England & Son review – Mark Thomas’s funny and ferocious telling of a lost childhood

Roundabout @ Summerhall, EdinburghPlaywright Ed Edwards frames the story of a juvenile offender through the lens of colonialismIn his 2018 play The Political History of Smack and Crack, Ed Edwards made the connection between government policy and the 1…

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Let’s start the show: Edinburgh festival 2023 kicks off – in pictures

Photographer Murdo MacLeod presents his view of the opening week’s Edinburgh festival and fringe shows – from a show for one to a giant dinner party• See all our Edinburgh festival 2023 coverage here Continue reading…

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Edinburgh festival fringe acts outraged by censorship of ‘provocative’ posters

Performers and producers say arts are being ‘sanitised’ amid more sensitive attitudes towards swearing and sexual politicsAn annual “poster war” has raged between rival promoters for as long as the festival fringe has been filling Edinburgh’s small the…

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‘I almost died. Just kidding! I only broke my leg’: comedians share their Edinburgh fringe horror stories

The fringe can take its toll, but it’s all good material, right? Whether it’s pukey kisses, sleeping through a gig, or politician-induced paranoia, Ed Byrne, Paul Sinha, Olga Koch et al have lived to tell the tale. Plus! Ten shows to see this yearMy wo…

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Ramalama Ding Dong review – engaging tales of cultural crossfire in Swansea

Summerhall, EdinburghWelsh-Iranian musician Roshi Nasehi spins her heritage into standup that is most impressive when she works the stories into sound piecesHaving established herself as a musician – or, more precisely, a proponent of experimental Wel…

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Britain’s Got Talent winner Viggo Venn: ‘I made £10 a gig. But look at me now. New pants!’

The Norwegian clown, whose hi-vis strip show won BGT and took over TikTok, is bringing his silliness to a yurt in Edinburgh. ‘Something bigger than me is happening,’ he says. ‘It’s out of my control’What is talent? And what is British? You may not expe…

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Britain’s Got Talent winner Viggo Venn: ‘I made £10 a gig. But look at me now. New pants!’

The Norwegian clown, whose hi-vis strip show won BGT and took over TikTok, is bringing his silliness to a yurt in Edinburgh. ‘Something bigger than me is happening,’ he says. ‘It’s out of my control’What is talent? And what is British? You may not expe…

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‘They cheered on Everest when we revealed our catsuits’: the Scummy Mummies on 10 years ​o​f podcasting

The​ duo have amassed more than 5m downloads with their irreverent take on parenthood, divorce and everything in between. They marked their anniversary with a record-breaking live showWhat fun it is to spend an afternoon with Helen Thorn and Ellie Gibs…

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‘If you break even that’s a bonus’: what it costs to perform at the Edinburgh fringe

Theatre and comedy acts at this year’s festival break down their expenses and consider the financial risks“The big, difficult cost this year is accommodation,” says RoguePlay’s artistic director Kim Wildborne. The physical theatre company is heading to…

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Dane Baptiste: ‘My body likes to cleanse itself before telling dirty jokes’

The comedian on getting old, festival toilets and British standups’ failure to talk about inequalityHow did you get into standup?I always loved comedy, but because I didn’t know the who, what, where and when, I didn’t think it would be something I coul…

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