Smack the Pony Back in the Saddle for Fringe run

Smack the Pony will reform for a special run of shows

Forty years is a real milestone for me, and something that’s always been at the forefront of the business is championing women. It’s important for me to celebrate women who have worked in the industry for many years and have fought hard to be heard. Therefore, it was of great importance to me that the Smack The Pony ladies agreed to a reunion. Doon Mackichan has performed all of her shows at Gilded Balloon over the years, Sally Phillips and I had chatted last year about her doing a solo Fringe show and Fiona Allen brought a show to the festival in 2023. It only made sense to bring them together to reignite the magic of their Emmy winning series – live on stage.

Broadcasting royalty Kirsty Wark will be interviewing them, and fans can expect classic sketches they know and love alongside behind the scenes banter. Doon, Sally and Fiona have also let me know that they have written new sketches especially for the summer which is very exciting. Will this mean that they will end up touring? Who knows, but the Fringe is the perfect stage to get the bit between their teeth again and perform in front of a live audience. Another exciting announcement is Rosie O’ Donnell, who will perform her debut Fringe show titled, Here and Now. I was over the moon when I found out she wanted to do a Fringe show. She is such an important voice and it’s a huge coup to have her at the Fringe. Following her recent move to Ireland, it’ll be great to see her on stage on this side of the pond. I feel really proud to have her with us.

It’s a great feeling to celebrate people who've performed with us over the last four decades, and bring them to our stages this Fringe. Jenny Eclair first performed at the Gilded Balloon in 1990 in a play called 30 Somehow – it was a deeply black comedy about a plane crash in Bodo, Norway and she performed alongside two other talented comics and writers, Maria McErlane and Julie Balloo. I still remember how hilarious that show was, and consequently we have been friends ever since. Jenny was the first woman to win the coveted Perrier Comedy Award and since then has certainly made her mark on the comedy scene across the UK. This August Jenny will take part in one of our 40 Years of Fringe shows – a special in-conversation series we are presenting starring comedy greats. Other guests include Michelle McManus talking with various Scottish comedians about their journey into the business, Doon MacKichan will be joined by Keiran Hodgson for a Two Doors Down reunion, and there’s one more surprise up our sleeve which we’ll announce in the coming weeks. It’s been a happy and sometimes arduous journey to our 40th anniversary – but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Cheers to 40 Years!