A hilarious & bold exploration of midlife desire, identity & reawakening
Comedian, actor & voice artist Mel Hudson is set to make her debut as a solo performer at Edinburgh Fringe Festival with her brilliant new stand-up show, Richard Ashcroft Revived My Libido, at Gilded Balloon Teviot, 5th – 30th August 2026.
When a gig by former The Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft becomes an unexpected catalyst in Mel’s life, it reminds her that desire exists. The concert super-charges her va-va-voom and sets off a joyous chain reaction that forms the backbone of her new show.
I chatted with Mel and discovered there seemed to be a link between her creativity and her love life! “It basically means that I noticed that my work always goes better when there’s something going on in my love life – and that fallow periods in both tend to coincide. I don’t know whether it’s to do with hormones or psychology. But the recent (Richard Ashcroft-induced) uplift in my libido seemed to spark a renewed creative oomph too. It put a spring in my step. Hence the drive to do this show.”
“At other times in my life, I know that I’ve definitely ploughed energy that I might have put into, say, having an affair – I’ve decided to channel that into work instead – and that’s been good for the work, and also good for my
domestic situation…. Again, I found that during pregnancy, both times, I felt very creative and productive workwise- which can be tricky because you generate momentum and future work for yourself that you really don’t then feel up to when you’ve got a newborn. So it’s different at different times – but it’s all connected.
Mel says, “Libido is not just sex. It’s about direction, energy, creative force, & what it feels like to be drawn towards life again”.Richard Ashcroft Revived My Libido blends storytelling, stand-up and personal reflection—tracing moments from adolescence through to midlife, from childhood imaginary friends to dating apps.
This is not a story about divorce, heartbreak, or starting over; it’s a turning point—a reawakening of something lost—after the years of intensive parenting, but before illness, grandchildren, or whatever comes next. “It’s a kind of interval—a strange, maybe temporary, freedom where you’re not defined by caring roles. They’re calling us ‘Queenagers’!”
What can audiences look forward to? Mel says “One joyful, funny hour of their lives – which will hopefully linger!
I’ve had so much positive feedback – from older women in particular, who tell me they relate and feel seen. But because I have my daughter in the show, we cross the generation barrier and talk about mothers and daughters too, in a celebratory, unifying way.”
“So her friends in their 20s say they love it too. One young man told me I was the sexiest woman he’d ever seen in real life’. OK I know that might mean he’s spent most of his life on his laptop, but I’ll take it. Material wise: my libido, Richard Ashcroft, PMMR (Post-Menopausal Motorway Refusal), and Trauma Candy Salad.” Though this marks her performing return to the Fringe, Mel has not been a stranger to Edinburgh in August.
“Yes I’ve been up lots of times in between. Usually to catch a friend in something, but also just to sniff the air. It’s a cliche, but the best things are the things you discover accidentally while you’re there. One year I caught Hazel O’Connor’s show – Beyond the Breaking Glass – about her life, with songs, at the Pleasance – and I’m so glad I did. I cheered and cried almost all the way through, and came away so inspired and restored.”
“Another year, I was at a loose end one morning and wandered into the Assembly and saw a play about a future world where all the girls, went they hit puberty, had a growth spurt and grew to 9 feet 9 tall (I think it was called Nine Foot Nine) – and came out by lunchtime with my mind blown. Same year, I saw Pussy Riot, at the Summer
Halls. None of them pre-booked – and so many good times!. “
Speaking of good times you can catch Mel:
Venue: Gilded Balloon Teviot, Teviot Row House, 13 Bristo Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9AJ
Dates: 5th – 30th August (excludes 18th)
Time: 16.20
Duration: 1 hour
Tickets: HERE
Socials: Instagram
Photo’s (c) Jake Walters
