Quick guide... to the Edinburgh Comedy Festival

There's nothing we like more than a bit of a giggle and any fan of live comedy will know that the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the place to go every year for the freshest comedy talent around. But there's a bit more to it than that, as we discovered when we took a look at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival.

What is it?

The Edinburgh Comedy Festival is a series of live comedy shows that are part of the annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which runs every August as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival. The Fringe started in 1947 and has grown into the world's largest arts festival.

I thought The Fringe was mostly comedy anyway?

Yes, it is, and also includes all sorts of other performances and exhibitions, from music, comedy and films, to performance poetry, art and dance. They've just packaged most of the comedy shows under the easy umbrella of the Edinburgh Comedy Festival.

Right, I've got it. So if I want comedy, I look at the Comedy Festival guide. For everything else, I look at The Fringe.

No. Well, yes, sort of. While most of the comedy shows at The Fringe are now under the banner of the Edinburgh Comedy Festival, not all of them are. It's only those that are taking place at four of the main venues (Assembly, Gilded Balloon, Pleasance and Underbelly) that are officially 'Comedy Festival' shows.

This is confusing.

A little, yes, but The Fringe has always had a certain sense of the shambolic about it.

So what can I expect to see this year, at The Fringe and the Comedy Festival?

Well it's almost more a case of what you can't see because The Fringe looks like it's going to bigger and more varied than ever. There are big names from the world of comedy as well as many others, including poetry about heart failure and a show that promises to 'make you German'. Legendary MP Tony Benn even has a show - a question and answer session titled 'Will and Testament.'

Date: 06/08/2012