EDINBURGH 2025: Pick of the Programme- Comedy Debuts

With over 3000 shows now on sale for the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, trying to narrow down what to see can be a bit of a task. BWW Scotland editor Natalie O'Donoghue has selected her top ten picks across different categories in the festival programme to highlight the shows you really don't want to miss this year!

Comedy debut highlights the comedians making their hour long debut at the Fringe. Want bragging rights that you saw the next big thing before they were headlining arenas? Check out the below!

Alana Jackson: Last Orders

Alana Jackson, winner of So You Think You're Funny? 2024 brings her debut show to the Edinburgh Fringe. Tales of being from Glasgow, moving to London, going to drama school and working/drinking in pubs, Alana tells all, bringing to life the characters she's met along the way. Her winning set at So You Think You're Funny? was described by Chortle as 'relatable and witty, told with impact and flair'. Fest praised how she 'delivered with an amiability reminiscent of a good friend down the pub'.

Ayo Adenekan: Black Mediocrity

Ayo Adenekan makes his highly anticipated Fringe debut with a hilarious and heartfelt show about growing up in Scotland. With sharp storytelling and a laid-back charm, Ayo explores identity, belonging and the awkward moments in between. Already making waves on the Scottish comedy scene, he’s been featured in The National and has provided tour support for Sarah Keyworth, Olga Koch and Amy Matthews. Don’t miss this exciting new voice as he brings his unique perspective to the Fringe, with the support of Red Bull UK.

Jack Traynor: Before I Forget

One of Scotland's fastest-rising stars, Jack's highly anticipated debut combined the bizarre and the brilliantly relatable. Ranked fourth in the world in the Roast Battle League, Jack shares his best stories before he forgets. Jack's vibrant storytelling weaves the real and surreal, and his distinctive comedic style have led him to placing second in the Hot Water Comedy Club New Comedian of the Year, and Roast Battle's MVP in 2024. Jack's razor-sharp wit and colourful storytelling make this an unmissable hour from a future star of Scottish comedy.

Sarah Bradley: Just Like Other Girls

After spending her formative years trying to be "not like other girls", Sarah Bradley is celebrating all things feminine – from rosé to romance novels, horoscopes to hot celebrities, inconvenient crushes to crying at inconvenient times. Whatever your gender, you are warmly invited to leave shame, judgement and societal expectations at the door, and come embrace the girly girl within.

Molly McGuinness: Slob

Join BBC New Comedy Awards finalist Molly McGuinness for her highly anticipated debut show about what it means to be a slob. To Molly, life didn’t get any better than a good buffet and belting out Meatloaf down the pub karaoke. But when the Salford-born libertine was unexpectedly laid out by a life-threatening illness, Molly was forced to slob out whether she liked it or not... As seen on Comedy Central Live and heard on BBC Radio 4. Tour support for Joe Lycett, Sophie Duker and Rachel Fairburn.

Hannah Morton: Cha Cha Real Smooth

You're invited to Lachlan-Thomas' sixth birthday party hosted by your favourite children's party entertainer, Hannah Banana! Hannah is a writer, performer and most importantly, a children's birthday party entertainer... on the weekends that is! But what do you do when you realise your side hustle is no longer on the side? And maybe being a clown is the only thing you're truly good at? Have an existential crisis during the Cha Cha Slide of course! Expect prizes, games and Hannah asking herself, what the f*ck am I doing with my life?!

Jodie Sloan: Is She Hot?

In 2023 TikTok sent a notification to millions of users with Jodie's face, and the caption 'Is She Hot?'. Now, her debut show is a hilarious reflection on womanhood, grief and feminine rage. Told through musical comedy, sharp observations, and her own teenage diary, Jodie delves into the contradictions of modern femininity, balancing girliness and grief, sweetness and fury, and humour and heartbreak. A style that blends charm, candour, and raw emotional depth, Jodie delivers an unforgettable hour that's as thought-provoking as it is funny. A must-see debut from a rising star.

Marise Gaughan: A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again

Critically acclaimed comedian and Irish bestseller Marise Gaughan debuts a story about addiction (but not the serious TED-Talk kind, swear.) Expect sex (with old dudes for money), rehab (with a lad addicted to Rolexes), and dating a surf instructor (tale as old as time). A sharp, darkly hilarious take on self-destruction, life lessons, and potatoes, based on her 'outstanding' (Business Post) debut memoir Trouble. Some good, clean fun, depending on your definition of words.

Amanda Hursy: Carted

Looking for a proper laugh this Fringe? Catch homegrown talent Amanda Hursy in her riotous debut. From brushes with the law (aye, plural) to almost losing everything including her mind, join 'one of the BEST rising stars in Scottish comedy' (Daily Record) as she navigates the funny side of failure and the chaos of a Netflix worthy series of 'can not make this up' madness!

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