Award-winning Comedy Walking Tours prove that Scottish history can be hysterical

For many people history is all about dates, battles, and kings and queens. But historian, comedian, and founder of Edinburgh’s Mountebank Tours, Daniel Downie is determined to help people explore a more relatable, hysterical, and riotously funny side of history, with his award-winning Comedy Walking Tours of Edinburgh.

Daniel believes that – just like modern life – Scottish history is packed with its fair share of weird and wonderful facts, events, and people, and he’s dedicated to sharing those stories alongside talking about famous figures like Mary Queen of Scots and Susan Boyle”.

“People are either incredibly passionate about history, or it’s something they’ve not really thought about since school” says Daniel. “My aim is to bring Scottish history to life, make it memorable, and – above all – make it fun and funny. That’s why I describe my tours as hysterical and historical, they’re all about finding the interesting and entertaining side of things, alongside the big events and famous figures that people want to learn more about”.

Dram good fun! Mountebank Tours also offer Whisky Tasting events.

Daniel set up Mountebank Tours, which offers whisky tastings and daily comedy walking tours of Edinburgh, in 2018. Billed as Edinburgh’s hysterical and historical (and completely original) comedy walking tour, Daniel guides visitors through the ridiculous side of Scotland’s history. The two-hour tour allows participants to explore some of the Old Town’s most iconic (and Instagram-able) streets and landmarks, led by Daniel and his trusty canine companion Brahan, aka The Bonnie Prince.

Mountebank Tours has won the Travellers’ Choice Award for seven consecutive years (2019 to 2025) and was recently included in TripAdvisor’s Top Ten Experiences in the UK (it was one of only two Scottish experiences to be listed).

“It’s a little bit different to the usual tours that are offered in Edinburgh” says Daniel. “There’s obvious a lot of information in there – as a historian my biggest problem in Edinburgh is deciding what to leave out of the tour – but I wanted to make the it fun as well as informative, you don’t need to know much about Scottish history to take the tour, it’s my job to share that side of things with people, but I wanted to the stories to be entertaining and funny – I think that makes things more memorable” he adds.

Finding the funny comes naturally to Daniel; alongside founding and running Mountebank Tours, the former teacher is also a familiar face on the Scottish Comedy scene – often weaving jokes about history and Scotland into his sets.

Daniel will be also be performing at the Fringe

“For years I’d done jokes about history and famous historical figures, so it seemed like a logical move to combine my love of history and comedy experience and create something a little bit different to the usual history tours, which is basically how Mountebank came to be” says Daniel.

Whilst Scottish history has always been at the heart of Daniel’s comedy and his tours of Edinburgh, he’s now an official historian; in November last year Daniel was awarded his master’s degree in Scottish History from the University of Dundee.

“It was a lot of work, but I really enjoyed it and I’m incredibly proud to have earned my masters. I even celebrated handing in my dissertation by getting a tattoo of Mary Queen of Scots!”

Like many comedians, Daniel will be appearing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August, with his solo comedy show, Daniel Downie: Is Scottish, in which he takes a humorous trip through Scottish history and identity to explore the origins of some well-known Scottish stereotypes.

Edinburgh-based Mountebank Tours was founded in 2018 by comedian, historian, and former teacher Daniel Downie.

“It’s a very Scottish show, by a very Scottish comedian” says Daniel. “Audiences can expect a lot of laughs, but also to learn a few things about the history of Scotland and the stereotypes that people associate with Scots and Scotland”.

In addition to his solo stand-up show, Daniel will also be leading the Mountebank Comedy Walk of Edinburgh throughout the Fringe.

Daniel Downie: Is Scottish? takes place 1 to 24 August at 14:45 at Beehive 2 (The Attic), 18 – 20 Grassmarket, the show is part of the Scottish Comedy Festival’s Fringe programme.

The Mountebank Comedy Walk of Edinburgh takes place 1 to 24 August at 10:30am, the tour departs from Monkey Barrel Comedy on Blair Street.