The Bloody Ballad of Betty Davies, Assembly Rooms Roxy, Edinburgh Fringe 2026

 By Ollie Wilson

This is an excellent and entertaining musical based around the dwindling years of Bette Davies when the fading film star accepted a role in the 1975 movie Burnt Offerings, co-starring with Karen Black and hellraiser Oliver Reed.

The supernatural story puzzled me a tad at times but the performances of the five-strong cast were all extremely good and the music very enjoyable. Davies has a torrid time in particular with Reed who is vile on set, in the story. This I can relate to, having physically wrestled with a very drunken Oliver Reed at a showbiz event in the early 1990s! Reed was a strong guy! And I liked the way he was played on stage in this production.

Artistic director John P. McEneny, who wrote the book, and composer and lyric-writer Rob Parker can feel very proud of what has been achieved here. 

There were some great tunes and great lines such as 'artists don't retire, it's not a job!' or the gay guy saying to Bette: 'You weren't just entertainment, you were permission!'

It was a shame only 17 people were in the audience. This show deserves a bigger crowd!

Star rating: *****

Huge Davies: Sleep Paralysis Princess, Monkey Barrel Comedy, Edinburgh Fringe 2026

 By Ollie Wilson

An incredible show! Huge Davies entered from the back wearing a chef's hat and playing a keyboard, which was supported by a strap around his neck, and sang a series of comments in a kind of Gregorian chant. It was remarkably funny!

Huge then went into the National Trust and gay people, the 'allegations' against him, a rat writing his act, racism ('the crowd [us] look racist'), Dennis Sausages, his chronic insomnia, Billy Baggins, Henry VIII, working in a shoe shop. It's hard to describe how Huge Davies is so f***ing funny; he just is! 

Absolutely brilliant! The packed audience pretty wet themselves laughing!

Star rating: *****

Ali Brice: This Is The Way We Brush Our Teeth, Hoots Potterow, Edinburgh Fringe 2026

By Ollie Wilson

In almost 30 years covering comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe, I have never attended the same show twice - so this is a first.

It only happened because I met Ali Brice who was out flyering and, with typical depressive funk, like Flanders from The Simpsons on anti-depressants, said he was going to cancel that last night's show because he hadn't sold any tickets. 'Don't do that,' I said. 'If you promise to go ahead, I will review it.' We shook on it.

I'd first met Ali Bruce, a charity social media manager, a few days earlier, when his act had largely consisted of amplifying my laugh and getting my companion at that gig to fix his lighting! You see, he doesn't have what you might call comedy material to fall back on and relies heavily on the audience to provide the entertainment for the evening. For reasons no one can quite understand, Brice is the hapless catalyst for hilarity.

On my second visit, he was also inadvertently very funny, although he seemed morose and eager to get the show over with. The audience - almost a capacity crowd - ended up talking to each other as he observed them from the stage. 

Ali Brice is like a human car crash on a stage and, for reasons that are, I suspect, very British, we all find this terribly amusing. 

Indeed, Brice has hit on something special that is very hard to discern but is amazing when it works. That's why I am giving him five stars.

Star rating: *****

Carl Carzana THE Comedian Creative Genius, Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, Edinburgh Fringe 2026

By Ollie Wilson

Carl Carzana broke onto the comedy scene in Brighton a few years ago - and was remarkable for his staccato style of delivery, getting laughs from few words, frequent pauses and dry observation.

I was fortunate to observe his early efforts at stand-up at the legendary Tight Five comedy club in Hove and, for reasons that are lost in the mists of time, became known as his 'dad' for around six years!

Carl, who is also a commercial artist and former Waterstone's bookseller, has blossomed into a very good comedian - and produced a wonderful hour of comedy.

In a venue not much larger than a broom cupboard, adorned with images of nineties pop stars he hated, Carzana expanded on his life's work of bigging himself up at the expense of more accomplished entertainers! He is well known for starting the Carl Carzana comedy competition, open to all talent, but only winnable by himself!

He opened a large suitcase full of props, unfortunately for me, completely cutting off my view of the stage, turning it into a kind of radio performance! But, no matter, his off-the-wall material soon had the audience splitting their sides. It ranged from his alleged showbiz dad (what about me?) to Bob Dylan, Shakespeare, 'ye do ye', Si Si to CC. Well, you had to be there. My friend, Stewart, enjoyed it just much as I did.

The drawings he produced of his heroes were wonderful, and his crowd play with Martin ('Can I call you, Martin?' as he kept saying) were hilarious. And I loved his glove puppets, Hermit the Hog and Mikey the Moose.

A fabulous show - and it is great to see how far Carl Carzana has come in comedy!

Star rating: *****

 

Mark Steel: What The F*** Is Going On, Assembly Rooms Ballroom, Edinburgh Fringe 2026

 By Ollie Wilson

Mark Steel is a big name in comedy - on stage and on Radio 4 - and I have seen him perform on stages large and small, from big halls to tiny bars in Brighton. He is always good. . . but this show is absolutely outstanding!

What the fuck is going on, in Britain, in the world, in society? You might well ask. It is hard to deny that we are in a mess. 

Mark took his packed audience through a hilarious whirlwind of prime ministers before turning to the impact of technology, the incredible generational inflation in property values and rent costs, the collapse of council housing and pretty much every aspect of modern living. I was laughing too much to write them all down.

His brilliant performance reminded me of how adept he is at doing regional accents and impressions of the famous. I like Mark - he is a friendly, down-to-earth guy. And unlike many comedians, who simplify complicated issues for laughs, his material is pretty accurate. Privilege still dominates. Technology screws us up. Life has become a bit of a nightmare.

But Mark manages to make it so funny. I have been coming to the Edinburgh Fringe since 1997 and have rarely seen a more hilarious show!

So, for once, let's break with the reviewing star system - and give it SIX stars!

Star Rating: ******