Riotous wrestling comedy from Rochdale prepares to run wild over the Edinburgh Festival

Photo: Gavin Cottrell Exposures

Ant McGinley's Ginger Ninja, AKA “The Champ”, boasts more than 7,000 loyal subscribers

A cult podcast by a Rochdale comedian is returning to the stage for a nine-night run at the world’s largest arts festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

After making a splash at the Leicester Comedy Festival earlier this year, Ant McGinley’s podcast ‘Wrestling with The Champ’ once again steps out of the studio with a new production, ‘Better Red Than Dead’, courtesy of the PBH Free Fringe, which promotes free shows during the Festival Fringe.

The show's writers, Damien St John (BAFTA Rocliffe TV comedy forum 2017, The Thicktionary, JACK fm, Heart FM) and Ant McGinley (The Offensive, Jackie the Ripper, On The Left Side), playfully poke fun at the world of wrestling with all the love and affection of two geeks who grew up idolising the likes of Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, The Rock, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and John Cena.

The podcast was originally started by Ant during lockdown in 2020 and now the show’s star, the Ginger Ninja AKA ‘The Champ’, boasts more than 7,000 loyal subscribers who love tuning into his regular antics as the Pub Wrestling Federation.

The former St Cuthbert’s student said: “During lockdown, I started a new podcast with an old colleague, and that monthly comedy born of a love of wrestling, has now turned into a live show.”

Many standup comedians have featured in cameo roles since Wrestling with The Champ began in 2020, including Scotland’s own Rachel Graham (Debating Dating podcast), plus Dawn Bailey, Alex Boardman, Hayley Ellis, Mick Ferry, Ash Frith, Rachel Graham, Adam Jarrell, Colin Leggo, Philip Simon, Harry Stachini, Rob Tofield and wrestling pundit Tom Campbell from Cultaholic.com

Like all the shows performing under the PBH Free Fringe umbrella, tickets are free but donations are welcome via Ko-fi. The runtime is 40 minutes. Contains explicit language and mature themes.

Better Red Than Dead will be performed daily at 4.15pm at Edinburgh’s Omni Centre stage 4.