Fringe: Margaret Thatcher, Queen Of Game Shows

A throwaway line about the hasty rewrites needed to keep up with the ever changing political landscape pointed at this show’s only weakness.

While it’s packed with gags, sketches and cracks along at a rate of knots, and went down a storm with the audience, it has the occasional stumble as it jumps from topic to topic.

That said, there is certainly much to commend it.

For a start, it’s plain daft – the sight of the old Milk Snatcher launching into Dolly Parton’s Nine To Five, among them.

And the trio, fronted by comedian Matt Tedford, work incredibly hard to keep the tempo going as they host a game show in which we play to save our benefits.

The games are silly but fun to watch, or take part in, and the trio weave the altogether with the loosest of nods to ‘A Christmas Carol’ as Thatcher is visited by three ghosts – a puppet Nicola Sturgeon, a Euro-disco Angela Merkel, and Nigel Farage who was, well, Nigel Farage – plus cameos from Bruce Forsyth and Cilla Black to top up the quota of catchphrases.

If anything, it perhaps lacks a bit of bite from Thatcher. It’s not often you find yourself wishing for a bit more venom from the ex-PM, but given her toxic reputation in Scotland, it was a missed opportunity to give this show a real cutting edge and spark some even more audience feedback.

>> Margaret Thatcher, Queen Of Game Shows

Assembly George Square Gardens (Venue 3),

Aug 12-13, 15-27, 9.00pm

Ticket info at Ed Fringe