Football, and the stars on the sidelines, are the themes of writer and performer Claudia Fielding’s new comedy A Costume Drama, which is heading to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Fusing together the sport, family and legacy in a celebration of the game, this new piece of writing presented by Play the Field Productions is directed and composed by Anna Rastelli. I recently had the opportunity to ask Claudia some questions about the inspiration for the piece, which follows a character that takes part in a football mascot competition.
What inspired you to write a comedy about keeping a family tradition of being a mascot alive?
My Father was always an avid football fan. I remember going to AFC Wimbledon games as a child and being most enthralled by their mascot, Haydon the Womble. As he dragged a wheelie bin behind him, slamming the lid to encourage the punters’ chants, the game suddenly became alive. Not saying that the actual football isn’t also interesting but as a young child, bearing witness to the ‘performative’ element of football drew me in closer to my family and The Game. There’s something to say about the portrayers of the mascots breathing life not only into the inanimate foam and polyester costumes but also into the fans. Other inspirations include researching into the annual Mascot Grand National’s (they’re real!) and being amused by the Instagram account where you can see lots of funny photos of mascots observing two minute silences (@mascotsilence).
With A Costume Drama centring on the mascots, fans and forgotten figures on the sidelines of football, how are you hoping to showcase a completely different side to the sport?
The story follows Ella who is sort of thrown into running a race for the sake of her Father and forced into fulfilling her legacy as the daughter of a long lineage of football mascots. The idea of family, tradition and legacy is found regularly still in our day to day lives: children taking over the family shop, learning the same trade as their Fathers. Ella has estranged herself from this idea, despite working in marketing at a big league football club. She can’t seem to escape the idea that football is in her blood too, just not in the way you might expect. Football is everywhere and such an influence in British culture, and I think it’s interesting to catch a glimpse of one of the many stories that audiences perhaps would not spare a thought for and of course doing it in a silly and light-hearted comedy about one extraordinary race for glory.
What can you tell me about the central character Ella?
Having moved to the big city from her small town, Ella works as a marketing lead for a big league football club. Unfortunately, it’s not that Ella doesn’t like football, it’s just she doesn’t like football… She doesn’t even think she likes marketing! Living with her best friend Charlotte and working the 9 to 5, Ella doesn’t realise that she’s coasting through her twenties, so when her Father presents the idea of her training and running the 2026 Mascot Grand National, she views it as divine intervention and could possibly be enthusiastic for something other than her own success? Is this the moment in her life where she faces adversity or an obstacle and can finally break free of the humdrum yet fast-paced city life she’s living?
Last year you decided not to perform at the festival and instead focused on theatremaking and developing A Costume Drama. How has the piece evolved since its conception?
I spent a lot of time thinking about this show. As the play is self-funded, choosing not to perform at the festival in 2025 was also a financial decision that I had to make in order to stay afloat. Going to Fringe is not cheap nor easy and is definitely a decision not to be taken lightly, several things had to fall into place for returning to the festival to be accessible for me. I wanted to present something that was a strong story, with hilarious moments, with some poignant undertones about a family reconnecting. Creating something like that takes time and energy, both of which you significantly lack whilst also working in hospitality. I tend to view my life in the day to day and in the moment and I am excited to act each performance in Edinburgh with gusto and be open to the wide variety of audiences I may encounter.
Having taken inspiration from both the success of Bend It Like Beckham and the rise of women’s football, how will longtime football fans and total newbies to the sport be able to relate to the subject matter?
This truly is an inter-generational show; there is a joke in there for everybody. Combining physical comedy with droll wit, you automatically relate to the main character Ella in some way, whether that being you hate your boss, you feel a certain duty to The Game through family pressure or you’ve never exercised a day in your life. Whilst the show revolves around a football mascot, the story, in simple terms, actually follows a woman who is training for the biggest race of her life. Throw in a huge egg suit and some peer pressure, a dash of jeopardy and a whole lot of silliness, and you have A Costume Drama. Familiar fans will perhaps think about their team’s mascot in a new light and newbies get to watch a fun story about a man-sized egg. Win win!
Catch A Costume Drama at the 2026 festival
A Costume Drama sounds like a fun piece of theatre that audiences of all ages will be able to relate to, regardless of whether you are a football fan or not. It’s brilliant to see a different side of football take centre stage in this new comedy. The show is based at Playground 3 at ZOO Playground (venue 186) from 7th – 30th August (not 18th). Performances start at 13:25 (1 hour), with the show on sale via the EdFringe website now.
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