2022 Edinburgh Fringe

Best-reviewed Edinburgh Fringe shows 2022

Dave Johns

British Comedy Guide has now completed its customary analysis of all Edinburgh Festival Fringe comedy show coverage, and is able to disclose which productions critics preferred.

In 2019 we noted there was a drop in press output compared to 2018, and posited this might be due to a combination of rising accommodation costs and lack of funding for the press making it harder for reviewers to attend the festival. We can now confirm that 2022 has seen a further 25% reduction in reviews for comedies staged at the Fringe.

This year we found 2,450 reviews from across the media to determine this list, compared to 4,700 reviews in 2018. Based upon the 25% drop in volume of reviews on 2019, we have also dropped by a quarter our minimum-rating-count requirement for inclusion in the list, from eight to six.

Here are all comedies that attained an average star rating of more than 4.0 across all ratings they received. Click on the each title to see the respective reviews.

Dave Johns: A Comic's Tale. Dave Johns

Dave Johns: A Comic's Tale

Jordan Gray: Is It a Bird?. Jordan Gray

Jordan Gray: Is It a Bird?

Paul Sinha: One Sinha Lifetime. Paul Sinha

Paul Sinha: One Sinha Lifetime

Mischief Movie Night

Mischief Movie Night

Olga Koch: Just Friends. Olga Koch

Olga Koch: Just Friends

Tim Key: Mulberry. Tim Key

Tim Key: Mulberry

Garry Starr: Greece Lightning. Damien Warren-Smith

Garry Starr: Greece Lightning

Liz Kingsman: One-Woman Show. Liz Kingsman

Liz Kingsman: One-Woman Show

Colin Hoult: The Death of Anna Mann. Colin Hoult

Colin Hoult: The Death of Anna Mann

Ellie MacPherson: Happy Birthday, Mr. President!. Ellie MacPherson

Ellie MacPherson: Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

Amy Gledhill: The Girl Before The Girl You Marry. Amy Gledhill

Amy Gledhill: The Girl Before The Girl You Marry

Rhys Nicholson - Rhys! Rhys! Rhys!. Rhys Nicholson

Rhys Nicholson - Rhys! Rhys! Rhys!

Flo & Joan: Sweet Release. Image shows from L to R: Nicola Dempsey, Rosie Dempsey

Flo & Joan: Sweet Release

Glenn Moore: Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Feed Me, Glenn I'm Sixty Moore. Glenn Moore

Glenn Moore: Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Feed Me, Glenn I'm Sixty Moore

Tarot: Cautionary Tales

Tarot: Cautionary Tales

Maisie Adam: Buzzed. Maisie Adam

Maisie Adam: Buzzed

Larry Dean: Fudnut. Larry Dean

Larry Dean: Fudnut

Leo Reich: Literally Who Cares?!. Leo Reich

Leo Reich: Literally Who Cares?!

Mr Chonkers

Mr Chonkers

Mark Thomas: Black and White

Mark Thomas: Black and White

Bianca Del Rio: Unsanitized. Bianca Del Rio

Bianca Del Rio: Unsanitized

Posey Mehta: I Am Not a Gorilla

Posey Mehta: I Am Not a Gorilla

Starship Improvise

Starship Improvise

Crybabies: Bagbeard

Crybabies: Bagbeard

Emily Wilson: Fixed. Emily Wilson

Emily Wilson: Fixed

Alasdair Beckett-King: Nevermore. Alasdair Beckett-King

Alasdair Beckett-King: Nevermore

Myra DuBois' A Problem Shared. Gareth Joyner

Myra DuBois' A Problem Shared

Vir Das: Wanted. Vir Das

Vir Das: Wanted

Jazz Emu: You Shouldn't Have. Archie Henderson

Jazz Emu: You Shouldn't Have

Tiff Stevenson: Sexy Brain. Tiffany Stevenson

Tiff Stevenson: Sexy Brain

Jordan Brookes: This Is Just What Happens. Jordan Brookes

Jordan Brookes: This Is Just What Happens

Christian Brighty: Playboy. Christian Brighty

Christian Brighty: Playboy

Angela Barnes: Hot Mess. Angela Barnes

Angela Barnes: Hot Mess

Randy Feltface: Alien of Extraordinary Ability. Heath McIvor

Randy Feltface: Alien of Extraordinary Ability

Troy Hawke: Sigmund Troy'd!. Milo McCabe

Troy Hawke: Sigmund Troy'd!

Lou Sanders: One Word: Wow. Lou Sanders

Lou Sanders: One Word: Wow

Britney: Friends and Nothing More. Image shows from L to R: Charly Clive, Ellen Robertson

Britney: Friends and Nothing More

Frankie Thompson: Catts. Frankie Thompson

Frankie Thompson: Catts

Buffy: Revamped. Brendan Murphy

Buffy: Revamped

Chloe Petts: Transience. Chloe Petts

Chloe Petts: Transience

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical

ALOK. Alok Vaid-Menon

ALOK

Catherine Bohart: This Isn't For You. Catherine Bohart

Catherine Bohart: This Isn't For You

How to Live a Jellicle Life: Life Lessons from the 2019 Hit Movie Musical CATS. Linus Karp

How to Live a Jellicle Life: Life Lessons from the 2019 Hit Movie Musical CATS

Jake Lambert: Liminal. Jake Lambert

Jake Lambert: Liminal

Helen Bauer: Madam Good Tit. Helen Bauer

Helen Bauer: Madam Good Tit

Ania Magliano: Absolutely No Worries If Not. Ania Magliano

Ania Magliano: Absolutely No Worries If Not

Josh Pugh: Sausage, Egg, Josh Pugh, Chips and Beans. Josh Pugh

Josh Pugh: Sausage, Egg, Josh Pugh, Chips and Beans

Pierre Novellie: Why Can't I Just Enjoy Things?. Pierre Novellie

Pierre Novellie: Why Can't I Just Enjoy Things?

Speed Dial

Speed Dial

Julia Masli: CHOOSH!. Julia Masli

Julia Masli: CHOOSH!

John Hastings: Do You Have Any Ointment My John Hastings. John Hastings

John Hastings: Do You Have Any Ointment My John Hastings

Alison Spittle: Wet. Alison Spittle

Alison Spittle: Wet

Hal Cruttenden: It's Best You Hear It From Me. Hal Cruttenden

Hal Cruttenden: It's Best You Hear It From Me

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Home Truths. Kiri Pritchard-McLean

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Home Truths

Kate Barron: Losing Myself. Kate Barron

Kate Barron: Losing Myself

Delightful Sausage: Nowt but Sea. Image shows from L to R: Amy Gledhill, Chris Cantrill

The Delightful Sausage: Nowt but Sea

Seann Walsh: Is Dead. Happy Now?. Seann Walsh

Seann Walsh: Is Dead. Happy Now?

Lara Ricote: GRL/LATNX/DEF. Lara Ricote

Lara Ricote: GRL/LATNX/DEF

Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle. Henry Lewis

Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle


Our methodology does not distinguish between established/professional/broadsheet reviewers and blogs run by fans and students: we count all ratings published. It should also be noted that there is a clear bias in this list - and in live comedy reviewing in general - towards established and acclaimed comedy acts who are able to attract more critics to see them in the first place: a number of hidden gems will doubtless have been overlooked from this list as a result. For example, Neil Delamere didn't make the threshold of receiving six ratings, but the one reviewer who did see his show gave it a full five stars.

Do browse our listings to find other comedians to look out for in the months ahead - there's much more to live comedy than a reviewer's personal opinion of what is "good".

Published: Monday 12th September 2022

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