It's big, it's brash and it weighs about a pound.  It's the Fringe programme, and we've had our hands on it for a couple of weeks now.  Craig Thomson, FringeGuru's Fringe Editor, and general editor Richard Stamp got together to share their initial impressions.

So, have you taken it all in yet?

Richard:  Not in the slightest!  It gets more and more overwhelming each year.  I mean, it's fun to look through the programme and sound off about it here, but we're not really going to know what's a hit until the Festival starts in August.

Craig:  That's exactly right.  I mean, I've been busy filling my copy with post-its to flag up things I might plan to see, but I've only got through the comedy section and it's already an incomprehensible guddle of cryptic notes and dog-eared yellow paper!

All the same, what are you most looking forward to?

Craig:  There's a perception that coming to Edinburgh in August and buying tickets will cost you an arm and a leg, and there's also a perception that free Fringe shows are a bit... well, rubbish!  But there are more free options this year than ever before, so I'm looking forward to having a root around them and finding out if either of those perceptions are correct.

Richard:  A quite different thing for me... I'm a complete venue nerd, so I'm really excited about C Venues' new offshoot on the Cowgate, C SoCo.  It's such an historic site, because it's where the Gilded Balloon used to be before it burned down - and it's going to be huge, by the looks of things, with both indoor and outdoor bits.  I've just no idea how they're going to fit it all together and I can't wait to see it.

Any old favourite performers you'll be going back to?

Craig:  I really enjoyed Simon Munnery's AGM last year, but I had to leave the post-set debate he held in the pub across the road to make another show.  High levels of audience participation, and a perennially drunk chairman should be good for a laugh.

Richard:  I'll make sure I find time for Kit and the Widow. My English teacher recommended them to me (which just shows you how many years they've been coming to Edinburgh!) - think a modern Flanders and Swann, very funny, very sophisticated and with a slight political edge.  I missed them last year so I've got to catch up this time round.

What do you want to do more of this year?

Richard:  Classical music, I think.  There's a lot on offer at the Fringe but it's easy to overlook among all the comedy and theatre.  There's always a particularly good programme at the Royal Over-Seas League, so I'm going to try to take some time out to enjoy more of that in 2007.

Craig:  I know I definitely want to see much less solemn youth theatre!  Some of the shows sound really good on paper (Macbeth reinterpreted in post-Abu Ghraib time), but they very seldom live up to their promise - and I fall for it every time.  Far fewer po-faced American kids, and a bit more fun, for me this year!

Most eye-catching outbreak of Fringe weirdness?

Richard:  I've been a bit disappointed on that front - I haven't yet found anything on quite the level of Bouncy Castle Hamlet [from Fringe 2006]...

Craig:  Problem is, Bouncy Castle Hamlet was certainly weird, but it was also quite tedious!  And the zombie Macbeth thing from last year - looked good, but it turned out to be completely humourless!  I know it's a race for audiences, and the more eye-catching, the better in that regard, but weird doesn't always equal good.  Some gimmicks work, some don't - but we can't tell until August.

Richard:  Well I can't possibly argue with that.  But I'm an optimist, so I'll go for Macbeth: Who Is That Bloodied Man? at Old College Quad.  It's Macbeth... on stilts!  And it's a fantastic venue so I don't see how it can fail.

And finally, anything that's really turned you off?

Craig:  The surfeit of Tony Blair musicals - it's a bit obvious and tired, really.

Richard:  The Udderbelly has yet another show in a toilet.  Honesly, what's with arts festivals and toilets?  Sure, it was groundbreaking when it was first done back in 2000 or so - but these days I really don't want to spend 50 minutes in a WC.

Craig and Richard will be sharing more of their thoughts here on Guru Vibe as the Festival draws nearer.  If you'd like to let us know what you're saying about this year's programme, send us an email now.