Sketch Favourites Crybabies Announce Edinburgh Fringe and Soho Theatre Run for New Horror-Comedy The Scaring

Sketch trio Crybabies - the Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer-nominated group made up of Michael Clarke, James Gault and Ed Jones - are set to bring their brand new show The Scaring to the Edinburgh Fringe this August (5th to 30th), before transferring the production to London’s Soho Theatre in the Main House from 3rd to 23rd September.

Leaning fully into horror for what will be biggest and most theatrical production to date, The Scaring is directed by Jon Brittain (Baby Reindeer, Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!) and produced by Francesca Moody Productions - the Olivier Award-winning company behind Fleabag and Baby Reindeer - in association with Plosive Live.

The Scaring sees Crybabies return to Soho Theatre, where they have previously presented two critically acclaimed shows - Bagbeard (2023) and Danger Brigade (2020). The production also follows in the footsteps of previous Francesca Moody Productions transfers to Soho Theatre, including Fleabag and Weather Girl.

When former priest Arthur Holland checks into a remote hotel, he soon finds out it’s not just the breakfast buffet which poses a threat to life. Forced into an unlikely double act with Gerry, the ghost of a long-dead guest, Arthur must tackle demons both public and private under the watchful eye of Mr Lyle, the hotel’s Norman Bates-esque manager.

With absurd characters, classic horror tropes, and a plot that twists itself into ever stranger territory, The Scaring combines Crybabies’ signature blend of surreal sketch, narrative ambition, and theatrical mischief. Expect Shakespearean zombies, broken-armed serial killers and walking waxworks, in a frightening tale where not everything is as it seems. Or rather, as it screams.

Despite the chaos, it all makes sense. The Scaring moves at a breakneck pace, with Crybabies shapeshifting through dozens of roles and whiplash-fast costume changes, often within the same scene. The sheer number of characters, the speed of the switches, and the fact that the audience somehow always knows exactly who’s who border on the miraculous.

The show embraces a sharper visual ambition this year, with moments of genuinely slick theatricality, but it never loses the ramshackle brilliance Crybabies are known for. Expect high drama built from low-budget nonsense: costumes assembled from scraps, effects powered by suggestion, and set pieces that are both ridiculous and ridiculously effective. It’s big-budget horror on a shoestring, ambitious, theatrical, and still held together with gaffer tape.

The Scaring marks a bold new chapter for Crybabies: bigger, stranger, and more ambitious than ever. Produced by Francesca Moody Productions, the Olivier award-winning powerhouse behind Fleabag, Baby Reindeer and Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!, in association with award-winning comedy and podcast company Plosive Live, this is Crybabies with the volume up. It’s slicker, spookier, and somehow even sillier.

Over the last few years, all three Crybabies have been steadily levelling up. They’ve been working on a new BBC radio series, developing projects for screen, and popping up on TV including roles in Jack Rooke’s award-winning Channel 4 series Big Boys, Disney’s Extraordinary and Ricky Gervais’ After Life on Netflix. Their solo careers have taken exciting steps forward, while their collective chaos has only grown more refined.

Following the success of Danger Brigade and Bagbeard, both of which transferred to Soho Theatre, Crybabies have built a loyal, slightly obsessed fanbase. With their signature blend of chaos, tenderness and theatrical invention, Crybabies have become one of the UK’s most distinctive and best-loved sketch acts.

The trio’s BBC radio series Crybabies Present… saw the boys take the big screen to your normal-sized radios across the country. The series launched in 2024 with Bagbeard, followed by Yours, Fatally last August, with both earning nominations at the BBC Audio Drama Awards in 2025 and 2026 respectively.

Crybabies said: “We’re thrilled to be performing at Soho Theatre for the first time since 2023. And because the world hasn’t become terrifying enough in those intervening years, we thought we’d do a horror. Inspired by everything from Scary Movie to scary movies, we’re determined to put even more boos into the Soho evening air. The fact we’ve managed to drag the good folks of FMP into it is still, quite frankly, baffling.”

Francesca Moody said: “I’m delighted that we’re transferring this horrifyingly funny show to Soho Theatre. It’s hugely exciting to be bringing together the comic genius of Crybabies with the imagination of a top tier creative team led by Jon Brittain. This wonderfully talented group of people are making something ambitious, surprising and truly terrifying.”

The Scaring is directed by Jon Brittain (Baby Reindeer, Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!), with Set and Costume by Cecilia Carey (Baby Reindeer, Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!), Lighting by Bethany Gupwell (The Virgins, Twelfth Night), Sound by Ed Lewis (Stage Fright: Inside Number 9, A View from the Bridge) and Video by Nina Dunn (Avenue Q, The Shark is Broken).

The Scaring runs at Pleasance Two as part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe at 8pm from 5th to 30th August (not 15th & 18th) tickets and full listings Here. The show then transfers to Soho Theatre Main House, at 9pm from 3rd to 23rd September, info and tickets Here