One of the most exciting things about coming to the Edinburgh Fringe is discovering new talent.
The chance to say “I saw them before they were famous” is one of the great things about the festival, and so we’ve picked out a number of buzzy newcomers bringing up their first solo hour of comedy in 2024.
Devon’s finest, and now one of Bristol’s top comedians, Alex Kitson has conquered his native West Country and is setting his sights on the Edinburgh Fringe with a debut hour of rip-roaring standup. Fresh from supporting Vittorio Angelone, Tom Ward and Tom Houghton on their UK tours, the founder of the Chortle Award-winning White Bear Comedy Club is getting real about two events, six years apart, that have had a massive impact on his life – one involved a double whammy of being dumped by “the one” on the same night as a devastating career moment, the other was being sexually assaulted in the US. Forging something positive from these stories, Alex paints a surprising picture of hope and of facing adversity together, and with humour. You can see Alex at Hootenannies @ Potterrow (Wee Yurt) @ 10.55pm between 2-25 August. Tickets via: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/alex-kitson-must-i-paint-you-a-picture
Writer and comedian Alfie Packam has been twice nominated for the BBC New Comedy Award nominee and is the winner of 2022’s Max Turner Comedy Prize. He is a writer for The Guardian and BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show and The News Quiz. His debut Fringe show centres around his mum who lived for eight years with terminal cancer and still taught Alfie a lesson in how to seize upon life – by carrying on as normal. My Gift To You is about gifts, grief and attempting to live in the present (and less thematic stuff like football, the countryside, and shoplifting). Alfie is on at Underbelly Bristol Square (Dexter) between 31 July – 26 August (not 12) @ 2.45pm. Tickets via: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/alfie-packham-my-gift-to-you
Award-winning comic performer, writer and director, Michael Kunze makes his eagerly anticipated Fringe solo debut as super-flawed Hollywood film superstar Mitch Coony in a one-man sketch show directed by Lee Griffiths. Michael’s work has been performed at the Soho Theatre, Pleasance, Southwark Playhouse, Kings Head Theatre and the National Theatre of Ireland. He is a member of the Torino Film Comedy Lab and an alumnus of Soho Theatre’s Comedy Lab. Catch Michael’s show at Underbelly Cowgate – Delhi Belly @ 12:55 pm between 1 – 25 August (not 12). Tickets via: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/michael-kunze-infinity-mirror
For his debut Edinburgh Fringe solo hour, German-based Libyan stand-up, Mustafa Algiyadi, explores how moving to Europe messed with his concept of belonging and identity. Discovering that the cultural differences between the two “worlds” are bigger than he thought, Mustafa finds himself dealing with some absurd and uncomfortable situations.
Mustafa’s credits include opening for Reggie Watts and Todd Barry, touring across Europe and selling out Brighton Fringe shows and founding the first weekly English comedy night in Munich. His career spans stand-up comedy, improvisation and, after pursuing a PhD in mathematics, Artificial Intelligence. Alongside English, he also performs in Arabic, Italian and German. Mustafa has also worked in the development aid sector in Libya, setting up an NGO and working as a journalist after the Arab Spring. During the Arab Spring demonstrations Mustafa was shot at many times. Mustafa’s show, ‘Almost Legal Alien’, runs at Just The Tonic – Nucleus – Just the Sub-Atomic Room @ 4.30pm between 1 – 25 August (not 12). Tickets here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/mustafa-algiyadi-almost-legal-alien
After her viral success with her Liz Truss parodies, receiving millions of views on YouTube, Britain’s Got Talent Semi-Finalist (The Dots) and Funny Women Content Creator Runner-Up Nerine Skinner debuts at Edinburgh this year.
In 2022, politically unaware Nerine Skinner went viral overnight as Liv Struss, aka the politically hapless Liz Truss. Outlasted in Downing Street by a lettuce, Liz Truss’s political relevance faded and the country moved on – but Nerine didn’t. Through hilarious, original oddball characters, award-nominated political parodies and heartfelt storytelling, this is the story of Nerine trying to let go, examining how holding onto the past and her unconventional upbringing led to an unhealthy co-dependency with the former Prime Minister. Nerine Skinner: The Exorcism of Liz Truss’ Just The Tonic, The Caves @ 2:40pm between 1 – 25 Aug (not 12). Tickets here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/nerine-skinner-the-exorcism-of-liz-truss
