Edinburgh Fringe 2019: The best comedy shows to see at this year's festival

1/16
Zoe Paskett1 August 2019

Would you look at that? It’s August and that means one big thing: Edinburgh Fringe.

A mass-migration of comedians head north for the so-called warmer month, weighed down with a brand new bank of jokes.

If you’ve seen the Edinburgh Fringe line-up or held the hefty programme in your hand, it’s easy to be overwhelmed, but fear not.

We’ve picked some of the best of the bunch, from stand-up to sketch and musical comedy to clowning.

Here’s our guide to the shows you absolutely mustn't miss if you're in pursuit of comedy at this year's Fringe.

Zoë Coombs-Marr: Bossy Bottom

For the past six years, Zoë Coombs-Marr has been a below-average male comedian with a patchy neckbeard called Dave. Under this blokey persona, she won the best show award at Melbourne International Comedy Festival and was nominated for the same at Edinburgh in 2017. Now she’s back as herself. Coombs-Marr has just as much to say as herself and is always full of surprises.

July 31- August 11, 13-15, Monkey Barrel

Rob Auton: The Time Show

Rob Auton’s Talk Show was one of the best reviewed shows at last year’s Fringe. He has a formula: each time, he picks one subject and sticks to it. He’s done hours on hair, sleep and the colour yellow, combining stand-up, spoken word and the sort of emotional insight you don’t think you’ll get from a comedy show. This year, his focus is time, and you can bet he’ll turn out something unexpected. Auton has something of a cult following, so he's bound to be a popular choice.

July 31-August 26, Assembly George Square Studios

Courtney Pauroso: Gutterplum

There’s clowning, burlesque and feminism in American comic Courtney Pauroso’s debut Fringe hour. It’s surreal and heartwarming stuff from this character comedian, who maps an entire life in the space of an hour (with a large helping of audience participation). Gutterplum has been developed with Dr Brown, who also produced Natalie Palamides’ messy, unique Nate last year; to our mind, that definitely makes it worth a punt.

August 1-12, 14-25, Underbelly Cowgate

Sophie Duker: Venus

Rising star Sophie Duker is making her Fringe solo debut this year with Venus, a show about society’s continued fascination with “exotic” bodies and the fetishisation of black women. A relatively new addition to the London stand-up scene, Duker is already bagging slots on 8 Out of 10 Cats and Frankie Boy’s New World Order. This may be her debut show, but her regular comedy cabaret night Wacky Racists has already put her on the comedy map.

July 31-August 13, 15-25, Pleasance Below

Jack Rooke: Love Letters

Lewis Simpson

Jack Rooke demonstrates his storytelling expertise in Love Letters, a show about modern romance, dating, one night stands and the importance of gay friendships in figuring out your sexuality. With the help of a live harpist, it’s a match made in heaven. Since his debut show Good Grief in 2015, co-written with his grandmother about the death of his dad, Rooke has had a BBC documentary series on mental health and sold out venues around the country.

August 1-12, 14-24, Assembly George Square Gardens

Simon Brodkin: 100% Simon Brodkin

Remember that guy who handed Theresa May a P45? Or the guy who interrupted Donald Trump’s speech to hand out Nazi golfballs? Simon Brodkin has been performing under various guises for years, this Fringe he's hanging up the disguises. His alter-ego Lee Nelson is getting the year off from Edinburgh – he’s 100 per cent Brodkin this time.

July 31-11, 13-24, Pleasance Courtyard

Siblings: The Siblinginging

Maddy and Marina Bye are real life sisters and have been creating sketches together since they were kids. The character comedians return after last year’s sell out show at the Fringe, ready to spill some family secrets. With Gaulier-trained clowning from Maddy and not-so-serious acting from Marina, everything the pair deliver is absurd.

July 31-August 13, 15-26, Underbelly George Square

Lucy Pearman: Baggage

Ed Moore

This year's Fringe sees another helping of surrealism from Lucy Pearman. Last year, she delighted Fringe audiences with grapes and potatoes in Fruit Loop, a follow-up to her best newcomer-nominated Maid of Cabbage in 2016. In Baggage, she offloads some of the weight she's been carrying around. It sounds like a straightforward concept for a comedian but, knowing Pearman, there will be more than a few inventive turns.

August 2-12, 15-25, Monkey Barrel Comedy

Ahir Shah: Dots

Ahir Shah’s last show, Duffer, combined comedy and compassion for an hour of personal storytelling; audiences arrived hours in advance to make sure they saw it. Dots will have a little idealism, a little sadness and tales about giving up and not giving up. You might have seen Shah on The Mash Report or Live at the Apollo. He’s got a couple of best show nominations under his belt too – perhaps this will be his year.

August 1-25, Monkey Barrel

Sarah Keyworth: Pacific

This is only show number two for Sarah Keyworth, but she’s powerfully becoming a real breakthrough on the scene since her best newcomer nomination with Dark Horse. She’s supported the likes of Dane Baptiste and Kerry Godliman on tour in the past, but now is taking the headline slot. Her latest show promises to be about the little details and the things that make up what we are, how we think and who we love.

July 31-August 12, 14-26, Pleasance Courtyard

Flo & Joan: Before the Screaming Starts

The Bros documentary captured the nation’s hearts over Christmas. It also captured the attention of musical duo Flo & Joan, another pair of comedic sisters called Nicola and Rosie Dempsey. Having nicked the names of their grandma and great aunt, Flo & Joan made it big in 2016 after a song berating the brutality of the year went viral. Now they're back after a sell-out run at last year’s Fringe, with a new hour of tunes.

August 1-9, 11-25, Assembly George Square Gardens

Suzi Ruffell: Dance Like Everyone’s Watching

Suzi Ruffell’s last show, Nocturnal, proved there’s a funny side to anxiety, and this year, she’s happy. That’s no surprise – it’s been a smashing 12 months for the Portsmouth-born comic, who has toured that set, done Live at the Apollo and travelled the country for TV show the Comedy Bus with Joel Dommett, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and best pal Tom Allen. She’s here to dispel the myth that comedians are at best when they're miserable. We think not – she’s never been better.

July 31-August 11, 13-25, Pleasance Courtyard

Adam Kay: This Is Going to Hurt (Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor)

You’ll have seen at least five people reading it on the tube. Adam Kay’s best-selling book about life as a NHS doctor has been a hit around the world, and his live show followed in those footsteps. With the help of a piano, he regales the audience with tales of his time on the wards, from the amusing to the downright dark. He’s only performing the show for two nights though, so speed is of the essence.

August 18-19, Edinburgh Playhouse

Desiree Burch: Desiree's Coming Early!

Award-winner: Desiree Burch

Former New Yorker Desiree Burch has a knack for storytelling – you might have seen her educating viewers on topical TV show The Mash Report. Her new show is the all important “relationship edition”, a crucial tool in a comedian’s arsenal, but what happens when the relationship is with someone you were trying to avoid? She was sorely missed at last year’s Fringe after having to withdraw, so we’re glad she’s back.

August 1-12, 14-19, 21-25, Heroes @ The Hive

Tamsyn Kelly: Petroc

Newcomer Tamsyn Kelly moved to London ten years ago. In that time, she's performed drag, directed theatre and made a splash with her debut comedy hour last year. Having grown up on a council estate in Land's End with parents who were homeless before she was born, her new show sees her wonder if it's worked out how she anticipated.

August 1-11, 13-25, Just the Tonic at the Caves

30 stand-up comedians you need to see

1/31

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in