11 days, 200 shows, venues old, venues new, names familiar, names to be made, here comes the Great Yorkshire Fringe, York’s festival of comedy and much more. CHARLES HUTCHINSON picks 10 to see

THE fifth edition of the Great Yorkshire Fringe parades 200 events over 11 days in a celebration of comedy, theatre, music, cabaret, children's shows, magic and mystery in York.

Organised by York and London comedy impresario Martin Witts, the festival features 700 performers from July 18 to 28.

Bob the box office is back in Parliament Street, where once more the village green lawn will be rolled out, the food and drink stalls set up, as the glittering mirrored White Rose Spiegeltent guard at one end, the star-lit Teapot marquee back in place too.

Spreading its wings, the Fringe will have shows at The Basement at City Screen, the Grand Opera House, York Barbican, the Riverside Arts Barge and 41 Monkgate, as the event builds on its past achievements of 500,000 visitors and 3,000 performers since 2015.

Here are ten highlights from the 11 days ahead:

Making A Magic Show with Just Josh & WonderPhil, The Teapot, July 20, 21, 2pm

JUST Josh & WonderPhil, alias York entertainer Josh Benson and Easingwold singer, actor, musician and magician Phil Grainger, present their debut double act.

There’s 30 minutes on the clock; it’s their first ever show together; Josh still hasn’t decided on a stage name. Warning: May contain magic. Another warning: Will contain puns.

Simon Munnery, Alan Parker Urban Warrior Farewell Tour, The White Rose, July 20, 7pm

ONCE the most radical, now the only radical, Simon Munnery's bedsit anarchist Alan Parker returns with the old gold, the old truths, and some new truths, based on the old truths.

The Ronnie Scott’s All Stars, A Celebration Of Gershwin, The White Rose, July 21, 8pm

DIRECT from London’s world-famous jazz club comes a tribute to "perhaps the most significant and popular composer of all time", George Gershwin.

Gershwin once said: "When I'm in my normal mood, music drips from my fingers." Here's the proof, Summetime et al.

Jerry Sadowitz: Make Comedy GRATE Again!, The White Rose, July 25, 7pm

THE grouchy Glaswegian magician, comic and controversy magnet with no visible demograph returns to "make you laugh while simultaneously parting you of hard-earned cash".

Sadowitz reckons he is the only comic hardly working today who campaigns against human rights.

Oleg Denisov, Russian Troll, The Teapot, July 25, 9.45pm

RUSSIA’S Fringe veteran of political comedy and philosopher by training, Oleg Denisov's new show mulls over fake news and freedom of speech, magical realism and transitional capitalism, global politics and dysfunctional relationships.

Alan Shed’s “Music, Comedy and Everything Else” Interactive Quiz Show, The Arts Barge, July 26, 8pm

WHEN York's Britpop heroes Shed Seven disbanded in 2003, a dozen people witnessed drummer Alan Leach ’s only attempt at stand-up comedy. Vowing never to put himself through it again, he switched to hosting quizzes. Hear how he's doing in this Edinburgh Fringe preview.

Henning Wehn, Get On With It, York Barbican, July 26 and 27 (sold out), 8pm

GYF favourite Henning Wehn, the German Comedy Ambassador, bills his latest show as a much-needed call to arms. "Listen, everyone: stop pondering and hand-wringing. Instead, get on your bike and put your face to the grindstone," he advises.

Charlotte Brooke: Sitting Still And Doing Nothing (And Eating), The Teapot, July 27, 7pm

GYF New Comedian of the Year 2018 finalist Charlotte Brooke's second show takes a musical journey through her struggles with gluten, exercise, waitressing, vegetables and many more incredibly important issues. "I don't identify as a stand-up because I sit down so much," says the ex-York College student from Scarborough.

Isa Bonachera, The Great Emptiness, 41 Monkgate, July 28, 7.30pm

IF you ever want to go to outer space, the probability of you landing the job is 0.0007%. This didn't stop Isa Bonachera from spending most of her life – 20 years in fact – trying to become an astronaut. Now she takes you on a tour of the cosmos and her broken dreams, in an insider view of the best and the worst parts of the scientific world and how lessons in Physics can affect your personal life.

Testament Of Yootha, The Arts Barge, July 28, 6pm

ACTRESS/WRITER Caroline Burns Cooke examine the life of glamorous Seventies' sitcom legend Yootha Joyce, adored by friends and fans alike, but hiding acute alcoholism from those closest to her, dying at 53. Could have been worse. Could have been a wet Wednesday at Rhyl Rep.