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STAND-UP JO ENRIGHT The Stand, Edinburgh, Tue 4, Thu 6–Sat 8 Jan; The Stand, Glasgow, Wed 5 Jan
At 4ft 10in, stand-up Jo Enright may not be the most towering figure on the comedy scene, but if things work out for her, she could well be big on TV in 2011. The Birmingham-born comic actress (you may have seen her in Lab Rats, Ideal or Britain’s Got the Pop Factor and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice) has just filmed the pilot for the upcoming Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant show, Life’s Too Short, in which Enright has appeared as the wife of actor Warwick Davis, the Star Wars and Harry Potter actor who reaches 3ft 6in.
‘I was really excited about seeing how Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant worked and how they directed and they were very inspiring and challenging,’ says Enright. ‘I was quite nervous about meeting them but they are so genuine and laughing all the way through but so skilled and meticulous.’
While Enright awaits the nod for filming the series, she is currently scripting a show for the Edinburgh Fringe, a festival she hasn’t performed at since 2002. Family matters and acting jobs have prevented her from hitting the road north during August but her autobiographical comedy is being honed for a new hour. As well as writing about her stature and Midlands upbringing, she is looking to find ways of penning material about her religious worldview. Being a comic who is Christian must be a tough old gig given the merciless mocking which religion gets on the circuit?
‘Sometimes it can wash over me and I can be detached but it
depends how it’s dealt with. If someone is just being out-and-out destructive without any intelligence or craft behind it, I probably won’t listen. I’ll just go to the bar next door or to the toilet when that bit of material is coming up.’ (Brian Donaldson)
Events are listed by date, then city. Submit listings at least 14 days before publication to comedy@list.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Siân Bevan. ✽✽ Indicates Hitlist entry
Thursday 16 Glasgow Angelos Epithemiou and Friends Christmas Show Garage, 490 Sauchiehall Street, 332 1120. 7.30pm. £15. Mayhem will surely ensue as the Shooting Stars guy is actually allowed onto the nation’s stages – acompanied by a bunch of his mates – with this frankly astonishingly well-selling tour. See interview, page 12. highlight Comedy Highlight, UGC Building, 11 Renfrew Street, 0844 844 0044. 7.15pm. £24.95. Festive fun from
comedians JoJo Smith, Dougie Dunlop, Owen O’Neill and Sinck. There’s a special Christmas menu and four price packages available. That’s one more than the wise men.
✽✽ The Stand Christmas Special The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£9). Get yer itchy Santa hat on and head to The Stand where much-loved compere Joe Heenan is hosting the Christmas show. With Billy Kirkwood, Mark Nelson and telly favourite Jo Caulfield.
Edinburgh Upstairs @ The Beehive Christmas Specials Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 7.30pm. £25 including meal (£7 without). Top festive food is on offer, followed up by a dessert course of fine Scottish acts: Vladimir McTavish, Tommy MacKay and host Keara Murphy. Comedy starts at 9pm.
✽✽ The Stand Christmas Special The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272.
8.30pm. £10 (£9). The Stand have put together a special festive menu of food and comedians (you can only eat the food, probably), including appearances by MTV favourite Ryan Stout, young folks favourite Daniel Sloss, ruddy hardworking favourite Hailey Boyle and hostly favourite Susan Morrison. highlight Comedy Highlight, Omni Centre, Greenside Place, 0844 844 0044. 8.30pm. £19.95. Festive food before, seasonally drunk dancing afterwards and very merry comedy in the middle from Dave Williams, Johnny Candon, Dave Johns and David Hadingham. That’s a lot of Davids in one evening. See website for special offers.
Friday 17
Glasgow highlight Comedy Highlight, UGC Building, 11 Renfrew Street, 0844 844 0044. 7.15pm. £24.95. See Thu 16.
✽✽ The Stand Christmas Special The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road,
0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £13. See Thu 16.
Edinburgh It’s Funtime The Bongo Club, Moray House, 37 Holyrood Road, 558 7604. 7.30pm. £5. A festive special of the razzmatazz game show/pub quiz hybrid, with the Robo-Santas and Crimbo-Limbo some hotly-anticipated favourites. See Big Pic, page 9. Upstairs @ The Beehive Christmas Specials Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 7.30pm. £30 including meal (£10 without). Stu Who? returns to the Beehive, in the grand old company of the ever-funny Vladimir McTavish, Gus Lymburn and MC Keara Murphy.
✽✽ The Stand Christmas Special The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272.
8.30pm. £13. See Thu 16. highlight Comedy Highlight, Omni Centre, Greenside Place, 0844 844 0044. 8.30pm. £19.95. See Thu 16.
Saturday 18
Glasgow highlight Comedy Highlight, UGC Building, 11 Renfrew Street, 0844 844 0044. 7.15pm. £24.95. See Thu 16.
✽✽ The Stand Christmas Special The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 9pm. £13. See Thu 16.
Edinburgh Upstairs @ The Beehive Christmas Specials Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 7.30pm. £30 including meal (£10 without). See Thu 16. highlight Comedy Highlight, Omni Centre, Greenside Place, 0844 844 0044. 8.30pm. £19.95. See Thu 16.
✽✽ The Stand Christmas Special The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272.
9pm. £13. See Fri 17.
Sunday 19
Glasgow highlight Comedy Highlight, UGC Building, 11 Renfrew Street, 0844 844 0044. 7.15pm. £24.95. See Thu 16. Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £5 (£4; members £1). Three fine Scottish comedians join the ever-chillaxed Mr Redmond this evening: John Gavin, Gary Little and wickedly dark gags and stories of Teddy.
Edinburgh FREE Whose Lunch Is It Anyway? The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 1.30pm. Sparkling improv stars Stu and Garry offer their best comedy gems. Hot food available, but only i.
✽✽ Laughing Horse New Act of the Year Meadow Bar, 42-44
Buccleuch Street, Southside, 667 6907. 7–9pm then second show 9.30–11.30pm. £5 per show (students £3). The first stages
Comedy
✽✽ HITLIST
THE BEST COMEDY
✽✽ Jo Caulfield The ever-wry, occasionally-acerbic and now Edinburgh-based Ms C helps delight the masses over the festive period. The Stand, Glasgow, Thu 16–Sat 18 Dec; The Stand, Edinburgh, Mon 27 Dec–Sun 2 Jan. ✽✽ Hailey Boyle Alaska’s foremost female comic (asides from one S Palin) continues to do her very funny thing very far from home. The Stand, Edinburgh, Thu 16–Sat 18, Mon 20 Dec; The Stand, Glasgow, Tue 21, Mon 27 Dec–Sun 2 Jan. ✽✽ Laughing Horse New Act of the Year A chance to catch some folk before they’re extremely famous? Well, you never know. Meadow Bar, Edinburgh, Sun 19 & Mon 20 Dec. ✽✽ Highlight Comedy Two of the west coast’s big hitters, Janey Godley and Raymond Mearns, will be firing up the Yuletide laughs for you good people. Highlight, Glasgow, Tue 21–Thu 23 Dec. ✽✽ Wicked Wenches A top notch WW bill to greet the New Year featuring Jay Lafferty, Debra Jane Appelby and Jo Enright (see preview). The Stand, Edinburgh, Tue 4 Jan; The Stand, Glasgow, Wed 5 Jan.
of the annual talent hunt to find the best new comedy talent in the land. The heats are rammed full of hopefuls, dreamers and fools. Proceedings will be overseen by MC Keara Murphy. The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5 (£4; members £1). Andy Sir, the perfect Sunday comedian, tops this bill this week, with help from host Rebecca Donohue, Jim Park, Davey See and Eddie O’Dwyer.
Monday 20
Glasgow Improv Wars The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £4 (£2). Another battle commences between improv experts Garry Dobson, Stu Murphy, Chris Forbes and ‘Improv Warlord’ Billy ‘the hair’ Kirkwood. 16 Dec 2010 – 6 Jan 2011 THE LIST 61