Edinburgh Comedy Festival is a collection of comedy shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe which runs each August.

Media coverage

In June 2008, there were many news stories and commentaries in the media about the launch of the Edinburgh Comedy Festival, both positive and negative.

Much was reported of the lack of sponsorship in the festival's first year, following reports that combined, the four venues involved in the festival made a £76,000 loss in 2007. At a press conference on Thursday 5 June explanations were made of the intention to plough sponsorship money back into the festival, with the long term goal of making the festival cheaper for acts.

One critic of the move was Tommy Shepherd, owner of Edinburgh comedy venue, The Stand Comedy Club

The Stand Comedy Club

The Stand Comedy Club are three stand-up comedy venues in the cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle upon Tyne.-History:The Stand hosted its first regular club night on Thursday 21st September 1995: seven people came and the total box office was £22....

, which itself hosts many comedy

Comedy

Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...

 shows as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Shepherd was invited to form part of the festival but refused in spring 2008. Shepherd is director of Glasgow International Comedy Festival

Glasgow International Comedy Festival

Glasgow International Comedy Festival is a comedy festival in Glasgow, Scotland.The comedy festival started in 2002 and is held annually in March....

.

It is not, however, the first time the Edinburgh Comedy Festival name has been used. A similar project was attempted in the 1990s, with a cigarette brand as the sponsor.

2008

The Edinburgh Comedy Festival 2008 ran from 30 July–25 August, alongside the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Only performances at Assembly, Gilded Balloon, Pleasance

Pleasance

The Pleasance is a street in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is largely residential, although the University of Edinburgh owns property in the area.-University of Edinburgh union:...

 and Underbelly came under the auspices of the Edinburgh Comedy Festival. The four venues produced a joint brochure consisting of two sides - one presented as the Edinburgh Comedy Festival brochure, with shows of all other genres at those venues listed on the other side.

The shows in the Comedy Festival programme represented almost 90% of the comedy at the 2008 Fringe.

High-profile names from the 2008 festival include Joan Rivers

Joan Rivers

Joan Rivers is an American comedian, television personality and actress. She is known for her brash manner; her loud, raspy voice with a heavy New York accent; and her numerous cosmetic surgeries...

, Paul Merton

Paul Merton

Paul Merton is a British comedian, writer, actor and television presenter. Known for his improvisation skill, his humour is rooted in deadpan, surreal and sometimes dark comedy...

, Clive James

Clive James

Clive James, AM is an Australian author, critic, broadcaster, poet and memoirist, best known for his autobiographical series Unreliable Memoirs, for his chat shows and documentaries on British television and for his prolific journalism...

, John Pinette

John Pinette

John Pinette is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He has toured the comedy club circuit since the 1980s and has appeared in cinema and television...

 and Rhona Cameron

Rhona Cameron

Rhona Cameron is a Scottish comedian. She rose to prominence via the stand-up comedy circuit, and became a regular on British TV in the 1990s.-Television career:...