EDINBURGH 2026: Review: OMAR BADAWY: GUIDED DETOUR, Pleasance Courtyard

Have you ever found yourself rushing through London in a Viking costume and suddenly find yourself in the middle of a far-right rally? What’s that? You haven’t? It’s quite niche? Well, Omar Badawy has, and it is thanks to that experience that he is presenting us with his debut hour at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Introducing himself to the audience, Badawy talks us through his struggles with his own identity. On the one hand, his Egyptian heritage makes him a target. On the other, his privileged upbringing means that his accent alone offers him kinder treatment, even from those who wish him harm. In one hilarious moment of the show, the comedian recollects a time when a passerby asked him his ethnicity. “I want to make sure I call you the right slur.” Even the comedian himself can't help but appreciate such a thoughtful hate crime. 

So, when Omar tells the story of his time at the Unite the Kingdom rally, it comes as quite the surprise when he reveals that he was taken under their wing. Or, at least, by Viking enthusiast John. Dodging any and all attempts John makes to turn the conversation political, Badawy finds other subjects to keep the man entertained, like football and kebabs. 

It is here that we get to the heart of the show: Omar’s apparent paralysis around any kind of decision-making. Always feeling half in, half out of the very cultures he was brought up with, the comic has never felt truly accepted by the world around him. His exploration of such subjects is at times hilarious and at others deeply intimate. 

Filled to the brim with well-written gags and delivered with a confident self-awareness, it is clear to see that Badawy almost has the stand-up game completely figured out. Where the show suffers is in the stand-up persona of the comedian himself. Warm and inviting in his approach, Omar’s delivery can sometimes feel a little repetitive or not fully thought through enough to allow the jokes to land as well as they can. 

That said, Guided Detour is a solid Fringe debut. Bringing plenty of laughs and some hilariously written observations on British life as a self-proclaimed posh Arab, it is clear to see that Omar Badawy has all the tools he needs to become one of the greats. 

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