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?
13. Omar Badawy - Guided Detour
Comedian and SNL UK writer Omar Badawy's debut Edinburgh Fringe show Guided Detour was inspired by accidentally finding himself trapped inside a far-right march in London whilst dressed in Viking fancy dress and actively avoiding a serious conversation about marriage and his girlfriend’s visa status. Following years of becoming one of the most acclaimed rising comics on the UK circuit, Omar makes his Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut this summer with Guided Detour at Pleasance Courtyard: Bunker One from 5th - 30th August (10:40pm). What starts as Omar privately spiralling over relationships, commitment and a stupid attempt to avoid an awkward adult conversation quickly turns into something far stranger and more politically charged. While travelling across London to a party, Omar suddenly finds himself surrounded by chanting crowds, ideological hostility and rising tension, forcing him to confront questions around his identity. As someone who grew up Egyptian in Britain, the experience forces him to think about the strange position of simultaneously feeling British whilst also being constantly reminded that other people may still see you as an outsider. | Matt Stronge
14. Cecily Hitchcock: Family Recipe
Comedy siren Cecily Hitchcock, whose sketches and stand-up clips have amassed over 25 million views online, brings her highly anticipated debut stand-up hour Family Recipe to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at the Pleasance Cellar from August 5-30 at 8.10pm. Born into the wobbling promise of the new millennium, like a jelly at her family table, in a new-build town that seems to multiply overnight, she is terrorised by an evil swan, raised by eccentric parents all while Blair and Brown play on her childhood mind like a Greek tragedy. Through Family Recipe, Cecily takes you on a nostalgic dive into 2000s Britain, as the surreal storyteller opens her book of disgusting yet comforting family recipes for the Fringe. It’s offbeat, it’s high-energy, it’s the 2008 financial crash. Dinner’s ready kids, come to the table. | Rebecca Need-Menear
15. Marty Gleeson: Dog Ear
Dog Ear is a show about trying to wade through the anxieties of the world while also saving room for the things that are good and cool. It’s about chasing the magical high of Santa Claus in a conscious bid to find wonder amongst the dull and bleak. It’s also about magpies. For better or worse, you will be pulled headfirst into her world. Speaking of bringing her debut hour to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, former Pleasance Comedy Reserve Marty Gleeson says: ‘It will be amazing to talk to all these people for an hour everyday. I’m looking forward to seeing what that’s going to feel like. Not many people get to experience that." Marty Gleeson: Dog Ear, at Pleasance Courtyard - Bunker One, August 5-30 (not 17th), 7.15pm. | Rachel Sherlock
16. Anna Leong-Brophy - Born Sexy Yesterday
Sure, Anna was born the old-fashioned way – as a Supreme Being spontaneously deposited into a perfect female body, who immediately falls for the first man she sees. But what’s next for a sci-fi hottie once she’s saved the world, done the laundry and the years have rolled on by? In Born Sexy Yesterday, Anna Leong Brophy joyfully skewers the male gaze, ageing and the absurd tropes of sci-fi femininity - all whilst wearing a very fetching wig. Best known for roles in How to Train Your Dragon and Shadow and Bone, and as one half of sketch duo EGG with her comedy partner Emily Lloyd-Saini, Anna Leong Brophy brings her sharp comedic voice and surreal sensibility to this debut solo hour. Pleasance Courtyard, Below, 5.40pm, August 5-30, not 19th. | Submitted