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?
9. Emmeline Downie: Gail
Emmeline Downie will be bringing her debut one-woman show Gail to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this August. Gail is a satirical character comedy show that finally gives a platform to a rarely heard voice in the comedy theatre space: a Middle England divorcée and mother from Milton Keynes. It’s a wry look at the self-disenfranchised of our society, identity, and what happens when people feel like they aren’t being heard. Speaking of bringing her first solo show to the Edinburgh Fringe festival, Emmeline Downie said: “I’m so excited to be debuting at the Edinburgh Fringe with Gail. I’m delving into what makes a Karen a Karen (or, in this case, a Gail) and I hope it resonates with anyone who knows and loves a complicated middle-aged woman.” Emmeline Downie: Gail, The Pleasance Courtyard - Attic, 4.35pm, August 5-30, not 17th. | Submitted
10. Zoe Wohlfeld: DOG FUNERAL
Zoe Wohlfeld, Gaulier-trained American clown, makes her Edinburgh Fringe solo debut with 'DOG FUNERAL’, an ode to loss, dogs and the loss of dogs (or indeed any pet). It gets to the heart of what makes even the most unsympathetic of characters human, and it does so in the most innovative, surprising and goofball way you can imagine. Zoe’s previous work includes the live directed melodrama clown show ‘A Night of Drama’, which had sold-out performances in New York and London, and three years running at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Zoe Wohlfeld: DOG FUNERAL, at Jelly Belly at Underbelly, Cowgate, August 5-30, not 17th, 5.15pm. | Marissa Moorhead
11. Paul Hilleard: Grogg
Paul Hilleard won the 2024 BBC New Comedy Award, was a finalist in the Channel 4 Sean Lock Comedy Award 2025, and is a 2026 Chortle Hotshot. He has recently been seen on Comic Relief and heard on BBC Radio Wales. He hosts the popular comedy night ‘Paul Hilleard’s Scumbag Comedy Club’ at The Gaffe in Bristol and co-host the podcasts ‘Has It Got Legs’ and ‘Union of Scum’. Named after the unique figurines made in his hometown of Pontrypridd. ‘Grogg’ is a show about leaving his dying market town in The Rhondda to chase success on the other side of the Severn. Paul Hilleard: Grogg, at Monkey Barrel Studio, August 3-30, 10.40pm. | Submitted
12. Sepideh Kaav: 1979: Persianality Disorder
Iranian comedian Sepideh Kaav brings 1979: Persianality Disorder to Edinburgh Fringe 2026, a darkly funny stand-up hour about growing up Iranian, living abroad, and trying to make jokes in a world of constantly breaking news and broken irony. With sharp jokes, personal stories, and a satirical eye on Iran, the West, war, and the performance of morality, 1979: Persianality Disorder explores the absurdity of being shaped by history while trying to survive the present. Sepideh asks: What happens when politics isn’t just something you follow, but something that colours your childhood memories? For Sepideh, it finds its way into everything, from first dates and awkward meetings with her boss to the way she sees the world. Can comedy make people look directly at the darkness they usually avoid? And is trauma funnier with a microphone? Main Room at Laughing Horse @ Coco Boho, 125b George Street, August 18-30, not 24th, 5.15pm. | Textual Healing