list.co.uk/comedy COMEDY

Footlights Comedy Edinburgh Footlights, 7 Spittal Street, footlightsbar. edinburgh@facebook.com 7.30–10pm. £3. See Sun 26. The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). End the week with the generally very chilled Sunday offering. With Liam Withnail and host Rick Molland.

Monday 3

Glasgow Improv Wars The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £4 (£2). It’s a fight to the death between improve experts Garry Dobson, Stu Murphy and Billy Kirkwood. Edinburgh Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. See Mon 27, but with Gus Lymburn.

Tuesday 4

Glasgow FREE Pop-Up Comedy The Halt Bar, 160 Woodlands Road, 353 6450. 8.30pm. See Tue 28. Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. See Tue 28, line-up tba. Wednesday 5

Edinburgh The Broken Windows Policy The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £4 (£2). Skits and character treats featuring Larah Bross, Dave MacGregor and Ben Verth.

Thursday 6

Glasgow The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£7; members £5). Rob Deering tops the bill tonight, alongside Loretta Maine, Hari Sriskantha, Davey Strong and host Bruce Devlin. Edinburgh Absolute Improv The Tron, 9 Hunter Square, High Street, 225 3784. 7–8pm. £5 (£3). See Thu 23. Sketch City Nightclub, 1a Market Street, 226 9560. 8–10pm. £5 (£4). Sketch groups from far and wide are invited to perform their latest material. The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£7; members £5). Joe Heenan gets your weekend swinging with these guys: Alistair Barrie, Graeme Thomas and Keiron Nicholson.

Friday 7

Glasgow Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £15. With Alan Anderson, Tony Hendriks and Raymond Mearns. The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £12 (£10; members £6). See Thu 6 for line-up. Vespbar Comedy Club Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 10–11.30pm. £8 (£6). See Fri 24, but with Vladimir McTavish, Daniel Lindsay and Nancy Clench. MC Viv Gee. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £8. See Fri 24. Portobello Comedy Night Dalriada, 77 Promenade, Portobello, 454 4500. 8.30–11.15pm. £10. With MC Steven Davidson and Robin Grainger. The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £12 (£10; family £6). See Thu 6 for line-up.

5 THINGS . . .

YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT . . . THE I’M SORRY I HAVEN’T A CLUE CREW

1 Graeme Garden’s son John is the keyboard player for the Scissor Sisters. After being introduced to the Bristol Silents film society by his dad, John created a new score for trailblazing dino-flick The Lost World. 2 Tim Brooke-Taylor once directed Orson Welles in a film called 12 Plus 1. The iconic director was constantly under the influence and this former Goodie found that being rude was the only way to get through to him. 3 Barry Cryer had a number one hit single in Finland with ‘Purple People Eater’. It stayed at the top of the charts for a whole three weeks. 4 Jack Dee read George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London and was then inspired to try his hand working in a busy kitchen. So, he bluffed his way into the Ritz in Piccadilly and managed to hold down a job for six months. 5 Jeremy Hardy’s great-great grandfather was in the confederate army in the American Civil War but was thrown out for repeated inebriation. The paymaster of a ship in the navy described him as ‘a stupid’ and ‘a drunken’. (Brian Donaldson) King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 30 Jan.

Saturday 8

Glasgow Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £15. With Alan Anderson, Tony Hendriks and Raymond Mearns. The Saturday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 9pm. £15. See Thu 6 for line-up. Vespbar Comedy Club Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 10–11.30pm. £8 (£6). See Fri 24, but with Vladimir McTavish, Daniel Lindsay and Hamish Tennant. MC Viv Gee. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £8. See Fri 24.

Sunday 9 Glasgow Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand, 333 Woodlands

23 Jan–20 Feb 2014 THE LIST 53

TV NEW SITCOMS

If ever there was evidence that you should quit while you’re not as ahead as you once were, House of Fools (BBC Two, Tue, 10pm ●●●●●) provides it by the bucketload. The inexorable decline of Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer was fairly apparent during their recent online-only sketch affair, for which the description of tepid would have constituted a rave review. And now they’re back with a sitcom that almost defiles the memory of their greatest hits (Shooting Stars and Catterick for two) and drags down the normally excellent Matt Berry with them.

It’s full of the standard Vic ’n’ Bob nonsense, but time has simply not been kind to their brand of non-sequitur surrealism, and you can’t help but long for the days of the ‘dove from above’ and Les Facts. House of Fools is oovavoo indeed. From the executively produced mind of Chuck Lorre (Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory) comes Mom (ITV2, Mon, 9pm ●●●●●) and a studio audience who suffer paroxysms of laughter roughly every 25–30 seconds of each episode’s duration. Still, it does have a decent premise (a mother and her daughter are both recovering alcoholics trying to be supportive of their granddaughter/ daughter who is set to follow in their footsteps and become an all-too-young parent). As the seasoned veteran of the family, Allison Janney (still best known as The West Wing’s beloved press secretary CJ) is a delight, but it’s unlikely that even her small-screen appeal will be strong enough to keep a neutral viewer on board.

Thank the blazes, then, for Uncle (pictured, BBC Three, Mon, 10pm ●●●●●). Nick Helm plays the titular suicidal Andy who is temporarily dragged out of his misery to reluctantly look after his 12-year-old nephew Errol. After an initial stand-off, the pair use their equal status as outsiders to forge an unlikely bond. Helm successfully channels the less bombastic side of his stand-up character to portray a loveable loser and the overall effect is curiously moving, as well as intermittently hilarious. Perhaps he’ll have lost it in 20 years’ time but, for now, let’s just enjoy a comedian approaching his prime. (Brian Donaldson)

Friday 31

Glasgow The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £12 (£10; members £6). See Thu 30 for line-up. Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £15. With Gar Murran, Dougie Dunlop, Kai Humphries and Janey Godley. Vespbar Comedy Club Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 10–11.30pm. £8 (£6). See Fri 24, but with Michael Redmond, Robin Grainger, Ross McLellan and Billy Mac. MC Viv Gee. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £8. See Fri 24. The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £12 (£10; members £6). See Thu 30 for line-up.

Saturday 1 Glasgow Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £16. See Fri 31. The Saturday Show The Stand, 333

Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 9pm. £15. See Thu 30 for line-up. Vespbar Comedy Club Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 10–11.30pm. £8 (£6). See Fri 24, but with Michael Redmond, Robin Grainger, Stuart Mitchell and Billy Mac. MC Viv Gee. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £8. See Fri 24. The Saturday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £15. See Thu 30 for line-up.

Sunday 2

Glasgow Glasgow Kids Comedy Club The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 3pm. £4. Live comedy for younger fans, particularly those aged 8–12. Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £6 (£2; members £1). See Sun 26, but with Shelby Bond. Edinburgh FREE Stu and Garry’s Free Improv Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 1.30pm. See Sun 26.