Tomorrow I’m flying to Berlin to spend five days in that fine city of lakes and abandoned airstrips to perform two shows for the Berlin Fringe. So what with today being a busy prep day, I thought I’d make writing this newsletter easy for myself by just making it a list of 101 shows you should go and see if you’re going to the Edinburgh Fringe in August.

As it turns out, that’s made it into far more work and effort than if I had actually just sat down and written something, but hey. These are all shows I’m genuinely really excited about and am either very keen to see myself, or would really like you to go and see if you’re up there. Some of them are shows I’m performing or that I’m in, some are shows I’m directing or I’ve done some work on, some are shows I’ve seen in preview, some are shows I’ve heard amazing things about, but all of them are going to be brilliant and I hereby officially endorse all of them to use this laurel on any promotional materials they wish:

Note that because I’m pushed for time and 101 shows really is too many shows to actually write anything about, I have decided to choose one word per show (or, in some cases, a phrase technically consisting of two words)

And for anyone keeping track of my Fringe-related activities this year, shows I have made/might be appearing in/have directed/have done some work on are highlighted:

1. ADA & BRON: THE ORIGIN OF LOVE – Chocolate
2. ADAM LARTER: WHO REMEMBERS THE 90S? – Who
3. ADAM RICHES: THE CAPTAIN – Swim
4. ALEXANDER BENNETT: ALL IT TAKES – Gamble
5. ALI BRICE: THIS IS THE WAY WE BRUSH OUR TEETH – Velociraptor
6. ALICE FRASER: OH MAN! – Roomba
7. THE ALTERNATIVE COMEDY MEMORIAL SOCIETY – Permitted
8. ANDREW DOHERTY: REVIEWERS WELCOME…TO DIE! – Revenge
9. ANDREW FROST: JUST LET ME HAVE THIS – Impossible
10. ANDY FIELD: GIDDY UP – Comeback
11. ANNA LEONG BROPHY: BORN SEXY YESTERDAY – Gizmo
12. AYOADE BAMGBOYE: SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS – Conundrum
13. BELLA HULL: MAD COW DISEASE – Pitchfork
14. BILAL ZAFAR: RUBICON – Lychee
15. CAMILLA BORGES: BE NOT AFRAID! – Nativity
16. CECILY HITCHCOCK: FAMILY RECIPE – Napoleon
17. CELYA AB: WE MUST STOP MEETING LIKE THIS – Prime Minister
18. CHRIS CANTRILL: REWILDING – Mushroom
19. CRYBABIES: THE SCARING – Ghost
20. DAN KELLY: HOW I WENT TO EVERY SUPERMARKET IN THE WORLD – Tofu
21. DAVID ELMS DESCRIBES A ROOM – Penguin
22. DEMI ADEJUYIGBE SELLS OUT – Punchbot
23. ELE MCKENZIE: BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME – Pikachu
24. ELF LYONS IS THE WOMAN ON THE EDGE – Normal
25. EM HUMBLE: LADY OF THE LAKES – Excalibur
26. EMMELINE DOWNIE: GAIL – Stitch
27. ERIC LAMPAERT: ZERO MINUS ONE – Wings
28. FRANKIE THOMPSON: HORRIBLE THINGS – Yuck
29. FREDDIE MEREDITH: NEED A LIGHT? – Sick
30. FREYA PARKER: AN HOUR OF DECAY! – Jurassic
31. GARRY STARR: CLASSIC PENGUINS – Prince
32. GRACE JARVIS: GETTING DRAGGED BACKWARDS THROUGH A HEDGE – Jobs
33. HUDSON HUGHES: AT YOUR SERVICE – Coffin
34. HUGE DAVIES: SLEEP PARALYSIS PRINCESS – Tired
35. JOHN KEARNS: TILTING AT WINDMILLS – Wasteland
36. JOHN-LUKE ROBERTS: WHAT I TALK ABOUT WHEN I RUN ABOUT, TALKING – Popcorn
37. JONATHAN OLDFIELD: EXQUISITE CORPSE – Arm
38. JONNO: HERE COMES MR FUNNY – Fish
39. JORDAN BROOKES: THE PART OF YOU THAT’S ALWAYS SCREAMING – Croissant
40. JOSEPH MORPURGO: HIGHLANDER 70 – Scrapbook
41. JOZ NORRIS AND JOHN-LUKE ROBERTS ARE BARRY AND TONY IN THE BARITONES – Friendship
42. JOZ NORRIS IS HUGH JACKMAN IS THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (WIP) – Snikt
43. JOZ NORRIS: YOU WAIT. TIME PASSES. – Smell
44. JULES OAKES: FRAGILE – Bubblewrap
45. KAT HIGGINS: IN MEMORY OF ME – Angel
46. KATE CHEKA: THE LAST FUNNY WOMAN – Saviour
47. KATIE NORRIS: MOTHER SUCCUBUS – Gothic
48. KATIE PRITCHARD IS SIR ELTON SCONE – Royalty
49. KEMAH BOB: LOVE CHILD – Giraffe
50. LARA RICOTE: INKLING – Museum
51. LATE NIGHT WITH TERRY WOGAN – Sideburns
52. LI JIN HAO: FALLING FROM A MOON – Bus
53. LIL WENKER: BOYKING – Moider
54. LORNA ROSE TREEN: NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL CHARACTERS – Banana
55. LOU WALL: WHERE ARE ALL THE TALL GRANDMAS? – Lies
56. LUKE MCQUEEN: COMEDIANS’ COMEDIAN – Smokin’
57. MARGARET THATCHER QUEEN OF HOLLYWOOD – Sexpest
58. MARK SILCOX: GOLD TRADING SUCKS, I LOST EVERYTHING – Downfall
59. MATT WINNING: SOLASTALGIA – Piss
60. MAX OLESKER: MAKING THE CUT – Conversion
61. MICHAEL BRUNSTROM: WILLIAM TELL VS THE ALGORITHM – Overture
62. MIKE WOZNIAK: THE BENCH – Mystery
63. MOTHMAN: A ROMANCE MUSICAL – Abomination
64. NATE KITCH REPLICA – Landline
65. OLGA KOCH: FAT TOM CRUISE – Digger
66. ONE MAN MUSICAL – Lloyd
67. PATTI HARRISON: JUST IRONING SOME THINGS OUT! – Lion
68. PHIL ELLIS: BATH MAT – Frozen
69. POLICE COPS: THE ORIGINAL – Octane
70. RACHEL FAIRBURN: VEXY BEASTS – Salon
71. ROB AUTON: JUPITER – Cosy
72. ROB COPLAND: ONE (MORE PLEASE) – Insatiable
73. ROB DUNCAN: PRINTER OF THE YEAR – Bluetooth
74. ROB KEMP: BEATLESJUICE – Walrus
75. ROB PRESTON: AMAZING GLOBAL SOLUTIONS – Brainslut
76. ROGER PRICK: SEXOPOLIS – Knockers
77. ROHAN SHARMA: SHARMY INFINITY – This
78. ROSALIE MINNITT: CLEMENTINE 2 – Fagin
79. ROSIE HOLT: THE ILLEGAL ALIENS HAVE LANDED! – Brosnan
80. RUBY CARR: BITE ME – Teeth
81. SAM ELEY IS BASIL CRUMBWICK: SOUL SEWAGE – Euthanasia
82. SAMI ABU WARDEH HATES YOU – Loathing
83. SARAH ROBERTS: SCARY MOVIE 7 – Absorb
84. SEAN MORLEY: BACKCHANNEL – Goblet
85. SH!T THEATRE: EVITA TOO – Peron
86. SOOZ KEMPNER: IMPOSTER – Voice
87. SOPHIE DUKER: HOT BEEF INJECTION – Squash
88. SPENCER JONES: DOGS – Fetch
89. STEPDADS: THE STEPDADS LES MIS (AND MORE) – Rings
90. STUART GOLDSMITH: CANARY – Crisis
91. TABLE READS: NEW COMEDY SCRIPT SHOWCASE – Whodunnit
92. TED HILL: POWERPOINDEXTER – Golden
93. TEMI WILKEY: LOVER GIRL – Swoon
94. THOM TUCK: HEARTWARMING ANIMAL CONTENT – Simba
95. THE TOM BRACE MAGIC HOUR – Rocket
96. TOM LAWRINSON: SPEAK OF THE DEVIL – Big
97. TOM NEENAN: PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG NEENAN – Canvas
98. TOM TOWELLING TEACHES YOU TO KNIT – Pep Talk
99. UNDERGROUND MONK SHOW – Cult
100. VIGGO VENN: ONLY ONE – High-Vis
101. WILL ADAMSDALE: AI, AI, OH… (OR HOW I WROTE A HIT SITCOM WITH CHATGPT BUT WE’RE NOT TALKING NOW) – Human

I think that’s enough to be getting on with. Let me know if you want any of my choices of words explained, I have my reasons for all of them. How many are on your lists? What else do you think should be on mine? I like this time of year, it’s a very exciting scheduling nightmare.

A Side Note In Praise Of Will Andrews:

I love this update by Will Andrews to the You Wait. Time Passes. poster for its 2026 Edinburgh Fringe victory lap so much:

When we were first designing this poster we wanted to make something beautiful that felt like an artistic statement and built intrigue for the show instead of shouting too loudly.

Now the show has launched and toured round the country and more stuff is out there about it, we wanted to update the poster to be bigger and bolder and to tie in with the final onstage look of the show, in order to celebrate all that we achieved with the show over the last year, while still maintaining the initial look and design.

I couldn’t be happier with the results. It comes to Shedinburgh for two nights only on the 11th and 12th!

A Quick Plug – Well I’ve plugged all three of my own shows that are going to Edinburgh already now, so perhaps the right thing to do here is to remind you that Jackman/Phantom is ALSO going to Soho Theatre at the end of August – tickets here if you’re interested.

A Cool New Thing In Comedy – The Berlin Fringe kicks off this week! You should go and see John-Luke Roberts and Bec Hill and Kathy Maniura and Kate Cheka and Josh Glanc and Jonathan Oldfield and Lil Wenker and people like that, they’re all awesome. Oh, and me and Eggbox, obvs.

Book Of The Week – Just finishing off James by Percival Everett, which is still brilliant.

Album Of The Week – Red Rose Speedway by Wings. Look, I love Paul a lot, he’s the best Beatle by far, but the more I delve into his non-Beatles discography the more I encounter albums that make me think “Wow, this really isn’t very good at all.” I read that when he worked with Nigel Godrich on Chaos And Creation In The Backyard he was absolutely astonished that sometimes Godrich told him not to do certain things, or that some songs weren’t good enough for inclusion on the album because nobody had ever done that with him before. Listening to Red Rose Speedway you think “Yeah, I can tell that didn’t happen very often.”

Film Of The Week – Minions And Monsters. A deeply odd film. It is simultaneously about the Minions being silent movie stars during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and about the Minions going on a mission to summon several Lovecraftian kaiju, and about the Minions working for a robot who wants to take over the Earth, and about that robot falling in love with a sufragette, and the final act is a remake of The Blob. It’s occasionally implied that the robot might actually just be an ordinary guy dressed as a robot who lives in a crappy apartment, and at one point he has to go to the toilet to do a shit, but then at the end of the film he has a huge fleet of high-tech UFOs, so I guess he actually was a robot from another planet? But then he and the suffragette have a baby, so maybe he is human. But the baby is a small robot, so who knows? It was all really weird and I don’t think the Minions work as main characters.

That’s all for this week! Let me know what you think, and if you enjoy this newsletter enough to send it to a friend or encourage others to subscribe, I’d hugely appreciate it. Take care of yourselves until next time,

Joz xx

PS Feel free to send me a tip on Ko-Fi if you enjoy my work and would like to support me to keep making it!

PPS Here’s me doing a star jump after swimming in the UK’s fifth most polluted river. But I feel fine!

Click here to go back