Rosco Mcclelland: If you've not seen him recently, he's got really good. He updates us on his life & what's been bothering him. No strongly-present theme but the material is well-worked & it's a very satisfying hour of accessible, charismatically-delivered standup. PWYW. 4/5

Mike Blaha: We're firmly in "He's seems nice but..." territory here. He's a well-travelled lawyer who appears to have forgotten to edit these travel tales down for public consumption. He's like a jovial uncle you try to avoid at a family gathering. A misjudged effort. 1.5/5

Mark Silcox: He's a gold trader apparently. It's a deliberately-shambolic PowerPoint lecture, often with irrelevant diversions. He's the poster boy for the phrase "marmite comedian". His hardcore audience are in hysterics while others stumble out early, dazed & confused. FF. 3/5

Dan Rath: Steven Wright is the most obvious reference - think low-energy precision 1 liners but with surreal twists rather than dispiriting puns. He dwells on some topics for a while, allowing momentum to build. Blunt crowdwork displays just how quick his mind works. PWYW. 3.5/5

Ruaridh Miller: It's an assured hour of generic standup from this promising local lad. There's no theme but the set divides into personal material/things that bother him. Delivery is cheery & he keeps things moving along. No doubt he'll be in a bigger room next year. PWYW. 3/5

The 2025 EDI Comedy Awards shortlist will be out later today. Here are some of MY favourites so far: Paid: Daniel Kitson, Sam Jay, Rob Auton, James Trickey, Alice Fraser Free/PWYW: Pierre Novellie, Ayo Adenekan, Oliver Coleman, Stuart McPherson, Rosco Mcclelland, Chris Cantrill

Fast Reviews: Sam Lake: Solid start, long sad bit, enjoyable laddish ending. 3/5 Muggleton: Parenting, masculinity, Australia (as always). Dependable. 3.5/5 Laura Davis: Captivating but not her most commercial effort. 2.5/5 CMB: Good at silences. Strong wee guy energy. 4/5

Ian Smith: Fans may recognise bits from his R4 show but there's tons to enjoy here. He's still stressing about stress - this time he themes the hour around a medical test. Rest assured, a vividly-realised diversion is never far away. I'm delighted he's succeeding. PWYW. 4/5

It's the last weekend of the Fringe. Here are some of my favourites you might still get into: Paid: Daniel Kitson, Sam Jay, Rob Auton, James Trickey, Alice Fraser. PWYW: Pierre Novellie, Ayo Adenekan, Oliver Coleman, Stuart McPherson, Rosco Mcclelland, Ian Smith, Liam Withnail.

Liam Withnail: He takes us through his life, assessing whether the decisions he's made & the challenges he's faced have ultimately resulted in happiness. It's densely-written & expertly-performed. A beautiful example of what can be done in a Fringe show. PWYW. 4.5/5

Peter Jones: He starts solidly enough with accessible, generic material. Apropos of nothing he begins to enquire in detail what audience members had for breakfast. This ill-judged, anti-comedy diversion continues for an age & only really ends when the fire alarm goes off. I left.

Congratulations to the winners at the Edinburgh comedy Awards today. Host Amy Gledhill was amazing!

What a day of celebrations! 🎉 Congratulations to all our nominees and winners of 2025! #EdComedyAwards25

Pretty successful day at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Ate too many sausages, drunk too much white wine, bothered Mark Watson, laughed at Amy Gledhill & hung out with the Monkey Barrel cool kids.

Dan Tiernan: Blimey, there's a lot going on here. The material, initially autobiographical, is relayed around a Glastonbury story. He ramps things up during a psychosis section that could be an unhinged Rob Auton piece & ends on a musical callback. Ambitious/impressive. PWYW. 4/5

Paul Hilleard (WIP): He's the reigning BBC New Comedy Award winner working out material for his first proper hour. His short run is over but if you enjoy oddball characters saying unusual things in a lo-energy but charismatic way, get him on your list for 2026's Fringe.

I'm done with Fringe 2025. Hopefully the reviews were of some help & you found something interesting/dodged a bullet as a result. I don't post much Sep-Jul so feel free to Unfollow. I'll hopefully be back in 2026. Thanks to all the performers & to the venue staff. Cheers!

2025 Fringe Stats Shows entered: 74 Shows abandoned: 4 Reviews posted: 67 Average mark allocated: 2.9 Smallest audience I was part of: 2 Shortest Hour Show: 31 mins Best Show: Pierre Novellie Best Show Title: It's Pronounced "Ruaridh" Main downtime location: Monkey Barrel Bar

After due consideration, the 2025 Fringe Monkey Talented but Ignored Award goes to Jake Baker! Congratulations Jake Baker. If you DM me an address I'll send you a small, underwhelming trophy.

New York Comedy Cellar's newest, biggest venue is certainly progressing but still has some way to go. Apparently scheduled for January, it will be a single performance space with a mezzanine.