The Toe Poke
The Toe Poke is a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026, performing at Braw Venues @ Grand Lodge. It has 12 performances listed, running from Fri 7 Aug, 18:15 to Tue 18 Aug, 18:15. The run has finished — every listed performance has taken place.
About this show
This world premiere comedy play spotlights a pivotal moment in Scottish football history through the eyes of two great adversaries, as David Narey confronts his nemesis Jimmy Hill, the Englishman who notoriously described Narey's glorious 1982 World Cup goal against Brazil as 'a toe poke.' Can legendary commentator Archie Macpherson broker a resolution to one of football’s longest-running feuds? Spanning Scotland’s World Cup matches against Brazil in 1982, 1998 and 2026, The Toe Poke captures the triumph and despair of the Tartan Army as their team battle the world’s best team and the biased English media.
Details
- Venue: Braw Venues @ Grand Lodge
- Space: Committee Room
- Genre: THEATRE, Comedy, Character comedy
- Country: UNITED KINGDOM - ENGLAND
- Running time: 50 minutes
- Room size: about 50 seats (Committee Room) — the Fringe box office sells a share of the room, not all of it
- Performances listed: 12, of which 0 still to come and on sale
Accessibility
- Wheelchair access: ramp
- Access features: Step-free access, Accessible toilet
- Venue notes: Wheelchair access type:Permanent Ramp, Lift (Building Lift)
What the reviewers said
We have captured 2 published reviews and 13 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.
Fresh from the highs and lows of Scotland finally reaching the Men’s World Cup for the first time in decades, James Lowman’s The Toe Poke arrives at the Fringe with a premise that will immediately intrigue football…
At the heart of the production is the idea that Hill’s throwaway comment could come to define the career of a Scottish champion with vast international experience.
— Rialto Arts (4 out of 5 stars)
Performance dates and ticket availability
- Fri 7 Aug, 18:15 — Already performed — £12.00
- Sat 8 Aug, 18:15 — Already performed — £12.00
- Sun 9 Aug, 18:15 — Already performed — £12.00
- Mon 10 Aug, 18:15 — Already performed — £12.00
- Tue 11 Aug, 18:15 — Already performed — £12.00
- Wed 12 Aug, 18:15 — Already performed — £12.00
- Thu 13 Aug, 18:15 — Already performed — £12.00
- Fri 14 Aug, 18:15 — Already performed — £12.00
- Sat 15 Aug, 18:15 — Already performed — £12.00
- Sun 16 Aug, 18:15 — Already performed — £12.00
- Mon 17 Aug, 18:15 — Already performed — £12.00
- Tue 18 Aug, 18:15 — Already performed — £12.00