SURVIVING WEEK THREE (PART ONE) Andrew J Lederer, comedian, pictured THOUGH most of us understand we won't get much in the way of awards or attention, during weeks one and two there can exist, lurking behind our rationality, a barely illuminated sliver of hope that maybe, somehow, someone will notice.

By Shari Low Comedy sketch act Diet of Worms, who are at the Gilded Balloon Teviot with their show Friends of the Puffincat - singing, dancing, loads of laughs and a grown woman pretending to be a plaster. Fringe genius! (c) 2008 Daily Record; Glasgow (UK). Provided by ProQuest LLC.

FRINGE comedians are well known as stable, mild-mannered types who exercise, eat their greens and go to bed early. But Tommy Cooper died on air and Sid James died on stage during a play.

By LYNDSAY MOSS WHEN you think of what might be the healthiest profession, it is probably fair to say that stand-up comedians are unlikely to be at the top of the list.

Accidental Death of an Accordionist, Acoustic Music Centre, 10:45pm, until 23 August. YOU'LL get a hilarious, anarchic taste of Scotland from this "comedy ceilidh murder mystery", taking up residency on the Fringe in the middle of a Scottish tour.