Case File 16: What is the Edinburgh Fringe?

This week on The Comedy Bureau Laura and Olly turn their attention to the biggest thing in the British comedy calendar... The Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Since the early 1980s the festival has been THE go to location for comedians new and established. Whether it's a month of practise, a month of polishing new ideas or a month to show off your latest gem it is never ignored by the comedy scene.We focus this week on the history of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival... from it's beginnings way back in 1947 through to the explosion of stand up comedy at The Fringe in the 1980s. It's an episode in which Olly shuffles through paperwork, and we will be returning to the modern Edinburgh Fringe in a later episode.We look through the developments, early scripts and then the Comedy Awards and how they have gone through fads and phases.Olly mentions John Dowie in this episode - we’ve managed to secure him as a guest for an upcoming episode so watch your feed with beady eyes for us to be able to pick the brains of one of the first comedians doing stand up comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe.Our sources for this episode were:Sources:Guardian Article - https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/jun/03/edinburgh-fringe-event-organisers-capitalise-oasis-acdc-gigs-tony-lankesterConnor, John (1990) “Comics - A Decade of Comedy at The Assembly Rooms”, Papermac1978 - The Stage - Review of Only Men Shave