Interview: Eleanor Higgins is WANTED at Edinburgh Fringe
Writer, performer and Bush Productions Creative Director Eleanor Higgins returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with the premiere of new show WANTED. We caught up with her to talk about the fringe experience, LGBTQ+ voices and stories, inspirations, and Things To Do in Edinburgh!
WANTED | Underbelly, Cowgate | 5 – 24 August 2025 | From £11.50
Hi Eleanor, thanks for taking the time during the fringe to chat with us. How is your Fringe going so far?
Thanks for having me! It’s been a bit of a whirlwind. Equal parts joy, panic, and excitement. But honestly, sharing the show with audiences every day is a total privilege – even when I haven’t slept properly in a week and I’m living off of meal deals and adrenaline.
Tell our readers a bit about WANTED. What can they expect?
WANTED is a fast, funny, morally messy story about two queer women in the late noughties who, after being let down by the system, go on a petty crime rampage. It’s about friendship, justice, and bad decisions made with good intentions. Expect the tussles of female friendship, nostalgia, sharp dialogue, emotional gut-punches, two love stories and a suspicious number of old school mobile phones.
It feels like we live in a time where LGBTQ+ voices and stories still need to be amplified – how important is that to you?
It’s hugely important. Queer people exist across every genre, every era, every shade of experience and deserve more representation than just trauma narratives or token side characters. I want to see LGBTQ+ characters who are funny, flawed, sexy, scared, powerful – everything. And I want to make work where we’re front and centre, not an afterthought.
What are the inspirations for your creative work?
I’m drawn to characters who do the wrong thing for the right reasons. I love anything that blends humour with heartbreak. Tonally, I’m somewhere between Sugar Rush, Orange Is The New Black, and a true crime podcast made by women who’ve had enough.
We love the atmosphere at your venue, Underbelly Cowgate – where else do you like to hang out at the Fringe?
Anywhere with crisps and somewhere to sit! I’m partial to hanging out at Assembly George Square Gardens, grabbing a quiet drink at Paradise Palms or catching up with pals at Pleasance Courtyard – on the quieter days!
I am Joint Editor at To Do List. I like: nice pubs, film marathons, not doing real marathons, bad comedy, plays/musicals with shorter second halves, and the Oxford comma.
