Comedy
6666. 7pm. £16. Two fine British Asian comedians are joined by fellow funny people from America. Whose Round is it Anyway? Highlight, UGC Building, 11 Renfrew Street, 0844 844 0044. 7pm. £7 (£5). Glasgow-based improv troupe Q-Fusion make-it-up funny style. Stand Up for the Admiral The Admiral, 72a Waterloo Street, 221 7705. 8.30pm. £5. Patrick Rolink, John Gillick and Philip Differ do the funnies. The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 355 8879. 8.30pm. £8 (£7; members £4). The affable Scott Agnew, accompanied by Mick Ferry, Caimh McDonnell, Patrick Rolink and Jason Coughlan.
Edinburgh Electric Tales Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. 7.30pm. £6 (£4). A mixture of stand-up and storytelling, in association with The Scottish Storytelling Centre.
✽✽ Stewart Francis Queen’s Hall, 87–89 Clerk Street, 668 2019. 8pm. £15.50. A dry witted regular on the tele- box, Francis is widely acknowledged as a master of the cracking one-liner. FREE Heresy The Jekyll & Hyde, 112 Hanover Street, 225 2022. 9pm. See Thu 18. The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £8 (£7; members £4). This weekend features the one-man comedy hurricane that is Phil Nichol, with Chris Kent, Rick Molland and host Susan Calman.
Friday 26
Glasgow Jongleurs Jongleurs, The Glasshouse 20 Glassford Street, 08700 111 960. 7pm. £15. Australian Ro Campbell joins Ryan McDonnell and Marlon Davis.
✽✽ Frankie Boyle SECC, Finnieston Quay, 0844 395 4000. 8pm. £23.
The ever-so-slightly controversial comedian continues his tour of Britain. The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 355 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£9; members £5). See Thu 25.
Edinburgh Friday Fix The Voodoo Rooms, 19a West Register Street, 556 7060. 7.30pm. £9 (£5). Another Friday Fix with a mix of fine comedy and music in the delicious shapes of Tom Stade, Stephen Dick, Caroline Robertson, Matt Richardson, Keir McAllister and The Banana Sessions.
✽✽ Mark Watson Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 228 1155. 7.30pm. £16.50.
The all-round comic superstar takes to the road. See 5 Things.
✽✽ Stewart Francis Queen’s Hall, 87–89 Clerk Street, 668 2019. 8pm.
£15.50. See Thu 25. highlight Comedy Highlight, Omni Centre, Greenside Place, 0844 844 0044. 8.30pm. £19.95 Special offers available, see website. See Fri 19. The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£9; members £5). See Thu 25. Upstairs @ The Beehive Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 9pm. £5. A weekend with funny ladies Becky Donohue and Keara Murphy, ably assisted by comic blokes Martin Bearne and Matt Richardson. The Improverts Bedlam Theatre, 11b Bristo Place, 225 9893. 10.30pm. £4.50 (£4; members £3.50). See Fri 19.
Saturday 27
Glasgow The Saturday Show The Stand , 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 355 8879. 9pm. £13. See Thu 25. Jongleurs Jongleurs, The Glasshouse 20 Glassford Street, 08700 111 960. 7pm. £15. See Fri 26. highlight Comedy Highlight, UGC Building, 11 Renfrew Street, 0844 844 0044. 7.15pm. £24.95 Special offers available, see website. See Fri 19. 58 THE LIST 18 Nov–2 Dec 2010
Stewart Francis
5 THINGS
YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT . . . MARK WATSON 1 Former Cambridge Footlights chap Mark Watson first cropped up in the comedy firmament in 2002. Then, at the tender age of 22, he won the last-ever Daily Telegraph Open Mic award, beating off competition from the likes of Hils Barker, Gary Delaney and We Are Klang man Steve Hall, while also taking the runner-up slot in So You Think You’re Funny. In the final, he held off Nina Conti, another Klanger Greg Davies, Rufus Hound and Rhod Gilbert but lost out to one Matthew Osborn.
2 At the end of his Overambitious 24-Hour Show during the 2004 Edinburgh Fringe, Watson proposed to his girlfriend, the comic and playwright Emily Howes, who was one of just 12 people present throughout the entire gig. And, thank the blazes, she accepted. The show had featured a game of Chinese whispers, a blind date, existentialist debates, some readings from Watson’s debut novel, Bullet Points, and guest appearances from the likes of Jenny Eclair, Dara O’Briain and Stewart Lee.
3 Without being named, Watson cropped up in Stewart Lee’s show, If You Prefer a Milder Comedian, Please Ask for One during a lengthy routine about the slogan ‘just give it to me straight, like a pear cider that’s made from 100% pears’. Stew claimed that the phrase had been a Lee family tradition for generations and thus was bastardised for the purposes of advertising cider. Of course, it hadn’t been a Lee family tradition, but he was moved to admit that he had admired Watson and was saddened by the ad: ‘The brand of Mark Watson, as a quirky young fellow who thinks deeply about things and wears a Socrates T-shirt, is compromised by being in an advert’. 4 At the end of 2009, Watson came second in a comedy special Mastermind with his chosen subject being the World Cup finals since 1966. Lucy Porter won thanks to her encyclopaedic knowledge of former comedian Steve Martin.
5 Watson has had a lifelong phobia about lightning, convinced that one day he will be struck down during a storm. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Fri 26 Nov.
The one-line king of Canada (who has long been a resident of the UK) brings you two (yep, two) opportunities to see his blindingly brilliant Tour de Francis show. Expect wave after wave of quickfire jokes about family, dyslexia, religion, death, psychics and small people. Thus covering pretty much all the bases. ■ Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Thu 25 & Fri 26 Nov.
✽✽ Frankie Boyle SECC, Finnieston Quay, 0844 395 4000. 8pm. £23. See
Fri 26.
Edinburgh Al Murray Playhouse, 18–22 Greenside Place, 0844 847 1660. 8pm. £26. Al returns to the stage. Please only cheer at the irony though. highlight Comedy Highlight, Omni Centre, Greenside Place, 0844 844 0044. 8.30pm. £19.95 Special offers available, see website. See Fri 19. The Saturday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £13. See Thu 25. Upstairs @ The Beehive Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 9pm. £5. See Fri 26.
Sunday 28
Glasgow FREE Comedy at the Ivory Ivory Hotel, Langside Avenue Shawlands, 636 0223. 8pm. See Sun 21.
✽✽ Frankie Boyle SECC, Finnieston Quay, 0844 395 4000. 8pm. £23. See
Fri 26. St Andrew’s Scottish Comedy Special The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 355 8879. 8.30pm. £5 (£4; members £1). With Parrot, Chris Forbes, Alan Scott and host Susan Morrison.
Edinburgh FREE Whose Lunch Is It Anyway? The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 1.30pm. See Sun 21. St Andrew’s Scottish Comedy Special The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5 (£4; members £1). Scottish celebrations continue with Vladimir McTavish, Daniel Sloss, Susan Calman and Antony Murray.
Monday 29
Glasgow Al Murray Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 353 8000. 8pm. £25. See Sat 27.
✽✽ Frankie Boyle SECC, Finnieston Quay, 0844 395 4000. 8pm. £23. See
Fri 26. How Do I Get Up There? The Stand , 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 355 8879. 8.30pm. £5 (£4; members £2.50). The sketch troupe put on their funny shoes for the evening.
Edinburgh Fit O’ The Giggles Out With the Old Beehive Inn, Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8pm. £2 (£1). See Mon 22.
Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2 (£1). Graeme Thomas hosts and Andy Sir headlines as a group of new comedians take to the stage. Tuesday 30
Glasgow FREE Comedy at the Halt Bar The Halt Bar, 160 Woodlands Road, 352 9996. 8.30pm. See Tue 23. Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 355 8879. 8.30pm. £2 (£1). See Mon 29.
Edinburgh ✽✽ The Boy With Tape on His Face The Stand, 5 York Place, 558
7272. 8.30pm. £8 (£7; members £7). Kinda cabaret, kinda theatre and kinda beautiful.
Wednesday 1
Glasgow Isy Suttie The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 355 8879. 7.30pm. £8 (£7). Dobby from Peep Show performs her show, Love Lost in the British Retail Industry. See Isy and The Boy With Tape on His Face together for £12. Contact box office for details.
✽✽ The Boy With Tape on His Face The Stand, 333 Woodlands
Road, 0844 355 8879. 9.30pm. £8 (£7). See Tue 30.
Edinburgh The Broken Windows Policy The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £4 (£2). The Stand’s monthly sketch show returns with new skits and character treats.
Thursday 2
Glasgow FREE Bratchy and The Wee Man’s Comedy Pub Quiz The Arches, 253 Argyle Street, 565 1000. 8pm. Monthly quiz show. The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 355 8879. 8.30pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Bruce Devlin hosts Kevin Gildea, Gus Tawse, Kai Humphries and John Gavin. Edinburgh FREE Heresy The Jekyll & Hyde, 112 Hanover Street, 225 2022. 9pm. See Thu 18. The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Billy Kirkwood hosts Jake O’Kane, Michael Fabbri, Carl Hutchinson and Bob Graham.