By Sara Bright
Trying to pick shows at the Edinburgh Fringe is its own special kind of madness. With thousands of options, the program itself can feel like an endurance sport.
To make it easier, here are ten of the most promising and talked-about comedy shows to catch at this year’s festival.
The Headliners
You can’t go wrong with a master of the craft, and Josie Long is precisely that. At a time when the news cycle is relentlessly grim, she has a rare talent for turning that dread into comedy that feels both hopeful and furious. Her new show, Now Is the Time of Monsters, promises tales of dinosaurs and hamsters as a way of navigating a world that feels like it’s falling apart.
(Pleasance Dome, 30 July – 24 August)
You may know Desiree Burch from TV panel shows, but the stage is where she truly holds court. The Golden Wrath is her take on middle age, perimenopause, and the specific freedom that comes from righteous anger. It’s a show about what happens when you decide to take up space, especially after feeling like you’re supposed to disappear.
(Monkey Barrel 3, 28 July – 10 August)
The Breakouts
Last year’s Best Newcomer winner, Joe Kent-Walters, is back with his monstrous creation, Frankie Monroe. Frankie, a sinister club owner from Rotherham, has been dragged to hell – but he’s still putting on a show. It’s a performance that is somehow both riotously funny and genuinely unsettling, part horror and part character comedy. It gets under your skin.
(Monkey Barrel: Cabaret Voltaire, 28 July – 24 August)
Jain Edwards’ deadpan, surrealist stand-up has earned her a fiercely loyal following. After delivering unforgettable bits on subjects as strange as Crufts and the spinning jenny, she’s turning inward. She-Devil is a more personal hour, dissecting class, autism, and misogyny with the kind of surprising punchlines that are quickly becoming her trademark.
(Underbelly Bristo Square, 30 July – 25 August)
Following a standout debut, Leila Navabi returns with a show that again mixes musical theatre and comedy. Relay is the true story of her and her girlfriend’s journey to have a baby with their best friend, the sperm donor. It promises to be a heartfelt, funny, and sometimes absurd look at queer family-making and ambition.
(Pleasance Courtyard, 30 July – 25 August)
The Weird and Wonderful
It’s hard to describe Mr Chonkers, which is probably the point. American clown John Norris created a word-of-mouth hit in 2022 with this bizarre and wonderful character. Now back for a full run, the show is a chaotic mix of Gregorian chants, elastic physical comedy, and direct audience engagement. It’s the kind of Fringe experience people talk about for years.
(Summerhall, 31 July – 24 August)
If your taste in comedy leans toward the uncomfortable, Luke McQueen is your man. He loves to play with the form, and this year’s show, directed by the equally experimental Jordan Brookes, has a great hook: snubbed by a podcast, he’s decided to interview himself using AI. It promises to be a messy, unpredictable, and fascinating look at creative failure.
(Pleasance Dome, 30 July – 24 August)
Sure Bets
Heidi Regan has always been good at bringing a cheeky lightness to big ideas, from time travel to conspiracy theories. She now applies that same touch to a more personal story. Jekyll and Heidi follows up on her 2022 show about IVF, finding humor in an unexpected diagnosis and the continuing quest she and her wife are on to conceive.
(Banshee Labyrinth, 2 – 24 August)
Even in early previews, Sam Nicoresti’s Baby Doomer was showing signs of being something special. The show weaves together the hostile environment for trans people, the paralysis of global crises, and a personal journey of breakdown and love. It’s comedy that trusts its audience to be thoughtful, delivering surreal detours and intelligent laughs.
(Pleasance Courtyard, 30 July – 24 August)
There’s a strong crop of character comedians this year, and Alice Cockayne is at the front of the pack. Her debut was a wig-filled fiasco about an office job descending into madness. Her follow-up, Licensed. Professional. Trained. Qualified., promises even more unhinged creations and messy musical numbers, all delivered with a sharp, slightly scary energy.
(Pleasance Courtyard, 30 July – 24 August)
