Comedy

“Men are all pigs!” How many times have you heard that sentence, or something to that effect? Being a pig is actually a compliment compared to some of the things that men are called. And it seems acceptable to both men and women. If it were the other way around, well, can you imagine...?

In 2010, the 8th Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival hosts 370 shows spread in venues across the city of Glasgow over 18 days.

The Edinburgh International Festival may have come first, but generally it's the Fringe that Edinburgh is best-known for. There's really nothing quite like it: "the largest show on Earth" they say. The latest stats seem to bear that out: the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2009 saw 34,265 performances of 2,098 shows at 265 venues. It's a sprawling, anarchic, sleepless month of live performances.

"It is a stunning show." EdinburghGuide.com's reviewer is rocked by We Will Rock You.

We all know what time of year it is when the King's unleashes its annual romp through Pantoland and this season it's the turn of their tweaked and tailored version of that well worn Robinson Crusoe classic.

With a queue already forming long before the doors open and the box office announcing tonight's show is 'Sold Out', comedy lovers in Edinburgh clearly need little encouragement to sidle down to The Stand on a Saturday night.

Patrick Monahan headlines a night of healthy laughs in support of the Centre of Health and Wellbeing.

The night before I saw this gig I watched the Edge of the World episode that took the iconic bearded big yin himself around Baffin Island beyond the Canadian Arctic Circle.

The 2009 Fringe programme includes 2098 shows with 34,265 performances in 265 performing spaces.

Edinburgh City Council has announced that tickets for Billy Connolly gigs at the Usher Hall will now be available from other ticketing outlets in the city. The box office system crashed yesterday after tickets for the gigs in September went on sale at 10am.

There were echoes of last summer's Fringe ticketing fiasco today when tickets for Billy Connolly's gigs at the Usher Hall in September went on sale this morning and crashed the venue's online box office.

World famous Scottish comedian Billy Connolly is to perform four gigs at Edinburgh's Usher Hall this autumn following multi-million pound refurbishment of the venue.

te POOKa, Edinburgh performance arts charity are hosting a two week long April Fools Festival at their home The Big Red Door with acoustic music, cabaret, exhibitions, film showings, clothes and

Maeve Higgins arrives at the bar in the Gilded Balloon with a freshly-baked cake that she plans to give away at her show this evening. There's something that not many people would do, isn't it? Having being bowled over by the realness of her stand-up, I was interested to see what she would be like to chat with. The simple answer? Exactly as I had expected, and more!

Having loved their sketch show Idiots of Ants 2008, I was excited when I had a chance to meet the guys behind the sketches.

Morning events are a welcome change of pace. I was thankful to the Pleasance for having their press launch at

Yet again, the weather let me down. The rain came on as I arrived at the Gilded Balloon preview show, and I was happy to be inside. Until everyone else arrived, and like me, everyone was scrambling for the door.

After some of the delights on show at the Underbelly, I was excited about what could be on offer at the Assembly Rooms, another venue that I had yet to experience.

On my arrival in Edinburgh, I was a bit gutted. The main reason being, that the sun wasn't out. I'm sad I know. So, with no rays of sunshine, but still laced with a heat, I made my way to the first media preview launch of the evening.

As the clock ticks down to the Edinburgh Fringe, EG asks Fringe director Jon Morgan what we can expect this year. Morgan says, in spite of the credit crunch, and fears over a "breakaway" Comedy Festival, the Fringe appears to be appear in good health with around 2,000 shows coming to the city in August.