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…
Sarah Stringer
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: 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: 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: Ed Night – We’ll Be All Right, Darling
We enter the venue to Clay Pigeons by Blaze Foley, which is one of the best songs ever written (in one comedy reviewer’s accurate opinion), and immediately sets a tone…
Edinburgh Fringe Review: Dan Rath – Help Me Please
If you like Dan Rath’s usual stuff, you will love this show. If you do not, you might want to give it a miss; Rath recommends that several times throughout…
Edinburgh Fringe Review: Samira Banks – Not Banking On It WIP
Samira Banks first came on my radar when I watched the finals of the So You Think You’re Funny competition in 2023, and was not remotely surprised when she won,…
Edinburgh Fringe Review: Nick Helm – Down ‘n’ Dirty Weekend
This show was a release party for part 1 of Nick Helm’s triple album, Down ‘N’ Dirty, which was released on Bandcamp this week. The initial release is for the…