The Emperor
The Emperor by Ed Gaughan is a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026, performing at Just The Tonic at The Caves. It has 23 performances listed, running from Thu 6 Aug, 13:05 to Sat 29 Aug, 13:05. The run has finished — every listed performance has taken place.
About this show
Brand-new comedy from award-winning idiot. A story about a disastrous gig and a surprising family secret... The voice of Baron Greenback in Dangermouse, Gideon in TV's Brassic, and co-creator, co-writer and star of BAFTA nominated movie Skeletons. Ed has directed work for many of the UK's top comics: Milton Jones, Josie Long, Barry Cryer, Pappy's and Spymonkey. He's composed music for Shakespeare's Globe and performed at numerous festivals including Glastonbury. 'Original and intelligent' (Metro). 'Eccentric, heartfelt and very funny' (Guardian). 'A surreal hybrid of theatre, stand up comedy and jazz concert. Hysterical' (Independent).
Details
- Performer: Ed Gaughan
- Venue: Just The Tonic at The Caves
- Space: Just Up The Stairs
- Genre: COMEDY, Alternative Comedy, Live music
- Country: UNITED KINGDOM - ENGLAND
- Running time: 60 minutes
- Room size: about 80 seats (Just Up The Stairs) — the Fringe box office sells a share of the room, not all of it
- Performances listed: 23, of which 0 still to come and on sale
Accessibility
- Access features: Accessible toilet
- Venue notes: Stairs: 11- 20 Number of stairs is provided as guidance and is not in addition to any wheelchair access type (lift/ramp etc) stated above.
What the reviewers said
We have captured 2 published reviews and 9 audience reviews for this show from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s own listing. The excerpts below are the reviewers’ words, not ours — follow each link for the full review.
I was excited to see Ed Gaughan doing his own standup – after all, he’s played Baron Greenback in Danger Mouse and more recently appeared at Shakespeare’s Globe on a couple of occasions where he was an absolute…
— Everything Theatre (4 out of 5 stars)
A side-splitting, ridiculous hour of clever, crafted comedy and music from an absolute master.
— Everything-Theatre.co.uk (4 out of 5 stars)
Performance dates and ticket availability
- Thu 6 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Fri 7 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Sat 8 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Sun 9 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Mon 10 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Tue 11 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Wed 12 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Thu 13 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Fri 14 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Sat 15 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Sun 16 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Mon 17 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Wed 19 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Thu 20 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Fri 21 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Sat 22 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Sun 23 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Mon 24 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Tue 25 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Wed 26 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Thu 27 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Fri 28 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Sat 29 Aug, 13:05 — Already performed — £10.00