Mark Steel: What The F*** Is Going On, Assembly Rooms Ballroom, Edinburgh Fringe 2026

 By Ollie Wilson

Mark Steel is a big name in comedy - on stage and on Radio 4 - and I have seen him perform on stages large and small, from big halls to tiny bars in Brighton. He is always good. . . but this show is absolutely outstanding!

What the fuck is going on, in Britain, in the world, in society? You might well ask. It is hard to deny that we are in a mess. 

Mark took his packed audience through a hilarious whirlwind of prime ministers before turning to the impact of technology, the incredible generational inflation in property values and rent costs, the collapse of council housing and pretty much every aspect of modern living. I was laughing too much to write them all down.

His brilliant performance reminded me of how adept he is at doing regional accents and impressions of the famous. I like Mark - he is a friendly, down-to-earth guy. And unlike many comedians, who simplify complicated issues for laughs, his material is pretty accurate. Privilege still dominates. Technology screws us up. Life has become a bit of a nightmare.

But Mark manages to make it so funny. I have been coming to the Edinburgh Fringe since 1997 and have rarely seen a more hilarious show!

So, for once, let's break with the reviewing star system - and give it SIX stars!

Star Rating: ******

Adults Only Magic Show, Assembly George Square Studios, Edinburgh Fringe 2026

By Ollie Wilson

This four-strong outfit - Australian master magicians Sam Hume and Justin Williams, MC Magnus 'Danger' Magnus and a pretty guy who cleared the props and flashed his arse a lot - provided great entertainment, particularly for straight women and gay men.

The show, in its fifth year in Edinburgh, had a bit of Spiegeltent feel about it, with Danger being an uber-slick compere, really turning a fantastic crowd into a fantastic audience.

The two magicians were pretty incredible: funny, sexy and with remarkable tricks and deception skills. I won't even begin to guess how they did their illusions. It just beggared belief. And it all came with nudity forfeits, allowing the eager to get a good butcher's at Sam and Justin's meat and two veg. Even Danger got naked at one point. 

Sam and Justin's magic was awesome but they didn't take themselves too seriously. They were having fun, drawing on audience volunteers and rewarding them with beer vouchers. Everyone had a good time!

The venue was a big old steep lecture theatre, and as Danger said: 'You will never see so many cocks in a lecture lecture!' Or so many astounding conjuring tricks! 

It's a cracker!

Star Rating: *****

Hill and Jones Comedy Catastrophe, Just The Tonic at Subway, Edinburgh Fringe 2026

 By Ollie Wilson

It takes balls of steel to perform a long and complicated sketch show in a simply cavernous venue for an audience of one - especially when that person is a comedy critic!

This courageous duo - who had been last year mauled by Chortle, put everything into this performance. . . just for me. Drenched in sweat, they left it all out there on the enormous stage!

I loved their enthusiasm, fearlessness and nods to comedy greats. I loved the politically correct bingo calling, the cardboard Tom Cruise, secret service STD clinic, the online boarding, the Arctic explorers, the men's guide to birth and so much more. Each segment was introduced by scathing Chortle criticism on the big screen, which was braver still.

And the outrageous, rapid-fire finale was fabulous!

At the end of show, they made a point of profusely thanking me for being their audience that night. It was a honour and privilege, guys; I thoroughly enjoyed their form of comedy madness and have no hesitation in giving your show five stars!

Star rating: *****

Star rating: *****

Maxx Eddy: Bi Meets World, Gilded Balloon Patter House, Edinburgh Fringe 2026

By Ollie Wilson

Accomplished California-based stand-up Maxx Eddy is nine years into his career and clearly knows his comedic onions - but is not quite running on Edinburgh time yet!

Eddy, who lives in Los Angeles, is a very confident and proficient performer with an act largely about his bisexuality, growing up and dating. But he struggled with a 19-strong audience - four of whom had sat at the back of the room (because of late-comers), with a sea of empty chairs between them and the friendly folk on the front two rows.

Rather than engaging in some playful crowd work to turn the small gathering into a great audience Max ploughed on with his set, about alpha males, bullying, online Brazilian girlfriend etc., succeeding and failing in equal measure.

It was a great shame because Maxx Eddy is a strong comedian and a decent guy. He has great pace and a rich imagination. He just needs to adapt for UK audiences. A tad of acclimatisation of his style and language and he will soon be a hit, doing justice to his undoubted talent and amiability as a comic.

Star rating: ****

Star rating: ****

Paul Foot: The Future, Belly Dancer at the Underbelly, Edinburgh Fringe 2026

 By Ollie Wilson

With the name Paul Foot, I suppose it was inevitable that he would turn to politics in the end, like his political journalist namesake. 

I have been observing the comedian Paul Foot's career on and off for around 30 years from the days when he played the small clubs of London in the mid-1990s, and his persona has certainly changed a lot in that time. Now he seems to lurch around the stage, always at risk of falling, although the audience clearly loves it.

Paul is a University of Oxford mathematics graduate and has applied his knowledge of calculus and science in general to the political sphere. He does it with the panache of a super-intelligent stand-up making something complex and convoluted into something simple and absurd.  I loved his 'good sign' material - frequently called back and taken on a surreal flight of fancy. But I must confess I was bemused by his trams and shot-putter routine. I just didn't get it, till, towards its end, I realised he had actually said 'trans' and not 'trams'. Maybe, I need a hearing test!

It is interesting see that three decades on, Paul Foot is reverting to some of the wild ways of the nineties London comedy circuit, with abortive crowd work, extreme characterisation of his persona and a mixture of compassion and ruthlessness in his set. The audience absolutely adored it.

I didn't entirely buy into the sincere bit at the end. But what Paul really thinks doesn't matter to me. He's a brilliant comic and this is a courageous and great show!

Star rating: *****