2014 Edinburgh Fringe

Video: The Fringe can be a difficult month for acts

Edinburgh Fringe flyers thrown away

The biggest arts festival in the world brings together the comedy world like nothing else. From new acts just starting out to legends making a comeback, the 25 day run of gigs is a test of endurance that can push the performers to breaking point.

On the surface Edinburgh is a celebration - a place for all to celebrate their work amongst their contemporaries. I'm a relative newcomer to the festival, this year will be my fourth visit in a row. I've always gone up as part of my job - working in the world of online and TV comedy has meant making my way up there is vital to understanding the current state of play. Last year I was thrilled by the shows of Liam Williams, Beth Vyse and John Kearns. This year I'm excited to see Dane Baptiste, Paul F Taylor and the sisters Toby among many others.

But during my second visit, it became clear that the experience of spending the month performing in Edinburgh was far from a barrel of laughs. The pressure of tickets sales and the repetitive feel to performing the same show in the same venue for a month takes its toll on the comedians. I am friends with many and felt huge empathy that something which brings them such pleasure, could equally deliver them so much pain.

I had an old PD150 camera with me last year, so I asked a few comedians about the pains of Edinburgh... from a relative newbie in Joz Norris to the evergreen comedy philanthropist Harry Deansway. Hopefully this little film will shine a light on what can be a difficult month for comedians, and make anyone who watches it be nicer to comedians.

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