Next in our Edinburgh Fringe interview series, we speak to Mark Ryder who is bringing the show No Hard Felix to the fringe this year. ”Toxic masculinity finally meets his match: erectile dysfunction. Felix is a finance bro with a big watch, a big ego and a little problem downstairs. His chaotic quest to “fix” himself spirals into an accidental journey into vulnerability and the scared parts of himself he’s spent a lifetime avoiding. Felix needs to heal(ix). How would you describe your show to someone discovering it for the first time at the Fringe? A one man show about toxic masculinity. About a ridiculous finance bro who can’t get it up. It’s big, silly, playful and heartfelt. What moment, idea or frustration first sparked this show into existence? Just seeing the world being run by these man children. These big babies who want to show everyone how manly and strong they are. Photos of Putin bare-chested on a horse come to mind! I wanted to show what lies beneath all that. That men have a lot of insecurity and vulnerability that gets buried. How has the show evolved from its earliest idea to what audiences will see now? We’ve made the character more and more of a clown. You can push masculinity so far that it actually ends up being quite feminine. These bodybuilders posing in their underwear, matadors, Zoolander facial expressions… The more and more macho someone tries to be, the more we see that it’s just armour or a mask. What makes Edinburgh Fringe the right place for this show right now? We’ve just had the Louis Theroux Manosphere documentary so this type of masculinity is in our thoughts right now. The fringe is the perfect place to make a splash and add to the conversation. What does bringing this particular show to the Fringe represent for you personally? Men, our mental health and what we’re doing in the world. There are few things I care more about. So honestly doing this show is the dream. Painters get to express themselves on a canvas. I find it rare that actors get to do that fully in their work. This feels like a full expression of me. What has been the most unexpectedly challenging part of getting this show to Edinburgh? The millions of little bits. I’m writing and performing the show but then you have to promote, and make posters and flyers and hustle and the list goes on. You have to wear so many hats. It’s all part of the fun I guess but my brain feels a little scrambled! If audiences leave the venue holding onto one thing, what do you hope it is? The show is all about Felix not being able to be hard. But it’s because we live in a world that says men shouldn’t be soft. So I’d love people to leave just a little bit softer. Even just 1% softer. Then that seems like a nicer world to me. How do you think performing this show during a Fringe run will shape it? I’m sure I’ll play to a full house one day and then six people the next. That’s going to teach me so much about how to adapt the show night to night. Who do you hope this show finds at the Fringe? People who love to laugh. The odd finance bro as well would be fun. And maybe one big Hollywood producer who wants to scoop the show up and turn it into a tv show… that would be nice… Finally, if this show came with a warning label, what would it say? BEWARE OF TOXIC MAN! No Hard Felix runs at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 6th-17th August 2026.
