Perfect timing for a work-in-progress Festival Fringe show

Jay Lafferty, above, and Liam Withnail are appearing in a work-in-progress show at The Stand Comedy Club on April 30

As we celebrate Easter, the Edinburgh Fringe seems a long way off – unless you are a comedian. Although It’s nearly four months away, this is where the hard work starts getting our solo shows in shape in time for the festival.

It’s far too early to panic, although some of my colleagues are already in a state of high anxiety. Unbelievably, I’ve met a couple of comics over the past week who are already beating themselves up about how little they have written. They’re only doing an hour. And it doesn’t need to be funny until August. Changed days from the early 2000s when my old mate Anvil Springsteen wrote his show on the train journey up from Newcastle.

More unbelievable still, some neurotic individuals are already starting to worry about how few tickets they’ve sold. The only answer to which is – “It’s only April, you idiot”. Anyone who checks their pre-sales before the start of July is a stomach ulcer waiting to happen.

Anyway, what is bad news for we comedians’ mental health, is very good news for the ticket-buying public of Edinburgh, particularly if you are able to catch a show midweek. This is the time of year when the work-in-progress (or WIP) nights at The Stand and Monkey Barrel will see some of the Scotland’s most illustrious comedy names road-testing their Fringe material. Obviously, not the finished article but tickets cost much less than their full shows in August. There are also similar gigs at The Beehive on Tuesdays and The Dragonfly on Thursdays, which offer an even cheaper night out.

On Wednesday, I played at The Stand’s WIPLash and last Thursday I was on the bill at Monkey Barrel’s Best Of Fringe. Already, I can recommend a couple of shows to see this festival, namely Jay Lafferty at The Stand and Liam Withnail at Monkey Barrel. And, in case I forget to mention it between now and August, I’m doing my solo show at The Stand. Tickets now on sale. Expect me to plug it again over the next three months. Incidentally, in case you’re wondering, this year’s Fringe runs from Friday, August 1 to Monday, August 25. It always ends on the English bank holiday Monday. So, unlike Easter, very easy to predict.