Punchline recommends Kwame Asante: Open Arms

Words by Suzy Romer After years of being berated by comedians to laugh and make a noise no matter what my feelings about their material, it is an utter joy to read in Kwame’s Fringe guide entry that listeners, smilers and nodders are welcome to his show. All are welcome because he knows exactly what

Punchline loves Hannah Gadsby: Nanette

Words by Suzy Romer When Hannah Gadsby appears on stage, her manner is gentle and the first part of her show eases us into a comfort zone with perfectly poised jokes and wry observations about famous men, sexuality and barista culture in remote Australian villages. So deftly does she bring us into her world that

In the Hot Seat: John-Luke Roberts

Close your eyes and picture Edinburgh. What do you see? Rows and rows of vans selling crêpes (sweet and savoury) while someone nearby flyers for a show they haven’t seen. What is the last thing that made you snort with laughter? I laughed for about ten minutes at an aubergine. Just completely lost it. It

Punchline recommends Bilal Zafar: Biscuit

Words by Suzy Romer Bilal Zafar provides a charming, well-written and thoughtful show about his experiences with online dating and social media. He explores the possibilities and limitations of the curious procedures for finding love in the twenty first century with humanity and a keen eye for the pitfalls of trying to step outside the

Punchline recommends Butt Kapinski

Words by Iain McLaren There’s been a murder, well actually there’s been more than one, and only the brilliant shenanigans of Butt Kapinski can solve them, with your help. This partial improv show will have you laughing from start to finish as Butt uses the audience to paint the picture of a classic film noir

Punchline Recommends Dane Baptiste: G.O.D (Gold. Oil. Drugs.)

Words by Iain McLaren If you want thoughtless, pointless, run of the mill “comedy” then you are in the wrong place. This is Dane Baptiste and he is anything but run of the mill. Join him for a look at G.O.D. No not the beardy guy in the sky; Gold, Oil and Drugs because that’s

Punchline Recommends Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Appropriate Adult

Words by Suzy Romer Kiri Pritchard-McLean had some killer material (I’m talking shrieks here) when I first saw her a couple of years ago on a mixed bill show. This is the first year I have seen the full hour and what a splendid show it is. She is utterly at ease with the audience

Punchline Recommends David Trent: Here’s Your Future

Words by Iain McLaren A BIG welcome back to the festival for David Trent. Returning with a new show which takes a look at the unbelievable world we have created and asks the most basic question of them all, ‘What The F**K?’ From VR headsets to smart forks and beyond David explores the crazy world

Punchline recommends John Robins: The Darkness of Robins

Words by Suzy Romer John Robins has turned his soul-wrenching pain after a relationship breakup into a triumph of a show. He brings real energy to the stage right from the start and gaily carries the audience along with him as he plunges straight into the depths of post-relationship misery. And we laugh a lot.

In the Hot Seat: Edd Hedges

Close your eyes and picture Edinburgh. What do you see? The Gilded Balloon. It’s the best place in Edinburgh I think. It’s like sexy Hogwarts. For me it’s like the home of comedy during the Fringe and the team who work there are the coolest people in the world. I normally just run around it