Wednesday July 5th 2023
Sid Singh.
With around 3000 shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, it’s tricky to know where to start. Here are ten up and coming stand up comedians that we have been given the tip-off are set to get crowds laughing this summer.
Louise Atkinson: Mates
Photo: Andy Hollingworth.
Stand up comedian, working class northerner Louise Atkinson, makes her Edinburgh Fringe debut in Mates – an hour of hilarious stories about her chosen family packed with jokes about all kinds of friendship, kebabs and even one about a hedgehog.
A relatable raconteur all the way from the cultural delights of Hull, Louise has marked herself as one to watch, earning comparisons with Victoria Wood and recently winning a prestigious bursary from The 99 Club.
3:20pm, 2nd – 27th August at Gilded Balloon Teviot
Tickets: tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/louise-atkinson-mates
Sid Singh: Table For One
Award-winning lefty comedian and human rights advocate Sid Singh grew up in the 90s, when everyone believed they could change the world and kids were taught to fight for a better world. Guess that seems like nonsense now?
Packed with hilarious tales about his newly woke parents, a broken hometown, and almost getting deported from India… while in Germany – Sid will spin comedy gold from the personal, the political and everything in between as he tries to overcome cynicism in search of hope, no matter what.
4:15pm, 3rd – 27th August at Cabaret Voltaire
Tickets: tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/sid-singh-table-for-one
Nathan D’Arcy Roberts: Present/Tense
Photo: Rebecca Need-Menear.
Nathan wants to live in the moment but the past always has a way of finding him. An exciting new voice with a unique perspective, Nathan invites his audience to spend an hour inside his mind as he hilariously wrestles with his internal monologue’s constant barrage of memories, questions and distracting nonsense.
Deftly relating his experiences of absent fathers and toxic role models, Nathan will take on the vital contemporary issues: modern masculinity, racial identity and bizarre song choices in McDonald’s.
4:20pm, 2nd – 27th August (not 14th) at Gilded Balloon Teviot
Tickets: tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:4961/
Alexandra Haddow Not My Finest Hour
Photo: Ella Kemp
Expertly treading the fine line between cheeky and outright smut, stand-up comedian Alexandra Haddow makes her hotly anticipated Edinburgh Fringe debut with an hour of jokes, revelations and speculation about all the wrong ways to do ‘being a woman’.
Already nominated for Best Debut Show at Leicester Comedy Festival 2023, Not My Finest Hour sees Alexandra shamelessly detailing everything she’s ever done wrong – from having an affair to sexual politics, feminism, abortion, skincare regimes – even dancing. Writing a show about her transgressions might be the only thing she’s done right.
6:55pm, 2nd -25th August at the Pleasance Courtyard
Tickets: tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/alexandra-haddow-not-my-finest-hour
Liam Withnail: Chronic Boom
Photo: Rebecca Need-Menear.
Join multi award-winning comedian and gifted comic storyteller Liam Withnail for an hour of revealing stand-up as he battles chronic illness and hilariously reckons with his new reality during a 10 day hospital stay.
Chronic Boom is an enlightening stand-up show about how we adapt when life throws a curveball, taking audiences on a rollercoaster of laughter and packing an emotional punch.
7:10pm, 2nd – 27th August at Monkey Barrel
Tickets: tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/liam-withnail-chronic-boom
Ignacio Lopez: Nine Ig Fails
Photo: Michelle Huggleston.
In 2009, from his derelict flat in South Wales, Ignacio scored tickets to see his favourite band, Nine Inch Nails, in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, he didn’t have money, transport or a place to stay. Sharing his biggest failures with a hilarious, globe-trotting story about music, comedy and cock-ups, Ignacio expertly skewers Britain and Spain with an Armada of sarcasm, silliness, and songs.
Expect observational stand-up, wicked humour, and sharp lines from the Spanish/Welsh comedian who recently made his Live at the Apollo debut.
7:40pm, 18th – 27th August at Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose
Tickets: tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/ignacio-lopez-nine-ig-fails
Amos Gill: The Pursuit of Happy(ish)
International rising star and award-winning Australian comedian Amos Gill makes his Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut with a boundary pushing hour of hilarious, challenging, and sometimes caustic stand-up. Smart, fearless and always funny, Amos challenges his audiences to think and takes them to the edge.
Nothing is off limits as he expertly skewers absolutely everyone from the Monarchy and the ostensibly woke to his new American friends and his entire family. Amos may have travelled the world to follow his dreams but it’s experiences closer to home that show him what really matters.
8:30pm, 2nd – 24th August at Gilded Balloon Teviot
Tickets: tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/amos-gill-the-pursuit-of-happy-ish
George Zacharopoulos: Wonderland
Photo: Karla Gowlett.
Join acclaimed Greek comedian George Zacharopoulos as he takes his audience on a hilarious and head-spinning journey down the rabbit hole of fantasy and delusion.
Alice was smart, fun, resilient, beautiful and ambitious. She knew what she wanted and had no interest in playing games. George quickly fell head over heels. Could this be happy ever after, or was it all too good to be true? Strap in as George details the highs and lows of an increasingly turbulent relationship in this ‘not so romantic’ comedy.
8:30pm, 2nd – 28th August (not 15th) at the Pleasance Dome
Tickets: www.pleasance.co.uk/event/george-zacharopoulos-wonderland
Don Biswas: The Revolution will be Disorganised
Photo: Steve Best
Politically-charged gag merchant Don Biswas (as seen on Rosie Jones’s Disability Comedy Extravaganza) takes on the status quo. A unique comic voice, Don looks at politics through the lens of Dyspraxia, ADHD and Autism as well as his Indian heritage.
The Revolution will be Disorganised takes a passionate – if uncoordinated – stab at the big issues: from the cost-of-living crisis to conspiracy theories.
9:40pm, 2nd – 27th August (not 14th) at Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose
Tickets: tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/don-biswas-the-revolution-will-be-disorganised
Chris Turner: Vegas, Baby!
Photo: John Cafaro
Get ready to be taken on a hilarious journey through Sin City as award-winning comedian, freestyle rapper and viral YouTube sensation Chris Turner shares his experiences of performing to 10,000 people each week as part of Cirque du Soleil’s Mad Apple, while raising a newborn baby in the land of casinos and neon lights.
Vegas, Baby! promises side-splitting stand-up and captivating storytelling as Chris uncovers the secrets behind a big-budget spectacle and showcases the astounding talent for improvised rap which landed him in this absurd situation.
9:45pm, 2nd – 27th August (not 14th) at Underbelly Bristo Square
Tickets: underbellyedinburgh.co.uk/events/event/chris-turner-vegas-baby
Tweet Share on Facebook
