Leicester mayor: We WILL have a comedy festival next year
Council chief vows to keep keep the event alive
Leicester City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has vowed that a comedy festival will…
Seventh series for Sorry I Didn’t Know
ITV has renewed its panel show Sorry I Didn’t…
Aisling Bea joins Starman film
Aisling Bea is to appear opposite Brendan Fraser and…
Jessica Fostekew to host Infinite Monkey Cage
Jessica Fostekew will be taking over from Robin Ince…
Amanda Knox: Don't try to shame a wronged woman into silence
Amanda Knox has hit back at calls for her Edinburgh…
Rosie Jones: When I fell in public, 40 people stepped over me – and two kicked me
Rosie Jones has told of how she was ignored –…
James Acaster's band The Wow! Scenario releases its first single
James Acaster has released the first single with…
Meredith's Kercher sister demands Amanda Knox Fringe show be banned
The sister of murdered student Meredith Kercher is demanding Amanda Knox –…
Leicester Comedy Festival firm goes bust
The company that runs the Leicester Comedy Festival has gone bust – meaning…
Wellington Paranormal rises from the dead
New Zealand mockumentary Wellington Paranormal is to return after a five-year absence,…
Veteran comedian Jimmy Cricket has died at the age of 80. In a statement, his…
BBC buys Aussie comedy-drama He Had It Coming
The BBC is to air He Had It Coming, an Australian comedy-drama starring Big Mood’s…
From Ted Lasso to Ricky Gervias's sweary cats
Our pick of the comedy on TV, radio and streaming this week. Sunday August 2 UNACCEPTABLE:…
Tour news
Features
My patented idea to encourage more experimentation at the Fringe
Tom Neenan is back at the Edinburgh Fringe with his new show Portrait Of A Tom As…
Genres were meant to be broken – especially by queer artists
'Genres are a funny little concept, aren’t they? In theory, they have a…
'Her sketches are like tiny documentaries'
Ellie Ross is at the Edinburgh Fringe with Mrs Gary Breath, a theatrical comedy show…
I thought I had to mine my life for comedy. Big mistake
For a long time, I was locked to a fairly traditional idea of what my stand-up…
Save us from the entitled posh students!
As he returns to the Edinburgh Fringe, Brennan Reece talks about what he can't…
Are clowns the most serious people in comedy?
Before I go on any further I have a confession; a few years ago I did spend three…
Edinburgh Fringe Reviews
John-Luke Roberts: What I Talk About When I Run About, Talking
Stripping away the high concepts that have hallmarked…
18:30 PLEASANCE DOME
Friday August 7: Reuben Kaye, Hannah Platt, The Stevenson Experience, Benny Shakes, Emma Holland, Dee Allum, Metroland, Becky Umbers, Michael John Ciszewski, Madeleine Brettingham, Tasmin Sarkany, Hajar Woodland, MC Rosco McClellandSaturday August 8: Frank Sanazi, Eric Rushton, Alice Fraser, Eli Matthewson, One: The Musical, Eva Peroni, Noah Szto, Behemoth, Guy Branum, Edith Alibec, Emiline Downine, Emily Weitzman and MC Will Adamsdale Book Now
Live comedy picks
Gig of the day
Bruce Devlin: Mummy Loves M&S
Stand 3 and 4
from 16:15 - 17:15
Book Now
Peter Kay Live
Manchester AO Arena
Saturday 8th AugBook now
Coming Soon
Simon Amstell: I Love It Here
Underbelly McEwan Hall
Sunday 9th Aug from 19:00
Book Now
Harriet Kemsley: Floozy
Oxford North Wall Arts Centre
Saturday 3rd Oct from 19:30Book now
Book Now
Stuart Goldsmith: Canary
Birmingham Glee Club
Friday 13th Nov from 20:00Book now
Book Now
Olga Koch: Fat Tom Cruise
Margate Where Else?
Thursday 22nd Oct from 19:30Book now
Other news
The 'biggest prize in comedy' returns for 2026
Voting opens tomorrow for NextUp’s Biggest Award…
Billy Connolly exhibition to open in Glasgow
An exhibition about the life of Sir Billy Connolly…
ISH Awards to be worth £16,000
The ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards have confirmed a record £16,000.01 prize fund…
Kevin Bridges has signed with powerhouse American agents CAA. The move comes…
Aunty Donna's production firm makes its first film
The production company set up by Australian comedy troupe Aunty Donna is making…
Comedian Tom Short offers free stand-up training
Comedian Tom Short has launched a series of free stand-up training sessions in aid…
Punching Up
Punchlines on the rail lines
In what’s an occasional Fringe tradition, comedians have performed on an Edinburgh-bound train to mark the start of the festival North East-based Lee…
Oh Jesus, why have you forsaken me?
A comedian is hoping to find Jesus at this year’s…
So there are these three odd Irish priests on an island...
Eagle-eyed viewers might spot something familiar about…
Mo Gilligan: I was trailed by six cop cars and a helicopter
Mo Gilligan has told of the moment he was tailed…
Videos
Leo Hincks talks about how he struggles with the ‘brief Intense intimacy’ required for performing a three-minute set at Chortle’s Fast Fringe.
And is the time constraint just another way of putting queer performers like him in a box?
A 2024 finalist in the Chortle student comedy award, Hincks presents his debut show Emotional Cowboy at Gilded Balloon Teviot at 15:50 at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Chortle's Fast Fringe is on at Pleasance Dome at 18:30 daily. Tickets here.
Filming by NextUp, which will be streaming shows to subscribers this Fringe. Sign up here.
Leo Hincks at Chortle's Fast Fringe
Edinburgh debutant on the oppressive demands of a three-minute set
From Munya Chawawa
Magician Tom Brace at Chortle's Fast Fringe
Teasing his Edinburgh show
Hannah Byczkowski on hating tattoos
Extract from her Edinburgh debut