Ashley Davies

Ashley Davies reviews four Edinburgh Fringe shows, awarding four stars to Bebe Cave’s Swoon, Eleanor Morton’s The Mermaid, Sophie Duker’s Hot Beef Injection and Olga Koch’s Fat Tom Cruise. The performances use comedy to examine the objectification of women, beauty standards, sexuality, the manosphere, male behavior and gender equality, while combining sharp social commentary with inventive staging and strong joke writing. Cave explores the Pre-Raphaelite muse through historical characters, Morton reclaims mermaid mythology and critiques anxieties about women’s bodies, Duker focuses on women’s fear and distrust of men, and Koch connects personal stories with gender-equality cases and harmful social traditions.

Reviews of four Edinburgh Fringe comedy shows highlight Li Jin Hao’s poignant, myth-infused reflections on nostalgia and adulthood; Simon Munnery’s inventive prop comedy and return to form after sobriety; Paul Hilleard’s debut exploration of deprivation, mental health, heartbreak and an unexpected polyamorous relationship; and Evaldas Karosas’s analytical material on cultural identity, economics, masculinity, inequality and relationships. All four performances receive favorable assessments, ranging from three to four stars.

Christine Borland, a Turner Prize-nominated Scottish artist, has died aged 61 after a cancer diagnosis in 2024. Her multidisciplinary practice examined the human body, medicine, ethics, science and nature through meticulous research and collaboration with museums, medical experts and local communities. Major works including From Life, Ecbolic Garden, The Power of Twelve and Flax Turns Foundation Cloth explored subjects ranging from the trade in human remains to traditional medicine, wartime medical history and Scotland’s linen heritage. Borland’s influence was rooted in her work’s intellectual generosity and her links to institutions including Glasgow School of Art, where she studied, and the wider international art world. She is survived by her husband, artist Ross Sinclair, and their three daughters.