With less than a month to go until this year's Edinburgh Fringe kicks off, the news this week was all about one man and one show. No, not Ed Sheeran selling out Hampden Park or the homecoming of Wayne Rooney back to his boyhood club Everton but Scotland's former First Minister Alex Salmond and the news that he's to host his own show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The ex-SNP leader, who lost his seat as MP for Gordon in May's General Election, will front Alex Salmond Unleashed during the annual arts festival in August. Promoters for the show say it will feature invited guests, music and comedy, as well as "a bit of light-hearted banter and a few behind the scenes revelations about his time in power".

Mr Salmond said: "I have always fancied a spot at the Edinburgh Fringe and this is going to be lots of fun. Obviously in the show there will be lots about politics but the emphasis will be very much on the lighter side. Among the invited guests there is already plenty of excitement and quite a few surprises. I suspect some people might be taken aback at the range of friends whom I invite along.”

He also had this to say about Donald Trump "I can confirm that the President of the United States will not be appearing in person but he may well feature in quite a few of the stories I tell about recent political events."

I’m personally a big fan of Alex, I've met him several times and he's a charming man and after 30 years in politics I'm not sure how he's going to manage to fit in all of his stories from over the years in just one hour. He was a big supporter of the STV Appeal during his time as First Minister and he even co hosted an episode of The Hour TV show with me. It was so much fun as he was always such a great sport and up for a real laugh every time we met.

For example, remember the year he infamously waved a Scotland flag right behind the then Prime Minister, David Cameron's head while watching Andy Murray play at Wimbledon? Or more recently he tweeted a picture of himself casually leaning against a gate in a field with the caption “Tempted to be naughty.” Followed by the hashtag #fieldsofwheat in direct reference to Prime Minister Theresa May’s confession of running through wheat fields when she was a child? Well I'm sure you can expect a whole lot more of that in his new show kicking off at 13.45 on August 13 for two weeks at the Assembly Rooms on George Street. I’ll definitely be buying a ticket as I'm so intrigued to hear what he has to say.

You see that's the beauty and the very reason this festival was born back in 1947. It was seen as an alternative to the official Edinburgh Festival because at that time, acts and productions had to be invited to perform by the select committee, who mainly opted for classical music events, and organisers of the Fringe wanted everyone and anyone who was willing, to take part and perform from right across the arts.

It's just truly amazing though to think how much the Edinburgh Fringe has grown and that it's now celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. It's the biggest Arts Festival in the world and with an estimated two million visitors expected to visit the capital during the month of August it's safe to say it's the most exciting and spectacular month in the Scottish calendar.

It's my fifth consecutive year performing my one woman shows and this year I'm going right back to the beginning with my very original show, Michelle McManus’ Reality: The Musical.

The show completely sold out first time around and received five star reviews across the board and more importantly it absolutely gave me the fringe springboard I needed to create my one woman trilogy of shows. It's hard to describe what it's like to be a performer at the festival but hail rain or shine and let's not beat about the bush, it's mainly always raining, it's an incredible event to be involved in.

It's a big step up for me this year as I move venue to stand five and six on York Place sharing the stage with TV and Fringe favourites Jo Caulfield and Phill Jupitus to name but a few. So if you fancy a great night out with comedy and sing along make sure you come see my show. It's on at 6.35pm and runs throughout the whole month. For more information log onto www.edfringe.com