Show 13: Neil Delamere: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Pensioner

I first saw Neil Delamere about 7 or 8 years ago compering a variety show at the Edinburgh festival (incidentally, also the first time I saw Alex Horne). Despite finding him funny, I've never been to see one of his shows. This year I thought I'd rectify that anomaly.

He's playing a 200-odd seater venue, but despite being well known in Ireland, that fame doesn't appear to have translated to ticket sales in Edinburgh - there were only 29 of us in the audience.

Despite that, he pretty much smashed the gig.

It's a show about him helping his dad deliver meals on wheels to various elderly residents in his hometown. Along the way Neil Delamere plays out the interactions with the clients and explores reveries and whimsical notions with a general amount of crowdwork. It's testament to his skill and experience that, despite the audience size, it didn't feel uncomfortable or awkward, nor was it ever really noticed.

He's a top-class comedy performer - he deserves a good turnout.

Score: 8/10

Venue: Gilded Balloon at The Museum, Lothian Road

Dates: 7th-27th August (not 14th)

Time: 21:00

Price: £12.50 weekdays £13.50 weekends

Show 12: Hannah Gadsby – Nanette

I heard Hannah Gadsby's interview on Comedian's Comedian and I was intrigued - this was her last comedy show and she had very definite reasons for leaving, but I wanted to see what it was about this show that had created such hype.

She's been doing comedy for ten years and she's learnt some tricks for sure. She knows how to structure a show, she knows how to lure an audence in. She knows how to create tension. The thing is, comedy is about breaking that tension with light relief, and though she does that plenty, she knows how to manipulate the form.

Gadsby argues that comedy isn't enough, it isn't right for some ideas. She argues that stories have three parts: beginning, middle and end. Alas, in comedy there is no real end - we have the beginning (a setup) and then the middle (the punchline) but there's no real ending.

Gadsby has been the victim of some horrible acts of violence and abuse for her sexuality her look, and her gender (and possibly other things too - women just aren't set up to do well in modern western society, really) but none of these events are particular suitable for comedy, not unless it's watered down and studded with jokes.

Well, no more. No more, for Gadsby - she entices the audience in with a half hour of nicely written, built up anecdotes and stories about her life and her journey but at the half way pint there's a sea change - the atmosphere shifts very deliberately as Gadsby enters into the meat of the show - an empassioned, serious, moving section about her hurt and the way comedy has damaged her, and hence why she will not be continuing in comedy.

It makes the audience wonder what our responsibility is, or what our role is in the formation of an act and our impact on the act (it's not an explicit message but it's a question that popped into my head walking home).

Gadsby really pushes and challenges us about our perception and understanding of sexual discrimination, homophobia and the strong self loathing that atmosphere can create.

It's a powerful show, a challenging show, and an important show. It deserves respect.

Score: 10/10

Venue: Assembly Studios, George Square

Dates: 7th-27th August (not 15th)

Time: 14:00

Price: £11 weekdays, £12 weekends

Show 11: Tom Neenan: Attenborough

A friend of Nish Kumar and James Acaster, and having been mentioned on Comedian's Comedian, I was keen to see what Tom Neenan had to offer.

This is a character story show where Neenan plays David Attenborough sent on a documentary mission by the BBC to film the Sasquatch in Canada. Along the way he encounters a marmoset and an evil South African poacher who's intent on capturing the Bigfoot for his own fame and glory.

It's a very sweet story and driven partly with some smart powerpoint gags (including one of the biggest investiment of labour into powerpoint slides I've seen to get a laugh - honestly I was giggling hard long after the slides had moved on) but mainly driven by Neenan's writing and performance.

It's a very charming, twee show filled with hearty laughs, classic storytelling and plain silliness, with a very satisfying ending (especially if you like marmosets).

Score: 8/10

Venue: Udderbelly - Medical Quad

Dates: 7th-27th August

Time: 15:55

Price: £10 weekdays, £11 weekends

Show 10: Sofie Hagen: Dead Baby Frog

After winning the Best Newcomer award Sofie Hagen turned up on my radar, unfortuantely it's only been this year that I've managed to see her work.

This show's about emotional abuse from her step-grandfather and the title comes from an experiment where a frog when placed in a pot of boiling water will immediately jump out but when placed in cold water and it's slowly heated up it won't jump and instead will allow itself to be boiled alive. Rather graphic for a comedy show...and yet, she makes it work.

Sofie Hagen is a very open, honest and warm performer, and she handles the possibly atmosphere destroying topics with such sensitivity and honesty while injecting light-heartedness in the right points that the audience is carried along on a very personal journey with laughs and tugged heartstrings in equal measures.

What's more, the story ends with the 'baddie's' comeuppance - it's a classic story of good and evil.

It's a really enjoyable, heart-warming and intelligently written show performed with charm adn love. Definitely worth seeing.

Score: 9/10

Venue: Bedlam Theatre

Dates: 7th-28th Augus

Time: 14:00

Price: £10

Show 9: Fin Taylor: Lefty Tighty Righty Loosey

Fin Taylor's a popular comedian's comedian, and having heard some hype I wanted to see what he's like.

It's a fast-paced, slick, passionate hour of breath-takingly funny observations and playouts based on his staunch, well informed left wing political views and jibes at right wing politics, as well as a healthy dash of sexual humour and a vivid account of the time he went to a spin class and pushed himself so hard he developed macroscopic haematuria. He volunteers a front row audience member to high five henever he makes a particularly cutting remark, and he's got plenty.

One of the funniest hours I've seen for a good while, I can't wait to see what he brings in future years.

Score: 9/10

Venue: Just The Tonic at The Tron

Dates: 7th-27th August (not 14th)

Time: 22:20

Price: £6.50 to guarantee entry or pay what you want at the venue

Show 8: Angela Barnes: Fortitude

Having seen her on Mock the Week and give a very interesting Comedian's Comedian interview, I thought it'd be worthwhile checking Angela Barnes.

It's a show about reaching 40, about growing up in the 80s, her love of concrete bunkers and her tiredness with having to justify why doesn't want to have children. It's a very polished hour of comedy with plenty of well written, well timed jokes and throw-away remarks that get a good laugh. She deals with the possibly thorny issue of not wanting to be a mother delicately and sensitively, it fits well within the show.

That said, she feels almost too polished, too conventional, almost pedestrian. It's standard comedy fare and it's done well, and certainly if you want an hour of guaranteed chuckles she's worth the ticket.

Score: 6/10

Venue: Pleasance Courtyard

Dates: 5th-27th August (not 14th)

Time: 19:15

Price: varies from £7.50 to £10

Show 7: John Kearns: Don't Worry They're Here

Having won the Best Newcomer followed by the Best show in consecutive years, John Kearns made quite the mark on the comedy scene. After taking some time to further hone his writing, Kearns returns to the Fringe for the first time since winning Best Show.

It's a show about placing a bet on a horse, but really it's a display of Kearns' very left field but brilliant mind. I'd heard people say that after creating the character of 'The Man', Kearns' writing hadn't changed, but rather the slightly weird, offbeat thoughts are acceptable and audiences 'got' him. It's hard to imagine Kearns' syncopated, deliberate delivery done deadpan, but in his 'character' it works tremendously.

He opens up in Bolshy style, "Can you feel the tension in the room? You think it's hot? Nah...not me" [while clearly sweating]. It's bold, it's brave, it's ballsy but somehow he won me over. There's some crowd interaction that Kearns' carries well, and the slight glances into the writing and structure (having said there was only 5 minutes left 40 minutes into the show, he breaks character and anxiously warns us he might overun) just enhance the whole experience.

It's a unique style that he's pulled off well; it's no wonder he wowed the judges.

Score: 9/10

Venue: Heroes at Monkey Barrel, Blair Street

Dates: 7th-27th August (not 16th)

Time: 17:00

Price: £7 to guarantee entry or pay what you want at the venue