The Edinburgh Festival Fringe was one of the many artistic casualties of the global pandemic, meaning the streets of the Capital have remained free of the usual August hubbub since the last full edition was held back in 2019.
The return of the event, scheduled to take place from August 5-29, will be welcomed by all those who missed the annual cultural feast, as well as business owners who rely on the huge number of visitors that flock to the city.
Comedy fans are already scouring the programme for the next big thing set to emerge from the annual cultural feast, following the likes of Tim Minchin, Mel & Sue, The League of Gentlemen, Bo Burnham, Steve Coogan, Noel Fielding and Graham Norton, who all started their careers in tiny Edinburgh venues.
They were all at least nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award – formerly the Perrier Award – which will also be be back in 2022, three years after it was last presented.
And many previous winners of the prize have already announced they will be returning to the Capital with new shows this year.
So, if you want to see somebody who has already scaled the peak of Edinburgh Fringe comedy, here are the 12 tickets you should be booking on the Fringe website.
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9. Rich Hall SOLD OUT: TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE
Another Fringe stalwart, Rich Hall will be at the Assembly Rooms for his umpteenth Edinburgh show 'SOLD OUT: TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE' from August 13-28 at 7.40pm. He was a hugely popular winner when he lifted the Perrier for his show in character as country singer Otis Lee Crenshaw in 2000. Photo: Contributed
10. Mark Watson: This Can't Be It
Mark Watson was the first ever winner of the Panel Prize at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in 2006 in recognition of his ambitious marathon shows. That year he successfully completed a show lasting an incredible 36 hours. This year he's performing a more traditional 60 minute set, 'This Can't Be It', which started as a work in progress at last year's Fringe and takes his own life expectancy as a jumping off point. It's on most evenings at the Pleasance Courtyard at 9pm. Photo: Contributed
11. Arthur Smith: My 75 Years at the Edinburgh Fringe
Another winner of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards' Panel Prize in 2007, there can be few comedians more beloved than Arthur Smith. A familiar face on television, his show 'My 75 Years at the Edinburgh Fringe' is a love letter to the world's largest arts festival and is on at the Pleasance Courtyard from August 5-14 at 2.40pm. Photo: Contributed
12. Angela Barnes: Hot Mess
Angela Barnes was awarded the Panel Prize at the 2018 Edinburgh Comedy Awards, alongside Sameena Zehra and Pauline Eyre, for setting up the Home Safe Collective - a free cab service for comedians at the Fringe who were members of vulnerable groups to ensure they got home safely from gigs. A regular on 'Mock The Week', her new show 'Hot Mess' is at the Pleasance Courtyard for a full run at 7pm each evening. Photo: Contributed