Comedy News Round Up
Edinburgh Fringe Launches Programme, Leicester’s Open Air Festival Axed
The countdown to the Edinburgh Fringe starts for real now. This week the official programme was launched which means if you are one of those people that likes to select shows by circling them the same way you choose your Christmas TV viewing with the Radio Times you can do that now. Of course, lots of shows have been announced already and you can draw a circle around your favourite gigs virtually and buy tickets via edfringe.com. Here’s a round up of what the Fringe Society has deemed this year’s noteworthy shows and themes.
If you are in London this August there’s also the Camden Fringe, which is celebrating its 20th birthday this year with over 400 shows in pubs and clubs in north London. You can read all albout their plans here.
Elsewhere there is bad news for comedy fans in Leicester. The open air offshoot of the Leicester Comedy Festival that was due to take place later this month featuring Lou Sanders and more has been cancelled. This comes at a time when performers are still waiting to be paid for their shows at the LCF back in February. Will the Leicester Comedy Festival itself continue? Will anyone be prepared top appear there if it is this hard to be paid? More here.
One of the names to look out for in Edinburgh is Finlay Christie. He’s been on the cusp of the big-time for a few years. Could his new show Champagne Casanova be the one? After the Fringe he is set to head out on a 35-date tour of UK & Ireland from October 2026 to January 2027. Details here.
US star Michelle Wolf will also be touring after appearing at the Fringe. Read all about Wolf here.
And award-winning comedian and writer Rosie Holt returns to Edinburgh with her brand-new show, The Illegal Aliens Have Landed! which will be going on tour afterwards. Revisiting her much-loved MP alter ego alongside a host of new characters, Holt blurs the line between politics and entertainment in her latest satirical set. Details here. Picture by Karla Gowlett.
And still on the subject of tours, it’s not just the young whippersnappers hitting the road. Lifestyle coach and local legend Barry from Watford is embarking on his first tour at the age of 92, Shooting From The New Hip. Barry tells all about his rollercoaster life and upcoming show in a new interview. Did you know he was the first person in Watford to ever see a kumquat? “There's no point sitting at home all day watching Dickinson's Real Deal,” says Barry. Take a leaf out of his book and catch some live comedy. But first read this interview here. Picture by Matt Crockett.
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