The Edinburgh Sketch Scene

The Broken Windows Policy started out its life as The Sugaring Off Cabin. Whilst the origin of either title seems somewhat unclear, the show does seems to have come into its own since the rebrand. You might not be familiar with the performers – though these do include David MacGregor, whose rather exciting claim to fame is that he is the child model in The Stand logo (see pic). Supporting the whole structure and cementing the credibility of the show, however, are sketch directors Derek Johnston and Paul Sneddon. Sneddon is one of our own Skinny bloggers and frankly – and entirely impartially – one of the world's best comedians. The Windows show is a mix of the snappy and the slow burning, the crude and the classy, the new and the old. Most of the sketches have been written by the performers, with contributions from other writers thrown in here and there to keep things fresh. Check out this month's offering on 5 May.

If you fancy exercising a bit more control over your sketches, try Melting Pot the following week (12th). Anyone can submit their own piece to this, and a variety of these short sketches are presented in a pared down, rehearsed reading style, by four eminent comedy actors, the scripts very much speaking for themselves. The team involved have been at it for a while now and they have a brilliant connection with each other that really brings the pieces to life. At the end of the evening you get to vote, X-factor style, for your favourite; the winner gets to go away and write a much longer version to present the following month. The loser gets a spot on Celebrity Big Brother and an exclusive interview with the trashy magazine de jour. If you fancy yourself a budding comedy writer, this is also a great place to send in your own wee sketch – contact the Stand for more information.

Of course any piece on sketch comedy in the capital would be deficient, nay completely defeated, without giving brief mention to weekly Sunday afternoon improv show Whose Lunch Is It Anyway? It's free, it's brilliant, it's the sabbath observance of many a fine fellow. Go.