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	Pleasance Courtyard (venue website) Comedy 6-9, 11-16, 18-22, 24-28 Aug, 1:00pm-2:30pm
Family-friendly. Suitable for all ages.

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, it's a special anniversary for Pick Of The Fringe, back in Edinburgh for a remarkable 20th 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 a quick-witted host, following up each five-minute extract with a chat-show-style confab with its performers.

The show's been through a few different venues over the years, and 2011 sees it at the Pleasance Courtyard, the ideal place to take the pulse of the Fringe.  Stutter'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 while you're there.

As well as his daily show, Mervyn Stutter appears in a one-off special Merv's 20th Year Gala Show at 3pm on 17 August. In the Pleasance Grand, the two-hour event will celebrate the 20 years (and counting!) of one of Edinburgh's best-known shows.