BBC EastEnders star 'crazy' as one-woman show set to debut at Edinburgh Fringe

Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info
A BBC EastEnders star is set to take her one-woman show to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer.
Speaking on This Morning, Michelle Collins who plays Cindy Beale in the popular soap, said "she knows she is crazy" for performing at the festival.
The 63-year-old actress admitted she always wanted to go to the Fringe but the opportunity never happened. Now she is set to be in the capital from July 30 to August 25 as she makes her debut in 'Motorhome Marilyn'.
Speaking on the ITV daytime show, Michelle said: "BBC have kindly given me one month off to do the Edinburgh festival and I have never done it.
"I always wanted to go and it didn't happen and then this opportunity came up. It's a play called Motorhome Marilyn.
"I met this woman who was dressed as Marilyn and she was my kind of age and she was driving a motorhome in LA by the Chinese Theatre.
"I was really intrigued by this woman. How did she get to this place? Who is she?
"I never saw her again and then I wrote a play about her. I know I am crazy, I am mad. Don't worry because if you don't like Cindy it doesn't matter because I am not Cindy, I am playing someone else."
A description of the show on Gilded Balloon reads: "Michelle Collins makes her Edinburgh Fringe debut in Motorhome Marilyn, a dark comedy by Ben Weatherill.
Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
"The play follows Denise, an aspiring actress with an obsessive relationship with Marilyn Monroe, hoping to live up to the icon's fame and beauty. In the 1980s, she heads to Hollywood, but as her dreams falter, she is forced to confront the painful truth of unfulfilled aspirations.
"Inspired by Michelle's real-life encounter with a woman known as Motorhome Marilyn, the play reveals the toll of living in the shadow of an icon, exploring failure, aging, and the heartbreaking cost of unattained dreams."
Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
Michelle Collins has many notable TV roles including in the BBC dramas Real Women, Sunburn and Two Thousand Acres of Sky. She first appeared in Eastenders in 1988.
You can find out more about the show here.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The National

32 minutes ago

• The National

BBC axes Gaza doctors documentary over 'impartiality'

Gaza: Doctors Under Attack explored the destruction of the health service in Gaza under Israel's brutal bombardment, and was reportedly ready to be broadcast in February. We told how the documentary was shelved last month following the controversy around How to Survive a Warzone, which featured the son of a Hamas official. READ MORE: UK Government 'set to proscribe Palestine Action after RAF protest' The production firm behind Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, Basement Films, said at the time that the BBC had postponed airing their film until after a review into How to Survive a Warzone is complete. However, despite the fact that this review remains ongoing, the BBC has now officially scrapped plans to show the documentary after concluding that it "risked creating a perception of partiality" over the corporation's coverage of Israel and Gaza. In a statement published on Friday, the BBC said: 'Our aim was to find a way to air some of the material in our news programmes, in line with our impartiality standards, before the review was published. "For some weeks, the BBC has been working with Basement Films to find a way to tell the stories of these doctors on our platforms.' It added: 'Yesterday it became apparent that we have reached the end of the road with these discussions. "We have come to the conclusion that broadcasting this material risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC. "Impartiality is a core principle of BBC News. It is one of the reasons that we are the world's most trusted broadcaster." READ MORE: Presiding Officer to step down at Holyrood election The BBC said it was transferring ownership of the film material to Basement Films, and that the documentary had "not undergone the BBC's final pre-broadcast sign-off processes", as some reports had suggested. The corporation also "thank[ed" those who contributed to the documentary and said "we are sorry we could not tell their stories". The BBC has been increasingly accused of failing to report on Israel's assault on Gaza in an impartial manner. A report published this week by the Centre for Media Monitoring found that the corporation's coverage showed a "pattern of bias, double standards and silencing of Palestinian voices". It found that the word massacre(d) was used 18 times more frequently in the context of Israeli deaths than Palestinian deaths in BBC articles. Emotive terms such as 'atrocities', 'slaughter', 'barbaric', 'deadly', 'brutal' were used four times more often when reporting on Israeli victims, while 'murder(ed)' was used 220 times in the Israeli context and just once for Palestinians. The report analysed a total of 3873 articles and 32,092 TV and radio broadcasts between October 7, 2023 to October 7, 2024.

Daily Record

an hour ago

• Daily Record

Immersive theatrical spectacular joins Edinburgh Fringe line-up this summer

This summer, prepare to be amazed as a brand new theatrical circus comes to Edinburgh. Part of the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Spirit of the Favela is set to bring the vibrancy of Brazil to the Scottish capital for a limited run this summer. Making its debut at the Fringe, the immersive production promises to be unlike anything the festival has seen before - as an electric, pulse-raising tribute to the heart and soul of Rio de Janeiro's favelas. Running from July 28 to August 24, 2025, Spirit of the Favela will blend breathtaking artistry, powerful physical theatre, and the infectious rhythms of samba, funk, and street percussion to tell a story of community, resistance, and joy. Celebrating Brazil's favela communities With Spirit of the Favela, audiences can expect a true spectacle with a deeply human story at its core. Using movement, music and sheer physicality, it follows the lives of a young dreamer, Davi, growing up in a favela, where danger and hardship are met with rhythm, creativity, and fierce pride - showcasing the beating heart of real life in Brazil. When corporate giants threaten to demolish their community for mundane developments, the favela residents unite in a powerful stand, resulting in a mesmerising eruption on stage featuring live samba music, captivating dancers, and thrilling circus acts. Witness gravity-defying stunts, explosive group choreography, and visceral moments of stillness and emotion that speak louder than dialogue ever could. Creator and director of the show, Julia Kirilova, who is debuting her first independent production from Big Kid Entertainment with Spirit of the Favela, said: 'This is not a polished fairytale; Spirit of the Favela is raw, real, and utterly alive. 'It's the sound of a drum echoing through alleyways. The sparkle of carnival despite the chaos. It's people rising, dancing, flying.' Inside the Mirage But the heartfelt story and incredible performances are only where it begins, with the venue of the Mirage Spiegeltent being just as unique. A spectacle all on its own, the Mirage Spiegeltent is a grand cabaret-style tent, embodying the charm, sparkle and spirit of Brazil. Spiegeltents are often celebrated for their stunning aesthetics, featuring nostalgic designs and strategically placed mirrors throughout the tent to distort and reflect light, creating an otherworldly atmosphere. Combined with elements of wood and glass, guests can expect an immersive sensory experience where the line between performer and audience blurs; enjoy every flip, beat, and emotion as you sit close to the action. The impressive venue will be located at the Gyle Shopping Centre, near Edinburgh Airport, throughout the Fringe, making it one of the first stops that festival-goers encounter, bringing the magic of performance and prestige to more people across the city. The venue is also wheelchair accessible, and will be buzzing with energy from the moment you make your way through its arches. Get your tickets today Spirit of the Favela will run at the Mirage Spiegeltent, based at the Gyle Shopping Centre, EH12 9JY, from July 28 to August 24, 2025. Tickets are now available to purchase online here, with general admission priced at £20, plus a booking fee. The show will last for approximately 80 minutes and is suitable for ages 14 and over. So, this summer, don't miss out on the Fringe's electric new arrival, promising international flair, a live original soundtrack, and a heartfelt message that resonates globally — all wrapped in the fabulous adrenaline rush of performance and spectacle.

Edinburgh Live

an hour ago

• Edinburgh Live

Midlothian man quit school after making £10k a month managing Fortnite players from bedroom

Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Get the latest Edinburgh Live breaking news on WhatsApp A young Midlothian man quit school after earning £10,000 a month managing some of the world's biggest online gamers from his bedroom. Ross McLaren, 22, was born with a rare form of muscular dystrophy which left him wheelchair bound. He dreamed of becoming a professional Fortnite player but instead built a six-figure business at the age of 17 while living at home with his parents, Lesley and Craig. Now Ross manages a team of ten and oversees the daily operations of some of the biggest names in online gaming including megastar Fortnite players Clix and Sentinel, reports The Daily Record. He told the Record: "I really wanted to be a pro-Fortnite player but I realised I wasn't good enough. "I got into video editing for professional Fornite players and started working with small gaming streamers for free when I was in school. "By summer 2021 I was making £10,000 per month and I told my parents I didn't want to sit my Advanced Highers. "They had their doubts and asked me to go back to school - but I quit after one day." Ross explained how his disability enabled him to get into the gaming world and hone his craft. He said: "Having muscular dystrophy was somewhat of an advantage for me as it meant I spent a lot more time on a computer when I was younger as I couldn't go out and play sports like other kids." The then-schoolboy began offering his video editing services to small streamers for fun. Just as he was about to give up, Ross struck gold. "I was working with a streamer called Bugha who only had about 20,000 subscribers," he said. "Bugha played in the Fortnite World Cup in 2018 and won $3million. Overnight, his subscriber count hit one million.' Bugha– now with 4.7million YouTube subscribers – stuck with Ross, and business 'spiralled from there'. Ross then caught the eye of another famous Fornite player called Clix who had 3.5 million YouTube subscribers. Following pressure from his parents, Ross went back to George Heriot's School for one day before quitting - and landed one of the biggest opportunities of his career. He was asked to run a gaming channel fronted by UK YouTube icon KSI who boasts more than 22 million subscribers. He now works as a freelancer, and manages content for professionals like Clix and top E-Sports organisation Sentinels, based in Los Angeles. Top Fortnite streamers like Clix earn around £100,000 per month and Ross collects a lucrative commission for producing content. The young entrepreneur now has his sights on relocating to the US to be closer to his star clients. He added: "It's crazy how things have turned out. "My job didn't exist a few years ago - now business is thriving. "I hope to move to Dallas. With Fortnite, the servers are based there and many of the players are. "I'm planning on taking the leap to move to be closer to my clients."