Events are listed by date, then city. Submit listings at least ten days before publication to comedy@list.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Rachael Street.
Glasgow
Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. l'(}(‘ Building. Renl‘rew Street. 08707 870707. 8pm. £7 (£3). Deadpan man Sean Meo teams up with the formerly be-dreadlocked (‘anadian Jason-John Whitehead. .Mike Wilkinson and lt'islt boy Karl Spain.
The Big Bluu Comedy Gong Show Bluu. 50 'l'rongate. Merchant ('ity. 548 1350. 8.30pm. Free. Special guest Kevin Bridges helps the audience decide who beats the gong to win the £100 pri/e. Hosted by Alan Anderson and Scott Agnew.
The Thursday Show The Stand. 333 \Voodlands Road. 0870 ()00 ()055. 8.30pm. £6 (£3 £5). Split personality Attssie Brendon Burns heads up this comedy learn. aided and abetted by Danny Buckler. musical maestro Allen (‘halmers and host Jane Mackay.
Edinburgh
Big Word New Year Slam The Bongo ('lub. Moray House. 37 llolyrotxl Road. 558 760-1. 8pm. £4 (£3). The first slam of 2006 is open to all aspiring rhymers. so il‘ you're interested in taking part. contact Jenny Lindsay on 556 3850 or jennylindsayta gmailcom.
The Thursday Show The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £6 (£3 £5). Irish comedy veteran ()wen ()‘.\'ei|l teams up with deadpan funny man Anthony J Brown. Wendy Wason and naughty boy host. Joe lleenan.
The Snatch Social The Liquid Room. ()c Victoria Street. 225 256—1. 1 lprn 3am. £5. (‘omedy capers from Harry Ainsworth and Tony (‘arter at this cheeky cabaret-cum-disco. Babes and 'l‘rendy Wendy (monthly resident) supply hip hop and funky tunes. (‘heck www.snatchsocial.com for more into.
Glasgow
Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. l'(i(‘ Building. Renl‘rew Street. 08707 870707. 8pm. £12. See Thu 1‘). Curlers Bumper Value Comedy (‘urlers. 256 260 Byres Road. 338 ()51 1. 8.30pm. £3. Bathgate banter-meister Bill Dewar teams up with Scott Agnew. Atrssie giant Rowan (‘ampbell and host Alan Anderson.
The Stand The Stand. 33.3 Woodlands Road. 0870 ()00 (3055. 8.30pm. £8 (£7). l’ull-l'orce Antipodean Brendon Burns leads this band of merry jokers. featuring Danny Buckler. mischievous mirth maker Joe lleenan and l‘eisty lass Jane Mackay.
Edinburgh
Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. ()mni (‘entre. (ireenside Place. 08707 870707. 8pm. £12. Big man Raymond Mearns joins comedy forces with Welsh- Jewish lad Bennett Arron. liddy Brimson and sharp shooter Richard Morton.
The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 0pm. £8 (£7). Whimsical Irishman ()wen ()‘Neill shares the comedy stage with cool kid Anthony J Brown. Wendy Wason. 'l‘erry Saunders and chatterbos host Stisan Morrison.
The Bedlam lmproverts Bedlam Theatre. l lb Bristo Place. 225 9893. 10.30pm. £3.50 (£3). Long standing late night laughter institution that has spawned many a comic talent. involving lots of audience participation. drunken revelry and spontaneous comedy games.
Glasgow
Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. l'(i(‘ Building. Renl'rew Street. ()8707 870707. 8pm. £13. See Thu 1‘).
Ha Ha Comedy: Laughing Horse New Comedian of the Year Blacklriars. 36 Bell Street. 552 5924. 8.30pm. £3. Alan Anderson hosts this competition for stand-up‘s rising stars. Cosy Comedy Café The State Bar. 1-18 llolland Street. 332 215‘). 9pm. £6 (£5). Weekly comedy club with sets from some of the best local talent. ()pen spots always available.
The Stand The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. 0870 (300 6055. 9pm. £ 10 (£8). See l-‘ri 20.
Edinburgh
Lee Mack Bt‘unton 'l'heatrc. I.adywell Way. N'lttssellittt‘gll. 005 22-10. 7.30pm. £ 10 £12.50. The They Think it '3‘ All Over regular stops in for more l‘ree-l’orm silliness on his nationwide tour. See preview. Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. ()mni (‘entre. (ireenside Place. ()8707 870707. 8pm. £13. See l’ri 20. The Stand The Stand. 5 ’ork Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£8). See Fri 20.
Glasgow
Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand. 333 \Mmdlttltds Road. 0870 (300 0055. 8.30pm. £4
(£1 £3). Ice-man Anthony J Brown and former actress “’endy \K'ason join deadpan Irishman Michael Redmond.
Edinburgh
The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8.30pm. £4 (£1 £3). Magical funny man Danny Buckler shares the limelight with Jane Mackay. the Horses Mouth (AKA Jamie Anderson and Kev in Bridges). plus cheeky chap host Bruce Devlin.
Glasgow
Dance, Monkey Boy, Dance The Stand. 333 \N'oodlands Road. 0870 600 (3055. 8.30pm. £4. Team Monkey (better known as Sandy Nelson. Allen Chalmers. Paul Pirie. Des McLean and Raymond Mearns) spice up Monday night with more spontaneous sketches. mtisic and gags.
Edinburgh
Red Raw The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8.30pm. £1. More newcomers show oil their bed lines. supported by an experienced compere and headliner.
Tuesday 24
Glasgow
Red Raw The Stand. 333 \Votxllands Road. 0870 (r00 (r055. 8.30pm. £2 (£l ). See Mon 23.
Edinburgh
Best of Scottish Comedy The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5. This handl'ul ol' local laughter- meisters gets you in the mood for Burns Night. with laughs l’rom cheeky old Bmce Devlin. Perth wag l‘r‘ed MacAulay. Susan Morrison and Wendy Wason.
Hairy Watt Comedy Club lleriot- Watt l'niversity l'nion. Riccarton. 451 5333. 9pm. £3. Mr Joe lleenan heads tip this comedy team. aided and abetted by Kevin Bridges and Neil Mcl-‘arlane. Students and guests only.
STAND-UP LEE MACK Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh, Sat 21 Jan
A quick scan of Lee Mack’s current tour schedule will reveal an oddity or two. His carefree, livewire self will be popping up on Mull and Lochaber but not in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Seems that the shiny new host of They Think It's All Over has a thing or two about Mull. ‘l’m a bit obsessed with the place at the moment,’ he tells me on the blower while on the road to Oxford for the latest leg of his UK tour. ‘1 had been there a few times as a holidaymaker and then I got married and toured there. It’s got the smallest theatre in Britain, a 40- seater, and after seeing a play there I always vowed that I would play it.’
Meanwhile, central belters will have to make the trek to Musselburgh to see the man whose stock is rising in both the UK and US. Over here, he has been tearing up strips with the kind of material you could take your most alert elderly relative to without fear of them getting their big underwear all twisted up. His act veers towards ‘variety’ without being too cringeworthy; the sharp edge at the end of the pier, possibly. Either way, he can seamlessly work with the likes of Kelsey Grammer, Catherine Tate and Tim Vine and shoot the breeze about the funny side of sport with Jonathan Ross.
After his sojourn to the States earlier this year (for Kelsey Grammer Presents . . . The Sketch Show) he has been shooting a 8801 sitcom Not Going Out with Vine and a yet-to-be announced American comic actress for airing some time later in the year. ‘There seems to be a lot of naturalism around at the moment, shaky camera and things all being very real: we’re going back to the basics. I was watching The Ultimate Sitcom and they mentioned all the things that were dead in the form. I ticked every one of those boxes and they’ll be in our show: a studio and loads of jokes.’ Does taking that contrary path to The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Thick of It actually make Lee Mack a radical? ‘I find that radical and old-fashioned aren’t that different.’ (Brian Donaldson)
10 Jan- 2 Feb 2006 THE LIST 35