These shows probably wouldn't exist without the Edinburgh Fringe!

Richard Gadd and Phoebe Waller-Bridge might be household names now, and The League of Gentlemen, The Mighty Boosh, Flight of the Conchords and Taskmaster might be some of television's most popular shows, but if it wasn't for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, these shows might never have made it to screen.

Since launching in 1947, the Edinburgh Fringe has been responsible for launching the careers of so many household names who cut their teeth in the cobbled streets of Edinburgh, playing in sometimes tiny rooms, to audiences willing to take a bet on someone who could just be the next big thing.

As this year's festival officially begins, here are 6 TV shows that began at the Edinburgh Fringe...

2019

BABY REINDEER

In 2019, Richard Gadd took his debut play, Baby Reindeer, to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, described then as a chilling personal narrative exploring obsession, delusion, and the aftermath of a chance encounter.

It saw Gadd recount his experience as the victim of a stalker, following the trauma of being drugged and sexually assaulted, which he discussed in his 2016 show, Monkey See Monkey Do.

Baby Reindeer won the Scotsman Fringe First Award for new writing and The Stage Edinburgh Award for Acting Excellence.

The show caught the attention of Netflix, who picked it up for a seven-part drama, which launched in 2024, winning six Primetime Emmys, two Golden Globes and three BAFTAs,

Baby Reindeer starred Richard Gadd as struggling comedian Donny Dunn, and his strange and layered relationship with a woman named Martha, played by Jessica Gunning, whose initially friendly demeanour unravels as she begins to stalk Donny relentlessly.

Since Baby Reindeer, Richard Gadd has written, created, and starred in Half Man, a new six-part drama for HBO and the BBC, which launched in April 2026, tracking the volatile, decades-long relationship of two men raised as brothers.

2013

FLEABAG

In 2013, Phoebe Waller-Bridge took her one-woman show, Fleabag, to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, described then as a rip-roaring look at some sort of woman living her sort of life.

Fleabag may seem oversexed, emotionally unfiltered and self-obsessed, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. With family and friendships under strain and a guinea pig café struggling to keep afloat, Fleabag suddenly finds herself with nothing to lose.

Fleabag won the Scotsman Fringe First Award for outstanding new writing and The Stage Award for Best Solo Performer. And the show's success led to Phoebe Waller-Bridge becoming the Fringe Society's first President in 2021.

The show caught the attention of BBC Three, who picked it up for a six-part comedy, which launched in 2016 and ran for two series, winning two BAFTAs, two Golden Globes and six primetime Emmys.

Fleabag starred Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the title role as Fleabag, a dry-witted, angry, cash-strapped, grief-riddled, porn-watching young woman trying to come to terms with a recent tragedy. As she hurls herself headlong at modern living, Fleabag is thrown roughly up against the walls of contemporary London, sleeping with anyone who dares to stand too close, squeezing money from wherever she can, rejecting anyone who tries to help her, and keeping up her bravado throughout.

The series also starred Sian Clifford, Olivia Colman, Bill Paterson, Hugh Dennis, Hugh Skinner, Jamie Demetriou, Jenny Rainsford and Brett Gelman.

Since Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge was Head Writer on the first series of Killing Eve, the hit BBC dark comedy which starred Sandra Oh as an MI5 investigator obsessed with a charismatic assassin played by Jodie Comer.

She has also hosted Saturday Night Live UK, lent her voice to His Dark Materials, and has developed Prime Video's upcoming television adaptation of Tomb Raider.

2004

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS

In 2004, New Zealand comedians Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement returned to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, after two sellout runs and a Perrier nomination in 2003, with their new show Lonely Knights, having established themselves as a cult hit through their unique mix of comedy and music.

The show first caught the attention of the BBC, who made a BBC Radio 2 series in 2006, before HBO picked it up for a 12-part musical comedy, which launched in 2007 and ran for two seasons, securing multiple Primetime Emmy nominations.

Flight of the Conchords followed transplanted New Zealanders Jemaine and Bret, who live on New York City's Lower East Side and split their time between seeking venues where they can perform and awkwardly courting women. Sometimes finding it easier to express themselves with music, they're apt to break into song at a moment's notice.

Since Flight of the Conchords, the duo have embarked on multiple tours and released four albums, including a live recording of their Hammersmith Apollo show. Recently, Bret McKenzie appeared in Channel 4's The Horne Section and Jemaine Clement starred alongside Nicola Walker in Hulu comedy Alice and Steve.

1996 & 1997

THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN

In 1996, Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson first performed as The League of Gentlemen at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, after debuting the year before at the London Fringe, having met while studying drama at Bretton Hall College.

In 1997, they returned to the Fringe with a new version of the show, winning the prestigious Perrier Comedy Award, becoming the first sketch group to win the award since the Cambridge Footlights in 1981.

Their shows caught the attention of the BBC, who gave them their own BBC Radio 4 series in 1997, before Royston Vasey moved to BBC Two in 1999, running for three series, a Christmas special, and in 2017, a three-part anniversary special. The show won two BAFTAs, including Best Comedy (Programme or Series) and Best Costume Design for Yves Barre.

The League of Gentlemen was a dark, surreal comedy about the strange inhabitants of the small, northern town of Royston Vasey, with Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton and Mark Gatiss playing a veritable host of bizarre and darkly comic characters inhabiting the fictional Northern town of Royston Vasey, in scripts written by themselves and co-creator Jeremy Dyson.

Since The League of Gentlemen, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton have continued to work together, creating hit shows, including Psychoville and anthology comedy Inside No.9, which took place in a different location each episode, with a new story and new characters.

Mark Gatiss went on to write for many TV shows, including Doctor Who and Sherlock and each year brings us a Ghost Story for Christmas on the BBC. Recently, he created U&Alibi's hit drama Bookish, which returns for a second series later this month, with Mark returning as an eccentric bookshop owner who helps the police solve mysteries in post-war London

And Jeremy Dyson was script editor on BBC Two's comedy thriller The Wrong Mans, written by James Corden, Mathew Baynton and Tom Basden, and script supervisor for Tracey Ullman's Show and Tracey Breaks the News.

1998 & 1999

THE MIGHTY BOOSH

In 1998, Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt, with Rich Fulcher, first brought The Mighty Boosh to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, having first thought up the idea while working on Stewart Lee's Edinburgh show, King Kong vs. Moby Dick.

After winning the Perrier Award for Best Newcomer, they returned to the Edinburgh Fringe in 1999 with new show Arctic Boosh, which was directed by Stewart Lee and nominated for the Perrier Award.

Their shows caught the attention of the BBC, who first offered them a radio series, titled The Boosh, which aired on BBC London Live, before moving to television in 2004 with an 8-part series on BBC Three, and ran for three series.

The Mighty Boosh starred Noel Fielding as Vince Noir, a true Mowgli in flares and obsessed with everything glam rock and electro, and Julian Barratt as Howard Moon, a powerful actor, jazz fiend, and maverick who goes his own way... at least that's what Howard thinks.

The boys embark on an array of magical, bizarre adventures including a trip to the Arctic tundra to find a lost egg, an expedition deep into the jungle, and quite literally to Hell and back in a dodgy cab.

On their journeys, they encounter a range of weird and unusual characters including the Parka people, some mod wolves, the ape of death who has a severe hair complex and a terrifying boxing kangaroo.

In the first series, Vince and Howard continually battle against the owner of the Zooniverse, Dixon Bainbridge, played by Matt Berry, and his manager Bob Fossil, played by Rich Fulcher. And if they are very lucky they are sometimes helped on their adventures by zoo kiosk worker and all-knowing enigmatic mystic, Naboo, played by Michael Fielding.

Since The Mighty Boosh, Julian Barratt starred in many TV shows including Nathan Barley, Flowers and Sally4Ever, whilst Noel Fielding also starred in many shows, including The IT Crowd, Urban Myths and The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin.

Noel also created his own E4 series, Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy, became a team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks and, since 2017, has co-hosted The Great British Bake Off on Channel 4.

2010

TASKMASTER

In 2010, Alex Horne celebrated ten years at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with an extra two-hour show, Taskmaster, in which he revealed the outcome of challenging 20 comedians with a series of tasks over a year.

Those comedians were: Dan Atkinson, Tom Basden, Jarred Christmas, James Dowdeswell, Rick Edwards, Tim FitzHigham, Stuart Goldsmith, Steve Hall, Tim Key, Lloyd Langford, Josie Long, Guy Morgan, Al Pitcher, Mark Olver, Mark Watson, Henning Wehn, Joe Wilkinson, Lloyd Woolf, Mike Wozniak and Tom Wrigglesworth, with the winner being crowned 'The Taskmaster'.

The show caught the attention of UKTV's Dave, who adapted it for television, with Greg Davies taking on the role of Taskmaster, setting tasks to a group of comedians, and Alex Horne as his assistant. With rivalry encouraged, dodgy tactics rewarded and bribes accepted, Taskmaster has become the most dogged, hard-fought and ridiculous comedy show on TV.

Taskmaster became Dave's most successful original programme to date, so much so that in 2020, after nine series on Dave, it moved to Channel 4, where it remains, with series 22 set to air later this year.

The show has also proved a huge hit worldwide, with 16 international adaptations, alongside an official podcast, books, a board game, and even a live experience.