With hundreds of Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows to choose from, we will be picking out the acts we think you should see this year, starting with the best stand-up comedians appearing in the Capital in August.
Jack Docherty will perform as his character The Chief from BBC comedy smash Scot Squad, following a successful one-man show last year about his love for David Bowie. Other acts to watch out for include talented female comedians Chloe Petts, Sasha Ellen, Harriet Kemsley, Stevie Martin and Bella Hull, as well as 2023 Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer nominee Dan Tiernan.
There is also the incredible Edinburgh return for Matt Forde, who was diagnosed with cancer after suffering pains at last year’s Fringe. Currently learning to walk again, Matt has returned to work on his acclaimed Political Party and British Scandal podcasts, alongside hosting Absolute Radio’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Football Show. His final challenge is to get back to stand-up and he recently performed gigs at London’s Soho Theatre ahead of his Fringe run in August.
5. Sasha Ellen
Sasha Ellen returns to Edinburgh this year with her new show, My MILF-shake Brings All the Boys to the Yard. A former Bafta Rocliffe finalist and nominee for Leicester Comedy Festival’s Best New Show, Sasha is back with a brand-new hour of jokes about her Gen Z sibling, becoming a childfree MILF and the roadblocks of her thirties. Sasha has co-written a sitcom that was shortlisted for BAFTA’s Rocliffe Competition (TV Comedy) and has written material for BBC Radio 4 Extra. Her jokes have also appeared in the Best Jokes of the Fringe collections of The Times and The Telegraph, and she has appeared on Times Radio and BBC Radio Scotland. When not performing comedy or acting, Sasha is a professional Dungeon Master. Sasha Ellen: My MILF-shake Brings All the Boys to the Yard, Just the Tonic @ Cabaret Voltaire. August 1-25 (not 12) @ 6.30pm. £5. | Textual Healing Photo: Textual Healing
6. Pierre Novellie
Following a critically acclaimed run last year, having once again had one of the best reviewed Fringe shows, award-winning comedian and writer Pierre Novellie will be returning to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with a brand new show, ‘Must We?’, marking his 10th year at the festival. Pierre will be making the train journey up to Edinburgh to bring another hour packed full to the brim with smart gags that will have audiences laughing all over again. In this brand new show, Pierre will be exploring life itself as well as fairness and expectations – he simply must. Pierre Novellie: Must We? at Monkey Barrell 3, July 29 - August 25, 7.05pm. £10 and £12. | Avalon Photo: Avalon
7. Josh Thomas
Josh won Australia’s most prestigious comedy competition, Raw Comedy, when he was 17 years old and backed that up with his one and only Edinburgh Fringe Festival appearance as a finalist in So You Think You’re Funny. After several sell out tours and starring turns on TV panel shows, Josh turned his hand to writing, acting and producing and has garnered glowing reviews and a swag of awards for his television comedies Please Like Me and Everything’s Gonna Be Okay. Please Like Me, is a world-renowned queer anthem and was inspired by Josh’s own life. Over four critically acclaimed seasons, Please Like Me was nominated for an International Emmy Award, GLAAD Media Award and GALECA Dorian Award. Josh Thomas: Let’s Tidy Up, Pleasance Two, July 31, August 25, 6.20pm. £10- £18.50. | Avalon Photo: Avalon
8. Bella Hull
Returning to the Fringe after a triumphant debut, Bella Hull (BBC’s Stand Up for Live Comedy, ITV’s The Stand Up Sketch Show and Comedy Central Live) brings a show about appetites, our lack of control over them and authenticity. Confronting the endless banquet of dopamine that has intellectually stupefied her generation, Bella’s show Piggie asks where do our appetites lead us? Is our gut the most sensible thing to follow? And in a world where sincerity is a trend, are the biggest villains hiding in plain sight? Bella Hull: Piggie, at Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker 3), July 31 - August 26 (not 14) @ 9.45pm. From £7 | Textual Healing Photo: Textual Healing