Check out Comedy in Your Eye's 5* guide to the the best five star Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2024 Comedy Shows as reviewed and voted for by newspapers and reputable Festival review sites
Ahir Shah: Ends ★★★★★
Where: Monkey Barrel Comedy - The Tron
When: Aug 12-23, 19:30
How Much: £17.50
Ahir Shah brings his 2023 Sky Edinburgh Comedy Award-winning show Ends back to the Fringe for 12 shows only. It's about family, immigration, marriage, history, politics and beans. 'An astonishing comedy hour... Takes audiences to the highest of highs of human emotion' ***** (Independent). 'Poignant, powerful, extremely funny... Truly outstanding stand-up' ***** (Evening Standard). ***** (Guardian). ***** (Chortle.co.uk). ***** (Mail on Sunday).
Ania Magliano: Forgive Me, Father ★★★★★
Where: Pleasance Courtyard - Above
When: Aug 6-11, 13-25, Times Vary
How Much: £16.00
You know when you're trying to wee on a night out, and you're interrupted by a random girl who insists on telling you all her secrets even though you've never met? Imagine that, but she has a microphone. After two critically acclaimed, sell-out runs, Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Show 2023 nominee Ania Magliano returns to Fringe. 'Consistently amusing and deceptively daring' **** (Times' Top 4 Best Comedy Shows 2023). ***** (Telegraph), **** (Guardian, Evening Standard, Time Out). Writer for Amelia Dimoldenberg. Ania's choices on Off Menu are widely regarded as the worst of all time.
Catherine Bohart: Again, With Feelings ★★★★★
Where: Monkey Barrel Comedy - Monkey Barrel 3
When: Aug 10-18, 20-25, 12:00
How Much: £10.00
Catherine Bohart's back and ready to talk about her feelings (again). Join one of UK & Ireland's most exciting comics for a hilariously twisted second coming of age saga as she reckons with death obsessed parents, queer reproduction and how adulthood, frankly, isn't living up to her expectations. Host of hit podcast Trusty Hogs. As seen and heard on Live at the Apollo, The Mash Report, Immaculate (Amazon Prime Special), Mock the Week and The News Quiz. 'Firecracker of an hour… her best yet' ***** (Guardian). ‘She keeps the laughs coming' **** (Times).
Derek Mitchell: Double Dutch ★★★★★
Where: Pleasance Courtyard - Baby Grand
When: Aug 6-12, 14-25, 22:50
How Much: £11.00
Debut hour of stand-up and characters from the 'out-and-out hilarious' (Stage) Derek Mitchell (Ted Lasso), whose online sketches have generated over 250 million views and a dedicated following. Right off the back of a 44-date European tour, the show is about the journey from being an outsider to a sort-of insider, and making sense of all the cultural nonsense and confusion in between. 'The biggest laughs of the night' (TheArtsDesk.com). 'Outstanding' (Oxford Mail).
Finlay Christie: I Deserve This ★★★★★
Where: Monkey Barrel Comedy - Monkey Barrel 4
When: Aug 6-12, 14-25, 22:40
How Much: £9.00
Money, followers, religiously forbidden relationships. Does Finlay Christie deserve everything he gets? At 19, he became the youngest-ever winner of the prestigious So You Think You’re Funny competition. His sketches and stand-up have been viewed over 200 million times on YouTube, his debut Edinburgh show OK Zoomer was nominated for NextUp’s Best Show award. TV includes 8 Out of 10 Cats and Stand Up Sketch Show. 'Outstanding… he will be taking the comedy world by storm, catch him now while you can' (One4Review.co.uk). 'The voice of his generation' (Chortle.co.uk).
House of Life ★★★★★
Where: Underbelly, Cowgate - Belly Dancer
When: Aug 6-11, 13-25, 20:55
How Much: £13.50
House of Life is a place of worship with one goal: happiness for all, at any cost. One part sermon, one part purge, three parts party, this is a space to let it all out. Led by the glitter-clad RaveRend, House of Life provides a scientifically proven sense of togetherness and elevation at a time when people feel more disconnected than ever. Heal through music, joy and noise in an eight-step musical programme that is hailed as 'one of the most joyful productions the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has to offer' (BroadwayBaby.com). Get happy. Join the RAVEolution.
Ian Stone is Keeping it Together ★★★★★
Where: Laughing Horse @ The Counting House - The Ballroom
When: Aug 6-11, 13-25, 16:00
How Much: Free
In spite of everything, Ian Stone is trying to keep it together. But what does it matter that he has all his own hair and teeth and keeps a tight control over his between-meal snacking when the country is a mess, there’s war in the Middle East, and Donald Trump could be allowed back into the White House? 'A masterful exponent of self-mocking Jewish humour' **** (Times). 'Seriously funny' (Guardian). 'One of the sharpest comic minds in the country' (Romesh Ranganathan). Winner of Spirit of The Fringe 2023.
Ivo Graham - Grand Designs ★★★★★
Where: Pleasance Courtyard - Grand
When: Aug 6, 8-12, 16-25, 21:20
How Much: £12.00 - £17.50
Fumbling a flute on Would I Lie to You, combusting over a Cork accent on BBC Radio 5 Live, scaring Diane from the Traitors with a T-shirt of her face. What (yoghurt and) banana skins await Ivo next? No ball games, no blind alleys, no backstage printers this year: just one of the best stand-ups of his generation, in the biggest venue of his career, back to prove he's not just Taskmaster's yardstick for failure but 'on this form, as funny as anyone in town' (Times). References to Quickly Kevin and Kevin McCloud guaranteed.
John Tothill: Thank God This Lasts Forever ★★★★★
Where: Pleasance Courtyard - Beside
When: Aug 6-11, 13-25, 20:45
How Much: £14.00
Thank God you're here. John Tothill has missed you so much. It's actually been hell without you. A rat who orgasmed to death. The notion of Marmite. The time John deliberately got malaria. There's a lot to catch up on. Pour yourself six glasses of wine and settle in for an evening that, god-willing, won't end. We could even have the tiniest cigarette?? Chortle's Best Newcomer nominee 2024. 2023's Best-Reviewed Edinburgh Fringe Shows (http://Comedy.co.uk/). As seen on Comedy Central Live. 'Resplendent, ridiculous, didactic, and fabulous' (Tatler). ***** (EdFestMag.com). ****½ (Chortle.co.uk), **** (Guardian). **** (Telegraph).
Kiri Pritchard McLean: Peacock ★★★★★
Where: Pleasance Courtyard - Grand
When: Aug 4, 18:00
How Much: £16.00
Star of Have I Got News For You and QI, Kiri Pritchard-McLean has had a busy few years. As well as hosting Live at the Apollo, fronting Radio 4’s Best Medicine and starting a comedy school, she’s become a foster carer. She hasn’t been able to talk about it – until now. Come and join her for three nights only as she lifts the lid on social workers, first-aid training and what not to do when a vicar searches for you on YouTube. 'An increasingly impressive comic, making powerhouse stand-up from the thorniest of subjects' **** (Guardian).
Lorna Rose Treen: Skin Pigeon ★★★★★
Where: Pleasance Dome - 10 Dome
When: Aug 6-12, 21:50
How Much: £14.00
A year after inexplicably winning Dave's Funniest Joke of the Fringe, and therefore killing comedy (Sun), Lorna Rose Treen brings her sell-out debut character comedy show back to the Fringe. Lorna has been pretending to be other people for fun since she could dress herself. Now she's inviting you inside her mind for an hour of characters, comedy, content, content, costumes and content. Chortle's Best Sketch Act 2024. 'A gloriously daft hour' ***** (Telegraph's Top 5 Comedy Shows 2023). 'The most fun a person can have in a room featuring folding chairs' ***** (Observer).
Matt Forde: The End of An Era ★★★★★
Where: Pleasance Courtyard - Beyond
When: Aug 6-25, Times Vary
How Much: £17.50
The UK's leading political comedian Matt Forde (Spitting Image, HIGNFY, British Scandal, The Last Leg, The Royal Variety Performance) returns with his brand-new show covering the UK & US elections. 'Our foremost satirical stand-up... Whatever your politics, you'll find excellence here' **** (Sunday Times). 'Possibly the best political comedy show on the Fringe' ***** (Telegraph). 'Forde is as gratifyingly sane as comedians come' **** (Times). 'Is there a better political comic than Forde currently working in the UK? I can't think of another to touch him' ****½ (Chortle.co.uk).
Rhys Nicholson: Huge Big Party Congratulations! ★★★★★
Where: Underbelly, Bristo Square - Ermintrude
When: Aug 6-25, 20:25
How Much: £14.00
On this, the year of our Lord 2024, it's a brand-new, hour-long, stand-up comedy concert from your ol' pal Rhys Nicholson. Only a coward wouldn't attend. Winner: Most Outstanding Show, Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2022. As seen on RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under, Roast Battle UK, The Stand Up Sketch Show, Taskmaster Australia and Netflix. 'Skilful, elegant and perfectly crafted stand up' ***** (Scotsman). 'This is a genuinely great stand-up comedian at work... awe-inspiring to watch' ***** (Time Out).
Sarah Keyworth: My Eyes Are Up Here ★★★★★
Where: Monkey Barrel Comedy - Monkey Barrel 3
When: Aug 6-12, 17-25, Times Vary
How Much: £10-12.00
Keyworth returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with a joyous new show about family, acceptance and a pair of big (well, not super-big) losses. Star of BBC Radio 4’s Are You A Boy Or A Girl, BBC’s Live At The Apollo and Mock The Week, Channel 4’s 8 Out of 10 Cats and many more. 'Achingly funny' ***** (Herald). 'Gales of laughter' **** (Guardian). 'Utterly engaging' **** (Telegraph). 'Will steal your heart away' **** (Scotsman). 'A comic who's here for keeps' **** (Times). Most Outstanding Show 2024, Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
Trygve Wakenshaw: Silly Little Things ★★★★★
Where: Assembly Roxy - Upstairs
When: Aug 6-11, 13-25, 20:15
How Much: £12.50
After a seven-year hiatus from the Fringe, Trygve Wakenshaw returns with his new hilarious mime-clown-comedy show. Light and silly, absurd and Dada, and a sort of autobiographical, introspective look at all the silly little things that can make or break a friendship. Having been nominated for Best Comedy Show at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in 2015, and selling out with Trygve Versus A Baby in 2017, award-winning, internationally-recognised mime-clown Trygve Wakenshaw won’t be lonely as he brings his new show to the Fringe for its world premiere.
Will Owen: Like, Nobody's Watching ★★★★★
Where: Assembly George Square - The Crate
When: Aug 6-12, 14-25, 22:20
How Much: £11.00
Will Owen loves watching shows. He wishes he could watch this one, but regrettably he's the one performing it. The Winner of Leicester Square New Comedian 2022 debuts a glittering hour of fastidiously-curated spontaneity. Watch Will watch himself clamour for a place in the hearts of the Great British Public, as he journeys through popularity, performance and the Pussycat Dolls. He will dance like nobody's watching. Just as long as somebody is. 'Biting yet with an archetypal Gen Z indifference... it's a winning formula' (Chortle.co.uk).
---
Here are some of our picks from last year's five star guide of the best reviewed 5 star shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2023:
Amy Matthews: I Feel Like I'm Made of Spiders ★★★★★
Where: Monkey Barrel Comedy (The Tron) - The Tron When: 3pm Dates: 14-15, 17-22, 24-27 August
Amy spins a sparkling web of comedy magic between the two states she finds herself caught between – stability and restlessness. She swings between the unbridled joy in the freedom that everything can change and the crawling anxiety that nothing is certain. This is a show about the thrill of falling and the thud of landing. And after a thud comes a laugh. 'Drily funny and giddily quirky' (Scotsman). 'You'd think she'd been doing this for decades' (BroadwayBaby.com). Tour support for Alfie Brown, Jess Fostekew and Rachel Fairburn.
André de Freitas: What If ★★★★★
Where: Pleasance Courtyard - Bunker Two When: 8:10pm Dates: 14-27 August
From living in a car and under a staircase, to becoming a male escort and now being Portugal's biggest young comedy star: this is the story of how I ended up here on this page.
A show about pursuing your dreams with an unwavering spirit of optimism.
'So funny, he's a star' Alan Carr
Tour support for Alan Carr, Russell Peters and Jim Gaffigan.
Ania Magliano: I Can't Believe You've Done This ★★★★★
Where: Pleasance Courtyard - Baby Grand When: 4:35pm Dates: 15-27 August
To the hairdresser at [redacted] Salon: You can take my money. You can take my dignity. You can take too much off the ends. But you cannot take my right to talk about it every day on stage. This is a show about the worst haircut of Ania Magliano's life. Ania's critically acclaimed 2022 debut run sold out entirely in a week. She's supported Marc Maron, Cat Cohen and Ed Gamble, and writes for Amelia Dimoldenberg's Chicken Shop Date. 'Will have you crying with laughter' **** (Guardian). **** (Times, Time Out, iNews.co.uk).
Chloe Petts: If You Can't Say Anything Nice ★★★★★
Where: Pleasance Courtyard - Pleasance Above When: Times Vary Dates: 15-27 August
Fresh from her smash-hit Edinburgh Fringe and Soho Theatre sell-out debut, Chloe Petts returns with her follow-up hour. Everyone complimented her on how polite she was with big issues in the last show so now she's cashing in those points and plans on being really rude. Expect routines on Greta Thunberg, the Queen and calling you all a bunch of virgins. 'A first show that was worth waiting for' (Guardian).
Dan Tiernan: Going Under ★★★★★
Where: Monkey Barrel Comedy - Monkey Barrel 2 When: 10:00pm Dates: 15-27 August
He's 27, gay and riddled with dyspraxia. Dan's had a big year, quitting his job as a dinner lady, going full-time in comedy and finally leaving home, yet somehow he still feels he's completely going under. The reigning BBC New Comedy Awards winner and British Comedian of the Year presents his gag-heavy, high-energy debut hour. Tour support for Micky Flanagan and Jamali Maddix. As seen on BBC, Channel 4, Comedy Central, Dave and ITV2. 'Raucously entertaining' (Guardian). 'A force-of-nature who sweeps the room up in his exhilarating performance into a frenzy of laughter' (Chortle.co.uk).
Ed Byrne: Tragedy Plus Time ★★★★★
Where: Assembly Rooms - Music Hall When: 9:30pm Dates: 15-27 August
Attributed to Mark Twain, humour is defined as tragedy plus time. Join Ed as he tests that formula by mining the most tragic event in his life for laughs. Praise for Ed's previous Edinburgh sold out run: ***** 'High quality stand-up from a master of observational comedy' (BroadwayBaby.com). ***** 'Definitely stand-up at its best' (VoiceMag.uk). ***** 'A masterclass from one of the finest comedians' (Magazine.DailyBusinessGroup.co.uk). ****½ 'wicked sense of humour, a charismatic stage presence engulfs the massive room packed to the rafters' (One4review.co.uk).
Jazz Emu: You Shouldn’t Have ★★★★★
Where: Pleasance Courtyard (Pleasance Two) When: 9:40pm Dates: Aug 17-27
Returning to Edinburgh Fringe after two sell-out runs at Soho Theatre, global sensation Jazz Emu is back with his virtuoso musical spectacular.
'This is a work of genius' ★★★★★ Telegraph
In 2016, Jazz Emu played the biggest gig he'd ever landed at the Helsinki Velodrome. But during his between-song patter, he carelessly insulted one of his biggest fans. Now he's back to clear his name and regain his former glory.
Will he be able to get every single person in the world to like him? Or is it time for him to face the music?
Joe McTernan: Life Advice That Won’t Change Your Life ★★★★★
Where: Underbelly, Bristo Square - Buttercup When: 6:45pm Dates: 15-28 August
Hugely anticipated debut hour from the Scottish viral sensation who's amassed over 30 million views online. Joe is fed up with seeing inspirational life advice online so join him as he lambasts this motivational nonsense and offers an alternative view which will encourage you to live life to the adequate amount. Joe has performed on BBC's The Comedy Underground, supported Tom Stade on tour and co-created the online (Scottish Comedy Award-winning) sitcom MUFF alongside Daniel Sloss and Craig Hill. Expect high energy, observational stand-up that’s 'sure to delight’ (Edinburgh Festivals Magazine).
Jon Culshaw: Imposter Syndrome ★★★★★
Where: Gilded Balloon Teviot - Debating Hall When: Times Vary Dates: 14, 16-27 August
The star of BBC Radio 4's Dead Ringers and BBC One's The Impressions Show follows up his 2018 sell-out Fringe residency with a brand-new hour of comedy and music. Join Jon as he conjures up an array of the best-known personalities from the worlds of entertainment, politics, and beyond in his trademark style. 'Culshaw delivers impressions of extraordinary variety and skill' (Times). 'Culshaw thrills audiences with his quick wit and wonderful impersonations' (BroadwayWorld.com).
Leo Reich: Literally Who Cares?! ★★★★★
Where: Pleasance Courtyard (Forth) When: 5:20pm Dates: Aug 24 only
Your favourite dilettante sociopath is back, fresh from an acclaimed off-Broadway run, to perform his multiple award nominated show one last time.
'High cheekbones' New York Times
'Life is an accumulation of losses, and their pace is accelerating' New York Times
'Taut, biting, and darkly hilarious' New York Times
Nominee Most Outstanding Show Award Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2023
Nominee Best Newcomer 2022 Edinburgh Comedy Awards
★★★★★ Time Out
★★★★★ Telegraph
Lorna Rose Treen: Skin Pigeon ★★★★★
Where: Pleasance Courtyard (The Attic) When: 4:35pm (extra show at 11.15pm on Aug 20) Until: Aug 27 (not 14)
Character comedian Lorna Rose Treen has been pretending to be other people for fun since she could dress herself. Now she's inviting you inside her mind for an hour of characters, comedy, content, content, content, costumes and content.
The greatest thing to come out of Redditch since the fishing tackle. The debut show from Chortle's Best Newcomer 2023 and Funny Women Awards' first-ever double winner (2022).
I laughed so much I violently bit my tongue' Independent
'Off-kilter energy and unflagging commitment to the silly' Chortle.co.uk
Myles And Dan Just Might Break A World Record Tonight ★★★★★
Where: Just the Tonic at The Caves - Just Up the Stairs When: 7:45pm Dates: 15-27 August
Witness the impossible as Myles and Dan attempt to complete the most live comedy sketches in a single live sketch-comedy show in live sketch-comedy history. Live. Do your own research.
Paul Foot: Dissolve ★★★★★
Where: Underbelly, Cowgate - Belly Dancer When: 7:20pm Dates: 15-27 August
Life is a stress: full of rushed breakfasts, angry people, internal conflict, and Jacob Rees-Mogg. But what happens when all the stress simply disappears? Trailblazing comedian, Paul Foot, returns with his most personal, surprising and groundbreaking show ever. In the year 2022 AD something momentous changed for Paul, and in Dissolve he reveals how he discovered the secret of life. Inevitably he does get distracted by King Tutankhamun, the House of Lords, Sir Cliff Richard and officious lollipop ladies. As seen on Would I Lie To You?, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Cats Does Countdown.
----
Want to see more recommended shows? Then check out our top 15 most recommended shows guide.