After a decade on the road and hundreds of performances worldwide, we caught up with the team behind the darkly funny, five-star hit Meet Fred to talk evolution, audiences, and why its sharp comedy still lands today. See the show at Lakeside Arts on Thursday 4 June 2026.
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Meet Fred has been touring for 10 years now — did you ever expect it to have this kind of life, and how has the show evolved over that time?
Not at all. When we first started exploring puppetry with Blind Summit back in 2014, there was no grand plan for Meet Fred to become a decade-long international touring show. Fred really emerged through improvisation with the puppets and performers rather than being meticulously designed from the outset. We simply put him in situations and gradually discovered who he was.
Ten years later, the show has travelled to more than 145 cities across 20 countries and been seen by over 25,000 people, which still feels surreal for a two-foot puppet made of cloth.
The show has evolved naturally through touring and through the different performers who’ve joined the company over the years. Every new actor or puppeteer brings something fresh to Fred’s world. What’s remained constant is the show’s heart: a darkly funny story about independence, identity and systems that try to control people. Strangely, the themes feel just as relevant now as they did in 2016, which is one of the reasons we wanted to bring it back for this anniversary tour.
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You’ve taken the show to more than 20 countries — have audience reactions differed, or do the laughs (and gasps) translate everywhere?
What’s been remarkable is how universal the story seems to be. Different countries have different systems and politics, but the experience of fighting bureaucracy or trying to maintain independence against impossible odds is something audiences everywhere seem to recognise.
The laughs absolutely translate, although sometimes in unexpected ways. In China, for example, one of the characters wears a green hat, which apparently implies adultery there, so audiences found an extra layer of comedy we had no idea we’d written into the show.
France has been one of the warmest places for the show, probably because of the country’s strong puppetry tradition. Japan was perhaps the most nerve-racking stop because Bunraku puppetry originates there, and we were very aware we were doing something quite different with the form. Thankfully, audiences embraced it. One of the most meaningful experiences was South Korea, where Hijinx worked with the Wooran Foundation to create a Korean version of the show featuring learning disabled and autistic Korean actors in professional roles for the first time. That felt much bigger than simply touring a production abroad.
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The show tackles some big themes — disability rights, independence, bureaucracy — but does it through comedy. Why was humour the right way in?
Humour gives audiences permission to engage with difficult subjects without feeling preached at. Meet Fred deals with systems that can be dehumanising and absurd, so dark comedy felt like the most honest way to approach it.
There’s also something about puppetry that creates a unique emotional connection. Audiences are willing to empathise very deeply with Fred because he’s a puppet. That allows the show to move quickly between satire, silliness and something much more emotional.
The original idea of Fred losing his “Puppetry Living Allowance” was directly inspired by the experiences some of the artists involved in creating the show were dealing with at the time. The comedy comes from exaggerating those systems to absurd levels, but underneath it there’s a very real emotional truth.
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Hijinx Theatre is known for its inclusive approach — how do the performers’ lived experiences shape the show, both on and off stage?
The show was co-created with learning disabled and autistic performers, and their perspectives shaped Fred from the very beginning. The themes weren’t imposed onto the company from outside, they emerged from conversations, improvisations and shared experiences during the devising process.
That authenticity is a huge part of why the show resonates. The performers understand first-hand the kinds of systems and assumptions the show is satirising.
Touring together over the years has also changed the company itself. Meet Fred has created professional touring opportunities, international travel and long-term creative careers for performers who are too often excluded from the industry. Hijinx Actor, Lindsay Spellman, who is the last remaining original/devising company member has spoken previously about how being part of the show helped build her confidence, independence and skills as both a performer and a person.
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Do you have a favourite behind-the-scenes story or memorable audience reaction from the past decade of touring?
There have been a lot. Over ten years the company has dealt with blown tyres on German autobahns, emergency cast changes, hospital trips in South Korea, and a misunderstanding involving Swiss police and co-codamol.
Fred himself has also become increasingly battle-worn over the years. The company actually tried making a replica puppet for the anniversary tour, but it didn’t quite feel like Fred anymore. As Ben Pettitt-Wade (Artistic Director) put it, the original puppet is “probably more patch than original puppet now”, but somehow still has “a little bit of Fred’s soul” in it.
One of the most touching reactions has been seeing audiences unexpectedly emotional by the end of the show. People often arrive expecting a comedy about puppets and leave talking about politics, independence and empathy instead.
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For anyone coming to see it in Nottingham, what can they expect? Politics? Funny moments? A surprisingly emotional puppet?
All of the above. Meet Fred is packed with sharp comedy, visual inventiveness and some gloriously chaotic puppetry, but underneath the laughs there’s a very human story about trying to live independently in a world that keeps putting obstacles in your way.
Audiences can expect political satire, ridiculous humour, moments of real tenderness and, yes, probably to become unexpectedly emotionally invested in a puppet made of cloth.
It’s funny, strange, moving and occasionally gloriously rude (there’s puppet nudity, which feels important to mention)!
Meet Fred is showing at Lakeside Arts on Thursday 4 June 2026, as part of the Nottingham Puppet Festival, and is accompanied by a company-led Puppetry Workshop for ages 14+.
