Three comedians — two from London and one from New York — brought their own styles to the Edinburgh Fringe in shows performed on 24 August 2026.
Raj Poojara: Dice
Raj Poojara, performing at Bunker Three at Pleasance Courtyard, is an immensely likeable stand-up who talks through how his life hasn't quite gone to plan — his parents' plan, that is. Coming from a Ugandan-Indian family, his warm stories of home life are based in his own experiences rather than well-trodden ground.
One joke riffing on crowd work was described as the best off-the-cuff line heard at this year's Fringe, giving confidence that the audience is in the hands of someone funny to their core. Rating: ★★★☆☆
Freddie Meredith: Need a Light?
Freddie Meredith, known to London comedygoers from his Groom of the Stool nights at venues such as MOTH Club, performs at Baby Grand at Pleasance Courtyard. His schtick never deviates: he is doomed to never move on from being the loser in the corner of the sixth form common room, desperate for his experiences to be certified legendary, with an unnerving suspicion he might flip out if pushed too far.
The premise is so simple it's perfect, as is the execution. An intro begins with a selfie-taking montage, pronouncing that this night out is going to be a big one — selfies because he is getting ready to go out alone. His night unfolds standing in the smoking area outside a nightclub, attempting to befriend audience members by asking: 'Need a light?' This crowd work intersperses material about what it must be like to be in the audience at Top Gear, misbehaviour in the cinema, and getting pretty wild over a can of Fosters.
Pulling off this single character work for a full hour is masterful, and it appears to come naturally to him. Rating: ★★★★★. Meredith is at Soho Theatre, 21-26 September (sold out).
Katie Boyle: Irish Immigrant
New York-based comedian Katie Boyle, performing at O'Neill's (The Tron) at Monkey Barrel Comedy, shares her experience of being an Irish comic in America, where she is sometimes accused of 'not being Irish enough' for audiences accustomed to more hack performers. She says twelve years away from the homeland has led her to double down on her Irishness.
She introduces the history of folklore and fairies to the audience, appreciated on two levels by Irish and non-Irish members of the crowd. Modern references to differing attitudes to medication and mental health in either country are well informed. Routines sometimes seem to come to her in a scattered way rather than running through a standard set, as stories and thoughts spill out one after another — though she acknowledges she's drinking her first coffee of the day. When her hour is up, you feel like you could keep listening all day. Rating: ★★★½☆
