A History Mystery
★★★★☆ Exuberant
Theatre at PASS Theatre (Venue 446): Wed 26 – Sun 30 Aug 2026
Review by Hugh Simpson
A History Mystery, from Performing Arts Studio Scotland at Edinburgh College Granton Campus for the Fringe’s last few days, is a lovable and entertaining time-travelling family show with a wide appeal.
The evil Tick Tock Taker has escaped from Time Jail and is seeking to disrupt history, but the heroic History Mystery Restoration Crew (that’s HMRC to you), with the help of the audience, can defeat him.
A History Mystery Pic: infinite blue designs.
There’s an understandable Horrible Histories vibe to much of it (particularly the rapping Pythagoras), but its deliciously over-earnest ‘inform, educate and entertain’ feeling actually suggests BBC children’s programmes of an even earlier age that none of the young performers could possibly remember.
There is an oddly old-fashioned air to the chosen ‘important episodes in history’ that are visited (Isaac Newton and his apple, Guy Fawkes and his gunpowder), but there’s also room for Hedy Lamarr as the ‘mother of wi-fi’. The balance between information about history and science and general goofing about is struck very well.
gleeful silliness
This is advertised at being aimed at ages 6 to 10, which is the undoubted sweet spot, but the gleeful silliness could certainly hold a slightly younger audience, while there’s plenty that would entertain older people too. Not that it relies on double entendres to placate adults as such efforts are wont to do. Instead, it’s utterly wholesome, and it’s the boundless energy, constant invention and genuinely funny interaction that win you over.
A credit reading ‘performed and written by the company’ doesn’t always augur well, but here it signals a show in which a large cast of highly promising performers have all contributed to a coherent whole, with only the very occasional hint of a series of sketches strung together.
A History Mystery Pic: infinite blue designs.
The heroic HMRC (Mackenzie Dias, Iona Stewart, Jenna Goldie, Lorna McNay and Adelle Ebbs Smith) anchor the production, with their various personalities elegantly established. Stewart’s sleepy John Yawn is particularly pleasing, but the whole group impresses, as does Sandra Ferrer Garcia as their authoritative yet friendly boss Heroic Hope.
Ethan Clay, Oliver Perry, Chantel Rowberry, Mia Linklater and Daniel Pritchard give the various figures from history considerable life, with Perry’s ludicrous Pythagoras a joy.
simply wonderful
Daniel Thomson and Ross Cunningham play several roles effectively, with Cunningham’s scooter-riding Time Boy, announcing the dates with varying degrees of enthusiasm, simply wonderful.
As always, the baddies are in danger of stealing the show, and Hector Buchanan’ Tick Tock Time Taker does precisely that, with a ridiculous relish, just the right degree of overplaying and an enviable ability to stand completely still. His relationship with sidekick Big Ben (Alex Burgess) is beautifully realised, as well as showing off some of the production’s excellent costumes.
A History Mystery Pic: infinite blue designs.
Ashling Findlay-Carroll’s direction is tremendously paced and sympathetic, as well as making very good use of the whole area in the excellent PASS Theatre.
The audience participation is low-key and fun, and could probably be dialled up a little and sold more exuberantly. That, however, is one of the few criticisms that can be levelled at a show that is tremendous value.
It may be somewhat of a longer journey form the city centre than your average Fringe venue, and the actual venue is signally lacking in posters and signs advertising the show, but it’s well worth it when you get there. It’s warm, fun, infectious and you might even learn something.
Running time: 55 minutes (no interval).
PASS Theatre (Theatre), Edinburgh College, Granton Campus, 350 West Granton Road EH5 1QE (Venue 446).
Wednesday 26 – Sunday 30 August 2026.
Wed: 2.30pm; Thur – Sat: 10am; Sun: 2pm.
Tickets and details: Book here at EdFringe.com.
Instagram: @passedcoll
A History Mystery Pic: infinite blue designs.
ENDS
