A “must see'” on your Edinburgh Fringe 2026 list is the star-studded world premiere of “11 ½ Angry Men”, a comedy spoof based around the 1957 classic Sidney Lumet-directed courtroom drama film “12 Angry Men”.
The show features a star-studded line up including Joe Pasquale in his Edinburgh fringe debut, Spencer Jones, Andrew Maxwell, Stephen K Amos, Terry Alderton, Mark Maier, Glenn Wool and JJ Whitehead alongside four from the original cast of the comedy play: Ian Coppinger, Phil Nichol, David Calvitto and Owen O’Neill.
As with the film, which starred Henry Fonda, the plot revolves around a jury trying to decided the fate of a boy accused of a heinous murder in 1950s New York City. But the marketing promo’ for this parody asks: “Will a lethal German sausage save him?”.
“11½ Angry Men” is produced by Olivier award-winner Guy Masterson, who was also behind the 2023 version, which starred Bill Bailey and Dave Johns. It is written by Owen O’Neill. The 1957 film “12 Angry Men” starred Fonda, Lee J Cobb, Martin Balsam, Jack Klugman, Robert Webber and other top actors.
The show at Pleasance EICC Pentland Theatre runs from 6th to 22nd August (not 9th) and starts at 2.30pm for 80 minutes. There is a preview performance on 5th.
The promo says: “It’s the hottest day of the year, a storm is brewing, and 11½ very angry men attempt to decide the fate of a boy accused of a heinous murder in 1950’s New York City – when the world was ruled by furious white men… unlike today! The jurors would like to do the right thing and the evidence against the boy stinks, but they all have places to go and far more important issues on their minds. Will a lethal German sausage save him? Or send him sizzling to the electric chair? Needing a unanimous verdict, will they still find their way to a swift conviction?”
In 2001, Comedian/Poet Owen O’Neill and producer/director Guy Masterson canvassed comedians in the Assembly Club Bar to be part of a unique EdFringe revival of the classic ’12 Angry Men’. The response was unanimous. They could have cast it three-times over with a Who’s Who of comedy. It took two years to put together but the result is now legendary. Critics unanimously praised the production, and it became the hottest ticket in town. It went on to tour Australia and New Zealand.
23 years on, several cast members have gone on to huge acclaim: Bill Bailey won Strictly and now fills arenas; Phil Nichol won the Edinburgh Comedy Award and West End acclaim in “There’s Something About Jamie”; comedian Dave Johns became an actor starring in a dozen films including the Ken Loach drama “I, Daniel Blake” and “Fishermen’s Friends” 1 & 2, and Guy Masterson won an Olivier for West End and Broadway triumph with “The Shark Is Broken”.
When wondering if to invest in a ticket for this show, bear this in mind: In true Edinburgh Fringe spirit, working as a pure cooperative to enable the show to be mounted, they are relying entirely on box office success to receive even a penny for their efforts, and most of the company will also be playing in their own shows in order to afford the risk.
Andrew Maxwell has enjoyed numerous sell-out seasons at the Edinburgh Fringe; he has performed at The Amnesty / Channel Four’s Secret Policeman’s Ball (alongside Eddie Izzard, Chevy Chase and Dylan Moran), The HBO US Comedy & Arts Festival in Vegas (alongside Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock) and made several appearances at the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival. He has appeared on many TV shows including Live At The Apollo (BBC One), Have I Got News For You (BBC One), Never Mind the Buzzcocks, QI, I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! (ITV) and Mock The Week (BBC Two). He was also the King Of Comedy Winner (CH4).
David Calvitto is a London based American actor and has been working at the Edinburgh Fringe since 2000. In 2017 he directed Brian Parks’ Enterprise which won a Fringe First award. In 2000, he appeared in Fringe First winner, Americana Absurdum, the first of 8 Fringe First winners he would be involved with as actor, director and producer. He was in the original 2003 Edinburgh production of “12 Angry Men” and the 2014 West End transfer of the show, starring Martin Shaw and Robert Vaughn. In 2024 he was Marilyn Monroe’s psychiatrist in The Marilyn Conspiracy at the Park Theatre, London. Other UK credits, The Shawshank Redemption in Edinburgh and Dublin, and The Odd Couple in Belfast.
Glenn Wool is a Canadian who moved to London in 1998 and quickly became an established star of the UK’s comedy circuit before becoming a globally recognised name. He is a regular opening act for Frankie Boyle, Jim Jefferies and Doug Stanhope. His TV credits include John Oliver’s ‘New York Stand-Up Show’, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Russell Howard’s Good News and The John Bishop Show. He is hugely popular addition at music festivals including Reading & Leeds, Bestival, Download, Sonisphere and Glastonbury. The episode of Jim Jefferies and Friends that he headlined for channel 7 Australia was seen by over one million people.
Ian Coppinger is one of Irelands busiest award-winning comedians, he is a regular on the world comedy circuit having played to packed houses at the Edinburgh, Melbourne, Montreal Just For Laughs, Galway, Electric Picnic, Glastonbury, Dublin, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and Wellington Comedy Festivals. Ian is a co-founder of The Dublin Comedy Improv (1992), where he still performs every week in Dublin’s International Bar. He has guested in “Whose Line Is It Anyway? Live” at the Edinburgh Fringe and is a regular with The Comedy Store Players. He has performed in more than 50 countries. He will also perform with the “Improv All-Stars” in The Frankenstein Bar at the Fringe.
JJ Whitehead aka Jason John Whitehead, a North American who has been a regular on British and Canadian TV and at international comedy festivals. JJ took his uncensored brand of humour to L.A. where he was part of the writing team behind The Jim Jefferies Show on Comedy Central. He also opens for Jim on his national tours. JJ has performed in 17 Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, including 12 solo shows since 1999. Some of his TV credits include The BBC Stand Up Show with Tommy Tiernan, Live at The Comedy Store, Comedy Now Uncensored in Canada and Stand Up on Jim Jefferies And Friends on Chanel 9 in Australia and Comics Unleashed on CBS in America.
Joe Pasquale makes his debut at Edinburgh Fringe 2026. His TV career started as a runner-up on “New Faces” in 1987 and he has gone on to be crowned King Of The Jungle on ITV’s “I’m a Celebrity Get Me out Of Here”; Hosted an ITV Special “An Audience With Joe Pasquale”; hosted “The Price Is Right”, starred in ITV’s “Dancing on Ice”; appeared on five Royal Variety Performances; winning ITV1’s “I’m A Celebrity – Masked Singer Special”. For theatre, he appeared in Larry Shue’s “The Nerd”, Tom Stoppard’s “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead”, Mel Brooks’ “The Producers”, and the starring role of Frank Spenceerin the touring adaptation of TV sitcom “Some Mothers Do ‘Ave Em”.
- Joe also stars in “The Prat Pack’s Back” on its UK tour throughout September – with Bradley Walsh, Shane Ritchie and Brian Conley.
Mark Maier is a multi award winning writer and comedian is a highly sought-after performer on both the national and international comedy circuits. His numerous professional highlights include three series of ‘Trapped’ for BBC Radio 4 – a show both written and performed by Mark, The Stand-Up Show (BBC1), Dating The Enemy (ITV), Bring Me The Head of Light Entertainment, (CH5) and Five’s Company (CH5). He recently starred in Harry Hill the Movie and subsequently in his Harry Hill Teatime series. This year he performed his one man show Jewvenile to a packed house in London at The Duchess Theatre.
Owen O’Neill is a writer of stage and screen and a stand-up comedian. He has written and performed 17 original one-man plays and has won numerous awards at the Edinburgh Festival. At East 59th St Theatre in New York City, he won best actor in his one-man play, “Absolution”. He also adapted the ‘Shawshank Redemption’ for the stage which tours regularly in the UK and North America. His debut novel, ‘Tom Joad and Me’ was published in 2024.
Phil Nichol Has appeared on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, The Graham Norton Show, The Standup Show and The World Stands Up, As an actor, Phil played Terry Gilliam in BBC4’s BAFTA-nominated Holy Flying Circus. He has appeared in Catastrophe (C4), Uncle (BBC 3), Man Down (C4), Siblings (BBC 1), Badults (BBC 2) and Agatha Raisin (Sky Max). Phil appeared in London’s West End in “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie”, with the Donmar Warehouse in New York in The Machine, in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest with Christian Slater, and with Boy George in the original Taboo cast. He devised and starred in Spiegelworld’s cirque-cabaret The Hook in Atlantic City for 18 months in 2024/2025.
Spencer Jones is a regular standout at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – gleefully dismantling traditional stand-up, with prop-driven chaos and physical absurdity. He creatied and starring in the BBC series The Mind of Herbert Clunkerdunk. He also starred in Mister Winner and has appeared in Upstart Crow alongside David Mitchell, and Derek in Ted Lasso. Whether wielding homemade props, inhabiting oddball characters or diving headfirst into delightful chaos, Jones crafts performances that feel both anarchic and precisely tuned. At once childlike and sophisticated, Spencer Jones’s comedy is a reminder that the ridiculous, when done right, can be an art form all its own.
Stephen K Amos is a stalwart of the comedy scene he has charmed and entertained audiences all over the world with his natural, assured delivery and honest original material. A gifted actor, Amos has impressed critics with his performances on stage and screen. He had roles in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice and has been on QI, Have I Got News For You and Live At The Apollo. He presented the critically acclaimed documentary ‘Prejudice and Pride’ on BBC Four with Susan Calman and appeared on Dave’s One Night Stand. He also starred in his first TV series ‘The Stephen K Amos Show’ for BBC Two. Stephen had two second series of his hit radio series Life: An Idiots Guide for BBC Radio 4.
Terry Alderton is unpredictable, electric, and completely one of a kind, he doesn’t just perform stand-up… he creates a full-throttle comedy experience. From explosive energy to moments of pure spontaneity, no two shows are ever the same. A true comic’s comic and one of the most respected performers on the circuit, Terry has built a reputation for leaving audiences in absolute disbelief — and stitches. He has performed on Live At The Apollo, The Harry Hill Show, The Jonathan Ross Show and at the Royal Variety Performance. As an actor he is best known for his roles in EastEnders and Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels.
Guy Masterston is a UCLA & LAMDA-trained actor, director, writer and theatre producer of 40 years. A 32-year veteran of the Edinburgh Fringe, his companyhas presented over 150+predominantly new works and associated with several of its biggest hits including “12 Angry Men” (2003); “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” (2004) with Christian Slater and “The Odd Couple” (2005) with Bill Bailey.
He produced & directed the Olivier Award winning “Morecambe” (2009), “The Shark Is Broken” (2019) which transferred to the West End in 2021 and then Broadway in 2023. He also performed 11 solo work in 5000+ performances globally since 1991. He has also directed many other award-winning solos including Justin Butcher’s Scaramouche Jones, Rebecca Vaughan’s Austen’s Women, Pip Utton’s Adolf, Owen O’Neill’s Absolution, and Peter Tate’s Picasso: Le Monstre Sacré, all of which continue to tour after many years.
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