Fringe Benefits 2025

 

 

After a gap of two years, I was back at the Edinburgh Fringe, for only one day this time (19/08/25) - 6 shows in just under 12 hours.

 

Coming Out With Doctor Who – Games Room, Laughing Horse @ The Brass Monkey  (Venue #153)   SJ Wyatt  [60 mins]

A one-woman interactive show about how ‘Doctor Who’ helped SJ Wyatt come out as a bipolar, queer, neurodiverse, wannabe activist, held in a room that seemed to be an anti-TARDIS being ‘smaller on the inside’, leading to the audience being crammed in, and slightly too close to the performer.

 

Mark Simmons: His Latest Jokes – Studio, Liquid Room  (Venue #276)  Mark Simmons  [50 mins]

My punning comedian of the year, Simmons pumped out one-liner after one-liner, explaining the process of how he crafts each one including different ways of delivering them, whilst dealing with a fly that was trying to upstage him. There was even a brief guest spot from Danny Ward, his Fringe podcast co-host. I was laughing from start to finish, and having been given a flyer for his upcoming 2026 tour, am intending to book a ticket.

 

1 Moment in Time – Fleming Theatre, the Space @ Surgeons’ Hall (Venue #53)  Sean Alexander  [50 mins]

This year’s magic show, with a moving throughline. I was even chosen to participate in the finale. However, they were all tricks that I had seen before.

 

A Highly Suspect Murder Mystery: The Death of the Great Detective – Fleming Theatre, the Space @ Surgeons’ Hall (Venue #53)  Highly Suspect  [65 mins]

Something a little different – a murder mystery to be solved by the audience. Holmes is seemingly dead, and Watson, Lestrade, Mycroft and Mrs. Hudson have been tasked with bringing together the best amateur sleuths to solve not one, but two murders. Working with those sitting next to me, we managed to solve many of the clues given to us, with my contribution being cracking a clock-code and solving some anagrams. We didn’t quite get the solution, but as soon as another group revealed an additional clue that they had solved, were able to see who the perpetrator must be. Highly recommended. (and I managed to get a photo with Joe Desborough [Watson]) on the way out.  (see https://www.highlysuspect.co.uk/ for details of their other mysteries)

 

 

Baker Street Ladies - Annexe, theSpace @ Symposium Hall (Venue #43)  Lexi Wolfe   [60 mins]

A one-woman show in which Lexi Wolfe (‘The Mary Morstan Mysteries’) plays three Sherlockian women in turn – Mrs. Hudson, Mary Morstan and Irene Adler. I had seen an online version several years before, but had forgotten all the twists and turns, and went away with a more in-depth view of all three women. Very, very good.

 

 

Frisky’s Reshuffle – Palais du Variete  – George Square Gardens  (Venue #3)  Laura Corcoran  [60 mins]

After several years away, ‘Frisky’ (Laura Corcoran) is back at the Fringe, without her normal musical comedy partner, ‘Mannish’, (Matthew Floyd Jones). The simple idea of this show is singing well known songs in styles completely different to their normal style – think a Swing version of the Proclaimers’ ‘500 Miles’ – based on audience suggestions. With a live band, no two shows were going to be the same. Amongst the delights that I experienced were ‘Like A Virgin’ as Rock’n’Roll, Rave, Gilbert and Sullivan and Traditional Scottish; ‘Thank You for the Music’ as a Bond Theme; and ‘Defying Gravity’ as a Jazz standard. She was also honest about how concerned she had been about this solo show, encouraging all audience members to ‘do what scares them’. Very highly recommended.