...and solo and double acts who do multiple characters

Maybe it’s the finances of it; maybe it’s slightly out of fashion – but there seem to be few sketch shows at the Fringe this year. Here’s some of them, with a few solo performers and double-acts who are in the same performance ballpark too.

1. Sketch Show Bingo!

Katie Bennett, Amy McCann and Amelia Stephenson are Quirks & Foibles, makers of online skits and nominees in the Funny Women competition. Their debut show uses a bingo doohickey to jumble up the order of the scenes.  McCann said: ‘The show was born out of our passion for creating comedy for all the family. As an interactive, randomised sketch show where anything could happen it encompasses the energy of the Fringe, and that’s why we want to debut in Edinburgh.’

TheSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 5.05pm or 6.05pm

2. Daisy Doris May: Big Night Out

May has been a the Fringe before with her cabaret circuit character Steve Porters, a ladies’ man and iPod DJ offering to share his dubious wisdom on How to Flirt and How To Mate. He makes a comeback here alongside The Divine Karen Monoon, a diippy free spirit, and Häns Off, a hardcore techno music fan born in the cloakroom queue of Berlin superclub Berghain. 

Assembly George Square, 9.50pm 

3. Smack The Pony:  Back In The Saddle

No list of skecth comedy would be complete without the comeback of the iconic trio of Fiona Allen, Doon Mackichan and Sally Phillips. Their four-night run sold out very quickly – obviously – showing just how much lasting affection a sketch troupe can command if they get it right.

Gilded Balloon at the Museum, 4.45pm, August 17 to 20 only 

4. Business Casual: Cowboys

Presented by cult comedy specialists Stamptown, Business Casual are a brash American comedy trio comprising Jeremy Elder, Cory Peter Lane and Hunter Saling. They were at the Fringe in 2022 with a show call Feral, and now they are back – and this time in the Wild West. A gunslinging hero assembles a posse  to seek revenge on the gang who killed his family, and along the way the group encounter gold miners, Snake Oil salesman and just about every Western trope you could think of…

Pleasance Courtyard, 9.40pm, from August 11

5. Pear: Phobia

Returning to the Fringe for a fourth time, acclaimed 6ft 7in identical twin comedians Patrick and Hugo McPherson promos their ‘most ambitious, chaotic hour yet’. Beyond that, nothing has been said.

Underbelly Cowgate, 7.20pm

6 Siblings: Dreamweavers

And while we’re talking about sibling double-acts, Maddy and Marina Bye  are back with a sketch show delving into their collective subconscious. It is, literally, a dream show. They, too, have reached for the superlatives, saying: ‘This is the most insane sketch show we have ever made’.

Pleasance Grand, 8.20pm

7. Rory Marshall: Pathetic Little Characters,

Up-and-coming comedian Rory Marshall makes his Fringe debut with an hour of sketches based around a series of 'sad and pathetic characters’. they include overly-enthusiastic charity workers at your doorstep to youths loitering outside pubs pestering you for a Rizla. ‘I’m fascinated by why people behave differently depending on their situation,’ says the former punk rocker. ‘Why do we feel the need to show off, to make others laugh, or to be liked? These characters emerged organically – maybe too organically –from my own observations and experiences. Or perhaps it’s just because being sad, pathetic and desperate comes very naturally to me.’

Pleasance Courtyard, 6pm

8. A Sketch Show with Hugo Hayes

Hugo Hayes has had some success with online videos, claiming more than 25million views. Can he make that work IRL, too? His Fringe debut should give a clue, though the show’s only 45 minutes and includes a guest stand-up opening for him. Fans have been promised a mix of characters they know and new ones exclusive to the stage.  

Hoot at Apex 1.40pm

 9. Just The Two Of Us!

In their debut hour, high-energy alternative comedy double act Soft Play – aka Maria Telnikoff and Vidya Divakaran – aim to play every great duo in history – from Romulus and Remus and Judas and Jesus to Wham! Puppetry, clown and ‘a lot’ of dance breaks go into the show…

 Pleasance Courtyard 4.15pm 

10. Laser Kiwi: Everybody Knows

New Zealand trio Laser Kiwi are back, brining their circus skills to bear on the world of  sketch comedy. Imogen Stone and brothers  Zane and Degge Jarvie were named best circus act at the 2023 Adelaide Fringe and earlier this year fooled Penn and Teller on their American TV show:

 Assembly George Square  7.35pm

Published: 18 Jul 2025