It’s nearly time for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to take over the theatres, gyms, hotels, streets and pubs of Scotland’s Capital.
Taking place from August 2-26 (although there are previews in the days running up to the official launch), there are over 3,500 shows taking place, from music and dance, to theatre and spoken word.
The largest - and most high-profile - section of the programme is comedy, with the festival having the reputation of finding the television and film stars of the future.
Everybody from Steve Coogan to Richard Gadd had their big break at the Festival Fringe and there will be plenty of soon-to-be big names playing tiny venues this year.
Here are 13 shows that we reckon could be amongst the comedy highlights of 2024.
5. Natalie Palamides
The Traverse has always been home to many of the must-see plays at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, but when it programmes comedy it tends to be seriously good - for instance Liz Kingsman's Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated 'One-Woman Show' in 2022. This year Natalie Palamides is bringing her latest show, 'WEER' to the theatre, which she previewed half an hour of at last year's festival. It sees her use her remarkable clowning talents to play both characters in an "achingly tender 90s rom-drom (romantic dramedy) which asks you to look at every argument from two sides". See her at the Traverse from August 5-25. | Getty Images for Turner
6. Hannah Gadsby
Few comedy shows have had as big an impact in recent history as Hannah Gadsby's 'Nanette' - a searing (but still very funny) polemic about sexism and homophobia that won them numerous awards, including an Emmy. That show made its UK premiere in Edinburgh in a tiny lecture theatre, where it won the 2017 Edinburgh Comedy Award. Now they're back with new show 'Woof!', performing in the more salubrious surroundings of the McEwan Hall from August 18-25. There are still tickets available - but if you want to see them you'd better not hang around. | Hannah Gadsby
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7. Rose Matafeo
Back at the Fringe with a new show for the first time since winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2018, int he intervening years Rose Matafeo has written and starred in hit television comedy Starstruck. 'On and On and On' is at the Pleasance Courtyard from August 24. The premise is the intriguing: "Do you ever feel like you're meeting yourself again and again in a bad way?. | Getty Images
8. Zoë Coombs Marr
Aussie comic Zoë Coombs Marr has delivered comedy gold in recent years as her alter ego - shock-jock misogynist comedian Dave. Those high-concept shows looked at the nature of performance and comedy - but with a bunch of great jokes. She's appearing as herself this year in 'Every Single Thing in My Whole Entire Life', promising to deliver on the lofty promise of the title. See her at the Monkey Barrel from July 30-August 25. | Contributed