EDINBURGH 2018: Pick Of The Programme - Comedy

That time of year is upon us again! With over 3,000 of shows in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme it can be overwhelming choosing what to see, so we've selected our top picks from the comedy section.

Luisa Omielan: Politics For Bitches

I was a little bit late to the game with Luisa Omielan. I managed to miss her smash hit run of both What Would Beyoncé Do and Am I Right Ladies? at previous Edinburgh festivals. I found her biography in my local library last summer and realised what I had been missing.

I'm now an avid follower of her Instagram (seriously, have you seen Bernie?) and have since caught up with all her previous stand-up. Politics For Bitches is her third show, and having seen a taping of Omielan's BBC series of the same name in Glasgow last month, I can wholeheartedly say that fans won't be disappointed!

Tilda Swinton Answers An Ad on Craigslist

A comedy play rather than stand-up. Its safe to say when Tom Lenk's return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe was announced, I pretty much lost my mind over it. Lenk is perhaps best known these days for his "Lewk for less" budget fashion on Instagram, but you may also remember him from Seasons 6 and 7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (he's Tucker's brother..). A gay man's life implodes when actress Tilda Swinton insists on studying him for her next big movie role.

Janey Godley - Godley's Cream 20 Years And Counting

Janey Godley returns to the Edinburgh Free Fringe this year with a message that "Nobody should be too poor for comedy". There will be a donation bucket at the end of the show, but Godley stresses that if someone is hungry they should take money out of the bucket. The theme of her show this year is her 20-year career in comedy, but I'm hopeful for some material about her new wee dug Honey. Give the people what they want, Janey...

Lauren Pattison - Peachy

Lady Muck was one of the breakout hits of last year's Festival, and performed a sold-out run with an overwhelming number of five-star reviews. Peachy has a very vague programme blurb, but I feel confident recommending it on the strength of her debut last year.

Jamie Dalgleish - From Buckfast to Middle Class

A favourite on the Glasgow comedy scene and previous winner of Scottish Comedian Of The Year. You can take the boy from the council estate, but you can't take the council estate from the boy! Jamie Dalgleish's metamorphosis from chav/ned to having multiple degrees and a banking career will take you from his crazy upbringing to even crazier adulthood.

Anna Morris - Bombastic

Anna Morris does character comedy like no other. I caught Bitchelors on its recent Glasgow date and was totally blown away. Bitchelors relied quite heavily on audience participation, which is usually my nightmare, but thankfully I left unscathed. Bombastic claims to be a best-of character mish-mash and is definitely one of my top recommendations for 2018.

Jim Smith - Back to the Tcheucher

I would have booked for this show on its title alone. I caught a preview of Jim Smith's show in Glasgow earlier in the year and a five-minute spot had me hooked. Smith's unique brand of rural comedy sets him apart from the hundreds of other stand-ups at the festival.

Ian Smith - Craft

What would an Edfringe comedy preview from me be without a mention of Ian Smith? Always a highlight of my Festival, Ian Smith is one performer that I can always rely on to be fresh, unique and consistently hilarious. While the programme blurb is vague, there is promise of origami, so I'm sold!

Ashley Storrie - Adulting

I saw Ashley Storrie's Adulting at the Glasgow Comedy Festival earlier this year and can thoroughly recommend it. With the world most likely ending quite soon, Ashley believes we should all have a laugh and be a bit more honest particularly about the myth of "adulthood"... Nobody really grows up - we're just great at pretending!

Sofie Hagen - Tries Something (WIP)

OK, so it isn't a show as such...but I can't say no to any kind of Sofie Hagen performance. This year, Hagen is doing a run of work-in-progress shows as part of the Free Festival with details on her website of what to expect daily. It might be new stand-up material, a recording of her Made Of Human podcast or something else entirely!

Read Natalie's picks for Theatre, Cabaret and Musicals, and read about access at the Festival

To view the full programme, visit www.edfringe.com