Edinburgh Fringe hits that made it big on screen

Everyone knows that without the Festival Fringe, there would be no theatre as we know it.

Each year, thousands of performers head to Edinburgh to hand out flyers, perform their new material and pull all-nighters in Hive.

We’re avid supporters of the event, annually completing the pilgrimage to Scotland. With August just around the corner, we’re looking at the big screen hits that all started out at the festival.

Note: We’re not including comedy specials, because there are only so many hours in the day! But we still love and appreciate them.

Baby Reindeer

Richard Gadd’s solo show, chronicling his experience being stalked, premiered in 2019. It was his breakout success, transferring to London and promised a run in the West End before the Covid lockdowns scuppered it. But, it may have worked to Gadd’s advantage as Netflix then confirmed a TV adaptation, written by and starring Gadd as Donny. Upon its release, with an award-winning cast including Jessica Gunning, Nava Mau, and Tom Goodman-Hill, Barclays Bank reported a rise in subscription payments to watch!

Fleabag

A show that requires no introduction – Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s solo play started as a dare and transformed her into a household name once the BBC got their hands on it. The adaptation is pure brilliance, with Waller-Bridge in the lead role, and introducing the formidable Andrew Scott as the “Hot” Priest, Sian Clifford as Fleabag’s pencil-haired sister Claire, and even Olivia Colman as the artsy stepmother.

Flight of the Conchords

In the early 00s, musical duo Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement performed at the Fringe. A radio series followed ahead of an Emmy-nominated HBO sitcom, which sees the two of them play fictionalised versions of themselves as a two-man band looking to make it big in New York City.

The League of Gentlemen

The League of Gentlemen guys, Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss, Reece Shearsmith, and Jeremy Dyson, first started performing together in the capital, but were met with a lot of love when they arrived in Edinburgh, bagging awards and a commission for a radio series. Shortly after, a TV commission was earned, and nobody has described a “local shop for local people” seriously since.

The Mighty Boosh

It was in the late 1990s that Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt first conceived the idea of the surrealist comedy. They developed two Fringe shows in quick succession alongside a London residency. The show developed into radio before leaping into its TV programme. A couple of years ago, Netflix pulled The Mighty Boosh, along with The League of Gentleman (another show on this list), for its use of blackface.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

Tom Stoppard’s tragicomedy was first seen at the Fringe before heading to London, New York, Sydney, airwaves, and eventually to the big screen. It follows the two minor characters from Shakespeare’s Hamlet as they ponder their existence. The movie starred Gary Oldman and Tim Roth, and to this day marks Stoppard’s only foray into directing for the big screen.

Six

If you’re a regular reader of WhatsOnStage, you won’t need us to explain anything about the mega-musical celebrated across the world! Written by Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow, the pop concert unites and hands the mics to the ex-wives of Henry VIII. It premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe and the rest is her-story; it has been, and continues to be, staged across the world, and earlier this year made its way into cinemas with the original Queens. The recorded performance broke box office records!

Taskmaster

Little Alex Horne first debuted the idea of Taskmaster at the Fringe in 2010. The concept saw Horne emailing monthly tasks to 20 comedians over the course of a year. Their efforts were then presented in The Task Master where the winner was revealed. He repeated the madness with half the contestants the following year, and Dave signed it up after hearing a pitch. Nineteen series down, not counting spin-offs, we think Horne has earned five points.

Weather Girl

It isn’t technically a big screen hit… yet, but Brian Watkins’ piece may be the next scorcher. The five-star solo show starred Julia McDermott as California weather girl Stacey, and Netflix has already picked up the dark comedy for a limited season!

It’s the third in this list from producer Francesca Moody, who is responsible for Baby Reindeer and Fleabag too. Listen to her discuss Fringe success on the WhatsOnStage Podcast below: