EdFringe Talk: Alison Jackson’s Faking Famous: You Can be a Celebrity Too

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“What I love about EdFringe is that it’s gloriously chaotic. You can see a five-star clown opera at noon, then end up in a shipping container watching a woman scream into a courgette.”

WHO: Alison Jackson

WHAT: “BAFTA-winning provocateur Alison Jackson brings her wild celebrity lookalike competition and behind-the-scenes exposé Faking Famous to Edinburgh Fringe, with live castings, makeovers, scandalous backstage secrets. One minute Alison reveals back-stories from her infamous shoots, the next she invites people from the crowd and makes them into celebrities. Expect diva tantrums, paparazzi-style photoshoots, BRAT-fuelled chaos. Take selfies with the stars! From Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Royals, Charli XCX, Oasis Bros, Trump, Kim K… Think you look famous? Step into the spotlight.”

WHERE: Checkpoint at Assembly Checkpoint (Venue 322) 

WHEN: 19:40 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Not my first Fringe rodeo – I made a ‘Celebrity Opera before’. What I love about EdFringe is that it’s gloriously chaotic. You can see a five-star clown opera at noon, then end up in a shipping container watching a woman scream into a courgette. It’s the Olympics of weirdness. As a punter, it’s thrilling. As a producer, it’s a logistical nightmare disguised in glitter. But we keep coming back for more, don’t we?

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

That reality is now optional. AI’s taken off, deepfakes are fooling people left, right and centre, and half of Instagram is basically CGI. So the big lesson? Trust no one especially if they say they’re Ed Sheeran at 2am on the Mile. That’s what Faking Famous is really about. The lines are blurred, and fame is faker than ever so let’s have a laugh at it while we still know what’s real.

Tell us about your show.

Faking Famous written, created and directed by me, Alison Jackson. Produced by my fabulous team and supported by the lovely folks at Assembly. It’s part theatre, part fever dream, with lookalikes so convincing they’ve actually been mobbed by tourists. This is its official Fringe debut, and then who knows tours, galleries, a TV series. The cast is a mix of performance artists and celebrity doppelgängers. It’s like casting from Hello! Magazine with a hangover.

Come take a selfie with Donald Trump, Harry Styles, The Royals, Gallaghers, Taylor Swift, Kim K and many more. I am looking for all lookalikes for this lookalike competition – so if you look famous, please come along.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

Right, show love, get love. So here’s who you need to see:

@ThanyiaMoore – razor-sharp stand-up, hilarious and devastating in equal measure.

@trygvecomedy’s The Ice Hole – it’s mime, it’s madness, it’s brilliant.

@sfshakespeare – Sh!t-Faced Shakespeare, which does exactly what it says on the tin.

@nadiashammas_’ Eggshells – gorgeous, tender, moving… the opposite of my show, really.

And remember: support your fellow creatives, unless they’ve stolen your flyer slot. In which case, support them from a safe emotional distance.

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