With some of the world’s funniest comedians appearing at the Fringe before becoming household names, we’ve taken a look at some of the hottest comedians making their debut this year.
Comedy legends who made their breakthrough in Edinburgh at the world’s largest arts festival in the past include Robin Williams in 1971, Billy Connolly in 1972, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge in 2013.
Other comedy greats who rose to fame after appearing at the Fringe include Rowan Atkinson, Sarah Millican and Peter Kay. While, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, and Emma Thompson brought their respective student works in 1980 and won the inaugural Perrier Award as a collective in 1981.
We’ve highlighted 23 great comedians who will make their Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut this year, see gallery below. And who knows, you might see them on your television screen soon?
1. Davina Bentley: Dancing While Old
Davina Bentley is a rising comedy writer and stand-up, whose online sketches on TikTok have amassed 1.7m likes. Her parodies of Emily in Paris, The Rest is History, The Rest is Politics have earned praise from Radio 4, Radio 1 and Dazed. She has writing credits on Dead Ringers, POV, DM’s are Open and The News Quiz and was named in the Telegraph’s “Five Young Sketch Comedians to Watch”. Davina makes her Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut at only 37 (aka 42). Davina's doing what she swore she never would: getting older and talking about it. Davina Bentley: Dancing While Old, Pleasance Courtyard, Cellar, August 5-30, not 18th, 5.30pm. | Submitted
2. Alfie Dundas - First Class Panic
Alfie Dundas is landing at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe with his hotly anticipated and deeply unrelatable debut hour of stand-up comedy – ‘First Class Panic’. Join Alfie at Pleasance Courtyard’s Bunker Three each evening of the Fringe, 7.15pm, from Wednesday 5th – Sunday 30th August 2026. (previews 5th – 6th August, no performance Tues 18th Aug). Have you ever had a panic attack in a first-class seat? Neither has Alfie; he flies private. Strap in as this viral sensation and award-losing comedian (BBC New Comedy Awards 2025) reveals the truth about life and death at the extremities of society. With over 100 million views across his stand-up clips, Alfie has built a devout following as one of the fastest-rising comedians on the circuit. | KPPR
3. Abby Govindan: Pushing 30
Fresh from her international tour and critically acclaimed Off-Broadway run, produced by Daniel Sloss and presented by Hasan Minhaj, Forbes 30 Under 30 cover star, Abby Govindan (Vogue India, NBC, Daily Beast and LA Times) debuts at the Edinburgh Fringe with Pushing 30, a biting and irreverent new show about dating, getting older and breaking generational curses. She has amassed over 300,000 followers across social media platforms. Among the routines that have built her reputation, Abby is well-known for her claim to have written Emily in Paris. Abby is a political activist and was a high-profile supporter of Zohran Mamdani’s successful campaign for New York mayor. Abby Govindan: Pushing 30, at Baby Grand at Pleasance Courtyard, August 5-30, not 17th, 9.35pm. | Submitted
4. Imogen Andrews - The Unlikeable Worms
Having racked up over 500k followers & 300m views for her online sketches, character comedy sensation Imogen Andrews is making her highly-anticipated Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut this summer. Her debut show ‘The Unlikeable Worms’ will be at Pleasance Dome’s Ace Dome each evening at 9.30pm, from Wednesday 5th – Monday 31st August 2026 (previews 5th – 6th August, no performance Mon 17th Aug). Imogen Andrews is a comedian and actor from London. Her online sketch work has generated over 300 million views and built her an audience of more than half a million across social media. Imogen trained in Writing and Producing Comedy at the National Film and Television School, and in stand‑up at The Comedy Store. Her writing credits include BBC Radio 4’s multi‑award‑winning The Skewer and the Broadcast Digital Award–nominated mini‑series The Secret Life of Objects. A regular collaborator with Al Nash, Niall Gray and other comics, Imogen’s joint sketches frequently reach over a million views. She has performed live at venues including The Comedy Store and Moth Club. | Submitted