So a few people have been asking 'so what are you hoping to get out of Edinburgh this year?', which is a good question and not necessarily an easy one to answer. 

Is it the plaudits? The chance of getting an award? Chasing that dream of becoming a famous comedian? Hoping get picked up and carried through the streets by a cheering, adoring crowd, straight into an agents office and signed up for a huge global tour and Saturday night tv show? Is it for the chance to hang out with your comedy heroes in the late night bars, drinking and schmoozing until the early hours, sucking from the generous teat of Johnny Vegas, being fed grapes by other big-name comedians, whilst regaling them with 'hilarious' anecdotes? 

None of the above. 

It's all well and good having a dream or five, your plan to head off into that distant land of beautiful grey buildings on an adventure to find fame and fortune beyond your wildest dreams. But all that just isn't for me. I've been performing comedy for little over two years now and the reasons to stand up alone in front of an audience night after night has never been to get famous. If you want to get famous, there are much easier ways I'm sure. I'd probably go and shag Wayne Rooney or something. 

What you will find when you see me this year, is a man working incredibly hard to increase his value as a comedian. It shouldn't be too difficult to find me either, being in three shows per day this year, without additional spots. This has transpired almost by accident. My original intention was to do only two shows, but the additional show I landed myself in has lauded a three-pronged 'strategy' to hone my comedic abilities. 

Firstly, 'We Love Comedy', our London club night is coming back to the same venue. This is a 'varitable bill' show in a terrific venue on Cowgate, giving me the chance to hone and practice my MC'ing skills with a vastly different audience every day. This will be pure emceeing and any material will come from bouncing things off of the audience. I'll only have around ten minutes per day to do this, but the aim is to be funny and friendly without resorting to tried-and-tested material. Also, even more important, we are upping the game in terms of line-ups for this year. And sadly, I won't have the back-up last year from my wonderful partner (and now fiancé!), Renata, who stopped her pursuit of the funny after last years festival.

OK, so what else? 

Assorted Nuts! No, it's not snack time just yet, but a show I'm doing every evening with two other comedians, Phil Higgins and David Hardcastle. This is an evening showcase, with the three of us each taking a turn to do around 20 minutes each. The plan is to work on and add polish to my existing set, as well as giving me the chance to try and develop new comedic ideas, as so much of my favourite material has been developed and reworked in front of audiences. 

So, what about that third show? 

What am I hoping for? 

It's a kind of surprise. And in many ways, 'a kind of surprise' is the most ambitious of the three shows, although being performed earlier in the day at a more intimate venue. I'm working alongside Masud Milas, a comedian who grew up in Hong Kong and New Zealand and we're flexing our writing muscles with this, to try and produce half an hour each of new work. Although we're splitting this into bite-sized chunks throughout each performance, attempting to link the material as we go. Developing the mind-muscles to create and develop new work (i.e. hour long shows) in the not-so-distant future.

I love a good social too and can knock the Crabbie's back with the best of them. But I'm not aiming to be up in tall bars every night, nob-hobbing and neck swinging in acknowledgement of my comedy heroes, as much as I am partial to the bitter taste of Vegas milk. All too common last year, was the comedian complaining of throat soreness from 'doing my shows'. Where the nightly drinking and shouting over everyone to be heard obviously had no effect!

So that's what I'm hoping for for this year, or to put it more succincty (and this'll teach you not to have just scrolled down before comencement of reading):

• To become a better MC
• To become a better comedian
• To push my comedy writing towards a full show
• To try and enjoy the experience

I'm sure we'll all be having a drink or two, but as for seeking fame and fortune and Edinburgh being the big comedy trade show, I'm not buying it. I want to have something solid to sell first.

"What does this 'Sean Brightman's Edinburgh Fringe Survival Kit' contain then?" I hear you mutter half-heartedly in my own head. I shall delay you no longer in finding out good person:

What we have there is (from left to right):
•an umbrella 'The Edin-bare Necessity'
•a tin of Heinz Tomato Sup 'The one proper meal you will have in a month'
•an energy shot 'use in case of emergency'
•roll-on deodorant 'shower replacement system'
•multi-vitamins 'substitute for food'
•Anadin Extra 'take one a day'
•That Jordan and Alex Reid book 'last-minute material supply'.

*The fish-bowl was not included

Almost everything you need to survive performing at the festival. I say almost everything, as I got given this from my lovely friend Kerrie:

And it fits perfectly in the box!

How well my friends know me.

I recently got engaged to my lovely lady, Renata. Our friend, the brilliant Bec Hill, soon posted this... 

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Patrick Monahan vs. John Bishop crowdsurfing? Check. Boy with tape on his face? Check. Brendan Burns introducing a whole host of comedians each doing a 90 second set for Abandoman to reinterpret – say wha-...!?!

I've grown my hair. It's now pretty long. It's big hair. It's the longest hair I've ever had. In Edinburgh, on a recommendation from the lovely Bec Hill, I wandered into the haircutting chair of the beautiful Magda, a lady so gorgeous, down to earth and full of inspirational stories, I could barely believe it. Coupled with the hairwashing-headmassaging-hands of an angel and the genius idea of a shot of vodka (or two) instead of the usual cup of tea or coffee and you've got a dream come true. I walked in fed up with my lengthening hair, not knowing what I wanted. I walked out in an extremely good mood, with long locks, safe in the knowledge my next haircut would be 6 months after (and I'm tempted to pop back for a weekend for repeat custom!), but definitely, August 2011, you'll find me in there one afternoon, having a Snip and Snip. My only advice, if you're reading this and in Edinburgh, please book an appointment and pay them a visit. Check out their facebook group.