Comedy is the category where Buxton's place in the Fringe trail is most evident as many Edinburgh-bound comedians come to Buxton to fine-tune their material. Underground Venues have put together a fantastic programme and some of Britain's finest comedy can be found in their spaces.
Last year's Fringe Comedy Show award winners Max and Ivan are back with their new show, Con Artists. Already receiving rave reviews from Brighton Fringe, it is a must-see for Buxton 2012, as is Jurassic Bark from Piff the Magic Dragon - 'a stunningly good magician' said Penn & Teller after his appearance on ITV's Fool Us.
Many firm Fringe favourites bring new shows: Dr Matt Pritchard is 6% Superhuman, exploring the sneaky science behind superhero powers, Amadeus Martin is Keeping It Surreal, Andrew O'Neill is Easily Distracted and Tam Hinton has another superbly titled show, And All These Sleepless Nights Will Explode Tomorrow. James Sherwood has a 'Best Of' show pulling together the very best of his decade-long comedy career
Comedians with Edinburgh preview shows are Ed Eales-White presents Champions, top notch stand-up from Jim Smallman and Danny Buckler, and Speaking as a Mother from Elis James, who also appears alongside Chris Corcoran in The Committee Meeting.
More Edinburgh veterans include Alexis Dubus presenting his favourite travel tales, former award-winner Marcel Lucont boasting 'wonderful French wit' in Gallic Symbol and The Beta Males telling the secret history of the British Space Programme. In Lights! Camera! Improvise! The Scat Pack improvises a movie live on stage, and in O Fairbrother, Where Art Thou? Joe Fairbrother's got a brand new bag of weird and wonderful characters.
Shyness is Nice, as Morrissey sang, but it 'can stop you from doing all the things in life you'd like to'. Joseph Ross-Williams and Michael Love seek to overcome it with confidence, bravery, stupidity and honesty. 20th Century Boys Seymour and Sykes take us on an epic and quite frankly ridiculous ride through the last century, and double act Slap & Giggle face you the jury in Retrial. Meanwhile spoken-word-cabaret-comedy duo The Tinamarinas explore Being Gorgeous! with their mission to make the world a much more gorgeous place - surely not too difficult here in Buxton?
There are a host of great stand-ups to enjoy. Some are considering age and health - Buxton Buzz compere Bill Woolland explores the 'act your age' myth in 30/50 Something; in Filthy, Chris Boyd has mostly new, slightly blue jokes about the ins and outs of his declining health and Rob Heeney In Vincible is turning 40 and in the throes of a mid-life crisis. Others are concerned about their social abilities - Irish comedian and writer for Sarah Millican, Caimh McDonnell, is on a whistle-stop tour of his social ineptitudes in The Art of Conversation; both geek and chic, Helen Arney has the Voice of an Angle, and in Raised by Fridge Magnets, Juliet Meyers wonders if she is prepared for life's dramas.
Still Rarely Rong, deadpan Gary Colman probes the eviscerating horror of family life, and while not re-arranging the herbs in Co-op into swearwords, Silky is preparing to Break your Heart. And of course there is Barrel of laughs, Underground's ever-popular comedy club.
You can find great comedy elsewhere in Buxton. Carly Tarett's Sinful: 7 Comedy Shorts for 7 Deadly Sins is at Milton's Head, and 2011 Spirit of the Fringe winners, Dolls House Players are Singing in the Plane at the Old Clubhouse. ToBeContinued's Absolute Improv is on at Underground but for those interested in taking part in some improvised comedy themselves, they host a Workshop at URC in Hardwick Square.
The Fringe is hugely grateful to its many supporters including its main sponsor The University of Derby Buxton as well as The Osborne Group, High Peak Borough Council, The Old Hall Hotel and The Cavendish Shopping Arcade.
For further information and interviews, Send message to Press.