FESTIVAL DIARY: I say, have you heard the one about the Pope and the

Giving hope to us all, The Independent on Sunday's former theatre critic, Robert Butler, has his new play on at the Pleasance. But he didn't realise until he got to Edinburgh that the Pleasance is a comedy-oriented venue. His play, Our State Tomorrow, is a tense war- time thriller.

This year's hot comedy topic? Not terrorism, not sudoku, but ... the Pope. Benedict " or 'Creepy', as Andrew Maxwell calls him " is the subject of one of Maxwell's routines, as well as being the unwitting star of video sequences in both Adam Buxton's and Alex Horne's shows.

Heather Pilkington, of the male-female double act Lick & Chew, was heard trying to persuade two Scotsmen to buy tickets for her show, but the lads had some very specific criteria in mind. 'Will we get to see any boobs?' asked one. Pilkington replied: 'Well, there is a bra on display.' She didn't mention that it's her comedy partner, Chris Fitchew, who wears it.

The two prospective punters might want to go to Spank, the Underbelly's late-night comedy cabaret. The hosts have promised that any Fringe company can have a minute onstage to promote their show " but only if one of the performers is naked.

As any Edinburgh Fringe veteran will tell you, when it comes to publicity you can't afford to be picky. Omid Djalili has noticed audiences for his show swelling " possibly in more ways than one " ever since someone put his picture on an Italian gay porn website designed for those with a penchant for fat, hairy men. Djalili was flattered to have been selected, he said.

Will Smith's superb show revolves around his obsession with Marillion, so it was a huge honour for him when Fish, the band's erstwhile lead singer, came to watch. 'It's the first time he's seen me live,' Smith told me. 'Sixteen more times and we'll be even.'

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