NOT even the miserable weather has put a dampener on the Great Yorkshire Fringe.

More than 20,000 tickets were sold over the opening weekend alone. And now organisers have added some extra shows to keep up with demand for those that have sold out. So we'll be getting more of Henning Wehn, the German 'comedy ambassador' with the weird eyes; more of Reginald D Hunter; more of Canadian stand-up Tony Law.

This festival has been just brilliant. Everything about it has worked; from the century-old spiegeltents complete with stained glass windows set up at the bottom of Parliament Street and in St Sampson's Square to the fake lawn and the 'street food'. And that's before we even get to the acts themselves.

Cabaret troupe Slightly Fat Features have been an over-the-top hoot (the photograph of them posing in bedsheets with a plucky Lord Mayor was priceless); Al Murray's been Al Murray; the Amazing Bubble Man has been blowing, yes, amazing bubbles of every imaginable shape and size (including square); and we've even had LA actor Miles Allen ripping through five entire series of hit US drama Breaking Bad in just 60 minutes, giving his own inimitable take on each of the characters.

Some of the biggest names in comedy have been right here in York all week; the whole thing has been superbly organised; and best of all, perhaps, the Fringe has proved that Parliament Street can be a great venue for a festival like this, if used properly. The organisers of some of our own home grown festivals will no doubt have been taking notes.

There are still a few days left. So enjoy it while it's here - and roll on next year...