Alvin and Eva – Break the Geneva Convention 4****

A shipping container in Potterrow on one of the hottest days of the year is not where you expect to find something delightful. More often, it’s where you’d stumble across an illegal rave or a sauna sponsored by Red Bull. … Read More

Kuan-wen Huang – Andrews Are the Worst 4****

Huang’s show begins before the allotted time, as the audience trickles in. He’s already in full host mode — chatty, disarming, and greeting newcomers with the warmth of an old friend. We’re in his “Yurt of Mirth,” a circular little … Read More

Off With Your Head 4****

A comedy, Dungeon-and-Dragons-esque role-play delight. Cult hit Off With Your Head is a rare communal experience at the Fringe — a fast-paced, sharply tuned comedy cocktail where the audience aren’t just along for the ride; they’re in the driver’s seat. At its … Read More

Ruaridh Miller – It’s Pronounced “Ruaridh” 4****

Ruaridh Miller arrives not with a thunderous entrance, but with a hiccup so Fringe on-brand – the Bluetooth won’t connect to his phone intro music. Miller strolls onstage to silence but the crowd are with him, no matter the aesthetic … Read More

Mark Simmons – His Latest Jokes 4.5 ****

For 17 years now Mark Simmons has been performing his shows at the Fringe. Maybe he is not the most famous of one-liner comedians but, in my opinion. he is probably the best. And I am not alone in my … Read More

Mark Watson: Before It Overtakes Us 5*****

Mark Watson has been a formidable staple of the Edinburgh Fringe for two decades, still happily performing at his longtime favourite venue: Pleasance Courtyard, but now in Pleasance One, the original theatre. And once again the audience are in for … Read More

Lunchbox – 4****

In Lunchbox, Lubna Kerr takes a familiar childhood story — the dreaded school bully — and turns it into something richer, more layered, and unexpectedly compassionate. As both writer and performer, Kerr draws from her own schooldays to recall Stephen McGregor, … Read More

Paul Merton & Suki Webster’s Improv Show- 4.5 ****

There is improv and then there is this improv.

Although this genre is not my favourite, when it is done well, and this certainly is, it can be spectacularly entertaining and hilarious, if often sublimely silly as well.

Paul Merton … Read More

Ordinary Decent Criminal – 5*****

Mark Thomas delivers a blistering, unmissable performance in Ordinary Decent Criminal, embodying not just Frankie – the ex-addict, ex-student and one-time political firebrand now serving 3.5 years for drug dealing – but every inmate who crosses his path.

The main part of … Read More

Amy Annette 4.5****

As audience members walked into the Baby Grand on Monday afternoon, Amy Annette greeted them by the door and welcomed them to the show. Before Busy Body even begins, Amy’s friendly demeanour endears the audience to her, and she … Read More