes
Having sold every ticket in 2024, the iconic award-winning actress, TV personality and author Miriam Margolyes returns to the Pleasance EICC at the Edinburgh Fringe for 14 dates from August 9-24, except the 18th and 21st, performing her 70 minute show at 6pm. She will have more characters, more Dickens, and more fascinating stories about the man behind the classics. At 84, Miriam’s energy and passion are undimmed and her performance as electric as ever. She was Professor Sprout in Harry Potter, and also appeared in Yentl, Little Shop of Horrors, I Love You To Death, End of Days, Sunshine, Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence, Cold Comfort Farm and Magnolia. Amongst her many awards, she won a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for The Age of Innocence and was awarded the OBE for her services to drama in 2002. Her most memorable TV credits include Old Flames, Freud, Life and Loves of a She Devil, Blackadder, The Girls of Slender Means, Oliver Twist, The History Man, Vanity Fair and Supply & Demand. | Steve Ullathorne Photo: Impressive PR
2. Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof's band, The Boomtown Rats, will be among the line-up for this year's Fringe by the Sea festival in North Berwick, performing at the Lodge Grounds on Wednesday, August 6. The Boomtown Rats are an Irish new wave band that had a series of international hits between 1977 and 1985. The group is led by front-man vocalist Bob Geldof. The other members of the original line-up were Garry Roberts (lead guitar), Johnnie Fingers (keyboard), Pete Briquette (bass), GerryCott (guitar) and Simon Crowe (drums). The Boomtown Rats broke-up in 1986, but reformed with original members Geldof, Roberts, Crowe and Briquette in 2013. Their hits include ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’ and ‘RatTrap’. | Fringe By The Sea
3. Alan Davies
Jonathan Creek star Alan Davies will return to the Fringe for the first time in 10 years with his brand new stand-up show Think Ahead. He will perform his hour long show at Gilded Balloon at Appleton Tower – Orchard (venue 140) from July 30 - August 10 at 7.15pm. Alan Davies is a critically acclaimed stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and TV personality. He is a staple of British TV, known for his performance as the eponymous hero of David Renwick’s hugely popular, long-running TV series Jonathan Creek, and as a permanent panellist on QI. His talk show, Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled, recently reached its seventh season. He is also one of the UK’s best-loved comedians. His stand-up show Urban Trauma ran in London’s West End and Life is Pain and Little Victories sold out in venues across the UK. | Contributed Photo: Submitted
4. Paul Merton
Have I Got News for You BBC TV star Paul Merton and his wife Suki Webster will once again bring their popular improv show to Edinburgh this August. Following a totally sold out season in 2024, Paul Merton and Suki Webster, two of the UK’s leading improvisers, are delighted to return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year. Expect an hour of wonderfully unscripted cutting-edge comedy in a show full of fast, fabulously funny improvised games and laugh out loud surrealism as these two masters of Comedy Improvisation join forces with Kirsty Newton on the keyboard and their old friend, improv virtuoso Mike McShane, along with many other very special guests to create cascades of laughter and joyful silliness. Paul Merton and Suki Webster's Improv Show, at Pleasance – Grand (Venue 33), August 7-17, 3.30pm. | National World Photo: Steven Scott Taylor