Beyond The Joke

I'm not sure what I can add to what people who were also there have already said about Edinburgh this year except to agree. It was exceptionally chilled. It was nice not to have flyers thrust into your hand on every corner. It was also nice not to be bombarded by PRs begging critics to come to shows. If anything it was the other way round, I had to beg venues to be let in to shows as many were – understandably given the difficulties in warming up – only works-in-progress.

First up, total respect to the Gilded Balloon for putting on a real live So You Think You're Funny final in the final week of the strangest, quietest, most chilled out, Edinburgh Fringe I've ever attended.

And secondly, total respect to the ten finalists. Over 450 acts entered and this time heats had to take place via Zoom. So when it came to stepping onto the stage after MC Mark Watson's warm introductions they were doing it with minimal stage time under their belts.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has announced the launch of a new £7.5m fundraising campaign to help aid the long-term recovery of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

‘Save the Fringe’ will serve as a starting point for a wider Fringe revival, following the devastating impact of covid-19.

Audible, a leading producer and provider of spoken-word entertainment, launches new Audible Original Getting Better with a star-studded cast fronted by Kathryn Drysdale (Bridgerton, The Windsors) and acclaimed Welsh comedia

Internationally acclaimed and award-winning Scottish comedian, Daniel Sloss, has announced US theatre tour dates for his new show, Daniel Sloss: Hubris. The tour, produced by Live Nation, will kick off October 13th in Boston, visiting theatres in 28 cities across the country and finishing in New Orleans on November 21st.  Tickets are on sale starting Friday, August 20th at 10am Local on DanielSloss.com/Tour.