list.co.uk/comedy Events are listed by date, then by city. Submit listings at least 14 days before publication to comedy@list.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Kirstyn Smith. Indicates Hitlist entry

Thursday 18

Glasgow Alan Davies: Life is Pain Pavilion Theatre, 121 Renfield Street, 332 1846. 7.30pm. £25. Best known as Stephen Fry’s mop-topped buffoon on QI, Alan returns to his stand-up roots. The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Tanyalee Davis, Andy Sir, Paul F Taylor and Jonathan Mayor are utterly committed to making you smile this weekend. Edinburgh The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Comedy platter including Gary Little, Dana Alexander, James Kirk and host Bruce Devlin.

Friday 19

Glasgow The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£9; members £5). See Thu 18 for line-up. Jongleurs Comedy Show Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £15. Ryan McDonnell, Phil Walker, Daliso Chaponda and Scott Agnew show you lot how it’s done. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £5. Weekend packed full of top local and visiting comedians to tickle your funny bone in an appropriate way. The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£9; members £5). See Thu 18 for line-up.

Saturday 20 Glasgow Jongleurs Comedy Show Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £16. See Fri 19. The Saturday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 9pm. £15. See Thu 18 for line-up.

Edinburgh Punchline Usher Hall, Lo- thian Road, 228 1155. 8pm. £16.50

(£14.50; students £10). The cheeky charm of Roisin Conaty, Josh Widdi- combe’s thoughtful rants and the shouty songs of Nick Helm. For more from Josh and Nick, see feature, page 24. The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £7. See Fri 19. The Saturday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £15. See Thu 18 for line-up.

Sunday 21 Glasgow Bearly Funny? The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 7.30pm. £9 (£6). Furry comedy night raising money for Gay Men’s Health. Part of Glasgay!

Edinburgh FREE Whose Lunch Is It Anyway? The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 1.30pm. Paul Graham and Stuart Murphy with another slice of improv action. The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). Head to The Stand for a super-chilled night of comedy with Dana Alexander and Paul F Taylor.

Comedy

STAND-UP GREG DAVIES Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Mon 29 Oct

It’s the stuff of showbusiness legend now that a Glasgow audience can be the toughest crowd in the country. The story of Des O’Connor pretending to faint rather than carry on in front of a hostile gathering is oft quoted as definitive proof. He may be the tallest man in comedy but even Greg Davies has been known to wilt in the face of a Glasgow welcome.

‘I’ve played loads of gigs there since but that particular night was awful,’ he recalls with a shudder. ‘They just hated me and as I was MC of the gig, I couldn’t just go back to my hotel, I had to keep coming on. Someone at the back called me a “six foot eight tower of piss”. I didn’t think it was possible to have a tower of piss; there would have to be a supporting structure or maybe it would have to be frozen piss.’

The man who is best known as one third of sketch troupe We Are Klang or as cruel teacher Mr Gilbert in The Inbetweeners (a 13-year career in the actual teaching profession clearly came in handy as research) is following up his Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated solo debut Firing Cheeseballs at a Dog with a show about his ‘irritation with the undeniable fact that I am now an adult’.

Not only is this sequel called The Back of My Mum’s Head, the poster features a real-life picture of the back of Greg’s mum’s head. ‘It’s a recreation of a picture I took standing next to my mum on a beach. It made me laugh because her head looked like a massive microphone. I tried to use it as my poster but I was told that the quality wasn’t good enough so I had to recreate it. I could have used any old lady’s head but that seemed a fraud so I drove to the Midlands with a photographer and we climbed a local beauty spot and took that. But my mum’s furious because she hadn’t had her hair done.’ (Brian Donaldson)

Monday 22

Glasgow Pappy’s Last Show Ever: The Tour The Stand, 333 Woodlands

Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £12 (£10). The sketch troupe who are cur- rently taking the comedy world by storm. See feature, page 62.

Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Newbees Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8pm. £2. New talent and new material night. Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. Weekly showcase for new comics, with Andrew Doyle.

Tuesday 23

Glasgow Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. Beginners’ showcase with Andrew Doyle and Susie McCabe. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Newbees Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8pm. £2. See Mon 22.

FREE Tuesday Night Comedy Jam Belushi’s, 9–13 Market Street, 226 1446. 8–10.30pm. A wheen of stand-ups and assorted comedy acts presented by Rick Molland. Bright Club: Edinburgh The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5. The staff at Edinburgh’s universities share their tales about the weird, wonderful, and often very funny, world of research.

Wednesday 24

Glasgow Josie Long: Romance and Adventure The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £12 (£10). Josie has a new show all about the struggle to keep going when you’re doubting the world (and also, turning 30). See feature, page 20. Edinburgh Beatnik Comedy The Tron, 9 Hunter Square, High Street, 225 3784. 8.30pm. £3 (£2). Comedy newbies show off their rib-tickling skills, hosted by Liam Withnail.

Pappy’s Last Show Ever: The Tour The Stand, 5 York Place, 558

7272. 8.30pm. £12 (£10). See Mon 22.

Thursday 25

Glasgow The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Susan Morrison is one of a few comics brightening the weekend, and there’s also Michael Fabbri, Mandy Muden and Joseph Wilson. Edinburgh The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Joe Heenan is host and keeps a watchful eye on the music and jokes of Rob Deering, with David Whitney and Susie McCabe.

Friday 26

Glasgow The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£9; members £5). See Thu 25 for line-up. Jongleurs Comedy Show Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £15. Raymond Mearns, Patrick Rolink, Peter Francis and Mark Nelson are tasked with making you laugh. 18 Oct–15 Nov 2012 THE LIST 63