Edinburgh Fringe: Kings of comedy make way for flowering talent

For the first time in 12 years, popular comedian Stephen K Amos will not be visiting Edinburgh, saying he has not had time to prepare after two-a-half-years of solid touring.

Lucy Porter is taking time out to spend more time with her new baby, as family ties and growing television and touring work knock other familiar names off this year's roster.

In their place, with a new generation vying for the recognition, will be James Acaster, a 26-year-old British comedian trying his luck with a one-hour show for the first time.

There are Americans such as W Kamau Bell, a sell-out act in his native California with The W Kamau Bell Curve, Ending Racism in About An Hour, who is also making his debut here.

Festival season kicks off in earnest today as the Fringe unveils the shows in its 2011 programme, with the Edinburgh Comedy Festival (ECF) brochure also unveiled.

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Meanwhile, American comedienne Ruby Wax will have her first full run in Edinburgh since 1987.

The Pleasance director, Anthony Alderson, said: "It goes in waves and there is some phenomenal new talent.

"Television has meant comics are found sooner, and they are not getting to the top of the Fringe before they are getting a lot of offers. There's much more variety this year, and there's also more focus on the theatre. "

Ed Bartlam, founder of the Underbelly venue, and spokesman for the Comedy Festival, said: "Some big names are not coming. From our point of view, we've got big names, but they are just new big names."

Some comics will be in town, doing single gigs or appearances but not a full Edinburgh run.

Brendon Burns is getting married this June, and Jim Jeffries is concentrating on the United States, while Rhod Gilbert has a television series. The ECF includes 650 acts this year, but John Bishop and Reginald D Hunter are not among them, sources said.

Scores of other favourites like Jason Byrne, Tim Vine and Phil Nicol are back, while Phil Jupitus will be a major draw. Rising names are moving to bigger venues, such as Sarah Millican, in the leading Assembly Hall venue.

Veteran comedy critic Julian Hall said: "It's the year of the newcomer, no doubt about that," citing names like Kamau Bell and fellow American Margaret Cho.

"For people who have done an awful lot of Edinburgh shows, who have a track record of coming up year after year, it gets to the point that for them to leave fallow years makes sense."

Amos said he had been on the road continuously since last year's show, along with TV commitments and had just finished six weeks in Australia, without the time to frame a new show properly.

"It's going to be so weird not being there because I'm going to miss the whole drama, it's been a third of my life," he said. "I just needed to have a break."

However, Amos will be in Edinburgh for four days with a radio show, and plans to "retrench" for next year.

A couple of top names, he said, may have responded to complaints last year about squeezing out smaller rivals. "There was a lot of resentment for one or two big-name acts seen as coming in and cleaning up."

Acaster left a rock band to try his hand at comedy three and a half years ago and has been touring the UK on the club circuit doing mostly 20- or 30-minute slots but will try his hand at the full hour in his show, Among Other Things.