Make or break at the Edinburgh Fringe

The Edinburgh Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world, is getting under way.

Over the course of the next three weeks more than 21,000 performers will take part in 2,453 shows at about 250 venues across the city and beyond.

Organisers are hoping to build on the success of last year's box office sales - when a record 1.8 million tickets were sold.

It is the 64th time the city has hosted what Fringe chief executive Kath Mainland calls the "greatest show on Earth".

David Sillito reports.