Ed Fringe Special, 2023

To catch comedian Sapan Verma – who’s flown in from Bombay – make his much-anticipated Fringe debut. Expect Bollywood songs, very real (albeit often absurd) newspaper headlines, quips about life as a middle-class Indian, cheers for being internet famous and gasps when he recounts speaking about (and sometimes against) local political parties in his videos online.

As Sid Singh regales us with tales of his journey (not to Edinburgh, but as a comedian and human rights advocate) as part of his show Table for One. Did he beat a powerful administration to save 70,000 refugees by accident? Perhaps. Will he be donating 50% of ticket sales and donations to the Centre for Gender and Refugee Studies? Definitely!

To IRL as we watch Urooj Ashfaq’s show Oh No!. Show up for the occasional punchline in Hindi, but don’t show up with a pair of sunglasses (for you’ll soon become aware of Urooj’s aversion to them). Sit through sessions with her therapist and brave through her lighthearted teasing. Mainly, as Urooj herself will say, “Why don't you just show up, be surprised, and go with the flow?”

Listen to Evening Conversations, a warm-hearted monologue about identity and heritage. Written and performed by middle-class, middle-aged, multicultural mother of millennial sons, Sudha Bhuchar – who is also an award-winning actor/ playwright. The show is inspired by dialogue she has with her ‘dual heritage, fiercely British, mono-lingual’ sons.

Spellbound, the new show from Suhani Shah, the world's most-subscribed mentalist. Sit transfixed as she reads minds, hacks memories and performs unfathomable card tricks. Just don’t give her your phone – she already knows your passcode.

Through history, stories, backgrounds and time, by way of these two delights:

• Santi & Naz by Guleraana Mir and Afshan D’Souza-Lodhi, and theatre company The Thelmas.
• British Indian Buddies by Thomas Henry and Ram Arangi