The Edinburgh Fringe has done it again. This year’s Fringe, running 7th to 31st August, is bigger than ever. Last year there were 49,497 performances, while this year there are 50,459 performances of 3,314 shows in 313 venues across Edinburgh.
Size isn’t everything, of course, as Kath M Mainland, Chief Executive of The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, is keen to point out. The Fringe encompasses all manner of shows and events from across the artistic spectrum from a spoken word show by England cricket star Freddie Flintoff to the magic of Australian circus troupe Circa, back at the Fringe with their new show Close Up; from home-grown Scottish Fringe productions to South African musical. But the numbers suggest that the Fringe is in a healthy condition and can continue to do what the Fringe says it does on the tin.
“Every year we think we know what it’s going to deliver, but every year it surprises, delights, amazes and inspires," says Mainland. "The Fringe is a festival like no other. Completely open access – where artists don’t need to wait for an invitation, where anyone with a story to tell is welcome. Where there’s no curator, no vetting, no barriers. Just incredible talent from almost fifty countries all over the world."
Famous faces
One of the better know actors at the Fringe is Scot John Hannah who will take to the stage as a mysterious illusionist in the UK premiere of the Bulgarian play The Titanic Orchestra at Pleasance.
Actors widely known for their roles in Hollywood will travel from across the pond to perform at the Fringe. Valorie Curry and Sam Underwood will star in One Day When We Were Young by Nick Payne a two-hander set during World War Two.
On the music side of things, percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie and acclaimed Russian visual artist Maria Rud fuse sound and image in The Animotion Show.
Over a third of the Fringe program comprises of comedy. There are many familiar names here returning to the Fringe: Jo Brand, Nina Conti, Paul Merton, Ed Byrne, Al Murray, Sue Perkins,Fred MacAulay,Patrick Kielty, Alan Davies,Trevor Noah, Marcus Brigstocke, Katheryn Ryan, Mark Thomas,Josh Widdicombe, Michael Che and Reginald D Hunter.
Other up-and-coming talent looking to make a splash include Fern Brady, Rhys James, Michael J Dolan and Susie McCabe.
A cast led by Kevin McNally recreate BBC Radio 4’s hit Hancock’s Half Hour – The Missing Hancocks: Live in Edinburgh at Assembly Rooms, bringing back to life missing episodes rediscovered by actor Neil Pearson.
New Venues
As always the geography of the Fringe is reshaped with a new programme, this year with 14 additional new Fringe venues. Circus is a bigger presence with two new big tops down on The Meadows called The Lafayette and The Beauty, collectively dubbed Circus Hub by Underbelly. Underbelly’s familiar giant purple cow Udderbelly will move to George Square. Meanwhile, the popular The Lady Boys of Bangkok are moving to a new location at Fountainbridge, alongside the Union Canal.
Next door, the new Big Sexy Circus City will complete an immersive circus landscape with shows taking place in marquees.
St Stephen’s Church, a Grade-A Georgian listed building almost 200 years old in Stockbridge, is back as a Fringe venue under the management of Momentum Venues.
SpaceUK will debut a new venue for 2015 called SpaceTriplex in The Prince Philip Building at 19 Hill Place, a new state of the art facility will spread over three floors, located next door to theSpace @ Surgeons Hall and theSpace @ Symposium Hall.
Hardeep Singh Kohli’s Communal Craft Beer and Curry Bar V Deep in Leith will turn into a performance space and The Laundrette at 342 Leith Walk will host performances of Medea of the Laundromat after hours.
Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus is new for 2015, the double-decker bar and venue will be parked on South College Street throughout the Fringe, and will go ‘on the road’ around town every Wednesday.
For the first time in some years The Ross Bandstand in West Princes Street Gardens will host open air music concerts and Greenside will open a new venue in 2015, Greenside @ Infirmary Street, on the back of their Nicolson Square venue which opened in 2014.
The fifteenth century Crichton Collegiate Church in Midlothian will once again turn into a performance space hosting Plainsong at Crichton.
The Village Pub Theatre in Leith will take part in the Fringe for the first time with its grassroots new-writing theatre programme.
FRINGE 2015 BY NUMBERS
- 50,459 performances (up from 49,497 last year)
- 3,314 shows (up from 3,193 shows last year)
- 1,778 premieres
- 313 venues (up from 299 venues last year).
- Comedy makes up 34% (compared to 34.5% last year)
- Theatre makes up 27% (compared to 27.5% last year)
- Music makes up 14% (compared to 13.1% last year)
- Musicals and Opera makes up 3% (compared to 3.4% last year)
- Children’s Shows make up 5% (compared to 5% last year)
- Dance, Circus and Physical Theatre makes up 4%(compared to 3.6% last year)
- Events make up 4% (compared to 4.3% last year)
- Cabaret and Variety makes up 4% (compared to 3.2% last year)
- Spoken Word makes up 4% (compared to 3.9% last year)
- Exhibitions make up 2% (compared to 1.6% last year)
FRINGE BY THEMES
There's such a huge selection of shows to choose from that we'll be delving in to the program for a long time yet. For now, here's a breakdown of some of the shows by theme, provided by the Fringe Office.
Politics and Politicians
In the year of the general election, politics and politicians are a key theme. The premiere of Walking the Tightrope: The Tension between Art and Politics (Underbelly, p.382) will see short political plays by the likes of Caryl Churchill, Neil LaBute and Timberlake Wertenbaker followed by a post-show panel discussion exploring the freedom of expression in the UK arts today. Another series of political short plays by leading writers will take to the stage at Summerhall in Theatre Uncut (p.373). When Blair had Bush and Bunga (Pleasance, p.384) is a new comedy by Patrick Ryecart about mistaken identities, unruly maids, a marauding US president and a phone call from the Pope. Written and directed by RADA graduates and founders of Hell Bent Theatre Company, UKIP! The Musical (SpaceUK, p.277) uses satire and original music. A brand new show So That’s What We Voted For? (Assembly Rooms, p.167) takes a look back at the past year in Scottish politics using stand-up, chat and comment.A satirical look on the life and politics of Boris Johnson in Boris: World King (p.302) will play at the Pleasance Courtyard. Comedian and impressionist Matt Forde, fresh from his appearance in BBC Two’s Rory Bremner’s Election Report, will look at the outcome of the election in Get the Political Party Started (Pleasance, p.137). Chris Mullin: The Art of Political Leadership (The Assembly Rooms, p.283) sees political diarist and former Labour minister Chris Mullin examine the qualities of the great British political leaders of the twentieth century and question whether today’s politicians are minnows by comparison.
Father and Child Relationships
The father and child relationship is a common theme in this year’s programme. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Family (p.333),a one-man show about love, loss and the search of a father by UK poetry slam champion Ben Norris will play at Underbelly, Cowgate. Comedian Jimmy McGhie brings his show Jimmy McGhie – Winged Goddess of Victory (Pleasance, p.117)to Edinburgh and confronts masculinity, early childhood humiliations and the sins of the father. TheatreState blend video and performance in their show Tribute Acts (Assembly, p.379)asking the question, are we all a tribute act of our fathers? John-Luke Roberts presents Stdad-Up (PBH’s Free Fringe / Voodoo Rooms, p.120) a comedy show about having and then not having a father while John Hastings: Marked from the Start (Pleasance, p.119) looks at what’s brought him and his father close together, and becoming a godfather to his nephew. So It Goes (Underbelly, p.368) the wordless, 2014 sell-out hit returns for one week only and tells a moving and frank true story about the loss of a father.
Music and Pop Culture
Shows based on, and inspired by, musicians and popular culture also feature heavily at this year’s festival. Five Feet in Front (The Ballad of Little Johnnie Wylo) (Summerhall, p.324) isinspired by the lyrics to Eminem’s seminal hit Stan and tells a tale of obsession, murder and tragedy.Lennon: Through a Glass Onion (Assembly Hall, p.246) celebrates the genius and music of John Lennon. This year also sees the first stage performance of John Lennon’s In His Own Write (PBH’s Free Fringe / The Voodoo Rooms, p.340) while cabaret artist Michael Griffiths will perform Annie Lennox’s unforgettable songs from her time with the Eurythmics and her solo career in Sweet Dreams: Songs by Annie Lennox (Assembly, p.22). Regular Music and National Theatre of Scotland’sJanis Joplin: Full Tilt (p.338)willplay at The Queen’s Hall in the form of part theatre, part live gig following its success at last year’s Fringe, winning Best Performance Award at the UK’s 2014 Musical Theatre Network Awards.A play based on the story of The Beatles’ road manager and his personal involvement with the band A Life with the Beatles (p.343)by Italian playwright Davide Verazzani will play at Sweet Grassmarket.
Women's Experience
The experiences of girls and women in the past and present is also a prominent theme. A new writing piece, Brute (Underbelly, p.303)takes a look at the experience of a new girl who’s just started at an all-girls state school in a provincial English town, and how girls are treated at school. Girl from Nowhere (Pleasance, p.328), setin Texas in 1969 tells the story of rock singer Jeannie, and the small-town values of a home she’s outgrown. This new play looks at how women were treated in the 1960s, often recognised for their bodies more than their talent. Where Do Little Birds Go? (Underbelly, p.384)is a one-woman play based on the true story of an 18 year old woman abducted by the Kray twins in London in the 1960s, and looks at the exploitation of women. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (Underbelly, p.384) is written and performed by Rebecca Crookshank based on her time in the Royal Air Force serving Queen and Country, and what it means to be a woman in that role. Women’s Hour (Summerhall, p.387)is a piece of comedy and performance art theatre which asks questions such as what happens when women are given a whole hour a day to think about what it is to be a woman.
Climate Change and Ecological Disasters
Climate change, ecological disasters and the environment are also major themes in 2015. FellSwoop Theatre’s piece Current Location (Summerhall, p.312)presents an allegorical response to the ongoing and ever-increasing number of ecological disasters. Baba Brinkman’s Rap Guide to Climate Chaos (Gilded Balloon, p.361) takes a comedic look at global warming, identifying which people are in a better position to capitalise on it, and which species can do well from it. Martin Kiszko’s Green Poems for a Blue Planet (Gilded Balloon, p.284)is a dramatic stand-up performance poetry accompanied by Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park’s images, based on their books Green Poems for a Blue Planet and Verse for the Earth. Northern Stage’s Going Viral (Summerhall, p.329) explores how things such as disease, panic and idea spread. Rhapsody In Green by Mike Maran (Valvona & Crolla, p.362)is a one-man show and emotional declaration of love for the wilderness, which celebrates the life and work of mountaineer, pioneering environmentalist, founder of the American national parks and storyteller, John Muir. Fausted (C venues, p.322) from Fitchburg State University, USA, is a story about an environmentalist who resorts to summoning the devil to help save mankind.
Mental Health
Mental health, often a common theme, is once again prominent within the programme, with many works specifically relating to dementia. The world premiere adaptation of Sarah Moore Fitzgerald’s novel about Alzheimer’s and time travel Back to Blackbrick (Pleasance, p.296) has a live original folk score. Bedsocks and Secrets (Spotlites, p.298) deals with the controversial subject of dementia care, exploring the changing relationship between a mother and son as her symptoms worsen and his feelings of guilt and isolation spiral. Tomorrow (Traverse, p.376) is a profound, original meditation on needing care and needing to care, telling the story of a young man who suddenly finds himself in an alarming unfamiliar place, where everyone has his best interests at heart but he is not allowed to leave. Spillikin – A Love Story (Pleasance, p.368) is a play with four actors, live music and a real robot, about one man’s attempt to make a better version of himself to look after his wife, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, when he’s gone. Camera Obscura – A Way of Seeing (C venues, p.188) by the Street Dance Club is an emotionally-charged performance which moves sensitively through the shadows of grief and loss experienced in dementia.
Gender
A number of new works based around gender will play a part in this year’s Fringe. Trans Scripts (Pleasance, p.378) created from actual interviews will explore gender identity through the struggles and triumphs of six transgender women. The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven (Summerhall, p.330) is written and performed by trans playwright, performer and poet Jo Clifford. Bread is shared, wine is drank and familiar stories are reimagined by a transgender Jesus. The Traverse Theatre will present the world premiere of Swallow (Traverse, p.371), a new play by Stef Smith which takes a long, hard look at the extremes of modern life with questions of identity, heartbreak and hope. From the Czech Republic Boys Who Like to Play With Dolls(DanceBase, p.187) is contemporary dance show set in a world in which masculinity and femininity are unrelated to male and female forms, attacking conventions and clichés of gender.
Sexuality
Sexuality is also a key theme. By the Bi (Spotlites, p.187) uses a unique cohesion of modern dance, physicalised movement and spoken word, and unpacks how society’s isolation of bisexual culture perpetuates harmful and hurtful stereotypes of bisexuality that include confusion, greediness and promiscuity. The International Stud (C venues, p.337) is an award-winning play which follows drag queen Arthur on his search for love in the backrooms of the 1980s gay scene. These Troubled Times (C venues, p.374) is a comedic and irreverent exploration of homophobia, religion and the meaning of family. How to Keep an Alien (p.334) will make its debut at the Traverse. Based on a true story, Irish Sonya meets Australian Kate and they fall in love, just weeks before Kate’s visa is up and she must leave Ireland. Together they have to find a way to prove to the Department of Immigration that they have the right to live together.
Production Companies
A range of notable performance companies and production houses will bring their work to the Fringe in 2015. The UK’s premiere centre for contemporary dance The Place will make their Fringe debut with Idiot-Syncrasy (Summerhall, p.194). Fuel Theatre Company will bring four pieces of work to the Fringe this year. Portrait (Pleasance, p.359) and I am Not Myself These Days (Pleasance, p.336) will premiere at the festival and Fiction (Pleasance, p.323) will play after its sold out run at Battersea Arts Centre. Fuel is also Associate Producer on Clod Ensemble’s The Red Chair (Summerhall, p.362). Shakespeare’s Globe makes their Fringe debut this year with two shows from Globe Education’s family-friendly series – Romeo and Juliet (The Party Planner’s Tale) and Titus Andronicus (The Piemaker’s Tale) (Pleasance, p.44). The two shows will be co-presented with Seabright Productions. Northern Stage’s work will play at Summerhall for the first time. Here is the News From Over There (Over There is News from Here) – A Borderless Twitter Ballad Fresh from the Middle East (p.333)is a new story from Middle Eastern and UK writers told in the form of tweets, music and contemporary storytelling. Paines Plough will return to the Fringe producing and co-producing a number of shows including Our Teacher’s a Troll (Summerhall, p.41)The Human Ear (Summerhall, p.335)Every Brilliant Thing (Summerhall, p.320) and Lungs (Summerhall, p.345).
Music
Music forms 14% of this year’s programme, with a diverse mix of genres for audiences to choose from. Ali Affleck’s Speakeasy Sessions, New Orleans Jazz and Blues, Moody Moonshine (Outhouse, p.223) promises to transport music lovers to the prohibition era with the early jazz and blues divas. Africa Live! (Central Hall, p.222) showcases some of the very best African music today, featuring a new line-up every night. Film, TV and West End star Anita Harris (Brunton Theatre, p.224) sings her favourite songs every night while the Edinburgh Youth Chamber Orchestra with Julian and Jiaxin Lloyd Webber (Greyfriars Kirk, p.238) will perform the greats – Haydn, Mozart, Elgar and more. Award-winning a cappella group The Sons of Pitches (Gilded Balloon, p.260) will sing live in Edinburgh after their huge success on YouTube. Alien Lullabies – Songs from a Decaying Future (Summerhall, p.223) merges 3D animation and off-world electronica and stunning live vocals to evolve into a multimedia artwork. The Edinburgh International Conference Centre will play host to the China Conservatory Orchestra 2015 Concert (Venue 150@EICC, p.234) a Chinese folk music show representing over three thousand years of tradition using several traditional instruments such as Bangdi, Liuqin and Zheng.
Musicals
A variety of musicals will take to the stage at this year’s Fringe. Award-winning satirical musical Urinetown (Assembly, p.278) tells the tale of a town fit to burst, where peeing is a privilege and no relief is rent free. 2 Become 1 (C venues, p.277) is a comedy pop-musical following four 90s girls embarking on a wild night of speed dating, full of infectious pop anthems and ballads. Telling the life story of poet Robert Burns A Man’s a Man (Clifton Hall, p.272) stars award-winning traditional Scots singers Claire Hastings and Robyn Stapleton, and introduces Kieran Bain as Burns. After Freedom: New Rhythms of Soweto (Central Hall, p.266) brings mind-blowing energy, fresh vibes and enticing rhythms from South Africa, blending tribal and urban and Around the World, My Journey Continued After You Left (New Town Theatre, p.266), is a new musical from award-winning Chinese director Zhao Miao and tells the story of a lost love and the journey made to rediscover life.
Free Shows
There are 807 free shows taking part in this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. There are three organisations producing most of the free shows in the Fringe programme; PBH’s Free Fringe, the Laughing Horse Free Festival and La Favorita’s Freestival. PBH’s free line-up includes Butt Kapinski (PBH’s Free Fringe / Liquid Room Annexe, p. 71) who invites the audience to co-star in a film noir fantasia. Harry Baker – The Sunshine Kid (PBH’s Free Fringe / Banshee Labyrinth, p.285) follows Harry’s journey to becoming the youngest ever World Poetry Slam Champion with raw honesty and tongue-in-cheek humour. Phill Jupitus is Porky the Poet in Apologist Now! (PBH’s Free Fringe / Liquid Room Annexe, p.288) sees Phill Jupitus return with his poetic alter-ego. The Laughing Horse Free Festival’s shows include Abigoliah’s GoPro Comedy Talk Show! (The Laughing Horse Free Festival / The Free Sisters, p.26),a devised talk show involving the audience which is filmed and then uploaded to the internet to share. Chris Martin: This Show has a Soundtrack (The Laughing Horse Free Festival / The Free Sisters, p.75) sees observationalist stand-up perform to an original soundtrack. Freestival also host a number of acts including Canadian Rasta Oh It’s That Guy! Comedian Matt Henry (St Mary’s, p.147). The Glummer Twins (Fingers Piano Bar, p.284) put the 21st century to rights using rock, rhyme and poetry.
The Royal Mile and The Mound will once again be vibrant focal points where street entertainers busk and perform extracts of their shows on the cobbles, as part of the Virgin Money Street Events. Over 250 shows will take place between the two locations every day between 11am and 9pm, providing a carnival atmosphere in the streets of the festival city. Last year over 6,000 separate performances by 912 groups across 22 performance spaces took place outdoors in Edinburgh, as a part of the Fringe.
International Work
International work from 45 countries will travel to the festival city this August to take part in the Fringe. A showcase of four pieces of work from Finland will play at the festival, in Start to Finnish. Loranga, Masarin and Dartanjang(Pleasance, p.37) is a play for families based on Barbro Lindgren’s award-winning novel while The Outsider (New Town Theatre, p.355) uses the visual style of silent films, taking them into a contemporary format, forming a delightful fantasy for grown-ups. The Year of the Hare (Pleasance, p.387) tells the story of a middle-aged, middle-class hero who works 12-hour days in his office cubicle, when an eccentric hare re-awakens his lust for life. Finishing the showcase, a sell-out hit in Finland Dark Side of the Mime (Assembly, p.82) is an audacious, dark and dirty romp full of raunchy humour and a new kind of mimical clownery.
The Taiwan Season will present Gaze of the Kavaluan (DanceBase, p.201), a contemporary dance piece exploring self, art and sexuality and the traditions of female chastity among indigenous Paiwan and Rukai people. The Paper Play (Summerhall, p.45) is a double bill for younger audiences and their families, exploring the incredible storytelling power of ordinary paper.
Assembly will host a Korean season with a programme of five shows across three genres – theatre, dance and a children’s show. One Fine Day (Assembly, p.197) sees one of Korea’s most celebrated contemporary dance companies, EDx2 Dance Company, present two of their most acclaimed works in a tender and playful double bill.PAN (Assembly, p.356) is a Korean word meaning ‘festival’. This performance fuses modern and traditional drumming and dance with colourful exuberance and folksy sensibility.
A variety of work will come from the Czech Republic, including Czech Dance Piece of the Year Correction (Zoo, p.189) which uses humour, passion and live music by Clarinet Factory, and puts seven performers in a perfect line and shows that limits can result in comfort, relief and happiness. Cirk La Putyka will make their UK debut with Dolls (Underbelly, p.190) using multidiscipline masters of trapeze, acrobatics and contemporary dance from Prague presenting stories of obsession, joy and longing.
Fourteen shows will come from France including Skins and Hoods (Institut fran?ais d’Ecosse, p.367), a new writing multimedia theatre piece by Gustave Akakpo performed by Cie du Veilleur. Oh Là Là! Starring Isabelle Georges (Assembly, p.20) features the Parisian cabaret star embarking on a passionate journey through the French repertoire and beyond, with a five-piece band. Homme ¦Animal (Greenside, p.193) is a breathtaking dance piece about the animal in all of us and our complicated emotional states, while Cathedral Chamber Music – Piano (St Mary’s Cathedral, p.232) sees exciting young French pianist Louise Cournarie perform music by Handel, Schubert and Mendelssohn.
Germany will also bring an eclectic mix of shows to the Fringe including The Power of Music (SpaceUK, p.255) about the unsung heroes of music – jingle writers. Portraits in Motion (Summerhall, p.359) witnesses performer Volker Gerling recount the stories of people he met while walking over 3,500 km through Germany, creating photographic flip books. Fold (SpaceUK, p.192) from Hong Kong presents a striking innovative piece uniting the art of origami and dance. Ireland has a strong presence at this year’s Fringe with shows including an adaptation of Eimear McBride’s A Girl is a Half-formed Thing (Traverse, p.328) by The Corn Exchange, adapted for the stage by Annie Ryan and Little Thing, Big Thing (Assembly, p.344) – a thriller with an ex-con and a nun chased through Ireland for a roll of film.
Japan will bring 20 shows to the Fringe this year. Siro-A (Assembly, p.199) uses dance, technology and music to create a visual sensation on a whole new frequency for all the family and Messages from Japan / Super-cussion (SpaceUK, p.250) a unique drum show of Japanese traditional music created by an ensemble of drummers. Mexico will bring Vagabond (New Town Theatre, p.47) a children’s story of three vagabonds in search of happiness and how a dandelion transforms the meaning of their lives.
Russia will also present a colourful, interactive, dance-acrobatic family show to the festival named Colors (Spotlites, p.31) exploring the values of friendship, equality of rights, understanding and love. Russian performer Nastya Rybachuk’s premiere of her provocative and witty show For Big Boys Only (St John’s, p.15) uncovers the linguistic layers of a Russian doll, using a showcase of pop-art poems.
Science stand-up comedian Lieven Scheire comes from Belgium with The Wonderful World of Lieven Scheire (Gilded Balloon, p.184). Aunty Donna return from Australia with a new comedy sketch show (Gilded Balloon, p.59) and South African comedian Tats Nkonzo: The African with Wifi (Pleasance, p.172) will perform his UK and Edinburgh debut.
British Council Showcase
Thirty companies from around the UK will come together for the 2015 British Council Showcase, a snapshot of the diverse work currently being created in the UK. The main programme includes devised, visual and physical theatre; new writing; live art and installation; interactive and immersive theatre; and dance theatre. The programme will be presented to a delegation of visiting international programmers so that a new global audience can experience British performances. The showcase includes Edinburgh Fringe First Winner Bryony Kimmings’ new work about clinical depression and men, Fake It ‘Til You Make It (Traverse p.321), Ramesh Meyyappan’s Butterfly (Greenside, p.304) a striking adaptation of Madame Butterfly told with beautiful, handcrafted puppets and Backstage in Biscuit Land (Pleasance, p.296), a two-woman show which explores disability through comedy, puppetry and song.
Made In Scotland (read preview)
Twenty-one companies and artists will take part in this year’s Made in Scotland programme, a curated showcase of music, theatre and dance, made and produced in Scotland and performed during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. A partnership between the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, the Federation of Scottish Theatre, the Scottish Music Centre and Creative Scotland, Made in Scotland highlights the wealth and diversity of work being created in Scotland. The theatre programme includes The Secret Life of Suitcases (Scottish Storytelling Centre, p.44) about a character called Larry whose world is turned upside down by a fantastical flying suitcase. On the dance front, Douglas (Zoo Venues, p.190) is both a reflection on human physical contact with the world and a lo-fi take on choreography that extends beyond the body. And as a part of the music programme, Dedicated (Broughton High School, p.237) refines the modern classical music scene with original music dedicated to the lives and achievements of pioneering women from throughout history.
BBC at the Fringe
The BBC returns to Edinburgh to broadcast highlights and daily live performances across radio, TV and online. Capturing the festival’s most exciting new talent, biggest names, hidden gems and Fringe stories.
A number of national TV and radio networks will broadcast from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe during August. There will be a brand new show with Kaye Adams (BBC Scotland), while Janice Forsyth (BBC Scotland) Simon Mayo Drivetime (Radio 2) and In Tune (Radio 3) will return to the city to broadcast their shows live. Radio 1’s Fun and Filth Cabaret (Radio 1) Front Row and Just A Minute (Radio 4), Afternoon Edition (Radio 5 Live),Shaun Keveney (Radio 6 Music), and Asian Network’s Big Comedy Night (Asian Network) will also make appearances.