In the world of comedy it’s the firsts that count – your first gig, your first show, and your first debut at the Edinburgh Fringe. Full of hopes and sometimes years of talent and expectations, these Edinburgh debut shows are where imaginations run free on a global stage, hoping to catch the eye of managers, television and Netflix commissioners. And hopefully become this year’s big buzz. Here are some of our highlights of the talent hoping to enchant audiences and industry alike.
Benji Waterstones: You Don’t Have To Be Mad To Work Here
Waterstones pulls back the curtain to the mental health wing, sharing his own stories working as a psychiatrist in the UK. He goes even further, dancing the fine line between poacher and groundskeeper by bringing in his own family’s mental health histories and his attempts to fix them. A book, entitled You Don’t Have To Be Mad To Work Here is due to come out next Spring and a TV adaptation has already been optioned. The show is directed by Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Jordan Brookes.
Benji Waterstones: You Don’t Have To Be Mad To Work Here, 16:30 Pleasance Courtyard – Below, 2-28 August (except 12 & 21)
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/benji-waterstones-you-don-t-have-to-be-mad-to-work-here
Fever Peach: Intense Goblin Nightmare Woman
The comedy-musical-poetry duo from Dundee are contemporary punks with a surreal twist. Their whimsy is hardcore and their songs addictively catchy. Step into the Fever Peach world for an hour and allow yourself to be challenged in a respectfully consensual way, with laughs that will take you by surprise. A gem to discover.
Fever Peach: Intense Goblin Nightmare Woman 20:10 Just The Tonic at The Caves – Just The Wee One, 3-27 August (except 7, 14, 21)
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on#q=%22fever%20Peach%22
Thenjiwe: The Mandela Effect
South Africa’s First Lady Of Comedy, Thenjiwe (pronounced Ten-Dewy) has some questions to raise regarding the world’s collectively misremembered facts and events. Who was it that said that history is written by those in power? Thenjiwe is standing up to power here, using her legal background to argue her case, as well as reflecting upon her own experiences adjusting to living in the UK. With five comedy specials already under her belt, as well as a couple of sitcoms home in South Africa, this Edinburgh debut is long overdue.
Thenjiwe: The Mandela Effect 14:25 Just The Tonic – Cask Room, 3-28 August (except 14)
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/thenjiwe-the-mandela-effect
Andre De Freitas: What If
A stand up first from Portugal, André De Freitas brings his comedy debut to the Edinburgh Fringe with a packed and wildly unorthodox autobiographical show. From a childhood multigenerational house that included not one but two grandmothers suffering from Alzheimer’s, to life as a travelling and hopeful immigrant setting out to make his fortune first in New York and then London trying out all manner of employment from paintball ticket seller to male escort – there’s a lot to mine for laughs. Luckily he’s good at it, and has already provided tour support for the likes of Alan Carr, Peter Russell, and Jim Gaffin.
Andre De Freitas: What If 20:10 Pleasance Courtyard – Bunker Two, 2-27 August
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/andre-de-freitas-what-if
Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote
Already a cult hit across the UK and Australia, this raucous interactive fan show from Tim Benzie makes its debut in Edinburgh three years after first premiering at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in 2019. A fabulous love letter to Mrs JB Fletcher, featuring games, prizes and audience participation (voluntary), it’s a chance to watch-along an episode. This has feel good vibes from the first strike of that opening credits typewriter.
Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote, 20:10 The Space @ Symposium Hall – Amphitheatre, 4-26 August (except 13 & 20)
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/solve-along-a-murder-she-wrote
Josh Weller: Age Against The Machine
From punk to the Pleasance, get the backstage gossip, the inside scoop, and the railing from the trenches from Josh Weller who has drummed for Ray Davies and toured with The Offspring, Mumford & Son, and Hollywood star Juliette Lewis. A celebratory look back at the life, music and pop culture of the 90s, alongside personal anecdotes of crazy times and that elusive big break.
Josh Weller: Age Against The Machine, 19:10 Pleasance Courtyard: Below, 2-28 August (except 14)
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/josh-weller-age-against-the-machine
Freya Parker: It Ain’t Easy Being Cheeky
You may recognise Freya as one half of the award-winning Lazy Susan – Edinburgh Comedy Award nominated sketch group, familiar to listeners of BBC Radio 4 and watchers of BBC 3. Now she’s flying solo for the first time and offering pearls of wisdom to all those aspiring to join her in cheeky-hood. Apparently it’s not easy to navigate amongst a storm of trauma. Expect quality writing, strong delivery, and a show which is already creating a buzz.
Pleasance Courtyard: Below, 2-28 August (except 14), 19:10, £11.9.50
Freya Parker: It Ain’t Easy Being Cheeky, 17:50, Pleasance Courtyard – Baby Grand, 2-27 August (except 14)
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/josh-weller-age-against-the-machine
Kirsty Mann: Skeletons
Award-winning writer and performer Kirsty Mann has won an award for her short film, trained at the Royal Academy of Music, and her debut show is indeed directed by Laura Corcoran of critically acclaimed cabaret duo Frisky & Mannish – but she has a secret. A big old skeleton in her closet. Which is that she is also a doctor. Battling not to be taken seriously in her creative endeavours (and vice versa at her NHS day job), Kirsty explores her accidental secret double life.
Kirsty Mann: Skeletons, 17:50 Pleasance Courtyard: Below, 2-27 August (except 15)
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/kirsty-mann-skeletons
Joe McTernan: Life Advice That Won’t Change Your Life
Get your inspirational wisdoms lampooned by local Edinburgh favourite McTernan, encouraging all and sundry to enjoy life an ‘adequate amount’ with his own high energy observational humour. Co-creator of the online sitcom MUFF with established fringe favourites Daniel Sloss and Craig Hills, this debut hour sets out to prove how 30 million online views can’t be wrong.
Joe McTernan: Life Advice That Won’t Change Your Life 18:45 Underbelly, Bristo Square – Buttercup, 2-28 August (except 14 & 21)
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/joe-mcternan-life-advice-that-won-t-change-your-life
Nabil Abdulrashid: The Purple Pill
Already familiar to many as a Britain’s Got Talent finalist from 2020, Abdulrashid arrives in Edinburgh with his debut hour about what it means to him to be a man, a parent, and black – trying to be good whilst staying true. Tightly weaving his own stories throughout ideas of identity and racism, global politics and multiculturalism, The Purple Pill draws together the skills that established his comedy career before Simon Cowell got anywhere near it.
Pleasance Courtyard – Beside, 2-27 August (except 15), 18:05, £13/12
Nabil Abdulrashid: The Purple Pill, 18:05, Pleasance Courtyard – Beside, 2-27 August (except 15)
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/nabil-abdulrashid-the-purple-pill
Mary O’Connell: Money Princess
As the winner of comedy’s biggest financial prize (Only Fans TV Comedy Creative Fund), but also a critic of consumerism who likes to have nice things – there’s a lot for O’Connell to unpack. Fortunately, she has the skills to make that unpacking highly entertaining. Awarded the Creator Residency at Baby Cow Productions, and with several BBC comedy performance credits under her belt, O’Connell is directed by Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Elf Lyons.
Mary O’Connell: Money Princess, 18:00 Pleasance Courtyard – Bunker, 2-27 August (except 15)
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/mary-o-connell-money-princess
Darran Griffiths: Inconceivable
Chronicling his relationship with fertility, IVF, and what it is to be a father – Griffiths tries his best to be a better husband. It’s a very personal debut, and opens the door to a topic rarely discussed. Along the way he stops to introduce his ideas on masculinity, stereotypes and social norms, with a bit of rugby banter thrown in. What’s a journey if it hasn’t had a different place to start from?
Darran Griffiths: Inconceivable, 16:25 Pleasance Courtyard – Bunker One, 2-27 August (except 14)
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/darran-griffiths-inconceivable
Sachin Kumarendran: Deceit
Apparently lies can only get you so far, but for Kumarendran that’s an impressively long distance – whether it’s for a date or even a shot at a spot on reality TV. With a background in enigma code-breaking some might say this is the perfect time for him to lead the way in examining our relationship with telling lies. Some might say it…
Sachin Kumarendran: Deceit Just The Tonic @ The Caves – Out Of The Box, 3-27 August (except 14), 18:00, £5
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/sachin-kumarendran-deceit
Leila Navabi – Composition
If you’re brown, Welsh, gay, and Generation Z what do you focus your Edinburgh debut show on? The ethics of exploiting marginalised identities for social gain – of course! Navabi’s punk musical-comedy show has mischief shot through it like a stick of rock, as she shares tales of using her ‘minority identity’ for troublemaking. One of last year’s BBC New Comedy Awards, already talent-spotted and writing for television, Navabi’s star is strongly on the rise.
Leila Navabi – Composition, 21:45, Pleasance Courtyard – The Attic, 22-27 August (except 11), 21:45, £13/12
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/leila-navabi-composition
