Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

There are three ways you can go with a very late show at the Fringe: weird cult, high-energy party, or chill-out chat.

Struan Logan was always going to be in the latter camp, forever conducting himself as a people-pleasing Hufflepuff – in strong evidence here as he fusses to ensure every audience member is comfortable before the 1am show starts.

He’s relatively mainstream in his approach, talking about how his accommodating manner makes him very different from the rough, gruff stereotype of Scottish masculinity. He has a little bit of attitude - but mostly that’s aimed at those who have too much attitude, such as the braggadocio alpha male ‘question everything’ podcasters who nonetheless all plough the same furrow.

But his own politics are not middle of the road – as demonstrated when he calls out Nish Kumar, of all people, for not being woke enough. In a 2024 interview, the former Mash Report host called Nando’s ‘the only thing uniting this fractured country’, which Logan considers hypocrisy, given the chicken chain has used a legal but opaque offshore scheme to pay less tax.

His call for a boycott of Oatly because the milk alternative is on sale in Israel – helping the state appear progressive and ‘veganwashing’ its actions in Gaza, critics say – causes something of a ruckus in the room. Not because of Middle East politics, but because the Swedes here take umbrage at a jibe against a company from their homeland. However, Logan’s voice of calm prevails.

A couple of standout stories define this show, both concerning mental health. One involves a particularly insane heckler on stage in Melbourne, Australia; the other concerns his own bipolar diagnosis (there can’t be many comics this Fringe calling Kanye West ‘relatable’) which led to Logan being sectioned, cracking jokes as he got dragged away. 

There’s clearly a lot more to this than he’s prepared to share yet, and this feels a little like a teaser for a future, darker show he’s yet to write, which would require stepping out of his comfort zone – something he’s understandably reluctant to do.

Otherwise, Logan often falls into the trap of talking too much around his subjects, offering mildly amusing conversation, but not enough focus on landing a hard gag. And when he does hit a punchline, he has a tendency to talk too much beyond it, rather than letting the joke speak for itself.

Such shortcomings mean the show probably wouldn’t survive contact with prime time, but in the early hours the stakes are lower, and hanging out with a cordial host sharing conversational anecdotes could hit the spot. 

Review date: 15 Aug 2026
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Laughing Horse @ City Cafe