Two acts who are up from London and one over from New York bring their own brands of humour to Edinburgh: reviews of shows performed 24 August, 2026.
Raj Poojara: Dice
Bunker Three at Pleasance Courtyard
Immensely likeable stand-up who'll have you smiling along with him
An immensely likeable stand-up who'll have you smiling along with him as he talks through how his life hasn't quite gone to plan. The plan of his parents, that is of course. Coming from a Ugandan-Indian family, his stories of home life are warm and all based in his own life experiences, rather than leaning into well trodden ground. Beyond this, one joke riffed on a bit of crowd work may be the best off the cuff line I've heard at this year's Fringe, which only gives confidence you're in the hands of someone funny to their core. ★★★☆☆
Freddie Meredith: Need a Light?
Baby Grand at Pleasance Courtyard
The premise for this show is so simple it’s perfect
Freddie Meredith will be known to London comedygoers from his Groom of the Stool nights at venues such as MOTH Club, but does he have a show and will it translate to the Fringe crowds? Absolutely.
He has a schtick which he doesn’t deviate from at all: doomed to never move on from being the loser in the corner of the sixth form common room, desperate for any of his experiences in life to be certified legendary, and presenting an unnerving suspicion he might flip out one day if he’s pushed too far.
The premise for this show is so simple it’s perfect, as is the execution. An intro begins with a selfie-taking montage, pronouncing that this night out is going to be a big one. Selfies because he is, of course, getting ready to go out alone.
We then see how his night unfolds, standing in the smoking area outside a nightclub, attempting to befriend members of the audience by asking: ‘Need a light?’ This crowd work intersperses material about matters close to his heart: what it must be like to be in the audience at Top Gear, misbehaviour in the cinema, and getting pret-ty wild over a can of Fosters.
To so confidently pull off this single character work for a full hour is masterful. One of the brightest new stars in British comedy and it appears to come naturally to him. ★★★★★
Freddie Meredith is at Soho Theatre, 21-26 September (sold out)
Katie Boyle: Irish Immigrant
O'Neill's (The Tron) at Monkey Barrel Comedy
You could keep listening to Katie Boyle telling stories all day
New York-based comedian Katie Boyle shares her experience of being an Irish comic in America, where she is sometimes accused of ‘not being Irish enough’ for some audiences accustomed to more hack performers on the circuit.
She says twelve years away from the homeland has led her to, perhaps instinctively, double down on her Irishness. She introduces the history of folklore and fairies to the audience, which is appreciated on two levels, by Irish members of the crowd and the non-Irish in turn. Modern day references to differing attitudes to medication and mental health in either country are well informed.
Routines sometimes seem to come to her in a scattered way rather than running through a standard set, as the stories and thoughts spill out one after another. Though she does acknowledge, she’s drinking her first coffee of the day. But when her hour is up you feel like you could keep listening all day. ★★★½☆
