Taking the Fringe by storm on its arrival in 1985, Pleasance Edinburgh has been a beloved festival staple ever since. With its mission to discover and nurture fresh artistic talent from across the globe, the Pleasance has been delivering inspiring Fringe programmes year on year and opened a base in London's Islington in 1995.

They've just announced a fantastic line-up as the venue makes a triumphant return to Edinburgh this month, bringing a wide range of entertainment to Pleasance Courtyard and the Edinburgh International Conference Centre from Friday 6 to Sunday 29 August, with some superb online efforts helping broaden the festival's reach. Two of the Pleasance's favourite comedians Seann Walsh and Mark Watson are amongst the acts you won't want to miss, with their shows Back From The Bed (formerly Same Again?) and This Can't Be It.

Also looking to make us laugh, the world's longest running live comedy show NewsRevue is back, promising a fast-moving mix of sketches and songs as it hurtles through global news and current events at breakneck pace. Sell-out star Tessa Coates returns with Campfire (WIP), there's bracing self-scrutiny from Njambi McGrath in Accidental Coconut, and Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2019 nominee Ivo Graham gives us Hyper Reality, billed as a 'shambolic new hour of frantic domestic updates.' Star of The Inbetweeners Joe Thomas brings his debut stand-up show, Trying Not To Panic, to the Pleasance and another Edinburgh first-timer, comedian Aurie Styla, hopes to make his mark on the festival scene following three sold-out UK tours.

The pick of the Pleasance's stage productions includes Will Shakespeare writing a masterpiece in plague quarantine in Bard In The Yard: The Scottish Play, while A Rubbish Midsummer Night's Dream adds some enjoyably inexpensive props to proceedings. Oscar Wilde is the inspiration for The Importance Of Being… Earnest? which sees the cast drop like flies and audience members being called upon to help. Storyteller John Kirk has a crack at Roald Dahl's exuberantly silly kids' yarn The Twits, and at the other end of the spectrum Fringe First winner Apphia Campbell will be performing her stunning solo show inspired by the life of Nina Simone, Black Is The Color Of My Voice, alongside her award-winning Woke. And I Am Not Victoria Wood introduces us to Maddie North, a former Victoria Wood tribute act now recording vlogs in her mum's spare room.

Testament to the Pleasance's dedication to supporting the most innovative of emerging artists is Screen 9, a remarkable verbatim piece exploring the responses of survivors of the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, which occurred inside a cinema during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises – it is the recipient of the Pleasance's Charlie Hartill Theatre Reserve. While Patricia Gets Ready (for a date with the man that used to hit her) is the inaugural recipient of the Charlie Hartill Development Fund For Artists Of Colour and sees the titular character reflect on her relationship with her ex and look honestly to the future.

For those unable to make it along in person, amongst the highlights available to stream through Fringe Player are Tall Stories' reimagining of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's much-adored children's book The Snail And The Whale. Award-winning writer Rob Ward takes a look at the new battle lines in the fight for equality in Conversations. And new pilot programme The Edinburgh Fringe Digital Showcase will offer a plethora of cutting-edge shows, in partnership with The Academy Of Music & Theatre Arts at Falmouth University.

With such an exciting array of options, from the flat-out funny to the thought-provoking and eccentric, and with promising newcomers taking their place alongside old favourites, it looks like the Pleasance have put together a programme to remember.

To book tickets, browse the full line-up and find out more visit pleasance.co.uk.