‘It’s great to be back’: return of Edinburgh Fringe sees surge in sales

Attenders thrilled at festival but disgusted at the price of rooms, while venues are relieved at the bums on seatsThe past two summers without a full Edinburgh fringe have “felt weird” for Kwong Chan and his improvisational comedy troupe in Norwich, bu…

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Edinburgh fringe performers pitch tents and caravans as rents in the city double

Comics say they are being priced out, with venue directors warning that future of the event is under threatTony Law has been coming to the Edinburgh fringe to perform for 20 years, but he’s never had an experience quite like this year.Law is staying in…

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Edinburgh fringe performers pitch tents and caravans as rents in the city double

Comics say they are being priced out, with venue directors warning that future of the event is under threatTony Law has been coming to the Edinburgh fringe to perform for 20 years, but he’s never had an experience quite like this year.Law is staying in…

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Derry Girls effect boosts Northern Irish talent at Edinburgh fringe

Record number of NI performers at this year’s festival, with C4 comedy hailed for raising awareness of nation’s comic giftsThe biggest ever cohort of playwrights, comedians and artists from Northern Ireland are bringing their work to the Edinburgh frin…

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‘I’ve come to say thank you’: big names return to support Edinburgh fringe

Comedians such as Omid Djalili and Rachel Parris are back after festival’s tough two years due to CovidWhen Omid Djalili first performed at the Edinburgh festival fringe in 1993, it was to an audience of three, and they all requested refunds after it w…

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Rhod Gilbert announces he is being treated for cancer

Welsh comedian becomes patient at Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff, where he is a patronRhod Gilbert, the comedian and television presenter, has announced he is being treated for cancer.The 53-year-old from Carmarthen said he was a patient at Velindre…

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‘Someone’s making money but it’s not us’ – the comics spurning the Edinburgh fringe

Standups used to think they’d never make it if they didn’t play the festival. But it’s leaving many saddled with debt, stuck in squalid flats and even suicidal. Refuseniks tell us why they’re bowing outRose Johnson has spent eight Augusts at the Edinbu…

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Bill Bailey: ‘Keep saying funny things – that’s quite profound advice’

The standup on the wisest words ever given to him, his pre-show rituals and how he discovered his vocation at an anarchist vegetarian communeHow did you get into comedy?I grew up in the West Country and there wasn’t much of a comedy scene at the time. …

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Joe Lycett standup joke investigated by police after complaint

Comedian says he was asked to explain context of gag to investigating officers, and will keep it in his showThe comedian Joe Lycett has said he was investigated by the police after an audience member made a complaint about a joke in one of his shows.In…

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‘Our ears were bleeding!’ – Harry Hill on making his Tony Blair opera

Saddam gets a Groucho Marx makeover, Gordon Brown sings about macroeconomics – and Cherie is part Lily Savage, part Lili Marleen. The big-collared comic reveals all about Tony!It’s a Tuesday morning and Harry Hill and Steve Brown are discussing their u…

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