August is fast approaching which means it’s time to scour the Edinbugh Festival Fringe programme for the best shows to see.
The physical programme was launched last week, with 3.352 show across 265 venues.
For fans of the hugely popular television series Taskmaster it’s tempting to see at least a couple of familiar faces from the show.
Presented by Greg Davies and Alex Horne (who also created the programme, originally as a show for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe), the first series of Taskmaster was broadcast in 2014 on comedy channel Dave, before expanding its audience after being poached by Channel 4 in 2020.
In total there have been 19 series, along with a number of special one-off episodes.
That means there are plenty of former contestants, 17 of which are appearing in Edinburgh this year.
Here’s who to book on the Fringe website.
13. Stevie Martin
Stevie Martin is currently entertaining Taskmaster fans in series 19 of the show. She's bringing her latest hour of comedy, 'clout', to the Monkey Barrel from August 1-8. | Contributed
14. Ivo Graham
In 2023, Ivo Graham appeared as a contestant on Series 15 of Taskmaster, finishing last with 131 points. His new show 'Orange Crush' is at the Pleasance Grand from August 12-24. It's billed as "a show about hats, haters and hometown heroes, from a man who promised everyone he loved that he wouldn't do Edinburgh in 2025, but then came back anyway, because he simply had to do this show." | Contributed
15. Tim Key
Tim Key appeared on Series 1 of Taskmaster, finishing in fourth place with 88 points. He remains a 'task consultant' on the show. Fresh from co-writing and starring in this year's critically-acclaimed comedy 'The Ballad of Wallis Island', he's at the Pleasance Courtyard this year with his latest show 'Loganberry' from July 30-August 17. | Jonathan Birch
16. Desiree Burch
American comedian and television host Desiree Burch appeared as a contestant on Series 12 of Taskmaster, finishing joint third with 161 points. She also appears in 'little' Alex Horne's series 'The Horne Section TV Show'. Following rave reviews at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, she's bringing her new show, 'The Golden Wrath', to Edinburgh ahead of a national tour. Catch it at at the Monkey Barrel from July 28 to August 10. | Contributed