Unmissable Comedy:
Top Stand-Ups at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe
There’s a million and one comedy shows to see at the Fringe, from international clowning to acclaimed sketch, but at its heart there’s more brilliant stand-up per mile during August than anywhere else at any point in the year. Here are twelve unmissable stand-up shows that we would recommend you see.
Still got gaps? Our own thirteen unmissable shows at this year’s festival are here.
Christopher Macarthur-Boyd: Scary Times
I’ve been a fan of Christopher’s a while back, but two weeks ago I saw him perform last at the award show for Channel 4’s Sean Lock Comedy Award, and I’ve rarely seen someone make stand-up look so easy. There’s no misses with his material, every joke is delivered to perfection, and he knows how to play best to every room (even an industry showcase). I can’t wait to see another full hour from him.
Chloe Petts: If You Can’t Say Anything Nice
There are few safer pairs of hands than Chloe’s. An hour in her company is a guaranteed great time (onstage and offstage to be honest – there’s never a bad green room with Petts). We’ve caught some of Chloe’s new material at a series of gigs over the last six months and she’s got tonnes of brilliant new material for you this summer. Plus, us putting her (fully deservedly) on this list is just one small way we can apologise in advance to her for the mess that will be in her room following Max & Ivan’s show…
Nabil Abdulrashid: The Purple Pill
We’ve loved having Nabil on a number of line-up shows over the last couple of years. A really interesting voice with a brilliantly playful contrarian attitude, Nabil’s brilliant at reading the audience and pushing them exactly where they want to go but may not know it. His physicality in his act outs are worth the price of entry alone.
Janine Harouni: Man’oushe
One of our favourite stand-ups to emerge over the last few years, Janine is a great show writer, mixing big, big laughs with intricate, densely woven narratives. Her debut show, which deservedly won plaudits from every corner of the press & industry, was a brilliant story of her very complicated family. Now she returns – heavily pregnant – to tell the story of how (with the help of a DNA test) that complicated family became even more messy.
Liam Withnail: Chronic Boom
An expert in crowd-work and sharp, fast gags, Liam’s been (relatively) quietly smashing it for years now. But from what we’ve been hearing, his new show Chronic Boom may be the hour that shoots him into a whole new tier of popularity. Telling the story of battling (and being hospitalised with) chronic pain, multiple people who have seen previews of Liam’s new hour over the last couple of months have told us it’s a must see. We can’t wait.
Ania Magliano: I Can’t Believe You’ve Done This
Her debut (and totally acclaimed) Fringe hour last year was brilliant, but even in the relatively short time since then Ania hasn’t rested on her laurels, writing for Amelia Dimoldenberg's Chicken Shop Date and opening on tour for Ed Gamble and our own Catherine Cohen. The result is an even better stand-up and joke writer, who now returns with the story of the worst haircut she’s ever had.
John Hastings: The Times They Are A John Hastings
A firm entry on the list of ‘deserves a much larger profile if there’s any justice’ (alongside Sean McLoughlin and Jack Barry), John Hastings is one of the best stand-ups in the world. Having previously smashed appearances with us on the Berk’s Nest Mid-Fest Comedy Special, we can’t wait for John to be back at the Fringe.
Alison Spittle: Soup
Utterly hilarious when she guested on Hive Mind at ARG Comedy Fest earlier this month, Alison’s a commanding force of nature onstage, full of brilliantly subversive sideways looks at life. A guaranteed excellent hour.
Huge Davies: Whodunnit
Is it still stand-up if it’s interspersed with some of the funniest songs you’ll ever hear, played by a man wearing a keyboard hanging from his neck? Yes, and it’s amazing. He absolutely took the roof off at last month’s Live At The Clapham Grand and Huge’s new show will be brilliant.
Celya AB: Second Rodeo
Just named one of Just For Laughs’ International New Faces of Comedy, Celya is destined for big things - and this new show, directed by the genius that is Mike Wozniak, may well be the hour that takes her to the mainstream. We saw an early work in progress of it in May and it was full of inventive ideas and great one liners. We can’t wait to see the finished show.
Mark Nelson: Bits & Pieces
During the pandemic there were few better ways to spend a weekend evening than watching Mark Nelson host The Stand’s lockdown livestream. His social commentary is rarely bettered, and he has the skill and experience to dance around respectability whilst always delivering a huge laugh for everyone in the room. His Fringe hour, a mix of new & classic material, is unmissable - and he then heads out on tour from November.
Josh Jones: Gobsmacked
Another act who completely took the roof off of Live At The Clapham Grand, we can’t get enough of Josh Jones. Expect him on many more line-up shows in the future, but if you can’t wait till then you better get down to his brand new show, which tours the UK from this September.