Live Shows 2025-TBC

16th August 2025 – Agent Red’s Audition

“Want to be a film star? Come watch a live audition, or will you brave the stage and try it yourself? There might be a twist though… Exactly how much is captured during a short audition? During the show, the candidate is invited on stage for an audition. Will they follow the prompts or go their own way? Every show is different!”

Show Title: Agent Red’s Audition
Location: The Speakeasy, The Royal Scots Club
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: This was the first show of our 2025 Fringe, at 10am after only getting off the sleeper train at 7am. There was only one other person in the audience with us, so Wes got volunteered to go on stage. The premise of the show was that he was to take part in a scripted “interview” and then this footage would be turned into a “film” with the lines he said inserted into a different script with a different plot.

Unfortunately, the host explained that the technology hadn’t been perfected in time, so we could only watch an example of what it should look like. We were told that as soon as the technology worked then Wes’s video would be uploaded on their website. As of 4/5/2026 this has still not happened.

16th August 2025 – Chris Grace

“Sardines explores the tragic, hilarious and important questions of our time: Can we enjoy life if we know how it ends? Does making art actually help? And if Rihanna’s song is called Don’t Stop the Music, why does the music… stop?”

Show Title: Sardines – A Comedy About Death
Location: Assembly George Square Studio 3
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: Chris starts by showing a family photo from 2011 of him with his sister, brother, father, mother, and partner, and then explains that all of those people are now dead. The show explores his relationships with his family, and each of their deaths. The death of his partner was especially harrowing. The show was both hilarious and devastating, and probably our favourite hour of the whole Fringe.

16th August 2025 – Mates Improv

“It’s New York City. It’s the 90s. And this is the world’s craziest sitcom. A parody of classic TV such as Seinfeld, Frasier and Friends and completely improvised from your suggestions. Could this show BE any funnier?”

Show Title: Mates Improv
Location: Just the Tonic, The Caves
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: This was decent. It wasn’t our favourite improv (nothing could live up to Mischief Theatre or Dropout) but it was funny enough and we enjoyed the show. We would go to another one if it was on at a convenient time of day, but wouldn’t sacrifice a different show to fit it in.

16th August 2025 – Visitors

“Thank you for inviting us into your home. We didn’t know where else to go… A dead couple look for a temporary solution to their permanent condition. Visitors is an experience for only two people at a time, sitting opposite one another, and is a reflection on our irrepressible desire to touch and asks why the dead find so little comfort in the world of the living. We require you to remain 3 metres apart, and while you may yearn to reach across the chasm that separates you, we ask you to be careful who else you invite in…“

Similarly to Flight which we experienced the year before, in Visitors you’re given headphones which play binaural 360 degree sound to create full immersion. When the lights go off, it’s so dark you can’t see your own hand in front of your face. Wes and I had to sit opposite each other, and were both given different instructions at different points, including needing to get up and move around. Unlike Flight, Visitors was designed to be played at home, so there were no 4D elements. It was still done well, although I preferred the cleverness of the idea more than the plot itself.

16th August 2025 – Alison Spittle

“A man on the train tells her to sit down and now she’s doing a whole stand up show about it.”

Show Title: Big
Location: Monkey Barrel 1
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: A lot of this material was the same as the WIP show we’d seen the year before, but there was plenty of new content, and we enjoyed seeing the final version.

16th August 2025 – Tom Rosenthal

“Arctic Monkeys’ album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, hit shelves on January 2006. Tracks like I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor and When the Sun Goes Down became anthems, showcasing Alex Turner’s sharp lyrics and observational storytelling. Tom Rosenthal’s show, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I Am, hits the Fringe in August 2025. Jokes like Wimbledon, Daniel Radcliffe and Some Weather We’re Having have the potential to become classics, showcasing Rosenthal’s sharp nose and observational squawking.”

Show Title: Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I Am
Location: Assembly Roxy
With: Wesley Mead

16th August 2025 – Two Hearts

“Two Hearts invite you to step into a concert-like experience and forget about the horrible world we live in with this non-stop boiler-room set of uplifting comedy hits (largely about the horrible world we live in).”

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16th August 2025 – Chris Parker

“I’ve heard the expression ‘stop being so dramatic’ my whole life, but only now, at the culturally relevant age of 34 am I ready to address it and face these drama queen allegations head-on.”

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16th August 2025 – Jordan Brookes

“The Elvis of comedy is back, with something in development. I don’t know what this is yet. It might change every night. Or it might stay the same. Sometimes I might not even show up. Nah, I will. But I’ll do what I want quite honestly and it’s on you if the wheels come off. And they will come off. You just watch those wheels come off. (I promise I’ll show up).”

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17th August 2025 – Phil Ellis

“Phil Ellis returns with a brand-new hour of stand-up, silliness and a lot of heart. This year he may even do some soul searching… May”

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17th August 2025 – Lara Ricote

“As I write this it’s April 4th not Fools and they’ve said it’s time to register my work. Well woop-de-do, turns out I’m in a deep state of Not Yet Knowing. So what about that, now, for us. And as luck (time) will have it, you’ll read this yourself in August, and might find something exciting in reading me in my current (past) state and coming by to see if I’ve dreamed something up for you. If you’re the kind to be moved by this, be moved into Monkey Barrel 4.”

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17th August 2025 – Alex Bertulis-Fernandes

“Warning: This show contains content you may find distressing. If you don’t, you have a cold, cold heart. Previous subjects discussed include (in order of popularity): dating, dogs, death, body image, sexual harassment and suicide. It’s gonna be a riot.”

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17th August 2025 – Ray O’Leary

“Ray O’Leary pulled a man from a wrecked car and as the man lay dying, he used his last ounce of strength to ask Ray to tell his children he loved them. And Ray will get round to it, but first he has to do this comedy show.”

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17th August 2025 – Eulogy

“Welcome to Darkfield. We hope you enjoy your stay. At check-in we will issue you a key card and allocate you a chaperone to guide you to the other side of the dream. Follow the right path and don’t volunteer to become the subject of the eulogy every guest is preparing to deliver. Eulogy is a surreal, otherworldly journey through a dreamlike, labyrinthine hotel that exists entirely in your mind. How you arrived is a mystery and why you are there remains unclear. Just make sure you read the pamphlet.”

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17th August 2025 – Tom Cashman

“Tom Cashman is back in Edinburgh with a new hour of stand-up that might just include the secret to happiness. You may know Tom from Taskmaster Australia, you may know him from TikTok, you may be grappling with the idea of him for the first time now as you read this. It’s pointless to continue guessing your mental state. But if you like the mental state of laughing, you shouldn’t miss this show.”

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17th August 2025 – Escape Room the Musical

“A puzzle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a musical! Six friends find themselves in an escape room that seems to be raising emotions high and adrenaline higher. They have 60 minutes to escape or who knows what might be revealed? Who will solve the room and who will fold under the pressure?! Original songs, crazy characters and puzzling puzzles aplenty. A must see for any escape room or musical theatre lover!”

Show Title: Escape Room: The Musical
Location: Just The Tonic
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: We were so excited to watch this – a musical about escape rooms sounded like it was made for us! Unfortunately it was easily the worst thing we watched the entire week. Terrible plot and acting. One or two songs were acceptable. Mostly we just couldn’t believe how bad it was.

17th August 2025 – Ian Murphy

“Middle Class Hero is Ian’s attempt to chart his working class Liverpudlian roots to the middle-class world he now finds himself in, without the need for being frisked on a regular basis. From humble beginnings to professional footballer, to loser of £1M live on ITV’s Red or Black gameshow, to finding himself in stand-up comedy. Ian’s journey is varied, rich and full of stories of what might have been and what is yet to come. This is all about how to keep his inner scouser under control and is much cheaper than therapy.”

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18th August 2025 – Arcade

“This isn’t an ordinary arcade and these are not ordinary arcade machines. Every machine offers you the chance to enter the world of the game and choose your own unique journey. As you guide your avatar through a world ravaged by endless war, there are many routes you can take and there are many different outcomes. You can choose a side, win or lose the war, search out a more peaceful route, or join a cult promising a better version of reality. Where will your decisions lead you?“

Show Title: Arcade
Location: Pleasance Dome
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: My first adventure of the three times I played arcade was my favourite overall. The decisions I made caused me to buy a cursed gun, and go to a party with people I met at the gun store, with the intention to fuck machines and shoot dogs. I shot a beagle but didn’t have enough tokens to fuck a robot, so I needed to win these at a casino card game. This gave me the opportunity to shoot everyone at the dog fight and finally fuck that robot.

18th August 2025 – Chris Grace

“Chris: ‘What if I wrote a new one-hour show every day of the Fringe?’ Friend: ‘That sounds like a terrible idea’. Chris: ‘Okay, I’ll do it’.”

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18th August 2025 – Arcade

“This isn’t an ordinary arcade and these are not ordinary arcade machines. Every machine offers you the chance to enter the world of the game and choose your own unique journey. As you guide your avatar through a world ravaged by endless war, there are many routes you can take and there are many different outcomes. You can choose a side, win or lose the war, search out a more peaceful route, or join a cult promising a better version of reality. Where will your decisions lead you?“

Comment: My second game was quite different – this time I headed towards the job centre, taking a detour via the teleportation centre. I tried to teleport to the library but generated a clone of myself instead and had to be shot, so there wasn’t two of us in play. My next life led me to a party where I was a guitar player who was supposed to shoot the party host on stage. I refused and was shot again. My third life had me joining a death cult where my finger was cut off as part of initiation and I was given the responsibility of cleaning bloody clothes in the launderette. Here I found a secret door, but my real life button disappeared into the machine and couldn’t be pressed. In the game this was because my finger had been cut off. The game ended with other characters mocking me for my inability to press the button.

Show Title: Arcade
Location: Pleasance Dome
With: Wesley Mead

18th August 2025 – Paul Williams

“The Taskmaster New Zealand star returns, having told over a thousand jokes and received countless rounds of applause and bouts of laughter. Not to mention the smiles he’s procured. Everyone is telling Paul that this is gonna be his year and he’s feeling very optimistic about how it’s going to go. Just don’t look at him.”

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Click here to see all Paul Williams content.

18th August 2025 – Lost Property

“Set on a morning tram commute, this one-woman show follows Alice, an unrelenting optimist on a quest to find a lost possession. Retracing her steps over the past year, she’s forced to confront decisions and untangle her morphed view of womanhood to recover what’s lost. Blending absurd comedy with poignant reflections on solidarity, Lost Property asks: what do women owe each other?”

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18th August 2025 – Guy Williams

“Potentially the worst contestant in Taskmaster history, and the host of the iconic TV series New Zealand Today, Guy Williams returns! Sandwiched between a seemingly ineffective and out-of-touch establishment, and an unhinged new brand of far-right populism. This new show is a hilarious and cathartic polemic against the insane political hellscape of 2025!”

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18th August 2025 – Takashi Wakasugi

“Japanese comedian Takashi is back in Edinburgh to be a comedy samurai. He thinks stand-up comedy is similar to samurai. A samurai tries to make his body and his sword one. Takashi tries to make himself and his jokes one. He puts his life and passion into this comedy show. Please don’t miss any strokes of his jokes and souls.”

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18th August 2025 – Paul Williams

“For one night only, the Taskmaster NZ star and Lorde’s favourite Kiwi musician (‘That was really nice of her’ – Paul) plays the hits at this year’s Fringe. With the launch of his sophomore album Summers in Salzburg and sold-out shows in New York, LA, London, New Zealand and last year’s Fringe, Paul plays a special late-night gig, featuring the best of Surf Music and Summers in Salzburg.”

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19th August 2025 – Double

“Double explores the Capgras delusion, a terrifying condition in which the sufferer is convinced that a loved one has been replaced by an exact replica with malign intentions.”

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19th August 2025 – Chris Grace

“Chris: ‘What if I wrote a new one-hour show every day of the Fringe?’ Friend: ‘That sounds like a terrible idea’. Chris: ‘Okay, I’ll do it’.”

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19th August 2025 – Joke Experts

“We are JOKE EXPERTS”

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19th August 2025 – Nate Kitch

“It’s sort of about Charlatans, voices and a Rasputin book that, as it stands, I still haven’t read. There’s big laughs, lulls, shouting & faffing. Oh and I’ve got a hat.”

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19th August 2025 – Abby Howells

“Welcome to Abby’s dream. Abby Howells takes you on a journey into her own mind. Life is agony, as they say, hahaha! Abby has many enemies and they will be vanquished. How? By talking about them in a comedy show? Probably not, but that’s what is going to happen. Abby Howells is best known for coming last on Taskmaster NZ season five, but coming first in references to the Titanic.”

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19th August 2025 – Eternal

“You have been chosen and we thank you for your sacrifice.  In return we offer you the opportunity for eternal life, but there are conditions. You could, of course, wait to see what the future might bring. You could take your chances on a cure for mortality. The cure is coming – but it is not coming fast enough for you.“

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19th August 2025 – Emma Holland

“Let me take you on a tour through my personal gallery, there’s all kinds of treasures and wares. No touching, no oversized bags, no fountain pens and no flash photography (unless I look really good).”

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19th August 2025 – An Hour of Class

“Rose and Paul want to be real classy with it. Join them every Tuesday for a late-night lineup of the classiest acts at the Fringe.”

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20th August 2025 – Danny Ward

“Meet Danny: before he was an award-winning stand-up comedian he worked on almost everyone’s favourite Christmas movie, The Holiday. After going to LA, he realised the similarities between his own vacation and the plot of the film.”

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20th August 2025 – Chris Grace

“Chris: ‘What if I wrote a new one-hour show every day of the Fringe?’ Friend: ‘That sounds like a terrible idea’. Chris: ‘Okay, I’ll do it’.”

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20th August 2025 – Arcade

“This isn’t an ordinary arcade and these are not ordinary arcade machines. Every machine offers you the chance to enter the world of the game and choose your own unique journey. As you guide your avatar through a world ravaged by endless war, there are many routes you can take and there are many different outcomes. You can choose a side, win or lose the war, search out a more peaceful route, or join a cult promising a better version of reality. Where will your decisions lead you?“

Show Title: Arcade
Location: Pleasance Dome
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: In my third game I made it to the job centre without taking a detour to the teleportation centre, and was given a job playing maracas in a band. I went on a date with Kim – we kissed and said we’d be together forever. Then I made the decision to shoot a young boy and everyone turned against me. Kim left me, and I ended up just back playing maracas in a backing band.

20th August 2025 – Friz Frizzle

“Friz has been crafting parody songs for over two decades. They’ve put them in a big book and the audience will select random numbers. This means if the show is shit, it’s your fault. Friz has also been pretty ill. A 2022 diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy almost made them retire from comedy. That is, until they got a big knee. A big knee that changed their life.”

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Click here to see all festivals attended.

“In this brand new show, Lee shares his stage with a tough-talking werewolf comedian from the dark forests of the subconscious who hates humanity. The Man-Wulf lays down a ferocious comedy challenge to the culturally irrelevant and physically enfeebled Lee. Can the beast inside us all be silenced with the silver bullet of Lee’s unprecedentedly critically acclaimed style of stand-up?”

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“Greg Davies is heading back out on tour for the first time in 7 years with his brand-new stand-up show Full Fat Legend.”

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“A recent encounter with a stranger caused Mark to spend some time pondering the uncertain future facing humanity. He explores this – along with equally pressing matters like the worst word he has ever said in public, the current state of the UK sausage industry, and much more – in a typically frantic and fun-packed new show.”

Show Title: Before It Overtakes Us
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“Expect a relentless stream of hilarity as Ria explores the state of the world, the eternal battle of the sexes, and the delight of throwing life up in the air after years of following the rules.”

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“Russell Howard is back with a brand-new stand-up tour in 2026. After breaking records with sold-out shows across the globe, ‘one of the world’s top comedians’ (The Sunday Times) is inviting you back into the room: no phones, no distractions, just humans and jokes. Don’t tell the algorithm.”

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“Scott Doonican returns to The Village Pump in Trowbridge for his annual One Man Show Tour. Expect an evening of silliness, singalongs and shenanigans galore.”

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“Join Kurt Maloney, Jacob Wysocki, Jeremy Culhane, Kimia Behpoornia, Scott Passarella, Oscar Montoya, Jiavani, and Vic Michaelis for a WILD night of improv comedy!”

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“Join Kurt Maloney, Jacob Wysocki, Jeremy Culhane, Kimia Behpoornia, Scott Passarella, Oscar Montoya, Jiavani, and Vic Michaelis for a WILD night of improv comedy!”

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“Join Vic Michaelis (DROPOUT, Very Important People, Ponies) and some of their friends for a surprise one-night-only improv show in London!”

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“This unique show is the result of the pairing of legendary magician Penn Jillette, of world-renowned duo Penn & Teller, (who will tour the UK for the first time without his 50-year companion Teller) teaming up with comedy-magician phenomenon Piff the Magic Dragon. Their brand-new show, Piff and Pop’s Magic Shoppe, promises a night of jaw-dropping magic, side-splitting comedy, and unforgettable showmanship.”

Show Title: Piff and Pop’s Magic Shoppe
Location: Bournemouth Pavilion
With: Wesley Mead
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