Underbelly's Hullaballoo
8 - 30 Aug (not 11, 18, 25), 1:00pm (2:30pm) 

Take reviews with a punch of salt?  Like to see for yourself before you make up your mind?  Then Pick Of The Fringe is made for you.  An old-fashioned variety show with a typical Fringe spin, Mervyn Stutter's now-traditional slot gives you the chance to sample a number of acts, all hoping to tempt you along to the full version of their routine.

The original and still the best of a number of similar shows, Pick Of The Fringe is back in Edinburgh for a remarkable 18th year.  Packing in seven or eight short extracts a day, it runs the whole gamut of Fringe entertainment - and as well as giving ideas for future ticket purchases, it's an entertaining event in its own right.  Mervyn Stutter himself, resplendent in a trademark pink jacket, is the perfect quick-witted host, following up each five-minute extract with a chat-show-style confab with its performers.

The show's in a different venue this year - the antique theatre tent branded as Underbelly's Hullabaloo - and while its unforgiving bench seats might not be ideal for a 90-minute show, you can't fault it for atmosphere.  Mervyn's kept his traditional lunchtime slot, though, slotting nicely into the start of the Festival day.  So it's worth a trip to this good-value show... and who knows, you might unearth your own hidden diamond of the Fringe.