COMEDY
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 comedians. Thursday 10
Glasgow ✽ Micky Flanagan: Back in the Game SECC, Finnieston Quay, 0844
395 4000. 8pm. £24.50. See preview, page 53. FREE Pop-Up Comedy The Halt Bar, 160 Woodlands Road, 353 6450. 8.30pm. See Thu 19. The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£7; members £5). Scott Agnew is host, with Susan Murray, Bruce Fummey and Dogshit Johnson.
Edinburgh Thursday Notebook Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £3. See Thu 19. Friday 11
Glasgow ✽ Russell Brand: The Messiah Complex SECC, Finnieston Quay, 0844 395 4000. 7.30pm. £27.50. Brand looks at the idea of a Messiah Complex in his loquacious way. See Opinion, page 12. The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £12 (£10; members £6). See Thu 10. Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £10. With Susan Morrison, Ro Campbell, Simon Bligh and Raymond Mearns. Vespbar Comedy Club Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 10pm. £8 (£6). Elaine Malcolmson headlines.
Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £8. See Fri 20. The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £12 (£10; members £6). Martin Mor hosts Dave Fulton, Keir McAllister, Susie McCabe and Wayne Mazadza.
Saturday 12 Glasgow Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £12. See Fri 11. Comedy @ The State The State Bar, 148 Holland Street, 332 2159. 9pm. £7 (£5). See Sat 21. The Saturday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 9pm. £15. See Thu 10 for line-up. Vespbar Comedy Club Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 10pm. £8 (£6). See Fri 11.
Edinburgh ✽ Russell Brand: The Messiah Complex Usher Hall, Lothian Road,
228 1155. 7.30pm. £27.50. See Fri 11. The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £8. See Fri 20. The Saturday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £15. See Fri 11.
Sunday 13
Glasgow Pat Shortt: I Am the Band The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £12.50 (£10). Character comedy looking at the life of Dixie Walsh and his family.
Edinburgh FREE Whose Lunch Is It Anyway? The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 1.30pm. See Sun 22.
✽ Marcel Lucont: Gallic Symbol The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £12 (£10). The bon viveur is in town. See My Comedy Hero, page 57.
58 THE LIST 19 Sep–17 Oct 2013
TV THE IT CROWD Channel 4, Fri 27 Sep, 9pm ●●●●●
You sometimes have to wonder whether Graham Linehan is getting the praise that he deserves. Now that the grand finale of The IT Crowd is here, that’s three fantastic sitcoms he’s now masterminded with Black Books and Father Ted beyond dispute as among the finest UK TV comedy achievements of the last 20 years. There are plenty similarities to be drawn between his triptych, but of curious intrigue is that none of them were immediately received warmly by the critics or viewing public, but upon their ultimate demise were lauded by those same constituencies.
With plans shelved for a fifth series to round off proceedings in the basement of Reynholm Industries, a
one-hour special has done the trick very nicely as the tragic threesome of Roy, Jen and Moss appear to be finally trying the patience of the big boss (a confused and overly sexualised Douglas played as ever with exquisite bombast by Matt Berry). Matters aren’t helped when a media-fuelled misunderstanding leaves Jen accused of arch misogyny while Roy has been publicly outed as a ‘small-person racist’. Their calls to Moss for help are unlikely to be heeded given that he has developed an obsession with women’s slacks and is working hard on making his niche board games website an über-nerdy hit. Like every sitcom Linehan has created so far (yes, even the largely ignored Hippies), the mix of surreal
daftness and characters whose DNA comprise 100% buffoon doesn’t fail to produce a high dosage of belly laughs. When the lights finally go out on the techy trio’s bunker, it only leaves us in the dark over one thing: what setting will Graham Linehan take his sharp comedy mind into next? (Brian Donaldson)
Monday 14
Wednesday 16 Thursday 17
Glasgow ✽Marcel Lucont: Gallic Symbol The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road,
0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £12 (£10). See Sun 13.
Tuesday 15
Glasgow FREE Comedy in The Basement Tennent’s Basement Bar, 191 Byres Road, 339 7203. 8–10.30pm. See Tue 24. FREE Pop-Up Comedy The Halt Bar, 160 Woodlands Road, 353 6450. 8.30pm. See Thu 19. Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. See Tue 24, but with Susie McCabe showing off her experience and giving the young ‘uns an idea of how far you can get in the comedy game.
Glasgow New Material Night Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 8pm. £3. See Wed 25. Epilepsy Scotland Benefit The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £8 (£7). Raise much needed funds for Epilepsy Scotland and get a laugh going at the same time.
Edinburgh ✽ Abandoman: Moonrock Boombox The Pleasance, 60
Pleasance, 020 7609 1800. 7.30pm. £6. Fast-paced musical comedy sketches and hip hop. 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 experimentation.
Glasgow Sense Scotland Comedy Night The Comedy Lounge, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, sensescotland. org.uk 7.30–10pm. £6. Sense Scotland raiser. FREE Pop-Up Comedy The Halt Bar, 160 Woodlands Road, 353 6450. 8.30pm. See Thu 19. The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£7; members £5). Rob Rouse, Pete Cain and Julia Sutherland. Edinburgh Thursday Notebook Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £3. See Thu 19. The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£7; members £5). Brendon Burns is in town.