Edinburgh Fringe 2025
Ted Milligan: United
Ted Milligan
Genre: Comedy, New Writing
Venue: Pleasance Courtyard Bunker Three
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
A razor-sharp mockumentary for the stage, Ted Milligan: United skewers small-town football culture with pitch-perfect characters, fast-paced sketches, and a surprisingly heartfelt throughline. Whether you’re a football fanatic or couldn’t care less about the offside rule, this is clever, character-driven comedy with universal appeal.
Review
Ted Milligan: United is an excellent hour of character-driven comedy that parodies the rise of the kind of football documentary that attempts to dig deeper than just the action on the pitch. Imagine Welcome to Wrexham, except the Rob and Ryan characters are David Brent and Michael Scott. Yes, this is the live mockumentary we have all been waiting for. A deep dive into the history, statistics, logistics and locals that love the mighty… Crubchester United.
Milligan mixes up multimedia with his on-point characterisations of the club officials: CEOs, managers, players, owners and the media. The jewel in the crown of this particular show is the perfectly pitched locals and fans, whose salt of the earth commentary on the peaks and troughs of Crubchester’s season strike the exact tone you would see down at any small town football pub. Lager swilling men who love the sound of their own voice, spouting random facts about club and town. Furious locals for whom the club can never put a foot right and a wonderful cameo from an older lady who is a lifelong fan. In style and humour, the production harks back to classic sketches like The Harry Enfield Show and The Fast Show with its short, sharp snippets of each character.
There is a brilliant running joke regarding the new owner, that in itself is a source of consistent hilarity and at the same time is an important commentary on the state of club ownership in 2025. This is indicative of the intelligence that runs through Ted Milligan: United. It isn’t just an hour of excellently observed talking heads, there is firstly a genuinely engaging story to the club’s season and secondly, it brims with subversion. Challenging the audience to reflect on morality, loyalty and the impact a football club can have on the local community.
It feels strange to say an act that is playing at the Pleasance should be a Hidden Gem, as Milligan clearly already has a good platform to be seen, but the worry here is that people will dismiss this show because ‘it’s just about football’ when it is so much more than that. Yes, some football knowledge may augment your experience but whether you know your Beckhams from your Balotellis, it matters not. There is a universal appeal and charm to the show that means it deserves to be seen by everyone. Without doubt, Milligan unites us all with an hour of huge laughs.
