Fest Best: Book worms

Simon Munnery

Simon Munnery cannot be second-guessed. For more than 18 years he has delivered a brand of humour so inventive one critic described his 2006 show as the "closest comedy gets to modern art". True to form, Munnery has since dissected this comment live, concluding that his work must be "almost not comedy at all" and "not art". Nomenclature aside, if you have a penchant for the surreal and the unexpected, Munnery's your man.

 

Tom Goodliffe

A self-confessed nerd, Goodliffe spent his early 20s working as an accountant. Since then he has emerged from the comedic primordial soup with a wickedly insightful and instantly likeable personality. Lauded for his comfortable stage presence and offbeat observational comedy, solo debutant Goodliffe could be one to watch in 2011. Expect jokes about spreadsheets and tube stations as he nails his geeky colours to the dingy walls of Cabaret Voltaire.

 

Mark Quinn and Charlotte Young

Little-known comedian Charlotte Young and visual artist Mark Quinn have teamed up for the second year running to resurrect this, one of the highlights of last year's Free Fringe. The duo's unusual synthesis of science, maths, props and comedy will be getting its first full-length run and remains absolutely free. It took Dawkins a whole book to argue that God doesn't exist, but here, the tables are turned in just 50 minutes. [Paul Burch]