COMEDY
your weekend early with good old Susan Morrison. Edinburgh The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£7; members £5). Joe Heenan plays host this weekend, alongside Dave Johns and Leah Bonnema.
Friday 6 Glasgow The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£10; members £6). See Thu 5 for line-up. Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £10. With Kane Brown, Sean G and Scott Agnew.
✽ The 10 O’Clock Show Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 10pm.
£8 (£6). See Fri 23, but with Gary Little, Sarah Cassidy, Scot Laird and Rob Kane.
Edinburgh The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £12 (£10; members £6). See Thu 5 for line-up. Saturday 7
Glasgow Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £12. See Fri 6. Comedy @ The State The State Bar, 148 Holland Street, 332 2159. 9pm. £7 (£5). See Sat 24. The Saturday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 9pm. £15. See Thu 5 for line-up. Edinburgh The Saturday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £15. See Thu 5 for line-up.
Sunday 8
Glasgow Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). See Sun 1; guests tba. Edinburgh FREE Whose Lunch Is It Anyway? The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 1.30pm. See Sun 1. The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). See Sun 1, but with Leah Bonnema.
Monday 9
Edinburgh Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. See Mon 2. FREE Antihoot Open Stage Henry’s Cellar Bar, 8–16 Morrison Street, 629 4101. 9pm. See Mon 2.
Tuesday 10 Glasgow FREE Comedy in the Basement Tennent’s Basement Bar, 191 Byres Road, 339 7203. 8–10.30pm. See Tue 27. FREE Pop-Up Comedy The Halt Bar, 160 Woodlands Road, 353 6450. 8.30pm. See Thu 22. Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. See Tue 27.
✽ The 10 O’Clock Show Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 10pm.
£8 (£6). See Fri 23, but with Gary Little, Sarah Cassidy, Christopher Macarthur- Boyd and Rob Kane.
TV CHICKENS Sky One, Thu 22 Aug, 9.30pm ●●●●●
After a pilot episode on Channel 4, the WWI sitcom lands on Sky One with Simon Bird, Jonny Sweet and Joe Thomas getting another chance to spread their comedy wings on the box. As with their Fringe work (they appeared together as a threesome in the guise of The House of Windsor while Sweet and Thomas paired up as a double act), their sharp, sarky banter is on tip-top form in the opening couple of episodes of Chickens.
The second half-hour of six is actually the pilot episode reshot with Barry Humphries in the role of the school headmaster where conscientious objector George (Thomas) works on a distinctly sticky wicket. Alongside Cecil (Bird) and Bert (Sweet), the three have been shunned by the village of Rittle-on-Sea for not signing up to the war effort: while George cites his pacificism, Cecil failed on the medical grounds that he has flat feet and Bert simply doesn’t give a damn about anything other than himself and getting his end away.
The opener has the village’s women voting on which of the ‘cowards’ should have their effigy burned on Guy Fawkes Night while Cecil attempts to offset his popularity by joining the Needlework Guild (coined by Bert as Freak Corner) and George is enlisted by his fiancée to pen morale-boosting erotic missives to send to the front.
The trio are, as per usual, thoroughly excellent and there is solid back-up from Sarah Daykin as George’s reluctant bride-to-be Winky and Emerald Fennell as Agnes, Cecil’s caustic sister who attempts to reach a mutual sexual understanding with the loathed, wolfish Bert. It’s not exactly Blackadder Goes Forth, but as a platform to display the abundant comedic skills of Bird, Sweet and Thomas, it will jolly well do. (Brian Donaldson)
Wednesday 11 Friday 13
Glasgow New Material Night Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 8pm. £3. See Wed 28. The Fun Junkies The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £5 (£4; members £2.50). Expect magic, sketches and musical breaks from the How Do I Get Up There? troupe.
Edinburgh Melting Pot The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5 (£4; members £2.50). Vote for the best of the new sketches and skits from local comedy types and revel in the fact that you’ve probably cheered up a writer’s night.
Thursday 12 Glasgow FREE Pop-Up Comedy The Halt Bar, 160 Woodlands Road, 353 6450. 8.30pm. See Thu 22.
✽ The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335
8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£7; members £5). Scott Agnew hosts Owen O’Neill, Chris McCausland and Jojo Sutherland.
Glasgow ✽ The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879.
8.30pm. £12 (£10; members £6). See Thu 12 for line-up. Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £10. With Susan Murray, Mark Nelson, Steve Harris and Geoff Boyz.
✽ The 10 O’Clock Show Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 10pm. £8
(£6). See Fri 23, but with Mark Nelson, Sarah May Philo, Graham Barrie and Viv Gee.
Edinburgh The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £12 (£10; members £6). See Thu 12 for line-up. Saturday 14
Glasgow Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £12. See Fri 13. Comedy @ The State The State Bar, 148 Holland Street, 332 2159. 9pm. £7 (£5). See Sat 24.
Edinburgh Electric Tales The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5 (£4). A night of funny yarns and verse told by a range of performers, with the aim of cheering you up. With Siân Bevan and Susan Morrison. Edinburgh The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£7; members £5). Bruce Devlin takes charge of a line-up including Carey Marx, Janey Godley and Erich McElroy.
52 THE LIST 22 Aug–19 Sep 2013
333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335
8879. 9pm. £15. See Thu 12 for line-up. ✽ The Saturday Show The Stand, ✽ The 10 O’Clock Show Vespbar,
14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 10pm. £8
(£6). See Fri 23, but with Mark Nelson, Sarah May Philo, Gregor Wappler and Viv Gee.
Edinburgh The Saturday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £15. See Thu 12 for line-up.
Sunday 15
Glasgow Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). See Sun 1. Edinburgh FREE Whose Lunch Is It Anyway? The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 1.30pm. See Sun 1. The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). See Sun 1, but with Richard Hunter.
Monday 16
Glasgow ✽ Tom Stade Totally Rocks! The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335
8879. 8.30pm. £15. See preview, page 50.
Edinburgh Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. See Mon 2.
✽ FREE Antihoot Open Stage Henry’s Cellar Bar, 8–16 Morrison
Street, 629 4101. 9pm. See Mon 2.
Tuesday 17
Glasgow FREE Comedy in The Basement Tennent’s Basement Bar, 191 Byres Road, 339 7203. 8–10.30pm. See Tue 27. FREE Pop-Up Comedy The Halt Bar, 160 Woodlands Road, 353 6450. 8.30pm. See Thu 22. Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. See Tue 27. Edinburgh Smalls for All Benefit The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £10. Smalls for All is a charity dedicated to helping women and children in Africa meet their basic hygiene and security needs. Join Vladimir McTavish, Susan Calman and a bunch of comedy chums to raise funds for this worthwhile cause.
Wednesday 18
Glasgow New Material Night Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 8pm. £3. See Wed 28. Edinburgh Jo Caulfield Presents the Good, the Bad and the Unexpected The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5. Jo Caulfield hosts an evening of experimental stand-up, sketches, characters and there’s even a game show featuring some of Edinburgh’s finest.
Thursday 19
Glasgow FREE Pop-Up Comedy The Halt Bar, 160 Woodlands Road, 353 6450. 8.30pm. See Thu 22. The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 9pm. £10 (£7; members £5). Billy Kirkwood is the man today (and, let’s face it, every day). But today especially cos he’s compere to the likes of Junior Simpson and Andrew Bird. Edinburgh Thursday Notebook Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £3. Ben Verth steps up to introduce the new talent night with the occasional old-timer dropping by to polish their act. The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£7; members £5). Joe Heenan hosts Gary Little, Johnny Candon, Christian Schulte- Loh and Jellybean Martinez.