A review of Eleanor Morton: The Mermaid, Fringe 2026

Eleanor Morton‘s feminist, sex-ed, myth-lore fuelled show filled with mermaids, selkies, sirens and silliness is an absolute must-see for this year’s Fringe. And you know this is a good review when I’m starting off with such a line.

Got to admit, Morton is the first of at least two comedians I’ve seen at this year’s Fringe because I know them from TikTok. I know Eleanor predominantly (but not completely) from her ‘Scottish tourguide called Craig’ videos, and as soon as I saw her name on paper at a table with a PR agent, I had to say yes.

Vibe

I did wonder on my way to the show just how mermaid it was going to be based on the poster. Is it just for an angle, as an introduction to talking about, maybe… oh, wait. Eleanor is full mermaid. Sitting on some rocks, eating a packet of crisps. It’s a surreal but delightful sight, which helps set the vibe for the show as the audience is taking their seats.

This show is 100% my vibe, because I found it highly relatable, with my own memories of growing up in Fife, loving mermaids as a child, reading Shout and J17 (with their shitty little free lipglosses attached). It’s also hilarious.

The show itself

Morton reveals she wanted nothing more than to be a mermaid when she was a child – shame she hates the sea, and the local swimming pool was as far as that fantasy took her – same! We hear about how her growing up, segregated sex-ed, what might the boys have been taught, and how sex might work when you’re a mermaid (basically just laying eggs).

Like Morton, I also thought toxic shock syndrome was going to be a much bigger problem for me than it actually was. I really enjoyed the tween magazine advice section, and there’s a bit of nostalgia there – I think I may even have vaguely recalled the anecdote about the crisp packet.

The show also gets into folklore about selkies, and sirens, and about the underestimated power women have. And I understand why periods can make you wish you had a tail and none of that womb nonsense; I haven’t used mine at all and now I’m menopausal at 40 perhaps due to sheer willpower. Or something.

A real treat of this show was the surprise finale, and although I won’t give too much away about it, you leave feeling good – and if you’re a woman, you’ll also leave feeling SEEN. And uplifted.

Overall

This is an honest, personal, bold and highly relatable feminist comedy show with a lot of laughs, combined with mythical lore aspects of mermaids, selkies and sirens. Also, it’s fair to say I like Morton best as herself, rather than a mermaid, or a Scottish tour guide called Craig.

This is a fantastic show. I wish Morton all the best for her Fringe 2026 run, and I can’t wait to see what she does next!