Seven questions with... Andy Askins

Andy Askins is a stand up comedian with material that is surprisingly dark, standing in stark contrast against his calm and friendly stage demeanour. Askins is also a very talented musician who doesn't rely on his guitar as a gimmick; his comedy songs are delightfully punchy and unpredictable. Askins brings his latest show, The Man With No Name, to this year's Edinburgh Festival.

Edinburgh Podcast: ask Andy Askins

Stand up comedian, Andy Askins, is a well known headliner across the UK. Despite being a comic of ten years experience, it's in 2016 that he makes his Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut. Martin Walker finds out more.

A nice-seeming sort of bloke, does work for charity - John Bishop epitomises the Live at the Apollo school of comedian and Christmas TV favourite. Yet, while his act - observational material about family life, male archetypes and so on - is pretty cosy stuff, there's a bite to his delivery that could cause a certain amount of discomfort on the sofa. This third variety/comedy festive show features comic support from Sarah Millican and Danny Bhoy, comic songs from Andy Askins - and a duet between Bishop and Kylie Minogue.