2011 Fringe Shows To Watch Out For
We've taken a bit of a browse around our 2011 Edinburgh listings and picked out a few shows here we think are worth looking out for. We've listed them in alphabetical order...
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Alun CochraneWe've long been fans of this dour Yorkshireman. He is bringing a new show called Moments of Alun to The Stand Comedy Club this year. Expect more of his trademark sharp observational comedy and quick-witted audience chat. |
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Barry CryerThe I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue regular reminisces about his career so far. It's unlikely to all be true tales - for example, the description says he'll be remembering his drinking companion Adolf Hitler. It's sure to be an entertaining hour though with this seasoned raconteur. |
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BBC Comedy PresentsA chance to see some of the biggest and best acts of the Fringe in one place. This year the shows will be coming from the BBC's dedicated venue, and there's a daytime version of the show too. |
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Chris RamseyChris Ramsey maybe young and fresh-faced, but don't let that fool you - he's got an assured delivery and strong material. He looks set to become a regular on TV very soon - you may have already seen him when he was on Comedy Rocks With Jason Manford. |
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Christmas For TwoThis up-and-coming sketch duo were recently commissioned by the BBC to make some videos for their comedy site. Very well written and acted they were too. We're not sure about their double-act name (Christmas?), but Sarah Campbell and Amy Hoggart are certainly ones to watch. |
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Colin HoultCharacter comedian Colin Holt has been a favourite with Fringe audiences for a number of years now. We gave him a five star review last year, and we weren't the only ones. His new show - Inferno - promises more unforgettable characters. Based on the early previews, we think it safe to say it's going to be brilliant. |
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Craig CampbellEnergetic and loud Craig Campbell has been destroying rooms all year. He's got so good at making the audience laugh till it hurts that we've heard reports of other comedians being scared to follow him on the bill. We can't wait to see what he can do given an hour... |
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Ed ReardonRadio 4 listeners will be well aware of Ed Reardon, the grumpy writer character from the long-running hit sitcom. Well, now creator Christopher Douglas is bringing his creation into the real world - this festival you can hear Ed's ranting about the '12-year-olds' who run the media first hand. |
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Elis JamesWelshman Elis James is one of the nicest people you could hope to meet... he's also one of the wittiest. It's a bit criminal he hasn't been more widely recognised yet. Maybe this is his year... |
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Ginge, Geordie & Geek - NewThis sketch trio were one of the smash hits of last year's festival. They sold every single ticket, added more shows to try and cope with the demand... and sold all those tickets too. The queues outside their show were making other comics very jealous. It's safe to say this new show is much-anticipated... |
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Intentionally BlankWe have no idea if it is any good or not... but this free show caught our eye as the description is: "This description left intentionally blank...." - and that's it. Curious! |
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Jimmy McGhieHere's another comedian who could be on TV every week but, puzzlingly, isn't. Jimmy's handsome looks and strong mainstream observational humour make him a prime target for TV stardom, surely? Maybe the way he admirably slagged off T4 presenters in his show last year hasn't helped the cause... |
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Joe WilkinsonAs a comic actor, Wilkinson is a bit of a genius. He stole every single scene in BBC sitcom Him & Her. It's definitely been his year... he bagged a prestigious guest spot on the last series of Have I Got News For You and has also been funny on other panel shows like 8 Out Of 10 Cats. |
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John KearnsThe description for this show is as follows: "John Kearns is ill. Very ill. In fact, he's dying. This is not a marketing gimmick." If true, this could be quite a powerful show. Either way, it's not a normal show - it's a dinner party. Definitely one of the more intriguing entries in the programme. |
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JollyboatMusical brothers Tom and Ed won the Musical Comedy Awards 2011 earlier this year with a storming and inventive set. Now here's a chance to see them perform across an hour. This show is part of PBH's Free Fringe so entry is free too! |
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Jon RichardsonWe think it safe to say that 2011 is Jon Richardson's year. He's impressed in pretty much everything he's done recently - perhaps most notably bringing some new life to 8 Out Of 10 Cats as the new team captain. Annoyingly he's not doing a stand-up show at the Fringe this year, but here's a chance to hear him read from his new book: |
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Josh WiddicombeWinner of the FHM Stand Up Hero competition (a tougher and more high-brow accolade to win than it perhaps sounds), Josh Widdicombe is definitely one of the stars of the future. We love his brilliantly and carefully scripted routines. He's been signed up by Michael McIntyre's agent, so perhaps your last chance to catch him before he moves on to huge venues... |
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Kev OrkianKev Orkian, who you may remember from the early rounds of Britain's Got Talent a couple of years back, is one of our guilty pleasures. It's admittedly not trendy to admit to being a fan of this piano playing foreign character (Kev is actually from London), but he really makes audience laugh... hard. That's good enough for us. |
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Late Night Gimp FightThis sometimes rude and crude young all-male sketch group put on a very assured and inventive show last year. The Edinburgh Comedy Award judges thought so too - hence their award nomination. As they return for 2011, expect more off-the-wall sketches, inspired songs and, of course, gimps. |
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Matt KirshenMatt Kirshen has become a bit of a star in America since he appeared on their comedy talent show, Last Comic Standing (which is a bit like our Show Me The Funny - but actually funny). He's instantly likeable - we challenge you to enter his show wanting to hate him. You won't be able to. |
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Midnight BeastWe love this young upbeat musical trio. Their beats are strong, their lyrics are sharp and they certainly don't take themselves too seriously. The Midnight Beast are only playing two dates at the Fringe this year so get your tickets early. If you're not sure what the fuss is about, see our listing to watch the video that made them famous. |
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Milton JonesMilton Jones. What to say about him? If you've seen Mock The Week or heard his great radio sitcom you'll know what to expect. Book your tickets quick though, he's only in the city for eight nights. |
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Musical Comedy Awards ShowcaseIf you like musical comedy this is the showcase for you. It’s a mix of established stars and hotly tipped newcomers. Headliners this year include Mitch Benn, David O'Doherty, James Sherwood, Isy Suttie and Phil Nichol. Nice. |
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Naz OsmanogluNaz (we'll call him 'Naz' because we don't want to attempt to spell his surname again) has been winning stand-up competitions left, right and centre. As his show's description says: "Half English poshboy, half Turkish warlord, Naz wields the only scimitar he's got - a sharp sense of humour." It is certainly sharp. |
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Nick HelmShouty Nick Helm put on one of the best show's of last year's Fringe, a unique mix of stand-up, poetry, music and audience interaction. We loved it. Can he keep the momentum going with Dare to Dream? We hope so. |
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Piff the Magic DragonThis magical dragon is, quite simply, funny. If you've seen him live before or spotted him on Penn & Teller: Fool Us on ITV1 in June you'll already know that. Not only is he very funny, he's also actually a great magician (John Van Der Put, the man under the suit, won this year's Magic Circle award). Not forgetting his cute dog! |
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Richard Herring's PodcastAs we're hosting the podcast that is coming out of these live shows we might be a bit biased listing this show here, but we honestly think Richard Herring's new project is genuinely exciting. The result will be a new hour of free downloadable comedy every 24 hours. Obviously see the show live though, it'll be even more fun: |
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Russell KaneIn the last year Russell Kane has achieved what no other comedian has managed - winning both the Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Award and the Barry Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the two most prestigious prizes in comedy. He doesn't need any more endorsing than that. |
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Sarah MillicanSarah Millican must be one of the hardest working people in comedy. Over the last few months she seems to have been on a quest to appear on every TV show in the country. Lee Mack's All Star Cast on the BBC, The Marriage Ref on ITV, and 8 Out Of 10 Cats on C4 being just three of the shows. Somehow she's found time in amongst that to write a new hour of stand-up too: |
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Seann WalshSeann Walsh, as seen recently on Mock The Week, is another comic in the next wave of stand-ups who look set to make it big on TV, on tour and just about everywhere. He's a funny guy, so quite deserving it would be too. Fingers crossed he does his Michael McIntyre impression in this new show - it's uncannily accurate. |
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So You Think You're Funny?The big stand-up comedy competition which counts people like Lee Mack amongst its previous winners. |
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Stuart GoldsmithStuart Goldsmith is about one of the only comics currently doing himself any justice on ITV stand-up competition Show Me The Funny. Perhaps not a surprise, as he's a proper pro at making people laugh. If he wins (quite likely) he'll probably move onto arenas, so catch him before tickets cost more than a house... |
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The Lunchtime ClubThe Lunchtime Club is getting a good reputation for selecting and showcasing the comedy stars of the future. Previous alumni include Joe Lycett, who will be starring in a big new BBC1 entertainment series called Epic Win this autumn, and Tom Rosenthal, who you will probably have seen on C4 sitcom Friday Night Dinner. Five more carefully selected comedians will be showcased this year... |
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The Scat PackImprov group The Scat Pack have quietly been picking up a string of excellent reviews. Obviously being improvised, it's hard to know what to expect - but given their past form it's still fairly easy to recommend them. |
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The WrestlingFor one night only world-class wrestlers will meet world-class comedians in a late night, heart-pounding, edge-of-your seat spectacular. This is likely to be one of those shows people will be talking about for days and days after. |
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Tim KeyTim Key and his poetry aren't to everyone's tastes, but those who like him think he's a comic genius. We're in that category. |
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Tim VineIt's loveable Tim Vine: just look at that picture - he even makes you laugh when he's static. This year the pun-king is doing a chat show. Everyone seems to be doing chat shows this year - but this one is a bit different - the guests plucked from the audience. |
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Totally TomSketch double-act Tom Palmer and Tom Stourton have got a pilot coming up on Channel 4 soon. Here's a chance to see why everyone has been saying very complimentary things about them. |
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Unexpected ItemsWinners of YouTube's homegrown comedy award, this sketch group have been building over the last couple of years into a very strong comedy unit. Check them out at The Gilded Balloon: |
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Zoe LyonsAs seen on Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow and Mock The Week, Zoe Lyons has a strong opinionated style of humour that we really like. This new show, Clownbusting comes fresh from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival where she received some glowing reviews. |
Above is less than 1 percent of the comedy shows at the Fringe this year. We're bound to have overlooked many good shows so do take a look around our listings yourself to find things you might be interested in: Listings
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