A review of Margolyes & Dickens: More Best Bits, Fringe 2025

Birdy made her way back to the EICC for (hopefully) her new annual tradition (and absolute treat) that is Margolyes & Dickens.

I strutted along to Edinburgh International Conference Centre with what I thought was plenty time to get a good seat for Margolyes & Dickens: More Best Bits – and I did! Just. I mean, I was off to the side, but I have a good camera and I was still quite close to the stage, in the third row.

It was an absolutely packed theatre, which is entirely what I’d expected having seen last year’s show. I sat down and got settled in for another memorable 70 minutes with the national treasure that is Miriam Margolyes.

Vibe

Miriam sets the vibe immediately by pointing out there’s no need to introduce herself (“If you don’t know who I am, what the f*** are you doing here?”).

She then follows up by continuing to be the formidable force that is purely Miriam, which includes telling us that she has no filter and WILL speak out about what she thinks, including opposing the horrific genocide in Gaza – to which she quite rightly gets more applause.

The vibe is also Miriam sharing what Miriam loves; not only Dickens, but also tales of her family, upbringing, and people she’s met along the way. It’s all absolutely lovely.

The show itself

One thing I noticed this year is that there’s more of Margolyes in Margolyes & Dickens than there was last year – which I for one welcomed. Miriam starts by reading excerpts of her book referring her Scottish roots (her father was born in the Gorbals in 1899) and talking about her family. She can still do a mean Scottish accent!

It’s still a joy to watch Miriam transform into beloved Dickens characters, including Miss Haversham, to Oliver’s Twist‘s Fagen (and Oliver!), and Mr Bumble and Mrs Corney – I don’t care how many times I watch her perform these characters, because much like Oliver, I’ll always take some more, please.

But there’s also tales of Miriam’s early career, such as her drama school teacher telling her to “think again”, along with some of the voiceover roles she’s played (I had no idea she was a Cadbury’s caramel bunny, or played one of the chimps in the PG Tips ad!).

There’s also her wonderful impression of the late Dame Maggie Smith, who Miriam always speaks so fondly of. I already knew the hilarious story of how Miriam opened the Miriam Margolyes Theatre at Oxford High, but it was a delight to hear it again – it was like having Maggie back in the room.

Then, it was onto the Q&A, where the audience got to ask Miriam questions (not live – her production manager had them prepared from the questions we’d sent in) and that’s always a good time.

Miriam talks about being LGBTQIA+ and gives advice to young people navigating through the world today – and acknowledges she feels sorry for those people (“the world’s in such a sad state”). Her empathy is refreshing.

She also talks about her biggest inspiration; her mum. The love and gratitude she feels towards her mother shone through in an emotional tribute where she claims the confidence she’s gained to be herself today, all came from one woman’s unconditional love. It was a great way to end the show.

Overall

Miriam is a joy to watch, whether she’s speaking from the heart and teaching us all valuable life lessons (pelvic floor exercises, people!) or jumping into characters in a way that it’s clear why they pay her “the big bucks”. Highly recommend you see this show, as it’s 70 memorable minutes with a legend.