The Skills to Pay the Bills

Tom 'The Coder' Walker

For his 2018 show, the absurdly named Honk Honk Honk Honk Honk, Tom Walker learned how to code. On a computer. If past form is anything to go by, Walker is unlikely to be designing productivity apps any time soon. But you never know.

Commitment: 6

Nerd factor: 10

Life skills: 9

Comic potential: 2

Ian 'Origami' Smith

Ever met a practitioner of the Japanese paper folding art, origami? If not, Smith's your man. Indeed, if you like literally anything, he's your man – he's listed under every genre of the Fringe programme.

Commitment: 7

Nerd factor: 5

Life skills: 2

Comic potential: 3

Tapdancin' Elf Lyons

Think Roy Castle, but different sex and different in every other way. Elf Lyons is not only a Philippe Gaulier-trained clown, but now also a tap-dancing comedian.

Commitment: 8

Nerd factor: 5

Life skills: 0

Comic potential: 9

Bilal 'The Lovebot' Zafar

Bet you've never built a lovebot. Do you even know what one is? In 2016, Bilal Zafar made cakes; in 2017, biscuits. This year Zafir has upped the stakes, and the tech, and the love.

Commitment: 8

Nerd factor: 9

Life skills: 2

Comic potential: 5

Undercover Alex Edelman

The Bostonian's 2014 show Millennial won the best newcomer award and made him famous – and a target for antisemitic attacks online. Which makes his decision to go undercover and attend a meeting of anti-semites in New York quite astonishing.

Commitment: 9

Nerd factor: 0

Life skills: 7

Comic potential: 8

James 'The Usual' Meehan

A former member of sketch group Gein's Family Giftshop, Meehan's hair game has always been okay. But good enought to warrant him spending £3,000 to become a barber? Perhaps not, but hard to argue with when you consider that Meehan will be offering snips to comedians in August for £10 to raise money for male suicide prevention charity CALM.

Commitment: 6

Nerd factor: 2

Life skills: 8

Comic potential: 5

Gráinne 'IRL' Maguire

How's this for straight-up real-life skills: not content with playing a role in the Repeal the Eighth campaign for women's reproductive rights in Ireland, the Irish comedian is on a mission for real change. Her new podcast, Changing Politics, kicked off by instigating grassroots action to reduce deaths in police custody. Props.

Commitment: 5

Nerd factor: 5

Life skills: 9

Comic potential: 4