COMEDY list.co.uk/comedy
MICHAEL PALIN He’s only been in showbusiness for 50 years, you know?
I s there anyone more popular in the world of British entertainment than Michael Palin? It’s very unlikely. Not even his participation in the Monty Python O2 reunion bashes can take the shine from the public’s love for him; you just sense that he was doing it for the sake of getting back together with some old pals rather than anything remotely connected to earning a fast and easy buck.
For his upcoming Scottish appearances, Palin is marking the publication of Travelling to Work, his third volume of diaries in which he will reflect on 25 years of exploring the world and almost half a century in radio, television, books and films. The first half of the night will be a whistle-stop tour
54 THE LIST 21 Aug–18 Sep 2014
of the mad thing that we call The World, while in part two, he reflects on the love of comedy that took him from his beginnings as a Yorkshire schoolboy to helping sell out massive arenas in the big city. To cap an astonishingly hectic year for him, Palin will be appearing in his first leading TV role since he appeared in Alan Bleasdale’s landmark 1991 drama, GBH. In BBC One’s three-part Remember Me, he plays a mysterious care home resident who is the only witness to a violent death. A ripping yarn, no doubt. (Brian Donaldson)
Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Fri 12 Sep; King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, Tue 16 Sep.
HITLIST THE BEST COMEDY EVENTS
S T E V E U L L A T H O R N E
✽ Gilded Balloon Comedy at Drygate The Edinburgh comedy institution branches
out west with Hannah Gadsby, Felicity Ward and John Hastings (pictured) among the early highlights. See 5 Things, page 55. Drygate, Glasgow, Fri 29 Aug, 5, 12 Sep.
✽ Frankie Boyle A single night of this guy’s work in progress is superior to some
comedians’ entire careers. That’s the kind of sweeping statement that Frank would probably hate. True though. Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 2 & Wed 3 Sep.
✽ Aye Right? How No? Comedy Countdown to the Referendum Not long now till we can forget about this independence referendum stuff. Before then, Vladimir McTavish and Keir McAllister will be putting their own comedic stamp on proceedings. The Stand, Edinburgh, Sun 7 Sep; The Stand, Glasgow, Wed 17 Sep.
✽ Michael Palin See preview, left. Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Fri 12 Sep; King’s
Theatre, Edinburgh, Tue 16 Sep.
✽ Jon Richardson Even the funniest person can be a total Nidiot, as JR will set out to prove. See preview, page 55. Edinburgh Playhouse, Sat 13 Sep; Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Sun 14 Sep.
✽ Andy Zaltzman The wonderfully haired satirist destroys pomposity wherever it rears its awful head. The Stand, Glasgow, Sun 14 Sep.
✽ The Colour Ham The magic-sketchy trio heads west after a fine old run at it in the
Fringe. The Stand, Glasgow, Mon 15 Sep.