With Ventnor Fringe over for another year, the Isle of Wight County Press was lucky enough to see a variety of shows over the ten-day arts festival, including some world class stand up comedians.

Stevie Martin, like many comedians at the fringe this year, was practicing her set ahead of a run of dates at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe.

The show, Clout, was a visual one, with side-of-stage screens often revealing the punchlines. 

From talking about being a millennial to explaining the difference between stand up and sketch comedy, the reliance on technology was obvious, but only assisted to the hilarious absurdity of Stevie’s jokes. 

The crowd, if bewildered at the randomness of the show, kept laughing throughout, with Stevie, the perfect mix of energetic and eccentric, proving to be popular. 

At the end of her 50 minute set - what Stevie called ‘the comedian’s hour’ - a Dave Gorman-esc move was pulled, but we won’t spoil Stevie’s surprise!

Huge Davies, as heard on Radio 4 and seen on 8 out of 10 Cats Countdown, performed two shows at fringe this year. 

Donning the keyboard that completes his look, Huge’s pre-Edinburgh practice set consisted of comedy songs ranging from a rather risqué hot tub track to an Anime description of the TV show Friends, all of which had the audience in stitches.

Filled with sarcasm and self-deprecation, Huge joked about the Island’s lack of Nando’s.... and trains.

With the show revolving around Huge’s “family,” he was met with a warm audience reaction and it’s fair to say he would be welcome back any time.

Glenn Moore, of Mock the Week fame, was again practicing for a tour, albeit one in September 2025.

Armed with an iPad with the new jokes and a phone with the favourites from previous shows, Glenn switched between his latest material and greatest hits. 

I wondered where I had heard a particular joke about a cherry stem before, only to remember I had seen Glenn say the same thing on a rerun of Mock the Week the night before.

Although the show wasn’t as tight as other comedians’, Glenn compared the situation to writing a school essay 13 months before the due date.

A run from one side of Ventnor to the other meant I arrived just in time for Ed Night, a Best Newcomer nominee at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Comedy Awards, who brought his show, The Plunge, to the fringe this year.

The audience arguably brought down the momentum of the show, with some unhelpfully not wanting to interact.

Despite this, Ed braved on, talking about Scooby Doo, Dua Lipa and even Jimmy Carr in his carefully crafted, well rehearsed set. 

Ed, whether it be making comedic observations or telling amusing anecdotes, proved why he is one of the most popular young stand ups.

Whether you’re in Edinburgh this week or these comedians return to the Island again, I would thoroughly recommend checking them out.