The producer of Fleabag and Baby Reindeer's tip for finding a hit? Don't look for one
Theatre producer Francesca Moody has a remarkable record of spotting shows that go on to have wide success. At the Edinburgh Fringe festival, she told NPR about what she looks for in a performance. (Image credit: Jeff J Mitchell)
Theatre producer Francesca Moody has a remarkable record of spotting shows that go on to have wide success. At the Edinburgh Fringe festival, she told NPR about what she looks for in a performance.
(Image credit: Jeff J Mitchell)
Francesca Moody, theatre producer on Fleabag and Baby Reindeer, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, summer 2025. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images Europe hide caption
EDINBURGH — A Shrek burlesque parody. A one man show inspired by the 2002 Hilary Duff Disney Channel original movie Cadet Kelly . An improvised hour titled David Elms Describes a Room (despite the dry name, it's actually quite entertaining).
At the Edinburgh Fringe, which wrapped up its 79th edition late last month, almost anything can be a show. And almost any show can be an audition.
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This year's festival featured more than 4,200 productions, an overwhelming marketplace of comedy, theater, cabaret — and plenty that resist easy categorization. It is also an important hunting ground for producers searching for the next unlikely thing that might travel beyond Edinburgh.
Few have a better track record for spotting it early than Francesca Moody.