list.co.uk/comedy Tuesday 8
Glasgow Andi Osho Highlight, UGC Building, 11 Renfrew Street, 0844 844 0044. 8.30pm. £9. Race, London, Lenny Henry and Obama are Osho’s topics of choice. Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. See Tue 25. Edinburgh Andrew Lawrence: The Best Kept Secret in Comedy The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £10 (£8). Lawrence pours scorn upon everything unappealing about life. The Beehive Comedy Club Newbees Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8pm. £2 (£1). See Mon 24. Open Mic Live @ The Shack The Shack, 119 Rose Street, 226 4311. 9.30pm. £3 (£2). See Tue 1.
Wednesday 9
Glasgow ✽✽ Tommy Tiernan: Poot Pavilion Theatre, 121 Renfield Street, 332 1846. 7.30pm. £17. The 1998 Perrier winner and ever-controversial Irish comic presents his latest barnstorming show. Andrew Lawrence: The Best Kept Secret in Comedy The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£8). See Tue 8. Edinburgh Beatnik Comedy @ The Tron The Tron, 9 Hunter Square, High Street, 226 0931. 8.30pm. £3 (students £2). See Wed 26. Melting Pot The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5 (£4; members £2.50). Fresh comedy nuggets performed by a troupe of actors.
Thursday 10
Glasgow The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £8 (£7; members £4). With Nick Revell, Dag Sørås, Neil McFarlane and host Bruce Devlin. Edinburgh The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Improvised surreality this weekend from Phil Nichol with Steven Dick and Donald Mack. Hosted by Martin Mor.
Friday 11
Glasgow Foster’s Comedy Live @ highlight Highlight, UGC Building, 11 Renfrew Street, 0844 844 0044. 8.30pm. £12–£15. Food, comedy and dancing in that order, with Kevin Gildea, Janey Godley and David Eastgate. The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£9; members £5). See Thu 10 for line-up. Jongleurs Comedy Show Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £15. Dominic Woodward spins observational stories, with Des Clarke and Ro Campbell. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £4–£7. See Fri 21. Jongleurs Comedy Show Jongleurs, Lava Ignite, 3 West Tollcross, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £12–£15. Jim Smallman, Rory O’Hanlon and Wes Zahuruk. Foster’s Comedy Live @ highlight Highlight, Omni Centre, Greenside Place, 0844 844 0044. 9pm. £10–£13. Karen Bayley displays her sparkling wit with Chris Henry and Wayne Deakin. Friday Night Live @ The Shack The Shack, 119 Rose Street, 226 4311. 9pm. £9. See Fri 28.
The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£9; members £5). See Thu 10 for line-up.
Saturday 12
Glasgow Foster’s Comedy Live @ highlight Highlight, UGC Building, 11 Renfrew Street, 0844 844 0044. 8.30pm. £12–£15. See Fri 11. Jongleurs Comedy Show Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £15. See Fri 11. The Saturday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 9pm. £15. See Thu 10 for line-up. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £4–£7. See Fri 21. Jongleurs Comedy Show Jongleurs, Lava Ignite, 3 West Tollcross, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £12–£15. See Fri 11. Foster’s Comedy Live @ highlight Highlight, Omni Centre, Greenside Place, 0844 844 0044. 9pm. £10–£13. See Fri 11.
Sunday 13
Glasgow Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). Dag Sørås and Neil McFarlane meet Michael. Edinburgh FREE Whose Lunch Is It Anyway? The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 1.30pm. See Sun 23. The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). A chilled Sunday evening of comedy with Donald Mack, hosted by Ro Campbell.
REVIEW TV DVD BARKING (Acorn Media) ●●●●●
Back in 1998, Peter Kay, Catherine Tate, David Walliams, Omid Djalili and Mackenzie Crook were all looking for a big break in their comedy careers. The Fast Show had ended on the BBC the previous year and it would be another 12 months before the League of Gentlemen were to unleash their own brand of slick-black broken comedy onto the nation’s TV sets. Over on Channel 4, a decent sketch show had eluded them since
Absolutely turned the lights off on Stoneybridge in 1993. Then along came Barking, a showcase for the writing and acting talents of some up-and-comers, and while it may have lasted one poorly-received series of six episodes, its roster of future star names gives this DVD release a strong curiosity factor. Of course, it goes without saying that, being a sketch show, it’s something of a mixed bag but there’s a healthy amount of decent moments to justify pursuing your own curiosity.
Walliams does his exaggerated camp thing as a Royal Family
obsessive while he also gets to drag it up as a society wedding planner with ideas well below her station. Crook is virtually unrecognisable under a beard as the sadistic maths teacher Mr Bagshaw while Djalili is underused as a Nigerian therapist with his own psychological difficulties. Kay pops in for one scene as a lonely DIY expert and Tate crops up in various guises, most winningly as a right-on PC warrior who manages to offend those she claims to be have solidarity with. The strength and longevity of the best sketch shows is largely down to the running gags and here they are poor fare: Marcus Brigstocke as an annoying pilot, the miniature-village enthusiasts who take their hobby a bit too seriously or the surgeon who treats all his patients as though they are little children. Barking was never as mad as it thought it was and the show’s bite was largely toothless. (Brian Donaldson)
Comedy
Saturday Night Live @ The Shack The Shack, 119 Rose Street, 226 4311. 9pm. £9. See Sat 29. The Saturday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £15. See Thu 10 for line-up. Jekyll and Hyde Comedy Club The Jekyll & Hyde, 112 Hanover Street, 225 2022. 9.30pm. £8 (£6). See Sat 22.
Monday 14 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 and Billy Kirkwood.
Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Newbees Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8pm. £2 (£1). See Mon 24. Fit O’ The Giggles Out With the Old City Café, 19 Blair Street, 220 0125. 8.30–10.30pm. £3 (£2). See Mon 24. Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. Newbie night with the near flawless Ro Campbell and host Jojo Sutherland.
Tuesday 15
Glasgow Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. New comedians join a headliner and compère for a breathless evening of up-and-coming talent. With Neil McFarlane. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Newbees Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8pm. £2 (£1). See Mon 24. Breaking News The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £3). A topical show with blisteringly fresh gags from Susan Morrison and Vladimir McTavish. Open Mic Live @ The Shack The Shack, 119 Rose Street, 226 4311. 9.30pm. £3 (£2). See Tue 1.
Wednesday 16
Glasgow Benefit in Aid of The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £7 (£5). Comedians including Gary Little, Antony Murray and Bruce Fummey perform for a good cause. Edinburgh Benefit for Marie Curie Cancer Care The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £9. Fund-raising aplenty for the hospice which helps care for people affected by cancer. Bill Bailey: Dandelion Mind Edinburgh Playhouse, 18-22 Greenside Place, 0844 847 1660. 8pm. £36. Bailey’s stand-up routine will have you chuckling along with his wry observations on the oddities of life. See feature, page 15. Andi Osho Highlight, Omni Centre, Greenside Place, 0844 844 0044. 8.30pm. £9. See Tue 8. Beatnik Comedy @ The Tron The Tron, 9 Hunter Square, High Street, 226 0931. 8.30pm. £3 (students £2). See Wed 26.
Thursday 17
Glasgow The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Scots comedy behemoth Frankie Boyle is joined by Graeme Thomas, Gareth Berliner and host Stuart Murphy.
Edinburgh We Happy Few Presents . . . The Banshee Labyrinth, 29–35 Niddry Street, 558 8209. 8.30pm. £2. See Thu 20. The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Angry, sardonic, intelligent . . . it’s Ron Vaudry, with Dan Nightingale and Bruce Fummey. Jojo Sutherland hosts. Perth Chris Addison: The Time is Now, Again Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, 01738 621031. 8pm. £20.50. Whimsy and cleverness from Mr Addison.
20 Oct–17 Nov 2011 THE LIST 65