Tom Read Wilson brought his Edinburgh Fringe world premiere, Tom Read Wilson: A-Z of Me, to Gilded Balloon at The Museum on Wednesday, 5 August 2026, and the reviews have been glowing.
The presenter, actor, singer and author, best known as the silver-tongued receptionist on Celebs Go Dating and from his stint on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, has walked away with five stars for the hour, as reported by Theatre Weekly.
What the Tom Read Wilson Edinburgh Fringe show actually is
For anyone who half-recognises the face without placing it, Read Wilson spent years as the dating show’s endlessly courteous receptionist and has since taken a turn on reality television.
He also works across presenting, acting, singing, voiceover and books, with wordplay as his whole brand, which is why an alphabet show makes sense.
The show is an irreverent alphabet-themed variety hour, running letter by letter through songs, verse, stories and a fair amount of smut.
Read Wilson performs three Shakespeare sonnets, sings, and is joined on stage by musical collaborator Marcus Carter-Adams, with a pair of chalkboards marking the A and Z of the title.
Reviewer Rachel Barlow was thoroughly won over, crediting Read Wilson with “a natural charisma that infects the audience” and calling him “cheeky and charming in equal measures”. The room was sold out and the crowd ended the night on its feet. Her verdict was blunt:
“A fabulous slice of theatre, Tom Read Wilson: A-Z of Me is a delightful contribution to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.”
The Tom Read Wilson Edinburgh Fringe run leans into the innuendo
It has also collected a four-star notice, with a second reviewer clocking plenty of double-entendre in the hour, including Read Wilson turning his back on the audience and bending over provocatively to chalk up each new letter, then apologising to the front row for the view.
The same review reckoned it would not offend many.
His stagewear is doing some work too: a plain dark grey fitted T-shirt, black velvet palazzo pants, patent leather shoes and the trademark pearls, a look that lands as old-style Hollywood in a far more understated register than the description suggests.
Among the stories is one about playing the wicked fairy Carabosse in a stage production of Sleeping Beauty.
How to catch the Tom Read Wilson Edinburgh Fringe show
Presented by Phil McIntyre Live, the run covers 12 performances at Gilded Balloon at The Museum, nightly at 19:30 (20:30 SAST), with tickets from £11. The hour comes with a 16-plus age recommendation, which the smut, the innuendo and the front-row apologies more than justify.
Two chances remain, on Saturday, 15 August 2026 and Sunday, 16 August 2026, before the Fringe run closes.
A UK tour is expected to follow, so anyone who misses the alphabet in Edinburgh should get another crack at it closer to home.
