How would you describe your show to someone discovering it for the first time at the Fringe? A cosmic shot of ridiculous optimism disguised as a variety show. What moment, idea or frustration first sparked this show into existence? Experiencing live performance is unique, unexpected, rare and special, it is the antidote to digital despair. I wanted to help with that, while poking fun at tribalism. How has the show evolved from its earliest idea to what audiences will see now? It started in my living room with friends and wonderful failure, we continue to have both, just on a bigger scale. I can’t believe how lucky we’ve been over the past couple years to get such incredible acts to join our show and share their talents, they love doing their bit as well as joining in for the other shenanigans like Nerf Karaoke and the Slow Motion Pillow fight. We also now have a monkey, we didn’t always have a monkey before, and it’s called ‘the ancient one’ … not a monkey. What makes Edinburgh Fringe the right place for this show right now? It’s the largest arts festival in the world, I want to share this show with as many people as possible. This is ground zero for saving the world with art, comedy, absurdity, inspiration, laughter and spectacle. What does bringing this particular show to the Fringe represent for you personally? I’m from Scotland and I love bringing this show back home to Scottish audiences, they are such enthusiastic and honest crowds, they will let you know what’s working and what’s not; and their banter will make you laugh more than most comedians. I’m tired of people saying how awful everything and everyone is, I hope to remind myself and our audiences how much joy there still can be in the world. What has been the most unexpectedly challenging part of getting this show to Edinburgh? Getting 30 Nerf Guns, 30 pillows and 3 dinosaurs through airport security. If audiences leave the venue holding onto one thing, what do you hope it is? HOPE … and maybe they’ll text that friend they haven’t spoken to in a while. How do you think performing this show during a Fringe run will shape it? We will discover more jokes and games to play with audiences, we will also discover what’s not really working and make those changes, I hope the show we finish with is an awesome evolution from where we started. When I first started this show I decided it would always keep changing, I intend to keep that going and to have audiences return to see what’s different. Who do you hope this show finds at the Fringe? Anyone who feels lost, alone, frustrated at the world, or just needs a cheeky pick me up. I also hope other artists come and want to join or collaborate in future festivals and tours! Finally, if this show came with a warning label, what would it say? Warning: You may leave this show with a warm fuzzy feeling and some mild existential wonder. Broken Planet Show runs at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 20th-30th August 2026.
Next in our Edinburgh Fringe interview series, we speak to Callum Grant who is bringing Broken Planet Show to the Edinburgh Fringe 2026. The show is described as ”comedy, circus and indie cosmic lunacy collide in an ever-changing nightly riot of world-class weirdos, hellbent on healing our planetary divide. Interactive, uplifting, subversive and bonkers. Featuring Clown God, Mothman, Fart Monkey, nerf karaoke and outlandish acts from across the Fringe, with a live-looped indie score morphing every night. Broken Planet Show dares you to misbehave, laugh at your flaws and dance through the chaos.”
