The Pin
After a successful 2013 Fringe debut as a twosome, Ben Ashenden and Alex Owen returned with that difficult second show and very nearly re-drew the rules of the sketch game. Their hour featured routines which played with the form while managing to keep the laugh-count unfeasibly high.

Bridget Christie
It’s never an easy task to follow up a critically adored and award-winning show, but Christie was well up to the task as she sequeled A Bic for Her with the equally hilarious and powerful An Ungrateful Woman.

The Rutles
A proper nostalgia trip for anyone who remembers Neil Innes and co’s spoofing of the Fab Four. At the ABC in June, we were shown the All You Need is Cash mockumentary before a blistering live set with one parodic hit after another.

Joke Thieves
Arguably the best new themed-show idea on the block right now with comedians performing their own material and then doing the routine of a comic with whom they’ve been paired on the night. At The Stand in February, this caused some real tension between the acts and proved just how visceral a proper stand-up show can be.

Liam Williams
To some, the Sheeps guy was a surefire winner of the Edinburgh Comedy Award. Except he wasn’t. But he still put on a blindingly thought-provoking show in a tiny pub cellar about hypocrisy, capitalism and graffiti artists, even offering up an alternative World Cup anthem.