By Grace Hatchell
I’m writing this from inside an aquarium gift shop, wearing a snorkel I absolutely did not pay for, while trying to explain to a confused clownfish that Oz has sent us a comedian, 100 million fish, and still, somehow, not a single horse.
Now then, some deliveries arrive with stamps, some arrive with tracking numbers, and some apparently swim into the satchel carrying 100 million fish and absolutely no horses.
Shannon Brooke, an Australian-born comedian now based in Edinburgh, is bringing her second solo stand-up show to this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and after the success of her 2025 debut A Horseless Rodeo, she is back with 100 Million Fish in the Aquarium.
And before anyone asks: no, she is still not talking about horses. I checked the satchel twice.
Running from 6 August to 30 August, excluding 17 August, 100 Million Fish in the Aquarium is described as a heartfelt yet hilarious look into the power of storytelling. Knowing Fringe, that could mean anything from a gentle confessional to a full emotional ambush in a tiny room with someone crying into a flyer. Either way, I’m intrigued.
Shannon Brooke is an award-winning Australian comedian known for her whimsical storytelling style, hard-hitting honesty, passion and edge. She has been performing for more than six years across Australia, Germany and Scotland, and has become a regular on the UK and European comedy scene.
Her comedy has already drawn praise for its mix of brightness and bite. Edinburgh Laughter Bulletin described her as having “a working dichotomy between sunniness and edge,” while One4Review said: “Tonally, she walks a tightrope… absurd, honest, dark, heartfelt… and never loses her balance.”
That sounds like the kind of Fringe act who lures you in with charm, gives you a giggle, then suddenly leaves you staring into the middle distance thinking about your entire personality. Lovely stuff. Very Edinburgh. Very “I only came in because it was raining and now I’m emotionally changed.”
A few years ago, Shannon was diagnosed with OCD after a lifetime of performing ridiculous compulsions. As she puts it, yes, she’s a performer. This show is about that, among other things, using storytelling to explore the strange, funny, difficult and deeply human ways we try to make sense of ourselves.
The Stand Comedy Club has praised Shannon for her “great stage energy and stage presence,” and with her combination of warmth, darkness, honesty and whimsy, 100 Million Fish in the Aquarium looks set to be one of those Fringe shows that balances laughs with something a bit deeper beneath the surface.
Like a fish tank, really. Pretty from the outside, but there’s a lot going on once you peer in properly.
So, from A Horseless Rodeo to 100 Million Fish in the Aquarium, Shannon Brooke appears to be building a Fringe career out of refusing to be easily boxed in. No horses. Many fish. Plenty of feeling.
Grace’s satchel says: dive in.
Tickets available at https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/100-million-fish-in-the-aquarium
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