Edinburgh Fringe Diary: August 21, 2026
Sarah Stringer
I scheduled 10 shows to watch on August 21 as, to misappropriate a John-Luke Roberts quote, an experiment in whether someone can do that. They were all at the Monkey…
2026
Edinburgh Fringe Review: Amy Matthews – Definitions of Toast
Dave Baillie
Amy Matthews starts this afternoon by lampooning how difficult middle-aged men have it, before hitting us with a couple of really great bits about sneezes and jam. I haven’t seen…
Edinburgh Fringe review: Susie McCabe – Coming of Rage
Susie McCabe has had a terrible year. Her marriage ended, her dad died (but I wouldn’t call this a Dead Dad show, not enough tears), she had to arrange a…
Edinburgh Fringe Review: Lara Ricote – Inkling
Starting with a completely incomprehensible impression of the Oracle of Delphi performed over the uplight of an under-chin torch is a bold move. We’re less than a minute in and…
Edinburgh Fringe Review: Caitriona Dowden – Sesh Head
Comedy is often best when it’s specific, and Caitriona Dowden has built a career on this principle. Her first hour was about Medieval theology; her second about apocalyptic dread, and…
Edinburgh Fringe Review: Rob Auton – Jupiter
An outsider’s perspective is often an advantage in comedy – an immigrant talking about a country where they didn’t grow up, a queer person dissecting the dominant straight culture, a…
Edinburgh Fringe Review: Daniel Kitson – Thrum
A man stands on a stage and tells some stories. It might take an hour and forty, he says, but he’s not sure as he’s only said this all the…
Edinburgh Fringe Review: Li Jin Hao – Falling From a Moon
Li Jin Hao: like if someone looked at Johnny White Really-Really and said, “Not quite whimsical enough.” Li’s debut hour, Swimming a Submarine (now on YouTube for free), was a…
Edinburgh Fringe Review: Stuart Goldsmith – Canary
Stuart Goldsmith has found a niche, and it’s working for him. Comedy is usually more interesting when it’s specific, and Goldsmith’s shows about the climate crisis and sustainability are no…
Edinburgh Fringe Review: David Correos – Noise Zealand
Many shows at the Edinburgh Fringe claim to be ‘anarchic’, but I’m pretty sure only this one will cause a reviewer (me) to take the following note: “crowd cheer Eton…