7 famous Brits from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival + their books

With appearances from many household names like Miriam Margolyes, Jenny Eclair, and Bill Bailey, The Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 is in full swing from August 1 to August 25 this year, transforming the city into a vibrant hub of creativity, comedy, theatre, and performance art. Boasting 3,500 shows across genres, it’s one of the largest arts festivals in the world. Must-see performances this year include A Jaffa Cake Musical (inspired by the 1991 legal debate over whether Jaffa Cakes are cakes or biscuits), and Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me but Banjos Saved My Life (a solo show about illness and recovery, with proceeds going to charity).

As well as a showcase for quirky performance art, The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has been a launchpad for many famous comedians, actors, TV stars, and writers. Read on for our top title recommendations by notable names who either got their start or made a significant mark at the Fringe. They’re all available for free on the Libby app, thanks to your local public library and OverDrive.

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Dawn French

In the early stages of her career Dawn French appeared at the Fringe as part of the Comic Strip collective, alongside Jennifer Saunders, Rik Mayall, and Adrian Edmondson (their performances in the early 1980s helped shape the alternative comedy scene in the UK).

Subtitled A Life of Mistakes — No Regrets, The Tw*t Files highlights the many embarrassing, awkward, and “twat-ish” moments from the life of Dawn French — both private and public. Relatable comedy can sometimes be the funniest, and here French uses her comedic voice to turn painful or awkward memories into laugh-out-loud anecdotes, encouraging readers to own their flaws and laugh at themselves. With memorable sections like “Never Meet Your Idols”, where she recounts cringey encounters with celebrities like Elton John, Madonna, and Danny Dyer, The Tw*t Files is a comforting reminder that everyone makes mistakes — even beloved celebrities.

Billy Connolly

Billy Connolly is not performing live at the Fringe this year but look out for a tribute show titled When Billy Met Alasdair by Alan Bissett, which imagines a fictional meeting between Connolly and Scottish writer Alasdair Gray. It’s a celebration of two Glasgow legends and has been longlisted for the Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award 2025.

In Made in Scotland: My Grand Adventures in a Wee Country, Billy Connolly explores his deep connection to his homeland, through a series of laugh-out-loud moments, poignant reflections, and philosophical musings. Starting with his upbringing in Glasgow and his early career as a welder and folk musician, he recalls his rise to fame as a comedian and actor, considering what it means to be Scottish — not just geographically, but emotionally and culturally.

Kaye Adams

Don’t miss Kaye Adams at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where she will be appearing in a live show titled How To Be 60! — a live version of her popular podcast, with fast, funny, and filter-free chat.

STILL HOT! is a bold and funny book that dives into the realities of menopause, aiming to break the silence around “the Big M.” It’s a celebration of women embracing this stage of life with honesty, humour, and a refusal to fade quietly. Exploring themes like identity and self-acceptance, the author encourages women to speak openly about their experiences and challenges the stigma around ageing and hormonal changes.

Eddie Izzard

Eddie Izzard has a long and significant history with the Fringe. Inspired by Monty Python, she spent 12 Fringes over 13 years honing her craft, eventually earning a Perrier Award nomination in 1991. In recognition of her contributions, Izzard was appointed the first alumni patron of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society in 2022.

Coming out as transgender at 23, Izzard embraced the label “Executive Transvestite” and became a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. Today she is known for her surreal, stream-of-consciousness comedy and bold public persona. In Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens, Izzard shares how the loss of her mother at age six shaped her emotional world, how from an early age she developed  a deep desire to perform and connect, and how her early career as a street performer in London paved the way for iconic routines like “Cake or Death?” and “Death Star Canteen”.  Covering politics, history, and pop culture, Izzard shares her life story from childhood to international stardom with characteristic wit and vulnerability.

Miranda Hart

Hart’s Fringe debut was in 1994 with a show called Hurrell and Hart, which she humorously described as “a terrible show” that often had no audience. Despite that rocky start, she returned in 2001 with The Sitcom Trials, where she showcased You Say Potato, a prototype for her later hit sitcom Miranda.

After collapsing from exhaustion, Miranda Hart embarked on a journey to understand the connection between her mental and physical health. In I Haven't Been Entirely Honest with You she investigates how chronic stress and toxic thoughts can physically impact the brain, immune system, and overall well-being. She shares techniques for embracing emotions, challenging limiting beliefs, and cultivating self-love. With plenty of warmth, silliness, and emotional honesty, this transformative memoir explores how embracing our full selves can be the path to lasting peace and fulfilment.

Lenny Henry

Henry’s involvement with the Fringe is part of a broader career that includes co-founding Comic Relief in 1985, alongside screenwriter Richard Curtis. Most recently, he was set to star in Every Brilliant Thing, a production with strong Fringe roots.

Rising to the Surface is the second volume of the memoirs of Sir Lenny Henry, following Who Am I, Again? It offers a candid look at his life and career from the 1980s through to the early 2000s, covering his creative successes, the lesser-known projects and the behind-the-scenes work that shaped his career. As one of the few Black entertainers on British television during that era, Henry discusses the pressure of representation, his experiences with imposter syndrome, and the emotional toll of fame. Despite setbacks, we see Henry transition from a teenage talent show winner to a stand-up performer in New York, culminating in receiving the prestigious Golden Rose of Montreux for his work in television. This memoir is not just a recounting of events but a moving reflection on identity, legacy, and the cost of ambition.

Alan Rickman

Playing the character of Wittipol in The Devil is an Ass and Friar Peter in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, Alan Rickman made his debut performance at the Fringe in 1976. Rickman later said of the Fringe: “It just defines the word theatre when you come to the Festival, I’ve had amazing times here.”

Madly, Deeply is Rickman’s revealing collection of diary entries, offering a rare and intimate glimpse into his inner world— thoughts, frustrations, joys, and reflections—captured in his own words. He shares insights into his work on iconic films like Die Hard, Harry Potter, Sense and Sensibility, and A Little Chaos, often commenting on directors, co-stars, dinners, travels, and quiet moments. He expresses discomfort with celebrity culture and the narrow public perception of his work, particularly being constantly associated with Severus Snape. With a foreword by Emma Thompson and afterword by Rickman’s wife Rima Horton, it’s a portrait of a complex, thoughtful man navigating life, art, and mortality.

*Title availability may vary.