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Day 1
12:30 Start strong with the latest show from 2017 Best Newcomer nominee Lauren Pattison, It Is What It Is, at Monkey Barrel. Expect ‘razor wit and brutal honesty’ (***** List) from this ‘breath of feisty fresh air’ (***** Herald).
13:30-14:20 Sit down at City Cafe for a decent scran and a lunch time pint.
14:20 Just across the road you can catch 2021 Leicester Mercury Comedian of the year Nina Gilligan with her show Late Developer at The Tron. The Skinny called her ‘a bolshier Mrs Merton with razor-sharp wit used at will’ which is high praise indeed.
15:20-16:00 It’s a 3 minute walk to your next venue. There will probably be some nutter balancing ten melons on his head whilst riding a unicycle and juggling machetes in the street you can wince at. Or find an improve troupe to bully, your call.
16:00 Eric Rushton (who won Leicester Mercury Comedian of the year in 2020) is performing his show, I Had A Dream And You Were All In It, at The Mash House. In which you can expect salty language, sweet facial expressions and hand gestures with far too much oregano on them.
17:00-17:40 Its a 6 minute walk through to Bristo Square for your next venue (Longer if you engage with flyerers). Hot foot it over for a bougie beer garden pint.
17:40 It would all be futile if I wasn’t here to promote my own show, wouldn’t it? I’m going to talk about myself in the third person now. Sian Davies’ debut show About Time is in the Turret at Gilded Balloon Teviot. Having already won Best Debut Show at the Leicester Comedy Festival, About Time promises a coming of age tale about an austerity sponsored gap year. Sian was runner up in the Funny Women Stage Awards, always gets her round in, always washes her hands and smells lovely.
18:40-19:00 Get a shift on, it’s an eight minute walk to The Pleasance Courtyard. But it will take longer because everyone moves slower at this time. Hopefully you can jump on an E Scooter and wiz past the snail pace suckers.
19:00 We are bringing out the big guns now, TV favourite Angela Barnes performs her show, Hot Mess in the Cabaret Bar. Angela has good intentions. But trying to live your best life, as it turns out, is really bloody hard.
20:00-20:25 Queue for the bar. Queue for the toilet. Queue for the next show. Don’t even think about getting a table.
20:25 Time for another hotly anticipated debut hour. 99 Club Bursary winner Sikisa promises to be hostess-with-the-mostess and the party don’t start ’til she walks in. Her show Life Of The Party brings a much needed epic house party vibe to The Pleasance Below.
21:25-22:25 A precious hour to yourself. What you do with it is your own business. But factor in the walk back to Bristo Square for the next venue and don’t buy coke from anyone in the courtyard.
22:25 On of the 2019 Best in Class alumni and star of The Voice, Jordan Gray is at Assembly George Square with her show Is It A Bird? Fusing stand-up with musical comedy, the UK’s premier transgender comedian takes on babies, boobies, bigots and Batman.
23:25 Watch some mad late night stuff, check out Free Fringe, wander around with a crepe, see how many men you can meet called Tim. Get to bed at some point because tomorrow we go again.
Day 2
12:15 Feeling rough? I warned you. Head over to Brass Monkey for a hair of the dog and your first show of the day. Comedy With A Dry Surreal Geordie Bloke will help ease you into another day on the fringe. Sean Turner contemplates what life would be like if he was a Transformer or if dogs could sing alongside his superb cartoons. A perfect way to get you back on an even keel.
13:15-14:40 Stroll at a leisurely pace over to George Square Gardens for the next show. Eat something to settle your stomach/anxiety/existential dread. You’ll pass Mosque Kitchen, a KFC, Greggs, Palmyra Pizza, Lidl and Sainsburys so plenty of options on the main road. Or eat something from one of the many vans in the Gardens.
14:40 Physical comedy meets Hollywood is the strap line for the next show. Join Jody Kamali and a cast of seven ironing boards on a riotous cinematic journey. Ironing Board Man is a silent physical comedy guided by an epic soundtrack and one of the most original shows at the fringe. ‘Hilarious, life-affirming, bonding’ (Guardian).
15:40-16:50 Another nice size break to process the culture witnessed so far and a nice little 8 minute walk to The Caves for the next show. Bonus points for keeping a straight face when being flyered by any of the myriad of student theatre groups.
16:50 Jack Gleadow returns to the Fringe with Jacks Entertainment, promising more old-school comedy for the modern age. Billed as the best thing to come out of Hull since the M62, an hour with Jack will be silly, daft and time well spent.
17:50-18:10 Slowly climb that Blair street mountain to City Cafe for a refreshing beverage. Ask nicely if you can order a plate of scran to be ready at 19:10 when you come out of the next show.
18:10 Lee Kyle brings his wonderfully named show Parochial Glitter Implosion to City Cafe. Part of the North East comedy cooperative Felt Nowt, Lee’s show is about identity and oddness with a little bit about class war thrown in for good measure.
19:10-19:45 Big feed (hopefully pre ordered) then backdown the same pissing hill for the next show in Carnivore, which Monkey Barrel are using as an additional venue.
19:45 Edinburgh based and Essex born Liam Withnail has been charming audiences across the UK with his crowd pleasing routines. Winner of Amused Moose’s Outstanding Show Award, Edinburgh Fringe 2019. Scottish Comedy Award winner and multi-nominee. ‘An hour of consistently hysterical comedy.’ (***** TheWeeReview.com).
20:45-21:20 It’s a 12 minute walk to The Stand Comedy Club, an Edinburgh institution, where the next show takes place. Grab a can of Special Brew for the walk if you’re feeling sexy.
21:20 Finish this show packed day with 2018 Best in Class alumni, Tom Mayhew and his show Trash Rich at The Stand. Tom’s 2019 show about his experience of being on benefits transferred to Soho Theatre and was turned into a series for Radio 4. ‘It is genuine, powerful, political stuff. These are four stars for a voice that should be heard more. Four stars for comedy shining a light on some grim, unjust places.’ **** (Scotsman).
22:20 Get some rest you absolute culture freak. Or get some MDMA, whatevs.
Day 3
13:20 We begin today at the same venue we finished at yesterday, The Stand. Which is ideal if you’ve slept in a gutter outside. Dust yourself off and get cracking! Rachel Jackson is an award-winning, Scottish comedian with TV credits such as The Stand Up Sketch Show (ITV) and Edinburgh Unlocked (BBC). Almost Famous is about all the times she thought she was so damn close…
14:20-15:30 Plenty of time for the 15 minute walk to Carnivore for the next show. Plenty of places for coffee and feed on the way.
15:30 Next up is Amy Gledhill’s show, The Girl Before The Girl You Marry. Amy is one half of 2019 Edinburgh Award Nominees, The Delightful Sausage, her first solo foray should be a rip roaring success. She had me hooked from the moment I saw her Wotsit crumb lipstick to be honest.
16:30-16:45 It is a 6 minute walk to the Pleasance Courtyard. It is both up hill whilst being down hill and probably raining. You will be lost and google maps will not be making any sense because Edinburgh is made for medieval shrews. You are never on the street level the app thinks you are. Don’t panic. Come put of Carnivore with the Blair Street hill and City Cafe behind you, turn left on Cowgate. Keep walking until you get to the junction with the Travel Lodge, turn right up the hill towards the Pleasance Courtyard.
16:45 You will probably be sweating after not taking my advice and scaling a bridge. Luckily the next show is called Wet, so you should fit right in. Host of BBC Podcast Wheel of Misfortune, Alison Spittle loves to do star jumps in the water and watch people fight in chip shops. Her two worlds collide as a fight breaks out in aqua-aerobics and she’s never felt so alive. ‘A kind of genius’ (**** Irish Times).
17:45-18:40 Make the most of your time in the Courtyard by having a falafel. Walk a completely different way back to Carnivore and surprise yourself with a Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award (its what he would’ve wanted).
18:40 Funny Women Award winner Thanyia Moore was going to make her Edinburgh Fringe debut in 2020 with a heartfelt, emotional show, that was about to rock your socks off… but then 2020 happened. Now, she’d rather just be funny. ‘A quick, frank and instantly engaging comic’ (Guardian).
19:40-20:45 Another lovely break. The next venue is The Counting House which has a great beer garden and a real buzz about it. A seven minute walk will get you there and you can have a nice cold beverage before the next show.
20:45 The showcase you’ve all been waiting for! Best in Class is a collective of outstanding working class talent at the Fringe. Eight acts split the month, with three performing on each show. The 22 team consist of Micah Hall, Tamsyn Kelly, Lovdev Barpaga, Sapphire McIntosh. Jed Salisbury, Molly McGuinness, John Meagher and Anna Thomas.
21:45 See where the wind takes you, explore the fringe, make a new friend. Tell someone about one of the amazing shows from working class performers that you’ve seen. Get your round in and wash your hands.
