ScottishNews.com

The Succession star was speaking to ScottishNews.com writer John Glover as the 2026 Fringe drew to a close, shortly after watching Drone at Pleasance Two.

Written and directed by Dmitry Melkin and performed by Gladstone Mahib, the multimedia production combines storytelling, dance and neural network-driven visuals to explore humanity, artificial intelligence and an uncertain future.

Cox described it as one of the most astonishing pieces of theatre he had encountered during his 65-year career. He also discussed the future of the Fringe, the pressure placed on young artists and his belief that the Fringe and Edinburgh International Festival should work more closely together.

How did you find Drone?

It’s astonishing. It is probably one of the most astonishing pieces of work that I’ve seen in many a long year.

It shows a whole development of what is possible in theatre, in terms of how you present something. It’s a remarkable piece of work. It’s ultimately very personal and reflective of Dmitry Melkin, who is quite a genius, and his journey.

But it says so much about where we are, the problem with AI and the future that’s coming. It’s very prophetic as a piece of work and, of course, it’s truly theatrical.

If you can imagine Peter Brook gone crazy, that’s what it’s like. I knew Peter quite well. He was at one time going to be my father-in-law many, many years ago. We won’t go into that.

It reminded me of the level Peter was moving towards, except he wasn’t a writer in the way Dmitry is. It’s a fantastic show and it’s a show that has to be seen.

What makes it so unusual?

There’s no show like it. There’s nothing I’ve seen like this show in all my years. I’ve been in this business for 65 years and I’ve never seen anything like this, ever.

It’s brave, contentious and challenging in every aspect. It asks the audience to sit there and pay attention in a way that doesn’t help you to pay attention. It asks you to do it, and that’s the demand of it. That’s what’s extraordinary.

I think it’s a truly remarkable piece of work.

Artists have spoken about being unable to afford to perform at the Fringe unless they can stay with friends. Does the festival have to address that?

We’ve got to rethink the Fringe. We’ve got to rethink the whole thing.

My view is that we should find a way of making the official Festival and the Fringe part of a festival entity, so that they cross-fertilise with one another.

I’m talking about cross-fertilisation in terms of accommodation. The prices get hiked when it should be the opposite. Prices should go down at this time because these are young people who are spending.

Apparently, some young woman from Australia paid £50,000 to do a show. The pioneering side of theatre is very important, but we’ve also got to look after people. We’ve got to make sure they have somewhere to live.

What could Edinburgh do to provide more affordable accommodation?

There’s no proper accommodation here. My suggestion is that there are a lot of old train coaches that you could convert and put on the edge of the Meadows.

People would have somewhere to live during this time, and it could also help students because we’re having a problem with Edinburgh students finding accommodation. They’re finding it very difficult and they can’t afford it.

The fact that prices are hiked for the festival is just cruel to the people performing here. It’s insensitive and it’s not necessary.

We have to be who we are in terms of our generosity, and it needs to happen in Edinburgh. People shouldn’t be overpriced.

There is nothing more phenomenal than the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It’s a very, very important festival and I wouldn’t want to damage that in any way, but I think we should look after it.

The festival will celebrate its 80th anniversary in 2027. Is that an opportunity to make changes?

It’s 80 years next year. It’s a big anniversary and, for that anniversary, everybody should come together and say: “What are we doing?”

For these weeks, we have to put a moratorium on what’s going on so that we can restructure the whole thing.

We need to structure it so that we look after the people who are performing and they’re not scrabbling. The accommodation element is very, very important.

How far back does your own relationship with the Fringe go?

My first Fringe was in 1963.

The talent is still there and there are more people, but we’re not looking after it. We’re not realising how precious this event is and how unique it is.

There’s no other event like what goes on in Edinburgh at that time. We’ve got to build it up more in terms of its value. That needs to be thought about properly.

The official Festival and the Fringe should get together. They shouldn’t overlap, but they should say: “This is a time when we have to take care of what’s going on with our audience in Edinburgh.”

We shouldn’t milk them and we shouldn’t over-hype the hotel prices, because it becomes capitalist mercenary. That’s not what Scotland is. We’re not that and we should get away from it.

Are there other festivals Edinburgh could learn from?

No, because we are the example, sadly. That’s why we have to get it together.

There’s nowhere like Edinburgh in the world. We have to take care of these festivals and put them together in a way that allows us to organise things, particularly accommodation.

Take these old trains, convert them and get people to work on them. Get the students to work on them and create something that can be used every year, right through to the 100th anniversary.

What would you like to see happen to Drone after Edinburgh?

I think it’s a major piece of work and it needs exposure in a major way. Unfortunately, it’s not getting that exposure here.

It’s hard because everybody is clamouring for a spot, but Dmitry is somebody very special. His vision is unique and it takes into account where we are in terms of the AI age we’re living in.

I’d absolutely like to see it somewhere in London or New York. It needs a London focus, really, or Manchester or somewhere. It needs a major focus.

The festival is great, but there are so many shows here. In all my theatrical experience, I haven’t seen anything as unique as this.

It is totally unique and totally pioneering, and it has to be given the respect it deserves.

Is it a production you wish you could have taken part in?

No, it’s not that, because I think Gladstone does a brilliant job.

Its roots are in Russia and that’s important. It’s saying so much about what’s going on in Russia and what isn’t happening in Russia, as much as what is happening there.

That’s why it’s a major piece of work. It’s not just a major piece of work in terms of theatre. It’s a major piece of work in terms of film and theatre. It’s amazing.

What is your relationship with Dmitry Melkin?

We don’t know each other well, but he did a show called The Forest, which my son and daughter worked on, and they’ve worked on this as well. Jane Quigley also worked on it.

That was my introduction to his work and it was a marvellous show. But this has gone way beyond that. This is very personal, more personal than The Forest was, and that’s why it’s such a unique and important event.

It’s about the world we live in. It’s about how we’re dealing with AI and the constant onslaught we’re getting from external forces.

Those forces are defining us more and more and are eventually taking us over. We have to resist it. We have to say no and keep our artistic integrity intact.

This is a unique piece of work, and it has to be seen on a broader scale.