Eleanor Morton is a Scottish comedian and writer who lives in Edinburgh and makes internet videos as well as doing stand-up. Her latest show, Haunted House, is on at the Edinburgh Fringe. You can book tickets here.
STARBURST: How would you pitch Haunted House to a mysterious relative who mostly lives in the attic?
Eleanor Morton: This is THE show for you. It’s all about spooky houses and interpersonal relationships, plus it’s in a basement, which will make a nice change.
How would you pitch it to someone who has never seen a ghost or watched the Patrick Swayze movie Ghost?
It’s a show about meeting Americans, going to Pizza Express and the dark side of the Fringe.
Is Edinburgh actually haunted?
Yes. And No.
What are the origins of this show?
I’ve always been a bit ghost-obsessed, and I wanted to combine that with my love/hate relationship with the Fringe and what it means to be from the place where your industry congregates once a year for its biggest calendar moment. So it’s about ‘real’ ghosts and whether or not they exist, and also about the emotional ghosts we made along the way.
One of your characters is Craig the disinterested tour guide. How similar are you to Craig?
I think I use Craig to channel my frustrations at the way Scotland is romanticised by tourists. But I’m also painfully enthusiastic about history and facts and Scotland, so in that sense we’re very different.
How different does Edinburgh feel before, during and after the Fringe if you both work the Fringe and live in the city?
That’s a good question that rarely gets asked because the comedy industry seems to forget Edinburgh exists all year round. Edinburgh is always busy and touristy, but it gets turned up to 11 just before the Fringe. All the maintenance work starts because the council thinks they’ll get it done in time, all the posters go up, and you start seeing ads for shows on social media. During the Fringe it sort of feels like a different city – everything is suddenly very small and immediate and intense. After the Fringe, I sort of love the mundanity of the city going back to normal-ish. I think there’s been a big increase in tourism since COVID, and so I kinda miss ‘dead’ September when you could go into town, and there would be absolutely NOTHING happening, and it was great.
What’s the biggest change you’ve had to make to the show?
Not a change, but there’s a prop in the show I’m very excited about that is nearly ready, and I think it will be one of my favourite bits. My friend Julia made it and I don’t want to say too much but I love how much passion she’s put into it.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learnt on tour?
Always assume your train will either be cancelled or delayed.
What’s your next big project after the Fringe has ended?
I’ve written a book! It’s about cool women from history, and it comes out on August 15th! It’s pop history from the perspective of a non-expert who loves listicles and wanted to tell the world more about my favourite historical women, like Bobbi Gibb, who crashed the Boston Marathon in the ’60s when women weren’t allowed to run it, Noor Inayat Khan, who spied for Britain during the war, and The Match Girls, who made history with their strike campaign. There are lots of jokes, too.
Is it bad luck to rub the nose of the Greyfriars Bobby statue?
It’s not bad luck, but it is bad if you want locals not to hate you. It’s quite interesting to see a myth develop in real-time – when I was growing up, no one touched the statue, and in the last decade or so, it’s become this tradition out of nowhere. Damaging the statue is annoying, but the real ballache is people standing about on the pavement – I’m walking here!
Where else can we find you?
All the usual places. Search for me on YouTube, Twitter, Insta, and TikTok and I should come up.
Simpsons or Futurama?
Both, but only up to their mid-seasons
Game of Thrones or Outlander?
Can I say neither?
Salt or Sauce?
Ketchup
Doctor No or Doctor Strange?
Doctor doctor
Truth or Beauty?
There is beauty in truth and truth in beauty.
