Wednesday July 29th 2026
Aidan Greene (photo by Steve Ullathorne)
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
A popular comedian with a stammer is returning for his 10th Edinburgh Fringe, bringing a unique multi-media approach to stand up that raises awareness and celebrates speech disorders.
After a one year hiatus, Irish stand-up Aidan Greene is back performing at the Fringe despite high costs which he described as the biggest change since his first Fringe in 2016.
Explaining that ‘if I fill out the entire Fringe, I might still lose money’, Aidan highlighted issues with affordability in Edinburgh during August with his rent almost four times as expensive this year than in 2016.
Taking a year away from the festival in 2025, Aidan didn’t attend last year due to self-funding a short film which meant he couldn’t also afford to attend the festival due to the high costs.
He explained: “The Fringe is going to price out working class acts. I am fairly privileged in terms of having a good day job that allows me to make an income.
“If you are just a regular comedian and it’s your full time job but you’re not a household name, going to Edinburgh would lose you so much money. I think the affordability is going to take out all those acts.
“I never missed the Fringe until last year but I will not be a yearly act going forward as I just can’t afford it anymore.”
Centering his show around a Joe Biden quote, “Your stutter does not define who you are”, Aidan’s 2026 show follows the trials and tribulations of his condition.
Developing a stutter when he was four years old, despite his condition, he was always in love with live performance, insisting to be in school plays and productions.
Taking his leap into comedy after a house mate in college told him he could never be a stand-up due to his stammer, this encounter encouraged him to prove this wrong, becoming one of a small list of comedians that struggle with the speech disorder.
With many of his previous shows based around his stammer, Aidan chose to embrace it again in his returning year with his show ‘Stuttermilk Pancakes’.
Photo by Steve Ullathorne
He said: “Why not lean into it? I have the unfortunate benefit of having to work against everyone’s expectations and stereotypes about stammering. The more I stammered on stage, it had a snowball effect where I will write every joke assuming I’m not going to stammer but if I do I will then think of a funnier joke based on what I’m stammering on and it will add this whole extra joke, context and flow.
“When I started doing stand-up I was coming out of a phase of really not liking my stammer but I think I learned that it could be beneficial and started to lean into it.”
Since making his way into comedy in 2010 he’s become a regular headliner in comedy clubs across Ireland and at every major Irish comedy festival including the Vodafone Comedy Festival, Longitude and The Cat’s Laugh. From 2016 to 2024 Aidan had consecutive sellout runs at the Edinburgh Fringe with nine different shows. These shows were subsequently performed to acclaim in Dublin, Galway, Albuquerque, and Montreal. He has also supported many acts on tour including Neil Delamere and Alison Spittle.
Aidan originally performed at the Free Fringe early on, collecting income through donation boxes after the show which he explained as being very good at. Now performing at the Underbelly Bristo Square, Aidan is backed by an agent and PR, making the process of finding a venue and the preferred time slot easier.
Despite the steep rise in accommodation prices, Aidan explained that he believes he found a fair price this year, adding: “I stayed in the same women’s home since the Fringe in 2017 but it was gradually getting more expensive. She now has a tenant there so I can’t go back. So this year I was scrambling and I feel like I got a fair deal but I’m paying four times more than I did 10 years ago.”
After highlighting that ‘the main issue is the money’, Aidan explained that another issue surrounding the Fringe is the ability to raise awareness for your show if you are away from the ‘preview culture’ of London, highlighting that he sees this issue amongst Scottish and Irish acts that haven’t practiced in front of large audiences.
He explained: “The hard thing is having a good show because I think a lot of Scottish acts have the same issue that Irish acts have as in London there is a preview culture and people are going to watch previews constantly. So every time I do the Fringe I have to build the show, find a venue and try and get people in as the goal is to get people who don’t know you and to have a fresh pair of eyes instead of people who already like you.”
Aidan explained that a fellow comedian in Ireland who would normally struggle to afford the cost of the Fringe has received funding from the Irish Arts Council which is a new initiative supporting Irish performances since comedy in Ireland was recognised as an art form in December 2025.
Despite risking losing money or breaking even, Aidan explained that he values the Fringe as a highlight of his career, explaining:
“I really love the Edinburgh Fringe and the main reason I love it is the audiences. I have had so many people come to see me every year since my first year and I’ve met so many incredible people.
“I have got to meet so many people with a stammer which is a really special thing for me.”
Aidan Greene’s new stand-up show ‘Stuttermilk Pancakes’ will be at Underbelly Bristo Square Dexter at 545pm for tickets go to www.edfringe.com.
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