Ten Edinburgh Fringe shows with an eye on the past

With the present such a dumpster fire, is it any surprise some comedians are looking to the past for inspiration? Here are ten of them heading to the Edimburgh Fringe..

1. 5 Mistakes That Changed History

Comedian and historian Paul Coulter returns to the Fringe for a third time with this show, which has just spawned a book as well as an ongoing tour, which continues after the Fringe. In it, explores the pivotal moments where human error altered the course of the world, covering anything from the death of Alexander The Great to tomatoes.

Assembly George Square Studios, 4.40pm

2. Luke Connell: Bloody Marvellous

Luke Connell is a professor of medieval French literature at Durham University. But he adopts a dafter persona for his comedy show, in which he hopes to depict the Middle Ages in a new light , with offbeat stories about monks who thought they could fly, Marco Polo’s ‘discovery’ of unicorns and the bawdy tales and puns of medieval literature.

Laughing Horse at the Brass Monkey, 2.45pm 

3. History Comedy Show

Stand-up and history buff Raul Kohli hosts a daily compilation  show where comedians deliver stand-up about their favourite period in history – or do stand up as their favourite historical character.

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 11.45am

4. Knightclub

Disgraced monks Tamothy and Brother Jack embark on a quest to become knights, after being banished from their monastery. Can they win the king's favour, and outsmart the dastardly French? This new comedy play comes from former Footlights regulars and the creators of Pirates: You Wouldn’t Steal A Boat, which attracted positive reviews last Fringe.

TheSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall, 1.50pm, August 11 to 24.

See also the return of Knight Knight, Madeleine Rowe’s clown show about a noble warrior who pulls a sword from a stone and becomes king (as reviewed last year here). They’re at Underbelly George Square at 7.20pm

5. Abby Denton: My Favourite Loser

Is this proof that there’s no new topics in comedy? Los Angeles-based Abby Denton might have thought a stand-up show about the 1904 Olympic marathon in St Louis was unique – but Kiwi comic Nic Sampson tackled the same subject three years ago. Denton’s show focusses on the undoubted star of the event, Andarín Carvajal, a working-class postman from Cuba who competed in his street clothes and even had a nap midway through. And that’s not the half of his mad story…

The Space @ Surgeons Hall, 10.05pm, August 18 to 23 only

6. Pope Benedict The XI

The man who got the Catholic Church’s top job an unprecedented tree times is also one of the most scandalous of the Popes, a hard-fought title.  Pope Victor III, who came 40 years later, accused him of ‘rapes, murders and other unspeakable acts of violence and sodomy’, while he also allegedly committed bestiality and sponsored orgies. For Australian comic Pedro Cooray, pictured, he was the first gay Pope, and he here portrays the 11th Century pontiff as ‘living for goss and playing loads of video games’.

Just The Tonic At The Mash House, 1.10pm, August 13 to 24.

7. Adrian Minkowicz: Latin America

Let us not just have a Eurocentric view of history. In this returning show  Argentinian comedian and human rights lawyer Adrian Minkowicz –  who is  nowbased in New York and Oslo –  tells of a roadtrip he took through 500 years of Latin American history.

PBH Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth 5.10pm

8. Sibet Partee: Behind

New York performer Sibet Partee is obsessed with Henry VIII, who she calls ‘the original fuckboy’. It’s through his ghost that she examines all the men who have wrecked her life: exes, rebounds, sugar daddies and friends 

Just The Tonic At The Caves, 1pm

9. Burton Brothers: 1925

This inventive sketch show isn’t just about the Twenties, it thoroughly encapsulates it, from jaunty swing numbers to wireless jingles. Siblings Tom and Josh are full of the bouncy optimism of the Jazz Age, certain in the knowledge there’s definitely no possibility whatsoever of a devastating stock market crash on the horizon.  It was one of the breakout hits of the 2024 Melbourne International Comedy Festival – read out 4.5-star review here. 

10. It Just So Happened

In this alternative history show and podcast hosted by pun-loving Richard Pulsford, three stand-up comedians perform history-themed 'on this day' sets before discussing topics from Edinburgh's history.

Braw Venues @ Hill Street, 10.30am, August 1-9 only

There’s also a one-off recording of Fin Taylor’s Fin Vs History at Pleasance EICC on August 8.

Published: 14 Jul 2025