Fest Best: Free rides

Martha McBrier

I'm Eric Barthram

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7.45pm, 4-28 August

This underrated Scottish standup has found a novel approach to the tired old "Are women funny?" debate: take it out of the equation by performing as a man and see if it makes any difference. Best known for her off-the-cuff comedic acrobatics, she's back with a daring and original experiment... oh! Hold on. It's an anagram!

Tim Clare, John Osborne and Luke Wright

Aisle16 R Kool!

The Banshee Labyrinth, 10pm, 5-27 August (not 16)

London poetry collective Aisle16 have been gracing the Fringe for the best part of a decade, shooting for various shades of funny and brainy each time. This one's perhaps not comedy as you know it, but these three standup poets promise a satisfyingly daft hour on the slippery concept of being cool.

Nick Doody

Work in Progress, the Greatest Hits

Canon's Gait, 4.55pm, 6-16 August

With this year's collection of new material and tried-and-tested routines, Doody opts not to shoehorn in some tenuous theme. It may not sound particularly ambitious, but he makes up for it in sheer quality. His pin-sharp, Hicksian political tendencies and lurid turn of phrase make him one of the best in Edinburgh – for any price tag.