Loaded’s Pick of the Edinburgh Fringe 2025 – Part One
By Fred Spanner
It’s that time of year again when the streets of Edinburgh are stuffed with drama students dressed like pigeons, middle-aged men in bucket hats quoting Stewart Lee, and thousands of shows trying to out-weird each other. Yes, it’s the Fringe, and Loaded has done the legwork (and whisky shots) to bring you the best of the bunch.
It all kicks off on 1st August, so here’s part one of our ‘best of’ to get you started.
CANDACE BRYAN: MILF (Mother I’d Like To Find)
3:10pm, Just The Tonic, Nucleus
MILF (in this instance- Mother I’d Like To Find). Candace Bryan’s debut hour is a saucy, sharp, Southern-fried stand-up show from a rising star with a mouth on her. Fresh off being shortlisted for every award that matters (Funny Women, Chortle, 2Northdown), she’s got tales of daddy issues, dodgy dating stories from around the globe, and a healthy serving of American charm with a kick like Tennessee bourbon. Listen out for her on LBC News chatting SNL UK, then leg it to her show before everyone else catches on.
BABY WANTS CANDY
9:15pm, Assembly George Square – Studio 1
What do you get if you cross West End-level talent, total chaos, and an audience that thinks “Forrest Trump” is comedy gold? You get Baby Wants Candy, that’s what. These improv nutters have been belting out made-up musicals at the Fringe for 19 years and show no signs of slowing down. You shout a title, they make a musical. Previous highlights include Dracula Love Island and Jurassic Pork, so expect high-octane nonsense with live music, proper laughs, and maybe even jazz hands. Fringe royalty, this lot.
PHIL GREEN: A Broken Man’s Guide To Fixing Others
2:40pm, Banshee Labyrinth – Cinema
Imagine your mate had a breakdown, got over it, and now reckons he can fix you. That’s Phil Green’s vibe. A likeable geezer with a warm smile and a worrying amount of insight, Phil dishes out self-help advice for the emotionally shattered, with just the right dose of humour and heart. Think Headspace meets Men Behaving Badly. If you’ve ever screamed into a pillow or cried during a shampoo ad, this one’s for you.
SAANIYA ABBAS: Hellarious
8pm, Gilded Balloon Patter House
Saaniya Abbas is flipping the script, and probably a few cultural taboos while she’s at it. Making UAE comedy history as the first local comic to debut a solo hour at the Fringe, Saaniya’s story takes in strict families, convent schools, internet infamy, and a divorce that kickstarted a career in stand-up. It’s bold, brash, and full of fire, with her takedown of hell itself guaranteed to have your jaw on the floor. A must-watch for anyone who likes their comedy spicy and their boundaries pushed.
CHRISTOPHER MACARTHUR-BOYD: Howling At The Moon
9pm, Monkey Barrel 1
CMB’s back with a new show that’s as wild as it sounds. Howling at the Moon tackles neurodiversity, sexuality, and everything that goes bump in the brain at 3am. He’s sharp, he’s strange, and he’s supported everyone from Frankie Boyle to David Cross. Basically, if Scottish comedy had a Marvel universe, this guy’s Deadpool. Dry wit meets mental chaos in one of the most talked-about hours of the Fringe.
SUSIE MCCABE: Best Behaviour
8.35pm, Gordon Aikman Theatre at Assembly George Square
Forget best behaviour. Susie McCabe is at her best when she’s being wickedly funny and gloriously Glaswegian. A favourite of Billy Connolly and a standout on everything from Frankie Boyle's New World Order to Have I Got News For You, Susie’s new show brings the usual blend of bite and heart. She’s hilarious, honest, and has the swagger of someone who could win a bar fight and a BAFTA. Scottish stand-up at its finest.
CARL DONNELLY: Another Round
8.30pm, Hive 1 at Monkey Barrel Comedy
Carl Donnelly has had a year. Hospitalised at one festival, emotionally walloped at home, and somehow still standing with his 14th solo show. Another Round is vintage Carl; brutally honest, totally disarming, and surprisingly funny for a man who’s been through the wringer. He’s got tales of pain, parenthood, and power naps. The comedy circuit’s wise old owl.
ALEX KITSON: This Is Water
9pm, Big Yurt at Hoots @ Potterrow
If philosophy, stand-up, and existential crises had a baby, it’d be Alex Kitson. Off the back of being named one of the Fringe’s Best Newcomers last year, and cracking the top 3 of Dave’s Joke of the Fringe, Kitson’s sophomore show is about perception, life, and trying to connect in a world where people ghost each other mid-convo. Funny, thoughtful, and just earnest enough to make you hug a stranger. The thinking man’s Fringe pick.
TED MILLIGAN: United
9.45pm, Bunker Three, Pleasance Courtyard
Crubchester United: once mighty, now absolutely knackered. Relegated to non-league, morale in the mud, and fans more miserable than a rainy Tuesday in Stoke. But wait! In comes a sugar daddy with milk teeth. That’s right: the club’s been bought by a six-year-old billionaire. Can this oversized toddler bankroll a footballing fairytale? Or is it just tantrums, toys, and total chaos?
Join award-winning character comic Ted Milligan as he brings the beautiful game’s weirdest comeback story to life in a live mockumentary packed with dodgy defenders, egomaniac owners, and fans who'd sell their nan for three points. Winner of the Leicester Square Sketch Off 2024.
LULU POPPLEWELL: Love Love
6.45pm, Underbelly
Lulu’s back, fresh from a sell-out debut and ready to talk love, obsession, and raccoons. Yes, really. It’s an hour of punchy gags, raw honesty, and big “we’ve all been there” energy, as she investigates whether love is actually just socially acceptable madness.
Expect charming chaos, unexpected truths, and at least one joke you’ll steal for Tinder.
Four-star bangers from Broadway Baby and Mervyn Stutter.