The producer of Fleabag and Baby Reindeer's tip for finding a hit? Don't look for one

Francesca Moody, theatre producer on Fleabag and Baby Reindeer, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, summer 2025. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images Europe hide caption

EDINBURGH — A Shrek burlesque parody. A one man show inspired by the 2002 Hilary Duff Disney Channel original movie Cadet Kelly . An improvised hour titled David Elms Describes a Room (despite the dry name, it's actually quite entertaining).

At the Edinburgh Fringe, which wrapped up its 79th edition late last month, almost anything can be a show. And almost any show can be an audition.

This year's festival featured more than 4,200 productions, an overwhelming marketplace of comedy, theater, cabaret — and plenty that resist easy categorization. It is also an important hunting ground for producers searching for the next unlikely thing that might travel beyond Edinburgh.

Few have a better track record for spotting it early than Francesca Moody.

The 38-year-old London producer helped bring both Fleabag and Baby Reindeer to the Fringe, years before either became a global television phenomenon.

Their success has given Moody a reputation for spotting hits early. But ask her how she decides what to produce, and she doesn't want to talk much about strategy or numbers.

"I think ultimately it's all about my personal taste, because I'm a producer who is really led by their gut," Moody told NPR on a recent afternoon from a makeshift office in Edinburgh, where the Fringe was in full swing.