Jess Fuchs: Feral review – a debut with tremendous oomph from a future comedy star

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThis motormouth Australian comic fires off tart remarks and home truths then explains why she over-identifies with the Titanic‘No hugging, no learning” was the writers’ rule on Seinfeld. Jess Fuchs decrees a similar strict…

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Kemah Bob: Love Child review – Miss Fortunate’s follow-up is a superbly playful origin story

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghWith icky and edgy jokes, the comedian offers an authentic inquiry into her childhood in her sophomore showA standup’s debut show usually tells us who they are, then with their follow-up, they branch out. Kemah Bob has don…

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Camping trips, grief and embarrassing your kids – the fringe shows embracing every facet of fatherhood

Edinburgh comedies by Whisper Theatre, Lightning Rod Special and Olaf Falafel are exploring what it’s like to be a dad, from the hilarious and melancholic to the devastatingly accurate cringeIn a historic masonic lodge in Edinburgh’s New Town I find my…

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Kate Cheka: The Last Funny Woman review – pregnant standup calls for comedy industry to grow up

Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh Cheka considers her tendency to ‘live life like a joke’ in a frank hour, with her frustrations leaving a lasting impressionKate Cheka wasn’t supposed to be here. After her debut hour two years ago, she swore she would never do t…

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The Librarians: A Very Serious Comedy! review – workplace meltdown borrows from classic sitcoms

Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Well-tuned performances help along a familiar set of laughs as a rickety library gets a new manager and an inspectionThe sign says Plumstanton Library but this could be The Brittas Empire’s Whitbury New Town Leisure Centr…

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Frankie Thompson: Horrible Things review – a show to make you shudder with laughter

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghFrom Jacob Rees-Mogg as a child to Frank Sinatra’s ego in space, this is a wild collage of clowning and performance artThere are plenty of works-in-progress on the fringe. Frankie Thompson insists (or has the voice of Pepp…

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Those People review – a double act with raw passion and no filter

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghAre they besties, housemates or more than that? Lara Ciulli and Riana White keep the audience guessing in a gripping hour of comedyFifteen years ago in this room, I remember the thrill of encountering Lizzie and Sarah Dayk…

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Dan Tiernan: Quartz and All review – a furious comedy show about healing crystals

Monkey Barrel Comedy, EdinburghThe frenetic Mancunian turns to quartz in search of inner peace – but his standup remains as crude and self-loathing as everI’ve seen two prominent comedians on this year’s fringe argue that your belief system is somethin…

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Megasquirt: Fully Loaded review – how to combat existential angst? A comedy rave at an ungodly hour

Underbelly, Cowgate, EdinburghAshley Blair and Drew Reilly send up gen Z anomie with hardcore ditties about awkward dinners, megachurches and centaur boyfriends‘How to feel whole in an empty world?” There are many possible answers to that question, and…

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Now I’ve seen everything! A wild ride through the Edinburgh festival 2026 – in pictures

A succubus, a cycling champ and Sir Elton Scone walk into a bar … and our photographer Murdo MacLeod was there to capture every momentAll our Edinburgh festival reviews Continue reading…

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