Fanny Bleach on reclaiming autonomy of her naked body

As her grotesque burlesque alter-ego Fanny Bleach, Emma Crowley-Bennett is making her Edinburgh Fringe debut with The Nearly Naked Show. Here she explains how it was created as a way of regaining control of her body after a traumatic experience at the hands of a drama school director.

In 2024, The Nearly Naked Show was born; she was purple and breech and yanked out with Fanny Bleach’s bare hands, covered in guts and glitter, screaming and spitting and much to everyone’s surprise, dancing at the same time. An angry little foxtrot.

Created as a reclamation of my naked body in all its gory glory and told through alternative comedy, cabaret and drag, it’s Goosebumps for grownups; it’s weird and silly and full of reveals and larger-than-life characters who are all part of the freak show of Fanny Bleach’s mind.

However joyous the show might be (and I promise it is) it was also born from a place of defiance and protest. I wanted to make a show that was entirely mine. It is an AFAB [assigned female at birth] body not only taking up space but, if I’m doing it right, making a few cis men feel a little bit frightened. I call the shots, and I choose how much or little of myself I give to the audience.

‘But why nearly naked?!’ everyone screams. Keep your wig on, I’m getting there...

It was 2024, and I had recently made a formal complaint about one of the directors who had taught me at acting school, years before. The whole experience was belittling and traumatic. I was confused and completely left in the dark and felt like I was being treated like a student rather than the grown-up that I actually am now.

 All of these people (men) who I used to be in the care of, had failed me. They failed to protect me and my classmates then, and their radio silence was failing me now. I ended up getting some therapy through Wellbeing In The Arts (would recommend) every Monday morning at 10am. Afterwards, I would cry for a while then fall asleep for hours.

One day I was dreaming on the sofa, snot all over the scatter cushions and the TV showing a YouTube video of a ‘coffee shop fireplace’ when I had a dream. I know it’s rank when people talk about their dreams but I promise this is important. 

In my dream I was stood centre stage in a long red dress, staring down at my fanny. I had a huge grizzly muff, with big red lips and TEETH?! And my huge grizzly muff was singing Frank Sinatra’s I Did It My Way, powerfully and to an unusually moved and teary audience. When I woke up about nine hours later, I realised what I had to do...I had to make my show, my way. 

Initially envisioned as a 50-minute cocktease called The Not Naked Show I was to edge the audience into begging me on their dirty little knees to get naked, and I wouldn’t. The ultimate tease. I voicenoted my sisters immediately telling them my fantastic plan on how to feel in control of an uncontrollable situation and to heal myself and I still listen to their enthusiastic responses to this day, it reminds me why I am doing it. 

I journaled the show, drawing pictures of wild costumes that may or may not be in the final product, and it was cathartic and silly and I could feel myself getting lighter and, to be honest, a little bit more fun to be around.

The slippery, slimy journey of TNNS from my first gig at The Divine with my Mam in the audience where I named said pervy director on stage, to where it is now at Assembly Roxy has been wild. It has already lived so many lives and seems to have settled happily in the realms of freakshows, grotesque burlesque and bizarre cabaret, led by a little lad on work experience who's full of Ribena.

TNNS has allowed me to gain so much confidence in my own abilities as an artist. The imposter syndrome feels quieter and in fact I think I know now that my art is better than his, my voice is louder than his, my experiences are more important than his, and for good measure my dick is bigger too. Come and see for yourself.

• Fanny Bleach: The Nearly Naked Show is on at Assembly Roxy at 21:50 during the Edinburgh Fringe.

Published: 2 Aug 2026