Comedy, Issue 638

Dan Atkinson: Death by One Thousand Pricks

Compelling and entertaining thesis on the current state of Britain

Dan Atkinson is sick of pretending. He's through with being nice, kaput with repressing his desires, and done with right-wing 'pricks' that moan and whine on radio call-ins. Charmingly presenting the stage as a realm in which the truth runs free, and…

Miles Jupp: Telling it Like it Might be

Mr Nice Guy is generous with the laughs

Playing on his persona as a harmlessly posh good egg, the sort you’d happily leave your kids with, Jupp crafts tales of his failings and faux pas, mishaps visited on him and his own ineptitudes into a rolling onslaught of rib-tickling yarns. Designed to…

Kim Noble

Unfettered lunacy?

Of the near 600 shows listed under Comedy in the Fringe programme, there will be absolutely nothing in there like Kim Noble Will Die. Indeed, whether the return of the man who was once one half of the Perrier Best Newcomer winning double act Noble and…

Russell Kane: ‘Fakespeare: The Tragicall Saveings of King Nigel’

More bard theory than he's letting on?

Russell Kane’s second ‘Fakespeare’ play tells the story of Nigel, a vile Essex banker torn between his fat orange wife – ‘the Gorgon’ – and his ‘semi-chav’ secretary, Donna. Nigel also has to choose between suicide and the nefarious investment in Sudan…

Cabaret Whore

Sex, revenge and Katie Price

The themes of sex, revenge and Katie Price are just some of the topics tackled in Sarah-Louise Young’s all female cabaret show. Performed with passion from the very beginning, Young’s interchanging characters - Southern belle, socially inept librarian…

Life of Brian

Monty Python classic comes back to the big screen

Has it really been that long? Find out what the Romans really did for us in this special thirtieth anniversary screening of Monty Python’s most contentious and complete film. GFT, Glasgow from Sun 6-Tue 8 Sep.

Comedy Hitlist

Brendon Burns In years gone by this mouthy Aussie could have started an almighty battle in an empty room. He doesn’t have that problem anymore given the number of dates he’s added to this sold-out run. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 25–29 Aug…

5 Questions: Terry Alderton

Terry Alderton once played in goals for Southend FC before turning to comedy. There’s nothing in our

What five words best describes your show this year? No format, just full on. Can you name a comic who should be more famous than they are now why? Me. What bugs or delights you most about Edinburgh in August? The weather bugs me; it…

Eric's Tales of the Sea

Moving, humbling, and comic

Breathtaking, poignant, suspenseful, and hilarious, Eric's tales are enthralling, told by a gifted storyteller who will draw you into the murky depths of his world. Self-deprecating and never boastful, he gives an account of the bravery of his fellow…

Sean Hughes

Sex, anti-depressants and rock’n’roll

Sean Hughes must have wailed with delight when he learned that The Chippendales would be taking to the Debating Hall stage straight after him during his short run of What I Meant to Say Was …. Sex has always been a big theme for the Dubliner and here he…

Edinburgh Free Fringe round-up

In a festival where Ricky Gervais can charge whatever he wants for a show in the Playhouse and sell out comfortably, as well as expecting to pay £10 for a half-decent comedian nobody's heard of, it's nice to see the free alternatives still going strong.

William Andrews

A techno treat and funnybone fondling fiesta

Back in the day when Edinburgh-based comic Will Andrews was flaky Geordie maniac Tony Carter, a propensity for technological hi-jinks either hampered or helped chaotic Fringe shows such as Evil Army or Benefit Fraudster. The New Deal character actually…

Julian Clary

Former Joan Collins Fan Club becomes national treasure

‘Are there any heterosexuals in here?’ asks a nervous-looking Julian Clary, ‘because if this is an exclusively gay and lesbian audience I’ll do a completely different show.’ It’s an odd question to be asking of the packed crowd in the cavernous Purple…

Phil Kay: London Aye!

The crowd are in hysterics from the start

In many ways, Phil Kay is the spirit of the Fringe. He’s a manic, funny, shambolic, Scottish, hairy hobgoblin of an exhibitionist, and embodies any adjective you care to ascribe to the festival. Witnessing his performance at midnight in amidst the revel…

Monsieur Montpellier: Entertainer Extraordinaire!

Derren Brown he ain’t

In a well-trodden Fringe tradition, Monsieur Montpellier is a cabaret performer who just can’t help getting things wrong. Aided by his show-stealing assistant Le Cabaret, the grand monsieur waxes lyrical about his many life experiences (meeting Bernard…

Colm O'Regan

An effortless talent abounding

You can just about hear the voice of David O'Doherty in your ears every time O'Regan pulls out another charming anecdote or dwells on a whimsical image or two. This softly-spoken young comic claims to have written some alternative Mills & Boon and…

Carey Marx

Everything from global warming to fisting cows

Marx offers a relatively fresh take on that peculiarly British obsession with doom and gloom in a routine that takes in everything from global warming to fisting cows, Susan Boyle's hair and bum sex while trampolining. While his writing betrays an…

Abi Roberts

Not much in the way of comedic writing

There's little doubt that Roberts can sing and her range of styles is wide but there's not much in the way of comedic writing here. Her show whizzes through her life story and along the way she throws out a myriad of impressions of singers with the…

Jon Richardson

Very funny anecdotes

There's no doubt whatsoever that Richardson is destined for McIntyre-like levels of fame, which will be a sorry shame because an intimate (or brutally hot) venue is where his tight-knit comedy works best. Following up on last year's spiffing Dogmatic…

Shirley & Shirley

Can't fault either of the performances

This female duo's sketch offerings are technically, meticulously executed and you can't fault either of the performances. But the material sways from pitch perfect writing to packing little punch plus being a little too reliant on stereotypes for…

G3: The Ginge, the Geordie and the Geek

Brave and occasionally sinister

The damp, scruffy interior of The Caves seems like the ideal location for this brave and occasionally sinister sketch show. As accomplished actors, the members of G3, are able to effortlessly embody the many characters they create, ranging from a…

Sirqus Alfon

An hour of sheer lunacy

In what can only be described as an hour of sheer lunacy, Sirqus Alfon present a charmingly ridiculous, transfixing 90s dance explosion cum human computer game with Eurotrash. Impressive timing and energy turn what could easily have been a painful…

Jim Smallman

Barely a punchline that registers

This East Midlands comic has made a name for himself with his rise to reliable compere status and it's hard to see that he will go much more beyond that level on the evidence of this poor Fringe debut. He tells us that he's had quite an eventful life…

Patrick Monahan

Would be a pleasant quarter of an hour

This show manages to over-run by ten minutes which is no mean feat considering the dearth of material on offer. This would be a pleasant quarter of an hour in the hands of the jovial Geordie comic but stretched over an hour it becomes tortuous. Getting…

Lucy Porter

A performance that is assured if a little safe

Though her youthful looks and childlike attitude hide it, Porter has had more experience than most at the Fringe. It all makes for a performance that is assured if a little safe, never in danger of falling flat but equally never challenging any…