Highest marked shows are in red.
Tom Ballard (Preview): It's more personal than usual, set up with coverage of the rise of fascism/Trump. He's animated, articulate & self-aware, as well as being a teensy bit loud. The end section is callback-heavy but this is a densely-written hour of satirical standup. PWYW. 4/5
Chris Cantrill (Preview): Unsurprisingly it shares a lot with 2025's WIP. Tales of rural isolation & arboreal destruction, delivered in an engaging, off-kilter rhythm. The second half has a few lulls but this silly show is incredibly easy to watch/like. PWYW. 3.5/5
Carl Donnelly: It's his 20th Fringe, so he's nearing "institution" status. Expect matey anecdotes, autobiographical snippets & reflections on ageing. It's not redefining the genre, but it's engaging, well-delivered, accessible standup. Catch him before he disappears on Sunday. PWYW. 3/5
Eva Peroni (Preview): It's her debut show. She focuses on autobiographical stories, particularly her time in Costa Rica & her coming out. Delivery is energetic & appealing. The wrap up seems to take a while but that should improve through the run. A promising performer. 3/5
Larry Dean (Preview): He always produces solid, well-practiced shows & this is no different. Focusing on his relationship/marriage but with frequent tangents, he paces the stage, throwing off nervous energy. It's an impressive hour & will only get slicker as August progresses. 4/5
Amanda Dwyer (Preview): Themed around revenge & wrongdoings, there's lots to enjoy here. Delivery is low energy, halting & oddly unstanduppy, increasing the effectiveness of the punchlines. It's solidly-written, though some story details elicit small gasps from the crowd. 3.5/5
Rob Copland: He's a charismatic performer with a mind fizzing with ideas. There's much to indicate that this could develop into another stellar show but a number of factors, not least a sub-optimal audience, made that difficult to realise. I shall be booking in to see him again. PWYW.
Shane Torres: He's a talented standup but we're in 1 Man Show territory here with a fairly grim tale of his parents' deaths. Occasionally he'll leave the darkness for a run of gags & we'll see what we could've won. He's quick to refuse any audience sympathy. I'd have loved 60 mins of jokes. 3.5/5
Madeleine Brettingham: Blimey, this is a startingly-good debut. She discusses what constitutes a geeza & ultimately a legend via tales of her dad. The rapid delivery might lack light & shade but the writing is sublime & the word economy off the charts. Dark, clever & inappropriate. I'm a fan. 4/5
Eric Rushton: A text about a birthday present is the jumping off point for many self-reflective, tiny stories about growing up. It's densely-written & occasionally whimsical but sacrifices memorable lines for callbacks. The ending drags badly. Unfortunately not the show to make his name. PWYW. 2.5/5
Burger & A Pint: On the plus side the sketches don't overstay their welcome & the performers bounce off each other well. However they're not overly blessed with comic acting ability & most sketches have no proper ending. Elements of the audience had a nice time but laugh-free for me I'm afraid. 2/5
Jake Donaldson: A conventional set of autobiographical/anecdotal standup embracing childhood, magic & the band Weezer, loosely themed around finding your place in the world. Bits of 2024's show make a cameo. A passable way to spend 55 mins in the New Town. He's on till the 13th. Free Fringe. 2.5/5
Chris Rutter: The delivery is mannered but not unlikeable & there's good use of language. There's no real theme though he returns to his first love more than once. The material tends to be based on whimsical extrapolations & literal dissections of cultural reference points. A modest success. 3/5
Man Sings the Same Song Over and Over Again for an Hour: Difficult to explain too much without spoiling it. It's like a form of clowning (Natalie Palamides' Laid might be a reference point) but he definitely does what the title says. There's a sense of euphoria as it builds to & reaches its goal. A unique Fringe experience.
Mark Thomas: Age hasn't diminished him. He's still strident & angry. Ageing & being a carer form the bulk of the set but the bourgeoisie/gentrification, politics in general & Farage especially get both barrels. To be this impassioned 40 years into his career is remarkable. A quality standup set. 4/5
Mark Silcox (I Have It All): The premise is that it's a chat show & after a brief intro about silent meditation (obviously) he brings up a series of guests (comics) who he may or may not talk to. You don't get a MASSIVE amount of MS. Probably should have read the blurb more carefully. That's on me.
Ayo Adenekan: The delivery is soft & caressing, almost hypnotic. A relationship story provides some structure from which he diverges to cover his background, friends & London. Punchlines are effective & often surprise. He's done well getting past the "difficult 2nd album". PWYW. 4/5
Comfortable: The writing, particularly the use of language, outshines the performance. Delivery will no doubt improve over an arduous Fringe. She covers her background & health but treads dangerous ground discussing her privilege, just about getting away with it. Free Fringe. 3/5
Dave Chawner: Delivery is rapid & professional while some of the gags feel like dad jokes. He focuses on sobriety & religion. On the former he particularly fails to convince & comes across sounding (ironically enough) like a pub bore. Not for comedy aficionados. Free Fringe. 2/5
Matt Forde: It's gently amusing, pleasant enough stuff. His very mature crowd certainly enjoyed it. Oddly he's stronger away from politics (& the impressions) discussing more personal matters like his recent significant health challenges. Standup snobs (I include myself) can safely miss it. 3/5
James Trickey: He revisits his "origin story", briefly diverges onto friends & then settles in on getting punched last Fringe. He's comfortable on stage but it seems like less of a show than 2025's debut. The callbacks come thick & fast at the end, adding to the feeling that it's underwritten. 3/5
Australia's Least Decorated Soldier: He's ex-army & Australian. Most of the audience are one or both. The bulk of his stories are "crazy" army tales. I can't begin to tell you how entertaining they are for civilians. The crowd really enjoyed it. You probably won't. PWYC. 2/5
Jamie Wolf: The first section is generic, accessible material. The laugh count is high but transitions are brief. There's a hint of Sam Morril in his delivery. The main story, crucially, continues to score highly for gags. An excellent debut. I hope to see more of him. 4/5
Alex Camp: He discusses his addiction issues & addiction in general via the medium of song. The music is well played & the show clips along. Appropriately enough there's no booze in the venue so take that into account. Not a show to rush to but also not a disaster. PWYW. 2.5/5
30, Burty & Thriving: He starts slow, briefly covering commonplace subjects like relationships, airlines & weddings. He's very good on racism & then focuses on gene therapy. No distinct comic voice but timing is strong & there's a whiff of Stewart Lee in the delivery. Worth catching. FF. 3.5/5
Fast Reviews
August McEachern: 30 mins of catty, delusional theatrics. 2/5
Lorraine Hoodless: She seems nice. 1.5/5
Jack Brookmyre: Basic impressions you won't curse yourself for missing. 1.5/5
Gareth Waugh: Excellent start but the laughs thin out when the true crime story starts. 2.5/5
Ifrah Qureshi: She's confident & charismatic. There's a lot of audience involvement, not all of which is handled well. Autobiographical material is crowbarred in around a clunky premise. There's some nice phrasing but it's verbose & certain sections are light on jokes. 2.5/5
Visiting the Fringe & looking for suggestions as to what to see? Here are some of my favourites so far:
Paid: Madeleine Brettingham, Mark Thomas, Larry Dean, Jamie Wolf, Shane Torres, Amanda Dwyer, Ray O'Leary.
Free/PWYW: Tom Ballard, Ayo Adenekan, Chris Cantrill, 30 Burty & Thriving.
Humdinger Words for Lollygaggers and Fuddy-Duddies : He has the air of a children's entertainer. He performs an assortment of poems, often about words. And a rap. And mind reading. And hypnotism. And sort of burlesque. ALL while rhyming. And backed by PowerPoint slides. Not (you wont be surprised to learn) for me.
Ray O'Leary: Delivery is low energy & the jokes are short - not quite one liners but also thankfully not puns. There's a steady stream of laughs but momentum is tricky to build with this style of humour. Not really my bag but he definitely does twisted misdirects well. 3.5/5
Elouise Eftos: It's an essay on modern love. The "character" is entertaining. A brash, narcissistic, condescending, flirty creation, both smart & dumb. The serious bit is 45 mins in, at 50 it's tears. Is the character or the person crying? There's some dancing & we're done. 3.5/5
Andre's Guide to Women: The protagonist is instantly recognisable as a dick, making it an uphill task for us to care about him. While the performance is decent & there's merit in the concept, the character is thinly-drawn & the script is all over the place. Free Fringe. 2.5/5
Robin Boot's Rockomedy: It's a riff-heavy mix of original comic songs, parodies & pastiche, plus, regrettably, some puns. It's a pleasant enough way to pass a lunchtime hour, particularly if you're not pun-phobic, but it's not a destination show. Free Fringe. 2.5/5
Harun Musho’d: He reads excerpts from the autobiographies of PMs Cameron to Sunak, pointing out double standards & inaccuracies. This might be catnip for politics dweebs but for the comedy cool kids this was a struggle. Much of the hour is listening to text read aloud. FF. 1.5/5
Emmeline Downie: It's a single character piece in two acts about a life coach. The comic performance is decent but the character isn’t especially well-drawn & it feels like a 5 minute bit written to an hour. Elements of the crowd were suspiciously into it. I wasn't. 2.5/5
Tarang Hardikar: It's a gentle, innocent (clean) set with frequent flights of fancy and many act-outs (Izzard fan?). He is guilty of going off at random, some might say contrived, tangents simply so he can call back to them at the end. An interesting talent I was not previously aware of. 3.5/5
Chris Kent: A textbook example of anecdotal storytelling. A number of tales are relayed, loosely interlinked but the main one concerns fertility issues. Delivery & timing are both excellent & it engages the whole way through. Minimal Fringe show gimmicks are in play. A very solid hour. FF. 4/5
Seymour Mace (Stickers): In a surprising turn of events he has written actual standup & invites us to select the order. It's an intense, very sweary performance, showcasing the workings of his peculiar mind. As a long time fan, I'm delighted to see him this accessible. Free Fringe. 4/5
Mark Silcox (Gold Trading Sucks): How to introduce MS? He presents an ineptly-produced PowerPoint lecture on how to live your life in a monotone. There will be at least 2 tediously-long video clips. He will finish by meditating for 5 mins. There will be no jokes. This is how cults start. FF. 3/5
Dan Tiernan: He revisits his appearance & sexuality, leading on to his keeness to have a boyfriend. Bafflingly the bulk of the set concerns his love of crystals. He's a compelling watch, confident to let silences hang in the air. Catch him before he's too big for the Fringe. PWYW. 4/5
Danny O'Brien: Expect by-the-book anecdotal standup in a room above a pub. There's no theme & precious little time will be spent on transitions - one section just barrels into the next. The ending is a bit dumbed down but not every comedian is trying to be Stewart Lee. 2.5/5
Citizen Chen: A gentle, pleasing hour based on her journey from childhood in China to citizenship in Canada. Delivery has the pace of a one woman show rather than standup but there's a decent quota of laughs. Worth catching if the subject (migration/new cultures) piques your interest. PWYW. 3/5
Stephen Carlin: He's the word "overreaction" made flesh. He barks out indignation on every slight he perceives the world has thrown at him. No real theme but it's solid anecdotal standup by a respected comic in a small room. You could do a lot worse. Free Fringe. 3/5
Chris Thorburn & Chris Weir: First of 2 WIPs by "a pair of little cuties". CT's delivery is pacey & upbeat, presenting accessible, intelligent, anecdotal material. CW gives us 3 poems, the unlikeliest of screenplays & 2 songs - all excellent if a tad obscene. Catch show 2 on the 19th. 3.5/5
Ian Smith (WIP): A delightfully ramshackle development show, we start by completing today's Wordle, get a fertility update & visit a haunted house. He's quick-witted & self-aware, entirely at ease with the current maturity level of the hour. I'm thrilled he continues to progress. PWYW. 4/5
Pierre Novellie: Edinburgh Fringe audiences have almost got complacent - of course it'll be another impressive PN show! And it is. He covers what we should expect from autistics, his wedding & (especially) the time he spent in Japan. It's dense, exquisitely-documented standup. PWYW. 4.5/5
Night Mail (WIP): It's VERY much in development. A "cheeky 1940s postman" is the focus but a couple of other characters put in an appearance. The absurdism dial is turned up high - expect material akin to nonsense verse & anti-comedy elements. Odd fun but no mark as it's too embryonic.
Dan Rath: Delivery is low energy & there's no sign of a smile or indeed a transition. Expect a series of short jokes, often with a dark focus/twist. There's also something resembling crowd work that he executes extremely well. Fans of Steven Wright or even Todd Barry will probably enjoy. PWYW. 4/5
Annie Boyle: It's her romantic history with emphasis on coming out & meeting her current girlfriend. Delivery is dry/low energy & she'll comment on her lack of expression. The script is heavily-written - almost every sentence ends in a tiny misdirect. It's not an unpleasant way to spend 50 mins. 3/5
Visiting the Fringe & looking for suggestions as to what to see? Here are some of my favourites so far:
Paid: Madeleine Brettingham, Mark Thomas, Larry Dean, Jamie Wolf, Tarang Hardikar.
Free/PWYW: Pierre Novellie, Tom Ballard, Ayo Adenekan, Seymour Mace, Dan Tiernan, Chris Kent, Dan Rath.
Silky: The theme (imposter syndrome) is very loosely linked into the body of the hour - the lies he's told & the consequences. These autobiographical tales could arguably be trimmed of some detail. He seems very nice & the show clips along but it's not an undiscovered gem. 2.5/5
Barcelona Comedy Tapas: A bill show featuring around 6 acts plus a host. Their connections to Barcelona will range from non-existent, through living there to long term resident. It's primarily a way for performers to promote their solo shows. You can safely assume you'll get in on PWYW.
Richard Stott: He readily flits between topics - identity, self-worth, masculinity, disability & dating. Sad girl coffee mornings goes down very well. Delivery is chatty & upbeat. He is guilty of throwing in some contrived puns without warning. Brace yourself for that. 2.5/5
Jake Baker: It's an updated version of last year's WIP, focusing on masculinity & the manosphere. Delivery is gentle & nerdy & Mark-Watson-y. The material is well worked with barely 10 seconds between laughs. The addition of the "animal facts" is a delight. His best show yet. PWYW. 4/5
George Zacharopoulos: He starts strongly with the best material we've heard about Shiraz (genuinely). After that things lose focus, though he's keen to force a theme onto the anecdotal stories. The wrap-up is wordy & takes forever. He's a reliable comic who I'll catch again. PWYW. 3/5
Johnny Hollywood: It's billed as entirely improvised & that appears to be the case. There's a small amount of good-natured crowd involvement but he carries the show via his own idiocy. How well it will scale to larger rooms is debatable but in a crowded karaoke dungeon it's tremendous fun. PWYW. 4/5
Rob Copland: The hour is bookended by theatrical set pieces. In between he reveals his hopes & worries. It's a very physical performance including elements of mime & clowning. The silliness is dialled up high & if you enter wanting to have a good time you should be suitably rewarded. PWYW. 4/5
Jenny Gorelick: Her dating life is the core theme but there are frequent tangents. The "girly girl" persona (her words) won't be for everyone but there's a whipsmart comic mind behind it. It's dense with gags & the callback-heavy wrap-up doesn't overstay its welcome. PWYW. 3.5/5
Daniel Petrie & Valeria Vulpe: A split bill from 2 very promising comics. DP's delivery is engaging & the frequently-surreal material charms, even if some bits have quite the walkup. VV offers deadpan, precision gags often focused on her Moldovan background. Both are worth catching. PWYW. 3/5
Phil Ellis: Expect tales from his tragic life, some audience interaction, the odd daft stunt & a bit of singing - just general titting about really. It won't win him new fans but Taskmaster has already done that quite successfully. A pleasantly stupid way to spend an hour. PWYW. 3.5/5
John Tothill (Close Your Eyes): It's an early WIP so things are quite unstructured. He's in a tent inside a building for a start. There's some chatting/riffing with the crowd, some catty bitching & two bits of material, the main one being about walking the Camino. Mainly for existing fans. 2.5/5
3's Comedy (Mornings): A split bill featuring ex-pat Aussies Peter Jones, Prue Blake & Ty Gray. An easy-going hour of accessible material in a small room. PJ probably offers the most professional product. Maximising a single day at the Fringe? This at 11:15am could be your start. Free Fringe. 2.5/5
John-Luke Roberts: Expect an hour of clever, whimsical & above all, silly standup. Delivery is rapid but fluid & there's some delightful use of callbacks. Mortality is the through line but he readily embraces tangents & adores an act-out. Accessible & worth catching. PWYW. 3.5/5
Harry Stachini: Delivery is quick & matey but there's no distinct comic voice. The personal anecdotal material is down to earth but isn't challenging stereotypes. There's no theme, tho he does his best at the end to give the impression. The crowd got on better than I did. 2.5/5
Rob Moriarty: He's the unlikeliest of gays. He warns us the material is dark & he's not wrong. It's misdirect-heavy & he's strong on targeting hypocrisy - Mark Normand fans might enjoy. It's not billed as a WIP but it feels like he's still finding his feet. Very promising (if disturbing). 3.5/5
2026 Fringe Stats
Shows entered: 74
Shows abandoned: 5
Reviews posted: 66
Average mark allocated: 3.1
Smallest audience I was part of: 3
Shortest Hour Show: 45 mins
Best Show: Pierre Novellie
Show I Most Regretted Missing: Sam Eley
Main downtime location: Monkey Barrel Bar