Fringe date for Michael Barrymore

Michael Barrymore will feature in a show about comedian Spike Milligan

Michael Barrymore is among the performers who will star at this year's Edinburgh Fringe festival.

Organisers have launched this year's programme, which will see more than 2,000 shows taking place in August.

Barrymore, whose career collapsed after a man was found dead in his swimming pool seven years ago, will feature in a show about comedian Spike Milligan.

Other shows include a play about Vincent van Gogh, written by Leonard Nimoy who played Star Trek's Mr Spock.

Vincent is set in Paris 1890 and is about his brother Theo van Gogh, played by Jim Jarrett, mourning the artist's suicide.

The play, which is directed by Guy Masterson, is in Vincent's words through his many letters to Theo.

Turbulent relationship

Barrymore has been struggling to rebuild his career since the death at his home.

No-one was charged in connection with the death.

He stars in a play called "Surviving Spike" with Eastenders' Jill Halfpenny.

The play, by Richard Harris, is about Spike Milligan's turbulent relationship with his manager Norma Farnes.

Both shows will be on at the Assembly Rooms in George Street.

Four of the festival's largest venues - including the Gilded Balloon and the Pleasance - have set up their own comedy festival and launched their own programme.

Leonard Nimoy has written a play about Vincent van Gogh

The move has been criticised by some, but the breakaway venues said they were trying to boost business and still believed they were part of the Fringe.

The director of the Fringe, John Morgan, denied that the comedy festival would overshadow events.

He told BBC Radio Scotland: "The comedy festival is just one of the many range of things that's going to be happening at this year's festival.

"It's part of that kind of glorious, somewhat anarchic mix of things that are happening at the festival."

It is 61 years since eight theatre groups turned up uninvited to the first Edinburgh International Festival.

They staged their performances at venues away from the big public stages and the Fringe was born.

It is thought the Fringe has a 75% market share of all attendance at Edinburgh's year-round festivals and annually generates about £75m for the Edinburgh and Scottish economy.