Reviews & features: Comedy

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5 star shows

• Pappy's: Last Show Ever! (19 Aug 2012)
  An hour of undiluted joy
• Jim Jefferies: Fully Functional (10 Aug 2012)
  Revelatory and raucous stand-up at its most potent
• Mark Thomas: Bravo Figaro! (10 Aug 2012)
  An operatic voyage around his father
• Alfie Brown: Soul for Sale (7 Aug 2012)
  Saving his soul and salvaging comedy in one fell swoop
• Dr Brown Brown Brown Brown Brown and his Singing Tiger (4 Aug 2012)
  Mighty Boosh-style physical comedy for quirky kids

4 star shows

• Eleanor Conway's Midnight Rumble (3 Sep 2012)
  Conway turns fatigue into an art form in hilarious midnight show
• Hey, Piano Bar Lady! (29 Aug 2012)
  Musical comedy taking it back to 80s New York via New Zealand
• The Boy With Tape On His Face - More Tape (28 Aug 2012)
  Comedy that sticks: an equally formidable collection of games, gags and gambits
• Jonny & The Baptists (28 Aug 2012)
  Enthusiastic comedy blues, whole-heartedly committed to political satire
• Tom Stade Totally Rocks! (28 Aug 2012)
  Lavishly furnished routine from master of hardcore comedy
• Simon Amstell: Numb (24 Aug 2012)
  Raw, moving narrative from the despairing comedian-cum-poet
• Greg Proops (23 Aug 2012)
  Natural storyteller paints even overhashed topics a new shade of funny
• Roisin Conaty: Lifehunter (23 Aug 2012)
  Life-affirming show from joy-seeker comedienne
• Michael Workman - Mercy (23 Aug 2012)
  A beautiful blend of images, music, storytelling and comedy
• Kumail Nanjiani (22 Aug 2012)
  Accomplished stand-up debut from the Pakistani-American comic
• Phil Nichol Rants! (22 Aug 2012)
  Mercurial Canadian comedian rages, blusters, fumes and seethes
• Shirley and Shirley Unleashed (22 Aug 2012)
  A sassy and inventive tour de force from the sketch comedy twosome
• Hannah Gadsby - Hannah Wants A Wife (21 Aug 2012)
  Aussie comedienne delivers insightful and sharply observed art history/comedy
• Marcel Lucont: Gallic Symbol (21 Aug 2012)
  Endless gags in fantastique caricature of a French homme
• Richard Herring - Talking Cock (21 Aug 2012)
  Intelligent chat, with knobs on
• Jigsaw - Gettin' Jiggy (21 Aug 2012)
  Top sketch comedy from Dan Antopolski, Nat Luurtsema and Tom Craine
• Katherine Ryan - Nature's Candy (21 Aug 2012)
  Dark comedy gossip from a disarmingly innocent-looking source
• Chris Stokes (21 Aug 2012)
  Tremendous tales of a nerdy loser
• Iain Stirling (21 Aug 2012)
  Fresh-faced honesty and natural charisma
• Ali McGregor’s Alchemy (21 Aug 2012)
  Opera-trained cabaret diva does trashy 80s hits
• Lights! Camera! Improvise! (21 Aug 2012)
  Giving improv a good name
• Felicity Ward: The Hedgehog Dilemma (20 Aug 2012)
  High-speed hour of breathless laughs from charismatic comedienne
• Chris Ramsey (19 Aug 2012)
  Warm tales from a hugely charismatic performer
• James Acaster (19 Aug 2012)
  Brings joy to surreal and eccentric comedy
• Fred MacAulay (15 Aug 2012)
  Persistently strong material and natural affability from Fringe institution
• I Am, I Am (15 Aug 2012)
  Highly entertaining slapstick minstrelry from promising troubadour comedy duo
• Unhappy Birthday (15 Aug 2012)
  Less a show than a mad Dadaist happening
• Discover Ben Target (14 Aug 2012)
  Prop-heavy, unpredictable riot is a triumph of chaos-masked complexity
• Alan Francis (13 Aug 2012)
  Intelligent discourse on religion, politics and economics from Edinburgher
• Armageddapocalypse: Threat Level Dead (13 Aug 2012)
  Brilliant high-energy comedy taking action movie spoof to new levels
• Chris Corcoran and Elis James: The Committee Meeting (13 Aug 2012)
  Not the slickest show of the Fringe but an absolute riot
• Jarred Christmas (13 Aug 2012)
  Breathless show from the Pot Noodle pimp
• Nish Kumar - Who Is Nish Kumar? (13 Aug 2012)
  An astute and positive debut from a comic with an infectious love of words
• Owen O'Neill: Struck By Lightning (13 Aug 2012)
  Evocative monologue that stays with you for sometime after
• Trevor Noah: The Racist (13 Aug 2012)
  Identity crisis makes for hilarious comedy
• Truth (13 Aug 2012)
  Surreal character comedy from Angus Ecstatic creators
• Beard (11 Aug 2012)
  Promising debut from ‘young upstarts’ Rosa Robson and Matilda Wnek
• Celia Pacquola: Delayed (11 Aug 2012)
  A quirksome loveable geekfest
• Magnus Betnér Live (11 Aug 2012)
  One of Sweden's finest comic exports prefers to look on the bleak side of life
• Mark Nelson: Under the Radar (11 Aug 2012)
  The formerly vicious comic's new attitude results in moments of profound hilarity
• Susan Calman: This Lady's Not for Turning Either (11 Aug 2012)
  `Self-deprecation and a rock-star start from the First Lady of Scottish Comedy
• The Pin (11 Aug 2012)
  Layered sketch comedy from ex-Footlighters Ben Ashenden, Mark Fiddaman and Alex Owen
• Rhys Darby: This Way to the Spaceship (11 Aug 2012)
  Conchords star makes stratospheric rise
• Sean Hughes: Life Becomes Noises (11 Aug 2012)
  Comedy show that shifts seamlessly between pathos and gags
• The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle (8 Aug 2012)
  Savvy set design and excellent soundtrack in provoking limbo-land tragicomedy
• Nick Page: My Glorious Hypothetical Life as a Eunuch (7 Aug 2012)
  Well-delivered catalogue of misanthropy and bad behaviour
• Josh Widdicombe (7 Aug 2012)
  Fast-rising funnyman entertains with acute observational humour
• Billy the Mime (6 Aug 2012)
  Surprisingly tender silent comedy show from the boundary-pushing Aristocrat
• Eddie Pepitone's Bloodbath (6 Aug 2012)
  High-energy, self-heckling anti-comedy from New York
• Hannibal Buress: Still Saying Stuff (6 Aug 2012)
  Artful segues and bad impressions from the US comic
• Hennessy & Friends: A History of Violence (6 Aug 2012)
  Displeasure turns to dynamic sketch doings
• Nick Helm: This Means War! (6 Aug 2012)
  Charming manchild bellows orders at his audience army
• Doctor Brown: Befrdfgth (6 Aug 2012)
  Free spirit gets the audience playing along
• Chapel Street (6 Aug 2012)
  Snappy double monologue delivered with panache
• Would Be Nice Though... (6 Aug 2012)
  Interactive show that skewers the job interviews process
• Barry Morgan's World of Organs (5 Aug 2012)
  Bouffant bravado and silly surrealism combine to create a memorable comic character
• Beasts (5 Aug 2012)
  Slick, impressive sketch comedy from the first-time posse
• Jen Brister: Now and Then (5 Aug 2012)
  Blisteringly funny view of adulthood
• Mark Watson: The Information (5 Aug 2012)
  Another top show from the pointedly non-Welsh Fringe veteran
• Pete Johansson (5 Aug 2012)
  Bear necessities from crack Canadian
• Simon Evans: Friendly Fire (5 Aug 2012)
  Acidic wit proves a slow-burner
• The I Hate Children Children's Show (4 Aug 2012)
  Dude in pith helmet does close up magic to Muddy Waters soundtrack
• Jim Campbell: Nine-Year-Old Man (3 Aug 2012)
  Wonderful timing, whimsical narrative
• Joel Dommett (3 Aug 2012)
  Wicked delivery and dark edge
• Pat Burtscher’s Patopotamoose (3 Aug 2012)
  Slapdash, very funny routine from Canadian comic
• Jenny Fawcett (2 Aug 2012)
  Unhinged nerd wrings constant laughs

3 star shows

• Asher Treleaven: Troubadour (28 Aug 2012)
  The Aussie comedian amiably breaks his life down into six parts
• DeAnne Smith: Livin’ The Sweet Life (28 Aug 2012)
  Routinely adorable, impish comedy
• Bob and Jim - Go (24 Aug 2012)
  Top-notch buffoonery and lecherous lookalikes
• The Harri-Parris - The Leaving Do (24 Aug 2012)
  Cake-filled musical hour about leaving it all behind
• Künt and the Gang - Free (24 Aug 2012)
  Against the odds, a stream of filth can only stretch so far
• Ladies Live Longer - Ladylike (24 Aug 2012)
  Charismatic if clumsy sketch outing
• The Noise Next Door: Bring the Noise (24 Aug 2012)
  Improv mayhem to delight the masses
• Ta Daaa! (24 Aug 2012)
  Clowns with magic skills that are no joke
• Carl Hutchinson: Acceptable? (23 Aug 2012)
  A pleasingly moody debut from 25 year old Geordie comic
• Bristol Revunions: Destination Adventure (23 Aug 2012)
  Stepping up their sketch act to a new level
• Peacock and Gamble (23 Aug 2012)
  No TV deal just yet for comedic spacehoppers
• Kieran and Joe: Friends of Steel (23 Aug 2012)
  Mercurial chemistry in pair's solidly entertaining double act
• Neil Delamere: DelaMere Mortal (23 Aug 2012)
  Safe but solid hour of craic
• Paul Foot - Kenny Larch Is Dead (23 Aug 2012)
  A creature of habit delivers his usual fantastical fare
• Josie Long - Romance and Adventure (22 Aug 2012)
  New found cynicism provides counterpoint to bubbliness and irrepressible daft voices
• Neil Delamere - DelaMere Mortal (22 Aug 2012)
  Safe but solid hour of craic
• Wil Hodgson: Kidnapped by Catwoman (22 Aug 2012)
  A personal history of sexual turn ons
• Erich McElroy: The Brit Identity (22 Aug 2012)
  A permanent cultural exchange with laughs
• Sarah Kendall - Get Up, Stand-Up (22 Aug 2012)
  Anticipated comeback show is good rather than glorious
• Abandoman - Party in the Key of C Major (22 Aug 2012)
  Sharp hip hop comedy improv from highly acclaimed duo
• Denise Scott - Regrets (22 Aug 2012)
  Charm offensive from veteran debutant
• Elis James - Speaking As a Mother … (22 Aug 2012)
  A gathering of bad experiences in a charming and disorganised show
• KWAT (22 Aug 2012)
  Wordy sketch show of varying quality
• Thomas Nelstrop - Great(ish) Hits (22 Aug 2012)
  Fast-paced multi-character stand-up show
• Tim FitzHigham - Stop the Pigeon (22 Aug 2012)
  Grandiose storytelling from likeable madman
• Anne Edmonds in My Banjo’s Name is Steven (21 Aug 2012)
  Aussie musical stand-up built on good audience interaction
• Danielle Ward: Speakeasy/Playdead (21 Aug 2012)
  Wobbly but winning stand-up
• Laurence Clark: Inspired (21 Aug 2012)
  Stimulating comedy from comedian with cerebral palsy
• Al Pitcher - Tiny Triumphs (21 Aug 2012)
  A funny if unchallenging appreciation of life’s little amusements
• Andrew Maxwell (21 Aug 2012)
  That’s the Spirit is a safe and sound set
• Barry Castagnola - Where's Barry? (21 Aug 2012)
  Unique and fresh show with precision timing
• Carl Einar-Hackner: Handluggage (21 Aug 2012)
  Swede stand-up magic ‘just like that’
• David O'Doherty (21 Aug 2012)
  Well-executed show on dark times wears thin
• Leads & Stern (21 Aug 2012)
  Patchy sketch debut with some lovely touches
• Tony Law (21 Aug 2012)
  Surrealist banter misses by a hat stand
• Silky (21 Aug 2012)
  Liverpudlian comic is keen to please but able to disturb
• Nina Conti - Dolly Mixtures (21 Aug 2012)
  Pic’n’Mix show leaves audience with too much choice
• Carl Donnelly: Different Gravy (20 Aug 2012)
  A tickling rather than side-splitting hour from home-made autobiography writer
• Guardian Reader (20 Aug 2012)
  Liberal leftie humour from William Hammer-Lloyd
• John Conway - The New Conway Dimension (20 Aug 2012)
  Small and daft is the order of the day in Conway's semi-anarchic routines
• Matthew Crosby (20 Aug 2012)
  Slightly stilted affair from an otherwise very funny man
• Sam Fletcher - Good on Paper (19 Aug 2012)
  Weird and wacky mix of magic and music
• Sammy J & Randy - The Inheritance (19 Aug 2012)
  Triumph of style over substance
• Alexis Dubus: Cars & Girls (19 Aug 2012)
  Too much of a good thing
• Gareth Morinan (19 Aug 2012)
  Slim pickings amid a frenzy of facts
• The Not Quite Quartet (19 Aug 2012)
  High fives and top tunes
• Taylor Glenn - Reverse Psycomedy (19 Aug 2012)
  Playing mind games with her crowd
• Man 1 Bank 0 (17 Aug 2012)
  Patrick Combs takes on the money men
• Bruce Hammers' Bananapocalypse (15 Aug 2012)
  Gloriously chaotic hour that tumbles through fictitious film legend's career
• Funk Rocket 5000 (15 Aug 2012)
  Rachel Lancaster is brilliant in this off-kilter mental health comedy
• The Three Englishmen: Squares (15 Aug 2012)
  Gently amusing sketches could do with more pep to fulfil likeable lads' potential
• Detention (14 Aug 2012)
  Mr Bean meets Olympic gymnastics: physical comedy, Hong Kong style
• Ford & Akram (14 Aug 2012)
  Warm, charismatic show from the bumbling comedy duo
• Alistair Barrie: Urban Fogey (13 Aug 2012)
  Solid material and great audience chemistry from cerebral suited comic
• Catie Wilkins: Joy Is My Middle Name (13 Aug 2012)
  Mildly feminist, endearingly self-deprecating and funny
• Dan Wright (13 Aug 2012)
  Energetic and enthusiastic journey through Michael Jackson fandom
• Des Bishop Likes To Bang (13 Aug 2012)
  Tragic-comedy with hip hop tones
• Gearoid Farrelly: Turbulence (13 Aug 2012)
  Irishman's Edinburgh debut an engaging success
• Marek Larwood: Typecast (13 Aug 2012)
  Pleasing pratfalls from former We Are Klangster
• Through the Looking Screen (13 Aug 2012)
  A black tale of loneliness and log-ins
• Tiffany Stevenson (13 Aug 2012)
  Gobby, warm and putting the world to rights
• Chris Difford and Norman Lovett: It's All About Me! (12 Aug 2012)
  Squeeze singer and Red Dwarf comedian in inexplicable team-up
• Casual Violence: A Kick in the Teeth (11 Aug 2012)
  Dark sketch material with an absurdist, surreal tone
• Daniel Simonsen: Champions (11 Aug 2012)
  Warm comedic chat about dentistry and weather
• The Funeral of Conor O'Toole (11 Aug 2012)
  Compassionate comedy skirting with tedium
• Holly Burn: The H Club (11 Aug 2012)
  Eccentric sketches imbued with a liberating lack of reason
• Jo Caulfield: Thinking Bad Thoughts (11 Aug 2012)
  An accessible but overly safe let-down
• Oyster Eyes Presents: Some Rice (11 Aug 2012)
  Confidently juvenile with some testing sketches
• Rachel Stubbings is Stubbing Out Problems (11 Aug 2012)
  Character comedy based on an agony aunt adept at causing pain
• Stewart Lee: Carpet Remnant World (11 Aug 2012)
  Fringe veteran can still hurt stomachs
• The Trap: Bad Musical (11 Aug 2012)
  Comedy group performance almost convincingly good at being awful
• The Freewheelin' Cariad Lloyd (11 Aug 2012)
  A shaky start gives way to a turbo-charged character comedy show
• Jessie Cave: Bookworm (11 Aug 2012)
  A bookish, kooky, bolshy hour
• Shappi Khorsandi: Dirty Looks and Hopscotch (11 Aug 2012)
  Consummate if conventional comedy from the Iranian comic
• Machines for Living (10 Aug 2012)
  Perky, admirable Fringe debut from promising young company
• Michelle Wormleighton - Bewildered (10 Aug 2012)
  Surprisingly neat show by the first time solo performer
• Mr Snot Bottom's Stinky Silly Show (10 Aug 2012)
  Fifty minutes of fart, bum, booger
• Ian D Montfort (9 Aug 2012)
  Pseudo-psychic satire that has its cake and eats it too
• Tea with the Old Queen (9 Aug 2012)
  Highly entertaining high-camp treat
• Diane Spencer: Exquisite Bad Taste (8 Aug 2012)
  Rude and crude, but is it that good?
• Hell’s Bells by Lynne Truss (8 Aug 2012)
  Amiable comedy probes the fickle nature of success
• Big Sean, Mikey and Me (8 Aug 2012)
  Edinburgh boy's three persona act is blackly comic and heartfelt
• Obsession - A Life with Magic (7 Aug 2012)
  Winning performance Ian Kendall, whose obsession with magic stems from Asperger’s Syndrome
• Alan Hudson’s Not So Secret World of Magic (7 Aug 2012)
  A look back at a life in magic is packed with warm reminiscence, if light on tricks
• Checkley and Bush's Comedy Riot (7 Aug 2012)
  Madcap comedy and music mashed with sly observation
• Doug Segal: How to Read Minds and Influence People (7 Aug 2012)
  Refreshingly open and honest take on the Derren Brown formula
• And Now for a Nice Evening With Wallan (7 Aug 2012)
  How to light up a room with surreal banter
• Claudia O’Doherty: The Telescope (7 Aug 2012)
  Carefully orchestrated chaos from the frantic Aussie comic
• Danny Buckler: The Phantom (7 Aug 2012)
  Magician-cum-comedian comes to Fringe in charming new guise
• Chris Brain: A Better Place (7 Aug 2012)
  Intelligent Kiwi comedy flattened by misplaced jokes
• Chris McCausland: Not Blind Enough (7 Aug 2012)
  Thought-provoking, impassioned show from formerly benign McCausland
• Coalition (7 Aug 2012)
  Hilarious, witty and energetic: as entertaining as politics ever can be
• Darkness Rising (7 Aug 2012)
  Comedy-horror mash-up is generally great entertainment
• Des Clarke (7 Aug 2012)
  Solid stories from mercurial comedian
• Graham: Graham Rex (7 Aug 2012)
  Endearingly matey sketch posse with great potential
• John Robertson: The Old Whore (7 Aug 2012)
  Hilarious, unpredictable comedy in surreal, storytelling show
• Mae Martin: Mae Day (7 Aug 2012)
  Charmingly neurotic show from the multi-talented Candian
• Markus Birdman: Love, Life and Death (7 Aug 2012)
  Sentiment without the sugar in contemplative comedy piece
• Meat (7 Aug 2012)
  Solid black comedy that explores the danger of privilege
• Sad Faces Remember It Differently (7 Aug 2012)
  Comedy foursome turn frowns upside down with slick, fun show
• Seann Walsh (7 Aug 2012)
  Unadventurous material and scattered thoughts ultimately fuse
• Square Eye Pair (7 Aug 2012)
  Kiwi duo craft comedy from pop culture mania and loserdom
• Continuous Growth (7 Aug 2012)
  Insightful show confronts human consequences of Icarus-style banking
• McNeil and Pamphilon (7 Aug 2012)
  An intriguing sci-fi twist distracts from their true gift
• The Blanks' Big Break (6 Aug 2012)
  A capella comedy from the Scrubs quartet, with some non-musical filler thrown in
• Jigsy (6 Aug 2012)
  Nostalgic yet brave tale of a comedian past his prime, starring Les Dennis
• Marcus Brigstocke: The Brig Society (6 Aug 2012)
  A jolly Big Society satire from the TV panel show regular
• Milo McCabe: Kenny Moon This is Your Life (6 Aug 2012)
  Bemusing character comedy from Milo and his dad
• Sex Money Death (6 Aug 2012)
  Bittersweet observations in a thoughtful hour from comedian Stuart Black
• Thom Tuck Flips Out (6 Aug 2012)
  Posh boy stand-up from the ex-Penny Dreadful
• Brendon Burns: Home Stretch Baby (5 Aug 2012)
  The former comedy bad boy reflects with faded glory and bruised emotions
• Chris Kent: Plugged In (5 Aug 2012)
  Breathes new life into anecdotal comedy
• David Longley: My Favourite Things (5 Aug 2012)
  The cynical comic is unafraid to explore dark and unlikely comedic avenues
• George Ryegold's God-in-a-Bag (5 Aug 2012)
  Toby Williams' comic character creation scrapes close to the bone
• Guilt and Shame: Up All Night (5 Aug 2012)
  A playful and involving double-act with a disarmingly touching narrative arc
• The History Girls (5 Aug 2012)
  Wuthering Heights meets Missy Elliott in this Pythonesque sketch comedy show
• I'm High on Life: What Are You On? (5 Aug 2012)
  Charming but uncertain storytelling from Bonnie Davies
• Jessica Fostekew: Brave New Word (5 Aug 2012)
  Funny and fascinating exploration of words
• Joe Lycett: Some Lycett Hot (5 Aug 2012)
  Relaxed raconteur with mischievous glint
• Martin Mor: A Man You Don’t Meet Everyday (5 Aug 2012)
  Infectiously amusing and sociable stand-up show
• Nick Mohammed is Mr Swallow: 2012 (5 Aug 2012)
  Radio 4 star returns with camp creation
• The Pauly Show (5 Aug 2012)
  DIY stage sitcom from Paul F Taylor
• Sarfraz Manzoor: The Boss Rules (5 Aug 2012)
  A relaxed hour about the inspiring lyrics of Bruce Springsteen
• Scott Agnew: Tales of the Sauna (5 Aug 2012)
  Fascinating insight into a furtive institution
• Andrew Doyle does Whatever It Takes (3 Aug 2012)
  'Bad Catholic' Doyle's has prayers answered
• Catriona Knox: Hellcat (3 Aug 2012)
  Promising stuff from character comedian
• One day in the Life of Lloyd Owen Langford (3 Aug 2012)
  A (tension-free) Jack Baueresque show
• Rob Beckett's Summer Holiday (3 Aug 2012)
  Solid, sometimes awkward comedy
• Stephen Carlin: Pandas vs Penguins (3 Aug 2012)
  Impish Scottish comic talks animals

2 star shows

• Cambridge Impronauts present 2012: An Improv Oddessy (28 Aug 2012)
  Enthusiastic but rehearsed improv
• The Dog-eared Collective (24 Aug 2012)
  Brave, bonkers but too often a bit bland
• Fran Moulds: Significant Human Error (24 Aug 2012)
  Multi-character yawn from a spirited performer
• Luke and Harry's Dot Dot Dot (24 Aug 2012)
  Shock tactics sideline the sketch laughs
• Scientist Turned Comedian - Tim Lee (24 Aug 2012)
  A lazy lecture on pointless PowerPoint
• Scottish Comedian of the Year 2011 - Jamie Dalgleish (24 Aug 2012)
  Lacklustre Fringe debut hopefully hides real talents
• Dana Alexander: Breaking Through (23 Aug 2012)
  Desperately Seeking the Exit might be more fitting title for fly-by show
• Who’s Your Daddy? (23 Aug 2012)
  Poorly presented account of Johnny O’Callaghan's bizarre true-life tale
• The Silky Pair (22 Aug 2012)
  A few sketches hit the mark, but feels cobbled together
• Xavier Toby - Binge Thinking (22 Aug 2012)
  Comedy addressing big ideas let down by whistle-stop rhetoric and poor material
• Born to be Mild (22 Aug 2012)
  Likeable cynic's references fall flat
• Bob Downe . . . Smokin' (22 Aug 2012)
  Style over substance
• The Great Puppet Horn (22 Aug 2012)
  Shadow puppetry show that leaves the comedy in another room
• Mark Restuccia - How to Succeed at Internet Dating (22 Aug 2012)
  Step 1: Don’t follow the example set here
• Rick Shapiro - Rebirth (22 Aug 2012)
  The tragedy of Shapiro’s story means there is little to laugh at
• Sound & Fury's Doc Faustus (22 Aug 2012)
  Comedy troupe deliver a low-quality western pastiche of the famous morality tale
• Blind Date Ruined My Life (21 Aug 2012)
  Flavourless comedy reliving the cheesiness of 80s/90s TV
• Four Screws Loose (21 Aug 2012)
  Intelligently conceived highlights rare in show that is largely filler
• Luke Benson - Backseat Hero (21 Aug 2012)
  Deadpan delivery and thin material get lost in the void
• Andrew Ryan - Ryanopoly (21 Aug 2012)
  Uneasy, nervous act fails to break the banks
• David Trent - Spontaneous Comedian (21 Aug 2012)
  Unoriginal, uncontroversial, unfunny
• Gavin Webster: Bill Hicks Wasn’t Very Good (21 Aug 2012)
  …But he was certainly better than this
• Horse & Louis - The Curse of ... (21 Aug 2012)
  Musical comedy duo who aim for Conchordian heights but crash and burn
• Steve Shanyaski’s Life-Survival Bible (20 Aug 2012)
  Perfectly pleasant jokes masking an aimless set-up
• Sam Simmons - About the Weather (19 Aug 2012)
  Noisy ‘play’ fails to do Aussie comic justice
• Going Green the Wong Way (17 Aug 2012)
  Joyous but ultimately pointless one-woman eco-show
• FNT Live presents … The Jingling Lane Family Singers (15 Aug 2012)
  Funny bits few and far between in ill-executed sketch comedy
• Tania Edwards - Killer Instinct (15 Aug 2012)
  Funny Women finalist in career regression
• Mr Braithwaite Has a New Boy (14 Aug 2012)
  Decent performances can’t redeem predictable Aussie farce
• The Chris and Paul Show (13 Aug 2012)
  Almost (great) silent comedy
• Graters: Julian Ignores His Friend and Talks To A Pretty Girl (13 Aug 2012)
  Ambitious but flawed idea for a sketch show
• Helen Arney – Voice of an Angle (13 Aug 2012)
  Twee show could profit from more singing and less chat
• Mark Little: THEbullshitARTIST (13 Aug 2012)
  Mis-marketed spoken word ramble lacking in structure
• Ian Shaw: A Bit of a Mouthful (11 Aug 2012)
  Comic jazz set about modern woes that could benefit from a little more substance
• Jack Jerome's Journey of Life (11 Aug 2012)
  Energetic but ill-fated character
• Kristine Levine: Fat Whore (11 Aug 2012)
  Tales of filth don’t quite transfer to stand-up
• Munfred Bernstein's Cabinet of Wonder (11 Aug 2012)
  Imagination abounds but delivery flops in Jamie Bowen's character show
• WitTank (11 Aug 2012)
  Disappointing show from the recently televised comedy trio
• I, Tommy (7 Aug 2012)
  Sex, socialism and sub-standard comedy in this play about the (in)famous Sheridan
• Charlie Baker: Freshly Baked (7 Aug 2012)
  Flashes of wit do not save show short on good material
• Damien Crow: The World According to Damien Crow (7 Aug 2012)
  Grumpy goth's full run feels like a work in progress
• Garrett Millerick: Sensible Answers to Stupid Questions (7 Aug 2012)
  Shouty, ranty set about popular culture
• Panga (6 Aug 2012)
  Well-acted comedy lacking in subtlety and originality
• The Ginge, the Geordie and the Geek (6 Aug 2012)
  Disappointing sketch comedy from the much vaunted trio
• Believe (5 Aug 2012)
  Patchy solo show from Umbilical Brother Shane Dundas
• The Boom Jennies: Mischief (5 Aug 2012)
  Great chemistry hampered by a poor script
• Bridget Christie: War Donkey (5 Aug 2012)
  Feminism with a side of toilet humour
• Craig Hill: Jock's Trap (5 Aug 2012)
  Bitchy banter and camp cruelty
• Danny McLoughlin: The Truth, the Half-Truth and Nothing Like the Truth (5 Aug 2012)
  Lies, damned lies and comedy
• Dave McNeill: Canoe Ride 3000 (5 Aug 2012)
  Surreal silliness that goes for the easy laugh
• The Intervention (5 Aug 2012)
  Formulaic sitcom that never gains the terminal velocity of real farce
• John Scott: Totally Fed Up (5 Aug 2012)
  An unsure and unfocussed hour of comedy
• Lie. Cheat. Steal. Confessions of a Real Hustler (5 Aug 2012)
  Slightly underwhelming show from Paul Wilson, writer and star of BBC3'S The Real Hustle
• Michael Mittermeier: A German on Safari (5 Aug 2012)
  Eddie Izzard's German protege is in desperate need of fresh material
• Trevor Lock's Amateur Sex Tape Theory (5 Aug 2012)
  A thoughtful treatise on sex tapes is foregone in favour of desperate joke-mongering
• Dan Mitchell – Free Egg (3 Aug 2012)
  Surreal gags partially rescue an overall flat routine
• Lucy Porter - People Person (3 Aug 2012)
  All sugar no spice: grit lacking from nice girl performance

1 star shows

• Trevor Browne - I Think... I Am (24 Aug 2012)
  Barnstormingly bad character creation
• It's Grimm Up North (23 Aug 2012)
  Animated character grotesquesset in fictional Hardington leave you cold
• Gravity Boots (22 Aug 2012)
  Crashing down to earth with a massive bump
• Late Night Gimp Fight (22 Aug 2012)
  Risible, regrettable and rotten sketch comedy
• Colin Mars: A Life Full of Lemons (20 Aug 2012)
  Over-egged and unoriginal fare
• David Whitney – Struggling to Evolve (15 Aug 2012)
  Ill-conceived, unhappy show featuring cheap gags and little intelligence
• Tom Cottle’s These Twisted Folk (13 Aug 2012)
  Shambolic comedy play where the only laughs are accidental
• Chris Dugdale: 2 Faced Deception (7 Aug 2012)
  Overly slick presentation with rehashed tricks