Focus on: Alfie Ordinary

Alfie Ordinary dreams of performing a Christmas show with ex-EastEnders star Pam St Clement. “There is a YouTube video of her singing 'White Christmas' dressed as Mrs Claus. It’s the best thing you’ll see today.” 

During our interview, he says the word "fabulous" 11 times in 60 seconds about his character. “Alfie identifies as fabulous, he's part of the fabulous community and goes to a specialist school for fabulous people who are excelling in their own fabulous ways.”

Alfie is anything but ordinary. But it has taken his inaugural show, Help! I Think I Might Be Fabulous, four years to make it to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. 

Instead, he has been selling out fringe venues around the world, winning awards in Brighton, Hollywood, San Diego and Adelaide. Such acclaim could have given this drag prince (son of a fictional drag queen) quite the ego. 

Yet he’s a shy, humble performer still surprised by his success: “I just wanted to write a little show and do it for my friends – I didn’t really think anything was going to happen! I’ve taken it to other fringes, and it's gone OK, so I'm dipping my toe into the Edinburgh puddle... No, that's shit!” He laughs-off the metaphor. 

But for someone used to the searing heat at the American and Antipodean festivals, Alfie understands that in Edinburgh he’ll inevitably get soaked dashing from one performance to the next. “If it's anything like Adelaide then a huge part of the experience is hanging out and meeting all the acts, supporting other people who are in the same boat.” The friendliness of a tight-knit drag community is a key inspiration for the show. 

Help! I Think I Might Be Fabulous celebrates otherness, encouraging self-acceptance and self-love even if you’re on the fringe of society. "I was really interested in creating a character that didn't exist in the centre of his own community. Alfie was created out of not being able to openly discuss issues of being different, not fitting in with the norm.” 

Alfie the character remains ambiguous, opting against a sexual preference or gender label – he identifies as fabulous. As such, Help! I Might Be Fabulous resonates with audiences: “I wanted to make the point that it really is simple – we shouldn't be prejudiced against people because they're different.”