Next in our Edinburgh Fringe interview series, we speak to Tom Johnson, one of the writers behind Armageddon Outta Here. The show is described as: “An asteroid hurtles toward Earth, threatening total annihilation. Meanwhile, ego, denial, faith and petty squabbles ripple through a world teetering on the edge. Dark, loud and gloriously anarchic, Armageddon Outta Here is the apocalypse we deserve.”
How would you describe your show to someone discovering it for the first time at the Fringe?
Pretty much this: an asteroid is heading towards Earth, civilisation is collapsing, and humanity responds in the only way it knows how once it realises there are no consequences for its actions… by becoming cowardly, depraved, spiteful, and mindlessly violent.
What moment, idea or frustration first sparked this show into existence?
I wanted to do a show, and found myself wondering how people would behave if the world was definitely about to end. If there’s no tomorrow, there’s no accountability. That morphed into a collection of sketches about cowardice, pettiness, violence, and the wonderfully thick things people do under pressure. It’s lovely playing complete scumbags. I get it all out of my system, then return to being semi-normal afterwards.
How has the show evolved from its earliest idea to what audiences will see now?
We’ve progressed from doodling on napkins to doodling on tablecloths. There’s considerably more physical violence now. We’ve even added a joke.
What makes Edinburgh Fringe the right place for this show right now?
In the nooks, crannies, caves and backrooms, there are performers still carrying the spirit of what the Fringe was originally built for. There will always be punters that seek out the more alternative and irreverent. The trick is just making yourself known to them. If someone can tell me, I’d love to know.
What does bringing this particular show to the Fringe represent for you personally?
The excitement of live performance. The spectacle of it. To try emulate the thrill I’d get from seeing some of my heroes like Wilko Johnson, Jackass, Python, Viv Stanshall, The Comic Strip, Gary Oldman, Oliver Reed, John Otway. I like performing Armageddon Outta Here because it’s energetic, and we do perform the brass monkeys out of it. Mostly we’re just trying to make each other laugh like two naughty schoolboys trying not to giggle at the back of a classroom.
What has been the most unexpectedly challenging part of getting this show to Edinburgh?
Towing the set to Edinburgh on a trailer behind my moped.
If audiences leave the venue holding onto one thing, what do you hope it is?
Our merch.
How do you think performing this show during a Fringe run will shape it?
We’ll learn how to perform it drunk.
Who do you hope this show finds at the Fringe?
Anyone who likes having a laugh. And maybe a big Hollywood executive who wants to reboot the Confessions of a Window Cleaner franchise.
Finally, if this show came with a warning label, what would it say?
“Do not tell Tom Johnson’s job coach he’s up here working.”
Armageddon Outta Here runs at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 6th-17th August 2026.