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Comedy, variety and music. Darts, bingo and a meat raffle. Benson and Hardcastle return to the Fringe with a mission: to save the WMC from ruin with help from showbiz friends. Ladies and whippets welcome. Southerners tolerated.  

Read all about it! Word Alive is a free interactive exhibition about the Bible. Come and find out about the 66 books that tell one story - God’s purposes for all people. There is a daily cafe and bookshop and a programme of free (ticketed) events for children and adults. Opposite the Edinburgh International Book Festival at Venue 251. Investigate this global bestseller for yourself today! Further details: www.wordalive.org.uk.

I would like to travel beyond time and space to look through kindness and evil, says the young Japanese writer to the Indian philosopher and magician. With his help, the Japanese writer begins travelling through different stories. At the end of this travelling, the writer, like other 20th-century thinkers, could not find solid answers but rather endless questions instead. He could not even acquire the secrets to the art of magic. But the result of this travelling is more magic, from the genius literature of Ryunoske Akutagawa.

Acclaimed New York City comedian Matt Nagin has always related to woolly mammoths. He’s also prone to panic attacks. Join Matt as he discusses drugs, travel, gambling, relationships, and the importance of being weird. An irreverent, category-defying stand-up hour. Matt's appeared on SITV and been heard on BIG 810AM. He has performed at clubs and colleges throughout the U.S. He was an opening act for Robert Klein and was described by Rick Overton as ‘a very clever, innovative comic ... who will leave his mark’. www.mattnagin.com

Worbey and Farrell are internationally acclaimed concert pianists with a wicked sense of humour. They have played with the world's leading symphony orchestras, achieved over a million hits on YouTube, and entertained all over the globe with their barnstorming blend of sparky comedy and utterly sensational piano-playing. Their instrument can imitate the tones of a Spanish guitar, resound with their own Paganini Deviations, or pulsate with the passions of the masters of jazz. They perform everything from Rachmaninov to Coldplay. ‘Incredible’ (Eamonn Holmes, ITV's This Morning). ‘Jaw dropping talent’ (Kate Copstick, Scotsman).

Middle Aged Women: an endangered species. See them in their unnatural habitats and marvel at their ingenious use of camouflage. Are we too old for careers, sex, a social life? Who says? Through sketches, song and dance, Flip (Cabin Pressure) and Maggie (Topping & Butch) share what it means to be thirty plus ... well all right, 30XL in the 21st Century. 'A comic triumph' (Scotsman). Sell-outs at Theatrefest and Ignite 2012. 'Dynamic, entertaining and borderline inappropriate' (FringeSecrets.com). 'Superb script and acting' (phonic.fm).

Frances Cooper (soprano) and Anne Lewis (mezzo-soprano) guide you through the Elements of Etiquette, the courtesy and decorum of a bygone era, aided by Mozart, MacMillan and Bernstein, with Colin Dundas at the piano.

Our dashing hosts present a naughty nightcap of raucous comedy, cabaret and late night frivolity. Expect organised chaos and a high tempo turnover of hand-picked talent. Friends of the club join the vivacious Sahar Mirhadi and the longtime host of Wits End Comedy Club, Rob Whitworth. ‘A fireball of energy’ (Lee Bryant, Laughing Badger Comedy Club). www.freefestival.co.uk

An exploration of how witches and witchcraft have been depicted by artists over the past 500 years, including works by Dürer, Goya and Blake, alongside pieces by 20th-century artists such as Paula Rego and Kiki Smith. An investigation of extremes, Witches & Wicked Bodies explores the highly exaggerated ways in which witches have been represented, from hideous hags to beautiful seductresses. The show includes 16th and 17th-century prints and drawings that successfully spread fears about witches across Europe and modern works that challenge how these myths have contorted representations of women ever since.

Edinburgh DIY folk-rock troubadour Dan Willson brings new look Withered Hand band to this special show, fresh from recording long-awaited second album. Special guest appearances from Eugene Kelly, Second Hand Marching Band and Scottish Folk Royalty! ‘Heard a Withered Hand track in the caff, then saw a boy in a WH T-shirt. Is Dan Willson taking over the world?’ (Stuart Murdoch, Belle & Sebastian). ‘Killer melodies … wobbly folk grooves … tunes full of warm, woozy sing-song charm’ (Artist to Watch, Rolling Stone). ‘Beautifully constructed lyrical frameworks … on this banjo tinged brand of Caledonian gospel’ (Mojo Magazine).