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?
5. Hecuba: Why Am I In Your Country?
In “Hecuba: Why Am I In Your Country?”, Palestinian Syrian actor Arwa Omaren combines Euripides’ “The Trojan Women” with her own story of displacement in a raw, urgent solo performance that condenses 2,500 years of history into one voice. Directed and co-written by award-winning filmmaker William Stirling, produced by Scottish founded Trojan Women Project, and recently nominated for an Offie (Off West End Award) – recognising the show’s powerful fusion of classical text and contemporary testimony, as well as Omaren’s extraordinary solo performance - this strikingly original production asks not only how we tell stories of exile, but who gets to tell them. Performed at the renowned Gilded Balloon as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the show runs at The Turret at Teviot at 11:50am from 5-31 August. | Four
6. Fab Goualin - Mixed Messages
Fab is set to cause a stir with his hilarious debut show as he explores what it means to be mixed-race, middle-class, and misunderstood. Growing up in London with a Nigerian mother and French father, Fab was often the only person of colour in the room, which meant a lifetime of awkward assumptions, accidental anthropology, and people confidently explaining his own identity back to him. Too “something” for certain crowds, not “something enough” for others, he became a master of the code-switch. With sharp writing, playful honesty, and expertly timed raconteurship, Mixed Messages explores race, class and belonging through the lens of someone who’s always felt both included and excluded at the same time. Gilded Balloon Teviot, Wee Room, 5.40pm, August 5-30, not 18th. | Morgan Hill-Murphy
7. Meka Mo: New York Dreams
Meka Mo is a stand-up and podcast host who has a burgeoning presence on the international comedy scene. Named a Comic to Watch by the New York Comedy Festival, and the support act for Michael Che and Ilana Glazer, she has earned acclaim for her fearless stage presence, sharp storytelling, and culturally attuned perspective. In a moment defined by political Chaos, and identity, ‘New York City Dreams’ uses the world’s loudest city as a lens on everything from ambition and hustle culture to race, belonging and the absurd contradictions of modern life. Meka Mo: New York Dreams, at Just The Tonic, Out of the Box, August 20-30, 6.40pm. | Submitted
8. Jimmy Rees- In Reel Life
In Reel Life is a fast, fearless and unpredictable mix of stand-up, character comedy, and sketch. The show delivers relentless satire, rapid-fire transformations, and big audience reactions as Rees explores internet culture, social trends, and the chaos of everyday modern life. Jimmy first became a household name as Jimmy Giggle on the award-winning Giggle and Hoot, spending a decade on Australian television and touring to more than 500,000 people. Previously a fan favourite on Taskmaster Australia, Jimmy is also known globally for his viral character universe, including Meanwhile in Australia, the Brighton Ladies and the Guy Who Decides. Gilded Balloon Teviot, Debating Hall, 7pm, August 7-16. | Submitted