A Simply Beastly Murder brings a grown-up Famous Five-inspired murder mystery to Edinburgh Fringe 2026, starring Rachel E. Thorn and Alistair Mackay, with additional voices by Alistair McGowan.
A Simply Beastly Murder Comes to Edinburgh Fringe
Grace here, and today’s satchel has arrived smelling faintly of childhood nostalgia, suspicious behaviour and tinned pineapple. Which, in fairness, is not the strangest combination I’ve carried.
A Simply Beastly Murder is heading to Edinburgh Fringe, taking the spirit of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five and giving it a grown-up, film noir twist. Yes, the Famous Five have aged up, reunited and found themselves solving a murder. Because apparently ginger beer and wholesome bicycle rides can only get you so far before someone ends up dramatically deceased.
The new comedy play is written by Rachel E. Thorn and stars Rachel E. Thorn and Alistair Mackay, with additional voices by Alistair McGowan. It plays at Pleasance Dome from 5 to 30 August.
The Famous Five, But Not As You Remember Them
A Simply Beastly Murder takes the characters inspired by Enid Blyton’s children’s books and throws them headfirst into the gritty underworld of detective drama.
The result is described as film noir for the stage, with the Famous Five stepping into a world of gangsters, intrigue and morally murky mystery. Frankly, it sounds like someone took a picnic hamper, tipped out the sandwiches and found a murder weapon underneath.
Writer Rachel E. Thorn is something of an expert in Blyton’s world.
“I’ve never met anyone who knows as much about her writing as me!” says Thorn. “The language and the world of her stories are so ripe for parody and I’ve had a blast repurposing them for this show.”
And you can see why. Blyton’s world of secret passages, suspicious adults and children with alarming levels of free time is already halfway to a detective story. It just needed a trench coat and a shadowy alley.
A Comedy Play With a Film Noir Twist
While A Simply Beastly Murder plays with the familiar world of Blytonia, theatre-lovers should not expect a simple jolly romp.
Thorn has also drawn inspiration from film noir, creating a darker and more grown-up edge to the parody.
“I’ve also been inspired by another midcentury classic, the film noir,” says Thorn. “If Blyton’s morals are black-and-white, everything in the hardboiled detective’s world is grey. It’s the perfect combination for exploring growing up in the shadow of the British Empire and the way we mythologise childhood.”
That is where this sounds especially interesting. It is not just “remember those books?” with a wink and a bicycle bell. It is taking childhood nostalgia, giving it a suspicious side-eye, and asking what happens when those old certainties start to crack.
Which, let’s be honest, is exactly the sort of thing Edinburgh Fringe does rather well when it’s on form.
From Radio 4 Sketch to Edinburgh Fringe Show
The play began life as a sketch written by Rachel E. Thorn for the Radio 4 programme DMs Are Open.
“They cast Lorna Rose Treen,” Thorn remembers, “who gave such a gorgeous performance that I just couldn’t let the concept end there.”
Thorn later wrote more Blyton-inspired sketches for her 2023 Edinburgh show Sketch Up, before developing the idea further into A Simply Beastly Murder.
This year, Thorn is one of only 16 recipients of the Keep It Fringe Fund. She says the show could not have been created without support from Barnsley Civic.
Alistair McGowan Provides Additional Voices
A Simply Beastly Murder stars Rachel E. Thorn and Alistair Mackay, with additional voices by Alistair McGowan.
Thorn, who writes for Dead Ringers, knows McGowan through her work with impressionists.
“I’m so grateful for all the support I’ve had along the way,” she says. “I write for Dead Ringers, so I know Alistair McGowan through the work I’ve done with impressionists, and he’s been such a generous advocate of the concept that he offered to do the additional voices I needed. It’s not easy writing a murder mystery for two actors!”
No, indeed. Most murder mysteries can barely get through the first act without introducing a vicar, a disgruntled cousin, three suspects in cardigans and someone with a suspiciously large keyring.
So how do you create victims, villains and suspects with only two actors on stage?
“You’ll have to come and see it!” says Thorn. “The show is full of theatrical Easter eggs. It’s quintessential fringe. You can expect gangsters, intrigue and lashings of tinned pineapple.”
Now that, dear reader, is a sentence. Lashings of tinned pineapple. I don’t know whether to book a ticket or check the cupboard.
Who Is Behind A Simply Beastly Murder?
A Simply Beastly Murder is written by Rachel E. Thorn and directed by James Stone.
The production stars Rachel E. Thorn and Alistair Mackay, with additional voices from Alistair McGowan.
The show is supported by Barnsley Civic, Fenton Arts Trust and Keep It Fringe.
It feels like one of those Fringe ideas that has all the right ingredients: a familiar cultural reference, a clever twist, a compact cast, a sharp comic brain behind it and a title that immediately makes you want to know what on earth is going on.
Why This Sounds Like One to Watch
A Simply Beastly Murder sounds like a proper Fringe curiosity: part parody, part detective drama, part nostalgia interrogation, and part theatrical juggling act.
It has the ingredients of a comedy that knows its source material well enough to lovingly poke it with a stick. And that matters, because parody is always better when it comes from someone who genuinely understands the world they are playing with.
So, if you like your mysteries with gangsters, your childhood favourites with grown-up complications, and your Fringe shows with theatrical Easter eggs, this may be one for the satchel.
Just keep an eye on the tinned pineapple. I don’t trust it.
FAQ: A Simply Beastly Murder at Edinburgh Fringe
What is A Simply Beastly Murder about?
A Simply Beastly Murder is a comedy murder mystery inspired by Enid Blyton’s Famous Five stories. It imagines the characters grown up and reunited to solve a murder, with a film noir twist.
Where is A Simply Beastly Murder being performed?
The show is being performed at Jack Dome at Pleasance Dome as part of Edinburgh Fringe.
When is A Simply Beastly Murder at Edinburgh Fringe?
A Simply Beastly Murder runs from 5 to 30 August.
What time is A Simply Beastly Murder?
The show runs from 13:20 to 14:20.
Who wrote A Simply Beastly Murder?
The play is written by Rachel E. Thorn.
Who stars in A Simply Beastly Murder?
The show stars Rachel E. Thorn and Alistair Mackay, with additional voices by Alistair McGowan.
Who directs A Simply Beastly Murder?
The production is directed by James Stone.
Where can I book tickets for A Simply Beastly Murder?
Tickets are available through the Pleasance website: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/simply-beastly-murder
Who supports A Simply Beastly Murder?
The production is supported by Barnsley Civic, Fenton Arts Trust and Keep It Fringe.
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