THIS weekend the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis is bringing a little piece of Edinburgh to Lyme Regis as it plays host to a weekend of comedy talent road testing their shows ahead of the world’s largest arts festival.

Audience members can be ahead of the comedy curve and play a part in fine-tuning four new Fringe shows.

Tomorrow (23) evening Tom Lucy and Angela Barnes take to the stage.

Following in the footsteps of Johnny Vegas, Seann Walsh and Josh Widdicombe, Tom was crowned Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year 2016. At just 20, Tom is one of the youngest comedians working professionally on the UK circuit. Having first tried stand up at the age of 16 he now performs regularly for some of the UK’s top clubs including The Glee Club, Up the Creek and Komedia.

John Bishop called him ‘too young, too good’ while the Guardian said, ‘Watch him live and you’ll quickly understand the excitement.’

Angela Barnes is a BBC New Comedy Awards winner who was inspired to become a comedian by her characterful late father who was a sex shop manager, naturist and an enthusiast for caravans and pranks.

Since winning the BBC Radio 2’s New Comedy Award in 2011 she’s continued as a regular on the stand-up circuit playing even bigger venues whilst also writing for and appearing in a number of Radio 4 shows as well as hosting her own four-part series You Can’t Take It With you.

On Saturday it’s the turn of Phil Jerrod and Paul McCaffrey to showcase their new material.

Phil began his stand-up career underneath an Angus Steakhouse in 2012. Since then he has failed his PhD, walked out of his job in publishing and has been entertaining audiences up and down the country with his elegant rants on the often unfathomable problems of modern life.

The Guardian said of him ‘Casual brilliance … instinctive mastery of his form immediately marks him out as one to watch.’

Paul McCaffrey is an accomplished radio presenter and guest as well as an award-winning comedian. The Scotsman thought he was ‘Born to be a comic’ while The Shortlist said, ‘McCaffrey simply has funny bones.’

*Marine's Comedy Preview Shows, Friday June 23 at 8pm and Saturday, June 24 at 8pm. All tickets at £6. Call the box office for tickets.