FreshFringe 2026 Reviews - Milo Edwards: Catamaran

Milo Edwards is a hit, and Edinburgh knows it. I arrive 30 minutes before the show’s start time at 5:15pm and a queue halfway down Blair Street already awaits me. I barely even have time to debate spending over £6 on a pint before I need to join the crowd of eagerly waiting Fringe punters. I am soon to find out why.

After just 5 minutes of his set, my initial curiosity has been answered: Milo Edwards is an exceptionally funny man. Watching Edwards, and I mean this as a compliment, is akin to being slapped in the face repeatedly - seconds after recovery from a gag he hits you again, but harder.

Edwards has had an unconventional career to say the least, having attended Cambridge University, before moving to a stint in Russian television. As he describes it, whenever he is expected to zag, he zigs. This translates effectively to Edwards’ brand of comedy. From Bin Laden to Pol Pot, his set seamlessly transitions from Cambodian politics to Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine without pretension.

At first appearance, the premise of Edwards’ show may appear somewhat sombre: an orphaned son narrating intimate love letters between his late parents. Yet, Catamaran is anything but. Edwards’ commentary of his parents’ letters lovingly depicts eccentric characters of 1980s Hong Kong such as John Martini, alongside the Gen X equivalent of sexting. It is through this clever narration, however, that we see humanity in what could otherwise be profoundly awkward: reading your parents' lustful writings to a room full of strangers. While being deeply amusing, Edwards allows us to see his parents far beyond their parental identity as two people who were once young, eccentric and very much in love.

Yet, this sentimentality at no point appears contrived. Instead, Edwards invites us to form our own interpretations with purposeful ambiguity, never leaving too much room for ruminating before moving on to another raucous gag. It is precisely this that makes Edwards such an intriguing and unique comic, unwilling to pander and allow excessive comfort in any one emotion. Rather than in any well-designed quip relating to geopolitics, it is perhaps here where Edwards’ intelligence as a comedian shines through. His ability to guide rather than dictate to the audience, maintaining a tenderness that is felt rather than told all the while remaining exceptionally hilarious, is a testament to his immense comedic strength.

Catamaran never forgets its purpose is to make us laugh. And we do. A lot.

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Milo Edwards: Catamaran is on at 5:15 at CabVol 1 at Monkey Barrel Comedy, every day until the 30th of August (excluding the 21st, 22nd and 23rd). Buy tickets here.

Photo credit: Rebecca Need-Menear.

Review written by Beth Hutchinson for FreshAir Radio.