Friday morning. Leaving soon for Edinburgh. Edinburgh in August, the city of three seasons in a day, so whatever I pack won't be right most of the time. I'll be seeing over 70 shows - not sure when I'm supposed to eat. I go with high expectations of each and every performance so why stop for lunch when you can dash through the overcrowded streets to squeeze into another small airless room for an hour to be entertained. Or not.
As the days go on a noise builds up around certain shows: reviews, Twitter, the opinions of those you trust. Names you've followed for a year or so doing their first big solo show will be even better than you dared hope; others... oh, well.
From August in Scotland to a series on Radio 4 is a long sometimes rough voyage but with that end in mind some of this year's successes should start to appear on programmes and we will keep talking about them and with them.
These conversations will start in a rainy/sunny/freezing cold Edinburgh. For most of the next year if not longer these shows will be reference points that I and producers will come back to over and over again.
If you are going to the Fringe then you'll have already spotted many of the names that frequently enliven our airwaves including: Andrew Maxwell, Arthur Smith, Bridget Christie, David Sedaris, Fred Macaulay, Jenny Éclair, Marcus Brigstocke, Mark Thomas, Milton Jones, Mitch Benn, Nicholas Parsons, Richard Herring, Sandi Toksvig, Sarah Millican, Stephen K Amos, Susan Calman, The Horne Section and Tom Wrigglesworth.
What of the Radio 4 gs you might just be less familiar with?
Aisling Bea was the second woman ever to win the prestigious So You Think You're Funny? competition last year, but she had already been commissioned by Radio 4, alongside Yasmine Akram, for a very idiosyncratic retelling of Irish legends (Irish Micks and Legends). The first series was nominated for a Chortle Award and it will be returning next year.
Catriona Knox is a third of The Boom Jennies whose girl's own adventure series Mission Improbable is returning to Radio 4. She's a fine comedy actress and her charming if occasionally unhinged characters are a delight.
Beat poetry, stand up and rock music hit Radio 4 this summer in The Lach Chronicles and you have a chance to see Lach live in his adopted home town of Edinburgh.
Mordrin Macdonald 21st Century Wizard was the Scottish wizard who found spells and cosmic fights for wizard supremacy a chore – he would rather be making jam. Catch David Kay (who wrote and performed Mordrin) if you can – he's doing just two shows.
Hal Cruttenden's eponymous comedy about a house husband will be on air in 2014 and you have a chance to see last year's show that had me in tears. Good tears.
James Acaster did a lovely comic short story for our Edinburgh Comic Fringes last year. He has a deceptively mild laid back style, a curious mind and a rather vivid imagination. His one off about bread for Radio 4 has spawned a forthcoming series. Not all about bread!
All the stars of forthcoming Radio 4 sketch show Small Scenes - Henry Paker, Mike Wozniak and Sara Pascoe - are doing solo shows this year.
Tim Fitzhigham should have been a gentleman explorer. He delights in restaging historical challenges. For Radio 4 he recreated an old wager involving pigeons, trampolines and cricket balls and more are coming.
John Osborne tells stories. He's told us of his John Peel record collection; love lost and won, the charm of newsagent window ments. In Edinburgh this year he re a day spent at the seaside.
The state of our financial markets is not always a laughing matter but in 2014 the waspish Simon Evans will be Going to Market on Radio 4 and proving otherwise.
Just as Edinburgh finishes Colin Hoult, a fine comedy actor stalwart of many shows, has his first name above the title show on Radio 4. His creepy Carnival of Monsters started as an Edinburgh show a few years ago.
And from Radio 4 Extra's The Comedy Club come Peacock & Gamble. They describe their act as an hour of electrifying stupidity. I'd say electrifying joy and theatricality. Ray Peacock will be presenting a three hour special on his hero Les Dawson on 4 Extra in the autumn.
Discover our shows from Edinburgh plus some of Radio 4's finest comedy talent in the Comedy at Edinburgh collection.
You can also see what the rest of the BBC is up to on the BBC at the Edinburgh Festivals website
And, follow some of the names that enliven our airwaves via Twitter: @andrewismaxwell, @ArfurSmith, @fredmacaulay, @jennyeclair, @marcusbrig, @markthomasinfo, @themiltonjones, @MitchBenn, @Herring1967, @SarahMillican75, @stephenkamos, @SusanCalman, @hornesection, @tomwriggleswort, @WeeMissBea, @catrionaknox, @Halcruttenden, @JamesAcaster, @HenryPaker, @mrmikewozniak, @sarapascoe, @timfitzhigham, @JohnOsRadioHead, @TheSimonEvans, @wheeliemancrow (Colin Hoult) and @peacockgamble
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