Edinburgh Fringe picks from Radio 4 Extra's Comedy Club

Every week, the hosts of Radio 4 Extra's Comedy Club chat to some of the biggest and best names touring the UK stand-up circuit, so we thought they'd get their advice about the acts to watch out for at this year's Fringe.

Fringe veteran Arthur Smith went for Lucie Pohl ("she was so funny just giving her handouts out, I thought I'd go and see her show and it'll be brilliant"), Nina Conti's "extraordinary" improvised ventriloquism, the "really funny and ridiculous" Holly Burn, and A Day in the Lives of Frankie Abbott, a show he heard about on Twitter from a cousin of the late Edinburgh great Malcolm Hardee.

Comedian Jessica Fostekew picked Taylor Glenn's "really fresh and honest take on being a new parent", Fringe debutant Russ Peers ("I think he's just one of those people who's born with it"), 2013 Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Bridget Christie, and new shows by Fin Taylor and Sean McLoughlin - "comedians who are doing something very interesting with comedy at the moment, and taking things in really innovative directions". Also, as an alternative to stand-up, she suggests Careful, a tale of growing up gay in 1970s Lanark, starring the singer Horse McDonald.

Tom Wrigglesworth, star of Radio 4's Open Lettersand Hang-Ups, recommends Al Murray ("I would love to see what he makes of today's turbulent political climate"), the AAA Stand-Up shows, Australian comedian Alice Fraser, Pippa Evans - "the voice of an angel, but the mouth of a sailor" - and "at least one show that you've no idea what it is, you've no idea what to expect, and there's no chance you'd ever get to see it again".

Murder in Successville's Cariad Lloyd also chose Pippa Evans, both for her solo act and as part of the "incredibly slick" improvised musical troupe Showstopper! Another improv recommendation is the Jane Austen-inspired comedy Austentatious, which Cariad herself stars in ("Does that sound terrible?"). She also suggests musical comedian Rachel Parris, Daniel Nils Roberts' "very weird" Honey, and "very funny, silly man" Andrew Hunter Murray. Speaking of whom...

The QI elf and Austentatious star also picked himself ("he, I think, is one to watch"), Rachel Parris and Daniel Nils Roberts. In addition, Andrew recommends sketch troupes Aunty Donna and Lazy Susan, as well as "any circus show", because "you can see people doing things you had no idea the human body could do".