Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse for England is exactly the kind of title that makes you do a double-take in the Fringe program. You might assume there’s no way a show with a name that absurd could also be this sharp, polished, and genuinely hilarious, but you’d be completely wrong.

This is a belter of a one-man show from Alex Hill. Inspired by the infamous photo from the 2020 Euro Final, where an England supporter did, quite literally, what the title suggests. It sounds like the most bonkers source material imaginable, yet somehow, Hill turns it into a 65-minute performance that is funny, timely, and unexpectedly full of depth.

We follow Billy through the highs and lows of football fandom, as the show peels back both the joy and the darker undercurrent of supporter culture. It’s a social commentary on toxic masculinity, identity, and mental health, delivered with wit, bite, and real emotional intelligence.

The balance is remarkable: laugh-out-loud funny one moment, quietly devastating the next. It’s no small feat for a solo performer to command a room so completely, but Hill does it with total control.

This is the kind of Fringe show that sneaks up on you, outrageous on the surface, but unforgettable at its core.

Come for the chaos of the title, leave with a performance that will stay with you long after the curtain falls.