Edinburgh Fringe 2025 Hot Tickets: Here are all 17 Taskmaster contestants with shows this year - from Ivo Graham to Rosie Jones
Ghosts star Kiell Smith-Bynoe must have enjoyed his last couple of visits to Edinburgh last year because he's back with his impov show 'Kiell Smith-Bynoe & Friends: Kool Story Bro'. for the third year in a row. It's on at the Pleasance Courtyard for one week only, from August 15-22. He's also started a new double act with his show 'Kiell Smith-Bynoe V Ed MacArthur: String V SPITTA', which is billed as a "children's party for adults" and is at the Assembly George Square from August 15-17. In 2023, Smith-Bynoe appeared as a contestant on Series 15, finishing second with 158 points. He returned in 2024 for Champion of Champions III, filling in the position of Mae Martin, finishing joint fourth with 15 points. | Getty Images
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Scotsman
19 hours ago
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Fringe Comedy reviews: Thor Stenhaug Ted Milligan Disabled Cants
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Thor Stenhaug: One Night Stand Baby Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) ★★★★☆ Over and above his god-of-thunder name, Thor Stenhaug has been dealt some unlikely cards in life that serve him well in comedy. A small town Norwegian who's achieved his adolescent, sitcom-inspired dream to live and date in London, the stand-up's nationality continues to be a source of fascination and culture clash quirkiness for everyone, the less-than-seductive tone of his accent contrasted with that of his French flatmate's. More poignantly, he's also the product of an unconventional upbringing, specifically from a one-night stand, his parents perfect strangers tied only by him. An accomplished anecdotalist, Stenhaug mines his circumstances skilfully for an endearing tale that's built on the solid framework of strong observational gags and rich personal disclosure. Thor Stenhaug: One Night Stand Baby | Rebecca Willow Other comics might linger longer in the darkness of his escape from mooted abortion, his mother's serious health scare and the unconventional means by which, as a child, he was ferried between his progenitors by others. Yet beyond even stereotypical Scandinavian liberalism and his mother's inclination towards finding silver linings, the boyish, almost perma-smiling comic has an irrepressible sunniness, eliciting big laughs for his carefully apportioned bleakness, before moving on at an appealing clip through his fulsome tale. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Chiefly, he contrasts his situation with that of his posh, religiously raised girlfriend from a big British family, her father's gentle probing of his background providing some mild narrative jeopardy. Stenhaug's lineage is more spotted even than his conception. And he has more reason than most to hail the invention of contraception, his self-deprecation strong even if his affection for his relatives is palpable. Although his initial struggles with the English language and habits inspire a big chunk of his material, they belie his sophisticated eye for their inconsistencies. The Norwegian deserves his sentimental ending for this storming debut. Jay Richardson until 24 August Ada and Bron: The Origin of Love Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) ★★★★☆ Silly and sexy is a fiendishly difficult combination to pull off. Yet character comics and real-life couple Ada Player and Bron Waugh accomplish it, bringing gorgeous chemistry, total commitment and delightfully inventive playfulness to the rich confection of their late-night Fringe debut. With epic pretensions, their showcase of eight or so pairings overflow with dysfunction and romantic earnestness, opening with the destabilising vision of Aristophanes' rending of soulmates, horrifying white amorphous blobs clutching and clawing through their sheeted bodies. Thereafter, though, Player and Waugh prance about in their underwear, whipping costumes on and off with carefree abandon. The naughtiness of a 1970s suburban affair groans with illicit randiness and bourgeois self-satisfaction, with Waugh the excited husband and Player farcically alternating between his dutiful wife and commanding mistress, all to the jazzy accompaniment of Ed Lyness on keyboard, ever-present and gently smirking throughout the hour. Bron Waugh (l) and Ada Player (r) in Ada & Bron: The Origin of Love | Michael Julings Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Elsewhere, there are some adorably twee munchkins; supernatural beings united in unnatural congress and confused pillow talk; and adolescents fumbling towards their first kiss, unsure if they're transmitting their racing inner thoughts out loud. A standout skit features an elderly woman and a sex robot, with Waugh impassively compliant, Player wild-eyed with resurgent geriatric lust, a spark of something more than AI between them. Another is the overwrought, star-crossed lovers strung out on a rock 'n' roll journey over decades, their devotion hinging on defecation, epitomising the messy, visceral, transgressive quality of much of Ada and Bron's work. There are some lost, lonely, individual souls. Waugh plays a disturbed incel with relish; Player is that violent dinosaur James Bond, killing anything he might love, as well as a sad, spurned young woman, heartbreaking in her self-effacement. He's highly watchable and versatile. She's a future star, recalling Caroline Aherne, Tracey Ullman or Morwenna Banks' most memorably girlish turns. Jay Richardson until 24 August Ted Milligan: United Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) ★★★☆☆ As Ted Milligan stresses, you don't need to be a football fan to appreciate his affectionate homage to the beautiful game. As a character comedy showcase, it's a fantastic calling card for the Plymouth Argyle supporter's skill in embodying a broad variety of eccentric creations and it rattles along with the adrenaline of an end-to-end derby, with the young playmaker putting in a real shift if you'll pardon the parlance. Those who do love the sport though will appreciate his attention to detail and the many knowing winks and nods for the terrace faithful. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Set at the fictional Crubchester United F.C., your stereotypical mismanaged lower league outfit, the hour unfolds like a fly-on-the-wall streaming documentary, with Milligan switching between portraying players, the board and the diehard followers of the team. Despite some initial wobbles and the fatalist attitude of their club captain, Crubchester find some form and ascend the division, their new star Italian striker powering them towards play-off contention. Dense with gags and wordplay, especially effective in skewering football's commercial rapacity through a memorably old school club CEO, the only sizeable criticism is that United doesn't go far enough in departing from the game's abundant clichés, with the team's touchy-feely German manager almost indistinguishable from the real Jürgen Klopp. Jay Richardson until 24 August Disabled Cants Bar 50 (V151) ★★☆☆☆ Benny Shakes is the slightly wobbly but loveable BFG that holds this show together. The bill changes constantly and today's performers come bearing a selection of acronymic diagnoses and range, in no particular order, from bewilderingly bad, through so-so to great delivery/no material. But Benny wraps them all in his warmth. It is a tribute to him that the gig has such a fun vibe. Finally we get local lad Gerard Murphy who is terrific: dark and personal, with a charismatic delivery. Very funny. Comedy? He might be disabled, but he can. KATE COPSTICK until 24 August
Scotsman
5 days ago
- Scotsman
Rising stars: 12 new comedians to see at the Edinburgh Fringe
Caroline McEvoy: Train Man: Assembly Roxy (RoxyBoxy) at 1:20pm Stand up comedian, host of Chortle Award winning comedy night Comedy Bandits and three time Funny Women Stage Awards nominee, Caroline McEvoy makes her solo debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with Train Man - a captivating, hilarious and heartfelt tale of sibling rivalry in post-Troubles Northern Man is a brand new stand up, storytelling hour packed with gut-punch gags and emotional blows as Caroline reckons with her lifelong battle with her autistic younger brother, who loves trains and getting his own way. Ada & Bron: The Origin of Love: Pleasance Courtyard (Attic) at 11pm BAFTA nominated newcomers Ada & Bron invite you to third-wheel an unmissable hour of weirdo soulmates, cursed couples and debauchery. The Origin of Love is an absurd, larger-than-life character comedy for lovers of the strange, stupid and sexy. Wildly inventive and emotionally kaleidoscopic, The Origin of Love plunges headfirst into a surreal mythology of yearning, heartbreak and hope. Told through a patchwork of absurd vignettes, confessional letters and romantic misfires, this genre-defying show examines our messy attempts to connect. Tickets at Rohan Sharma: Mad Dog: Pleasance Courtyard (Below) at 7:10pm British/Indian comedian and reigning Leicester Square New Comedian champion Rohan Sharma presents his hotly-anticipated Edinburgh Fringe debut - a fast-paced and surreal, multimedia stand-up odyssey through his harrowing/comfortable upbringing. Rohan will talk about how he's faced racism/no racism and will criticise/champion Britain and its checkered/flawless history, all from the perspective of a man whose brain has been corroded/nourished by modern society. Come see truth become lies, lies become truth and the dog become mad. Moving between seemingly earnest confession, cultural critique and sheer absurdity, Mad Dog is an ambitious, stupid and densely layered exploration of identity, belonging and spiritual disconnection. Tickets at Su Mi: Underbelly Cowgate (Iron Belly) at 6:40pm Award-winning stand-up and drag performance artist Su Mi presents their debut show: an immersive surreal eccentric comedy extravaganza resurrecting every nostalgic moment left forgotten and healing the inner child through play. Seeking to destroy archaic stereotypes of Asian women and challenge the narrative of comedy. Su Mi promises a gripping and raw social commentary on intersectionality, queerness, racism and mental health and a wild exploration of human existence. Join this reckless, spineless chucklehead on a surreal dystopian punk adventure through face melting and untamed (metaphorical) thrash metal solos to your own self discovery. Tickets at Becky Umbers: Put that Cat Back in the Bag: Assembly Roxy (Snug Bar) at 8:40pm In her debut hour at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, New Zealand's award-winning comedian Becky Umbers dives into the delicate art of keeping your metaphorical cat (inner weirdo) hidden in a bag. A joyous hour of unique storytelling and observational stand up, told with the voice of a kids cartoon and the cheeky adult wit that has quickly made Becky one of the most exciting rising stars on the comedy circuit. With a distinctive take on life and the voice to match, Put That Cat Back in the Bag sees Becky hilariously exploring why we're often encouraged to hide our quirks in an attempt to fit in with our peers. Tickets at Cabbage the Clown: Cinemadrome: Underbelly Buttercup at 9:45pm Minimum wage cinema employee turned multi-award winning tragic fool with over 8 million views online, Cabbage The Clown makes their hotly anticipated Edinburgh Fringe Festival debut with a genre-busting hour of multimedia drag-clowning about queer heartbreak, consumerism and the drudgery of working in a cinema. One-part breathless parody of cinematic history, one-part thoughtful dissection of working class career options and one-part rolling around on the floor covered in popcorn, Cinemadrome marries a buffet of genres in polygamous holy drag matrimony. Tickets at Ted Milligan: United: Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker Three) at 9.45pm Sketch Off Winner 2024 Ted Milligan makes his highly anticipated Edinburgh Fringe debut in United - a joyously funny, character led, live mockumentary which follows a fictional football club and their dedicated fans as they scramble to regain their position in the league. The town of Crubchester has fallen on hard times and Crubchester United F.C. finds itself outside the league. Having been purchased by a 6 year old billionaire who brings in a no-nonsense manager, can they return to their former glory in the 92? Inspired by Sunderland 'Til I Die and Ted Milligan's own journeys around the country supporting Plymouth Argyle, United is a unique narrative comedy hour packed with whip-smart writing and nuanced performances of sharply observed characters. Tickets at The Mayor and his Daughter: A Genuine Appreciation of Comedy: Assembly Roxy (Snug Bar) at 4:10pm Leicester Square Sketch Off Finalists The Mayor and His Daughter (Ciaran Chillingworth and Kit Finnie) make their Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut with their Leicester Comedy Festival Award Nominated, folk-horror, alternative sketch show. The Mayor and his Daughter are in crisis. The soul of their beloved village is in tatters, besieged by the demonic forces of modern Britain. But there's a light in the darkness; when they discover a sacred tome - a box set of Russell Howard's Good News (Series 2). They make it their mission to repair their fractured community with laughter. This timely exploration of Englishness in the current crisis of national identity will make you question the rules of sketch comedy like never before. Tickets at Douglas Widick: Paperclip: Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose (The Penny) at 10:20pm Microsoft Word's writing assistant, Clippy, has seen the future and it is bleak. Determined to prove his usefulness and prevent the impending techno-dystopia brought about by Artificial Intelligence, Clippy travels back in time to warn humanity in a thrilling adventure through the internet. Paperclip is a high energy, interactive and nostalgic musical comedy celebration of retro digital mascots, packed with rock tributes to a time when the internet was a simpler place. Paperclip also features some of the astounding musical improvisation that has already seen Douglas Widick become a celebrated performer in New York. Tickets at Jacob Nussey: Primed: Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker Three) at 7:15pm Award winning comedian Jacob Nussey spills the secrets of Amazon in a hotly tipped debut hour loaded with his trademark sharp jokes and deadpan delivery. Chortle's 'one to watch' 2023 unpacks the absurdities and chaos of warehouse life, exploring preconceptions, job interviews, stealing, and why things could always be worse. Before becoming a comedian, Jacob dropped out of university, was unsuccessful in a series of lengthy job interviews and finally ended up working for Amazon. From mascots to company scandals, Primed unboxes the realities of minimum wage jobs while hilariously and stealthily tackling issues around working class aspiration, workplace incentives and wealth gaps. Tickets at Josh Elton: Away with the Fairies: Hoots @ The Apex (Hoots 4) at 8pm Drawing on a chaotic and deeply funny reservoir of memories, Away With the Fairies is a riotously funny and disarmingly vulnerable exploration of identity, humiliation, and the strange places we find meaning. Blending rapid-fire stand-up, with vivid storytelling, Josh Elton spins comedic yarns that teeter between the absurd and the emotionally resonant, from playground trauma to public humiliation. Woven through with themes of sibling rivalry, mental health, romantic love and fairy curses, the show plays with truth and fiction to reveal a deeper honesty. Tickets at Steffan Alun: Stand Up: Hoots @ The Apex (Hoots 4) at 9:30pm Welsh optimist Steffan Alun finally presents his hilarious debut hour. As seen on BBC Wales, S4C, supporting Elis James on tour and performing slightly less than an hour of stand up at the fringe every year since 2015. Steffan returns to Edinburgh to work through his latest identity crisis with an hour of excellent comedy about sexuality, pop culture and, of course, all the best things about Wales. Steffan Alun: Stand Up is a rich, raucous blend of politics, identity and unapologetic queerness, anchored by a proudly Welsh perspective and a neurodivergent lens. Underneath the self-deprecating storytelling and playful irreverence lies a clear-eyed warning about complacency, and a passionate call to joy, defiance and community in the face of rising intolerance. Tickets at Related topics: EdinburghTicketsMayor
Scotsman
23-07-2025
- Scotsman
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical returns to Edinburgh Fringe with spontaneous song, dance and improv wizardry
There is a reason Showstopper! The Improvised Musical has established itself as a fixture of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Returning to its longstanding home at the Pleasance Courtyard's Grand for its sixteenth consecutive year, this Olivier Award-winning production invites audiences to witness a musical created in real time — every night, entirely from scratch. Running from 30th July to 24th August (excluding the 11th), and a captioned performance on the 13th of August, the production offers an evening of inventive musical theatre beginning at 5.20pm. The conceit is deceptively simple: audience members provide suggestions for setting, plot, musical styles, and even the title, and the cast of performers respond by crafting an entirely new musical on the spot. No script, no rehearsal — just live, spontaneous theatre delivered with remarkable polish and wit. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Each performance is unique and added to the company's growing archive of over 1,400 original musicals since its inception in 2008. Settings have ranged from Victorian orphanages to alien planets, all given the full West End treatment by a cast adept at parodying musical theatre styles from Sondheim to Disney, jazz to operetta. (c) Ray Burmiston This year's cast features a combination of long-standing company members and acclaimed newcomers, including Ruth Bratt (People Just Do Nothing, BBC), Justin Brett (Million Dollar Quartet, West End), Susan Harrison (Peter Pan Goes Wrong), and Jonathan Ainscough (Royal Opera, Opera North). The ensemble is supported by musical supervisor Duncan Walsh Atkins and movement director Ali James, ensuring that the quality of each improvised performance matches that of a scripted production. Behind the scenes, co-creators Adam Meggido and Dylan Emery lead the artistic team, with production overseen by Showstopper Productions and general management by Suzanna Rosenthal. The show's reputation as a Fringe favourite is reinforced by numerous accolades, including the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment and Family, a Broadway World Edinburgh Award, and consistent placement in the Top 10 best-reviewed shows at the Fringe in both 2023 and 2024. Yet despite its accolades and West End success — including a residency at the Cambridge Theatre and national tours — Showstopper! remains firmly rooted in the spirit of live performance and audience collaboration. Its cast must be ready for any genre, any plot twist, and any musical flourish. This ongoing challenge keeps the format fresh and the audience fully engaged. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A consistent critical favourite, Showstopper! continues to be recognised for its ingenuity and theatrical craft, offering audiences a performance that is never the same twice — and rarely short of exceptional. Showstopper! The Improvised Musical will be at the Pleasance Courtyard Grand at 5.20pm for the entire fringe for tickets go to
