Emmeline Downie is a comedian, actor and writer performing across the UK comedy circuit. In 2025 she performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as part of Brainsluts. She will appear in Channel 4’s new sitcom It Gets Worse, written by Leo Reich and arriving later this year. Emmeline is also bringing her character comedy show ‘Gail’ to the Fringe in August. We spoke to Emmeline about the show, the unsavoury implications of the term ‘Karen’, and her hopes for the month. 

Can you tell us about ‘Gail’?

Gail is a satirical character comedy about a lost and delusional middle-aged woman from Milton Keynes. It’s a tragi-comedy about female loneliness and the confusing socio-political landscape of modern Britain. But above all, it’s a loving and honest homage to complicated women.

For those who might be unfamiliar with you, how would you describe your comedy and your approach to performance?

I would say my comedy is heavily influenced by my upbringing in a village on the outskirts of Milton Keynes. It’s provincial and observational. I love detailed character comedy because I can put myself in someone else’s shoes and try to navigate the world from their perspective. Being someone else on stage is a limitless experience and involves complete creative freedom. With this in mind, why did I plump for a middle-aged woman from Milton Keynes..? Answer’s on a postcard.

It’s a month until the Fringe begins. Do you have the show locked in, or do you continually tinker and revise it?

It’s 80% locked in but I’m still adding and experimenting with elements. I’ll give myself a bit of breathing room to shuffle things around in the first week of Edinburgh but there are a lot of tech cues so I’m very aware that too much mucking about will ruin the life of my lovely tech, Chelsea. Plus, I’m telling a specific story so it’s important to me that every audience gets pretty-much the same show.

‘Gail’ is directed by Leo Reich with additional dramaturgy by Joz Norris. What have they brought to the show?

Leo and Joz are very different but equally brilliant comedians and working with both of them has been a dream. Leo has been my comedy partner since 2018 so he knows my comic voice inside out. He has guided me through the whole process and every suggestion he’s offered has made the show funnier and more interesting. Joz has helped me build the world of the show and establish who Gail is in relation to her audience. He has given me amazing advice and been a real mentor to me. I am so grateful to have worked on the show with them.

Your press release describes Gail as a ‘Karen’, while characterising the show as partly about those who feel they’re no longer being heard and their subsequent actions. Should we infer that there is at least a little bit of empathy there for the much-maligned Karen?

Certainly. Fundamentally, I think the term Karen is pretty misogynistic, classist, and ageist so I am trying to interrogate it. I want the audience to question their own assumptions of Karens and the extent of their empathy for them. Mid-life is meant to bring women freedom, confidence, and community; I’m interested in what happens when fear, ignorance, and loneliness are the overriding characteristics.

What are your hopes for the show? What would constitute a successful Fringe for you?

I really hope it finds its audience. My favourite thing is when people say they know a Gail. If people leave my show and immediately text their mum to tell them they love them then that’s my job done.

You’re no stranger to the Fringe, having performed as part of Brainsluts in 2025. Do you have any particular memories of that run, good or bad? And what for you are the best and worst things about the Fringe?

Brainsluts was such a joyful experience. Spending everyday with some of the funniest people in the world doing a show I was really proud of was a glorious way to pass a month. My main ‘bad’ memory happened at the end of the first week and had nothing to do with the show. I fell in the HUGE pothole on the crossing outside Bedlam Theatre and twisted my ankle quite badly. My outrage and embarrassment were so fierce, I wrote to Edinburgh Council to report the pothole. They emailed back to say they had visited the site and didn’t believe it to be that bad. The thing about me is I am going to email a council, if I feel the urge. The only real consequence was my character in Brainsluts had quite a severe limp for the rest of the run.

More generally speaking, the best things about the Fringe are seeing other people’s shows and enjoying the city of Edinburgh itself. Spending a mindful hour in Pie in the Sky on Cockburn St. Stunning. The worst thing is probably the smell of Cowgate.

Besides the show, can we expect to see you performing elsewhere during August; guest spots, compilation shows, etc?

Absolutely! Fast Fringe on 8th, Table Reads on 10th, Wanting to be Cool, Having to be Funny on 17th, Comedy in the Dark on 24th, and Bad Clowns and Good Friends on 29th!

Are there any other shows/ performers at the Fringe that you would recommend?

If you don’t see Will BF: ‘Moon Team IIIV’, you’re making a grave error. It is one of the funniest, most inventive shows I have ever seen. In my opinion, the other unmissable people are Rob Preston, Em Humble, Hasan Al-Habib, Molly Windust, Bella Hull, and Will & Noah.

‘Gail‘ is at Attic at Pleasance Courtyard from Wed 5 Sun 30 Aug 2026