This year is the Witch Trial's 400th anniversary. To this day, the county still capitalises on the legend of the witches and their trials, demonstrating yet again the lucrative nature of witchcraft. Of course, there is a rumour that circulates the area - the witches still haunt the buildings and villages.
For over 10 years I've spent most of August in Edinburgh at the festival and for five of those years I've been performing shows. Now working on a year on, year off system I took the opportunity to enjoy Edinburgh without the stress of doing a show and to catch up on what my magical colleagues were up to.
For twenty-five years Andy Nyman has worked in theatre, film and television. As an 11-year-old boy, he sat in a Leicester cinema watching Jaws, "There I was, a stocky little curly haired Jew seeing a stocky little curly haired Jew playing the lead in a film, I released this isn't fantasy. I could actually do that."
In the days leading up to a show, I spend a lot of my time making sure I'm show ready. I'm probably in the minority of comedy acts that do this, but then again I'm not 'just' a comedy act, some people would say I'm not even a comedy act, with jokes like that one I've just made, they might have a point.
Earlier this month I got to sit down with master illusionist, his words not mine, Hans Klok for a little chat about his new show The Houdini Experience. I am an award winning (and highly modest) mind-reader who can't read minds, whose always loved magic, but illusions, just haven't excited me. Has Hans managed to change that with his first London show. You know what? I think he has.