Leaving the stage, Greg Davies describes his show tonight as one of the high points of his career.

The good Doctor defies mime and reason

The title of his tour is 'Rollercoaster' and pedestrian flats and tickling highs are exactly what you get with John Bishop's latest offering.

If ever there was a room full of smug ticket holders, this was it. You can hardly blame them: Soho Theatre’s cabaret basement holds 150, and Rob Delaney has amassed 600,000+ followers on Twitter. Needless to say, these shows – the American comedian’s first in the UK –  sold out in minutes.

If there had been a spot for stand-up in the London 2012 closing ceremonies, it would surely have gone to Michael McIntyre.

Pre-dating the birth of the Comedy Store and the explosion of the "alternative" club circuit by nearly 20 years, Peter Cook's short-lived club, The Establishment, was ahead of its time in showcasing politically nuanced live comedy.

Richardson has a lot to get off his chest. Dirty skirting boards, children’s artistic ineptitude, olives – life is just one hardship after the next for the Lancastrian comic, whose latest show feels more like a therapy session than a stand-up set.

For their latest show this sharp-witted and usually slumberwear-clad pair, who you'll normally never catch sleeping, have cast off crafted lines and practised clowning - and their normal stage attire - in favour of freeform improv in casual clothes.

If comedy is the new rock 'n' roll, then Magnus Betner may be its Lou Reed: deadpan, downbeat and determinedly difficult. The Swede tells us he is a "fucking superstar" in his home country, though it's hard to tally that with the jaded figure who explains he couldn't be bothered to give his show a name. "People would go to something because of the title? How stupid is that?" he seethes. Duly, his set is austerely gimmick-free. A vitriolic jeremiad sees him weighing in on numerous "horrible, tragic" news stories – his preferred kind – with provocative one-liners and skewed sermonising. Given the ground covered, it's inevitably a mixed bag – his rundown of the Aids "hierarchy" was as trenchant as his analysis of the Batman shootings was glib. But, in an hour that inspires as many awkward silences as laughs, his uncompromising commitment to serious humour is a perversely admirable thing.

There is a double helping of promise in this show from Totally Tom - better known as Tom Palmer and Tom Stourton (son of broadcaster, Ed).

In a dank back room of a pub, in an unlovely daytime slot on the Free Fringe, Sam Fletcher has created a tiny world of wonder. It's a delight to spend an hour there.

In a year of high-octane show openings, Lou Sanders, self-styled "Beyonce of comedy", might just have the best. It's certainly the only one involving techno, pink tights and rollerblades.

Though this 24-year-old comedian fails to convince that he has brought a complete hour with him to Edinburgh, he does enough with this debut show to flaunt his potential star quality.

Ben Target (pronounced Tar-jay) has clearly taken the original spirit of the Fringe to heart in this show, which attempts to create a kind of ‘happening’ in the space of an hour-long comedy gig.

There are no words. Literally. Edinburgh has witnessed a mime wave this year, with acts such as The Boy With Tape On His Face, Billy the Mime and Doctor Brown stealing punters away from the stand-up acts who are already experiencing a downturn.