Kate Smurthwaite plans a new 50 minutes every day

Working up one show for the Edinburgh Fringe is demanding enough – but Kate Smurthwaite is setting herself the challenge of writing 20 different shows for this year’s festival.

On every day of the event – except Tuesdays – the comic will give herself 23 hours to create at least 50 minutes of material.  

She will allow herself a maximum of three minutes of old material,  impose a ban on using AI to write, and take suggestions from each day’s audience about what the next show might cover.

She said: ‘I honestly have no idea how far through the month I’ll get. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and I’m 50 now. It’s not going to get easier when I’m 60 is it?

‘I think I can write about five to seven minutes of comedy material in an hour. That’s what I aim for when I write for other people. 

‘I’m pre-writing as many blocks of material as I can and hope to have a pile of maybe 100 pre-written routines I can utilise at least one or two of each day. Of course, it will depend on what topics come up. If I’m lucky, maybe there’s a story from my own life I can include.’

She said she has a schedule for putting together each show, starting with coming up with the title, outline and blurb for the new show as she has dinner immediately after each performance –and will then send details off for the design of a new electronic flyer that each show will have.

‘My main concerns are if I am unwell or have to deal with major external problems,’ she said. ‘I also just don’t know what this will do to my mental wellbeing. On the one hand, I love challenges and I love writing comedy. I’m excited to do it all day every day.’

‘I’m doing one preview at Oxford Comedy Festival on July  14 to test the process. Aside from that I’m practising writing on random topics for 30 minutes at a time to try to work as fast as I can and develop a bank of usable material.’

Audience members can also suggest topics for the shows by email KateSmurthwaitesBrandNewShow@proton.me. between 7.30pm and 8.30pm on show days (or on August 6, the day before the first show).

Smurthwaite says she has a lot of experience writing material at speed and volume – having created more than 25 solo shows since she started in comedy in 2004 as well as writing for other performers.

But she does have a Plan B in case it gets too much: to revert to a compilation of her previous work.

Her show’s full title is:  Kate Smurthwaite Writes And Performs A Brand New Full-Length Stand-Up Show Every Single Day For The Entire Edinburgh Fringe Based On Audience Suggestions From the Previous Day (Not Tuesdays). It will be on at 7.40pm at the Banshee Labyrinth – which is part of the PBH Free Fringe – from August 8 to 30.

This is not even the only project the comic is taking to the Fringe, as she will also be returning to host the daily compilation show Late With Kate.

Adele Cliff is also writing a daily topical comedy segment for her Hoots Potterow show, Adele Cliff’s Topical Early Late Night Show With Adele Cliff, based on the format of American late-night talk shows.

The shows are among 1,508 going on sale on the official Edinburgh Fringe website from midday today.

• Elsewhere on the Fringe, Monkey Barrel Comedy's line-up will include stand-ups Phil Wang, Pierre Novellie, Catherine Bohart, Helen Bauer, Rose Matafeo, John Kearns, Vittorio Angelone, John-Luke Roberts,  Tiff Stevenson, Josh Pugh, Thor Stenhaug,  Rachel Galvo, Tatty Macleod, Tom Ballard,  Katie Boyle,  Krystal Evans and Phil O’Shea. Its alt-comedy and clowning programming includes  Luke Rollason, Mr Chonkers and ‘Barry and Tony in The Baritones’ – aka John-Luke Roberts and Joz Norris – plus former best newcomer winner Frankie Monroe (aka Joe Kent-Walters) retirning with a new, family-friendly work in progress

Published: 6 May 2026