Every mother-to-be has their own list of fears to tackle. And since a problem blogged is a problem shared, here goes:

1. You'll never work in this town again.

There's no maternity leave in comedy. Well, there is, but the fear is it could be indefinite, and it's most certainly...

It seems fitting that a penultimate Fringe show should come with a bit of drama. We've all survived a month of triumphs (Good reviews! Networking! Belly laughs from audience number 13!) and disappointments (Comped producer never showed! Mediocre reviews! Stoned silence from audience number 22!). And being in the graveyard...

For eight years before becoming a stand up comic, I was a psychotherapist. I practiced in both the US and the UK and initially, my intention was to work exclusively with victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. And initially, I did just that, until the work quickly burnt me...

When I first found out my stand up show at the Edinburgh Fringe would be at 11:30 PM every night, I'll admit I was a little panicked. First of all, if I wasn't a comedian, I gotta fess up and admit I'd probably head to bed at about 8:00, maybe...

You'd have thought stand up comics were the most messed up people in the world. And although it's true many of us are indeed a narcissistic, attention-and-validation seeking, insecure, and highly self-critical breed, don't forget we've got our own daily public "therapy" forum. You know, with a mic.

Sure, I like watching fit people running and swimming and stuff as much as the next person, but here's why you should high tail it north for the world's biggest and best arts festival instead.

1) MORE MASCOTS

Wenlock and Mandeville? Bitch please. Try fairies juggling hatchets, hung over transvestites,...

I love working with men. There. It's out there.

Working in comedy means I'm vastly outnumbered gender-wise and therefore, spend most of my time with the unfair sex (I'm sure that's the proper opposite of "fairer"). And despite the ongoing tedium which is the debate about whether women really...

Just when I thought I had cracked the awkward cheek-kiss greeting which is so de rigueur these days, I've recently noticed an even more disturbing trend on the UK comedy circuit: casual hugging. All I can say is, WTF, Britain? I moved here to get AWAY from invasions of personal...

A Westerner heading to India for spiritual enlightenment is such a cliche. Fuck it, I like cliches. They make the world go round.

I travelled there for the first time last week, and since I returned I feel refreshed, centred, inspired, and perhaps most importantly - decidedly less important. If...

Nope, this isn't about comedy competitions, it's about comic competition. And how the world of social networking and long car journeys with other acts can either help you or drive you to paranoia and panic on the comedy circuit.

When it comes to my material and what I do onstage,...

Ah, the nuances of comedy performance. Writing. Timing. Rapport. Even stage height. Oh, and a seemingly uncontrollable body function which has let me down every time I step in front of a mic: sweating like a monkey.

I say monkey because as it happens pigs have non-functioning sweat glands. And...

I've always sorta known I would do a show in which I discuss my former profession as a psychotherapist. But now that the clock is slowly ticking down to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2012 I'm both excited and terrified to put myself on my own 'comedy couch.'

The show is...

My reaction to Sarah Palin announcing she will not run for president was similar to learning that Gerard Depardieu had taken a whizz on a plane: not surprising, but strangely disappointing. Having slated Palin along with the other good liberals since she had arrived on the scene, I was confronted...

I can remember the day I realised I didn't believe in religion anymore. It was really sunny, and God's love was shining through the trees - only it wasn't God's love, it was just the sun. Also, I was now allowed to be gay and/or use blasphemous expletives, although as...