COMEDY list.co.uk/comedy
JIMMY CARR Controversial comic playing to his natural fanbase on tour
E ven the most ardent anti-Jimmy Carr observer must have felt a little bit sorry for him the other month when he took the bother of showing up to an Arts Emergency charity gig only for him to be greeted with a tirade of abuse from the crowd. ‘You’re not one of us,’ was one of the more print-friendly insults chucked at the poor guy. And just for telling some of his standard close-to- the-knuckle gags. Or perhaps some people will simply never forgive and forget when it comes to the issue of tax liability.
His appearance may have been cut short that night (he did squeeze in a Neil Diamond song before leaving the stage), but he’s surely on safer ground here as he plays to his natural
60 THE LIST 11 Jul–22 Aug 2013
constituency during the Gagging Order tour. Since those days of playing third or fourth fiddle on the Rubbernecker shows in 2001 alongside Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Robin Ince, his increased fame is the only thing that has really changed: the Carr style, content and delivery are pretty much the same, although he does a little more giggling nowadays. If you like your humour sharp and caustic, Jimmy Carr’s your man. If you’re a little too sensitive about life, there’s probably something nice on the telly on a Saturday evening. (Brian Donaldson)
SECC, Glasgow, Sat 10 Aug.
HITLIST THE BEST COMEDY EVENTS
✽ The Alternative Comedy Experience Stew Lee’s curated shenanigans continue
with the amazing likes of Kevin Eldon, Lou Sanders, Henning Wehn, Paul Foot (pictured) and Alfie Brown. The Stand, Edinburgh, Thu 11 & Fri 12 Jul.
✽ Funny in Falkirk It’s not just Glasgow and Edinburgh that gets all the good comedy gear. Meet you halfway with the likes of David Baddiel, Glenn Wool (pictured), Dylan Moran,
Rosie Kane and Omid Djalili. See 5 Things, page 63. Various venues, Falkirk, Bo’ness, Dunipace, Larbert, Fri 19–Tue 30 Jul.
✽ Geek Comedy Night Tell me now that they’re not taking over the world? Sketches,
stand-up and games, for heaven’s sake, with Billy Kirkwood, Ben Verth, Eleanor Morton and more. The Old Hairdressers, Glasgow, Wed 24 Jul; City Nightclub, Falkirk, Thu 25 Jul.
✽ Janey Godley A bus tour with a difference and a quick Saturday dart over to the
Falkirk funny fest to chat about censorship. See preview, page 64. Ingram Street, Glasgow, Sat 27 & Sun 28 Jul; Behind The Wall, Falkirk, Sat 27 Jul.
✽ Sean Lock The Purple Van Man trundles
into town with more of his semi-surrealist and totally hilarious chatter. Not a big fan of the internet these days, it seems. See feature, page 61. King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Sun 28 Jul; Edinburgh Playhouse, Sun 4 & Mon 5 Aug.
✽ Jimmy Carr What brittle bon mots will the controversial gag merchant have for us this time around? See preview, left. SECC Glasgow, Sat 10 Aug.