COMEDY

Monday 3 Wednesday 5

Glasgow Improv Wars The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £6. It’s a total fight to the comedy death between improv experts Garry Dobson, Stu Murphy and Billy Kirkwood. Edinburgh Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. See Mon 20.

Tuesday 4 Glasgow Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. See Mon 20.

5 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT . . . LEE MACK 1 His real name is Lee McKillop, and school nickname was Curly, due to him apparently looking a lot like Corrie’s Curly Watts. 2 Among his jobs prior to comedy were picking apricots, mucking out Red Rum’s stable and being a Pontins Bluecoat. His stand-up career started rather well when he scooped the So You Think You’re Funny prize in 1995. 3 You won’t hear Mack complaining about there being too many panel shows on TV: he’s been in flipping loads of them, including They Think it’s All Over, Would I Lie to You?, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You and the curiously named, Duck Quacks Don’t Echo. 4 His sitcom, Not Going Out, has blossomed into a proper mainstream BBC hit. Though, according to Mack, his wife might well be blissfully unaware of her bloke’s success. He claimed that she was keen on hearing him read his script ideas when he initially wrote the show which first aired in 2006 and is now on its sixth series. But with each new addition to the family (they now have three bairns), her interest waned to the point that he doesn’t think she even knows it’s still on TV. 5 Although he lives in London, he’s on a geographical cusp that means he can’t vote in the mayoral elections. There’s a fair chance that he might not be that bothered. (Brian Donaldson) King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Wed 29 Oct–Sat 1 Nov; Edinburgh Playhouse, Tue 11 & Wed 12 Nov.

62 THE LIST 16 Oct–13 Nov 2014

Glasgow Comedian Rap Battle The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £6 (£4). Unmissable combination of rap fantasies and big egos. Edinburgh The Broken Windows Policy The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5. The Stand’s monthly sketch show returns with new skits and character treats.

Thursday 6

Glasgow Best of West Brewery Comedy Club WEST Brewery, Building 4 Templeton Building, Glasgow Green, 550 0135. 8–10.30pm. £7. Jamie Dalgleish hosts some of his comedy buddies who’ve impressed at the West’s monthly stand-up gigs. Dead Sheep Comedy Cottier Theatre, 93–95 Hyndland Street, 357 4000. 8.30pm. £11 (£9). Comedy club operated by working comedians offering a relaxed atmosphere and a bang on line-up each time. Featuring Raymond Mearns, Keir McAllister and Susie McCabe.

The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879.

8.30pm. £10 (£7; members £5). With Dylan Moran, Quincy and hosted by Martin Mor. Just Comedy Wild Cabaret & Wicked Lounge, 18 Candleriggs, 552 6165. 9–11pm. £5 (£10 with a sharing plate and drink). See Thu 16.

Edinburgh The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£7; members £5). With the energetic Phil Nichol, Michael Legge and host Stu Murphy. Friday 7

Glasgow Gilded Balloon Comedy at Drygate Drygate Brewing Co., 85 Drygate, 212 8810. 7.30–9.30pm & 10pm–midnight. £15. See Fri 17, but this time with former Scottish Comedian of the Year winner Scott Agnew, the relentlessly bouncy Rob Rouse, Russell Hicks and Mr Chris Forbes (of How Do I Get Up There? sketch show infamy). Laughter Eight Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 8pm. £8. See Fri 17; acts tbc. The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £12 (£10; members £6). See Thu 6 for line-up. Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £15. With Irish wag Jarlath Regan and Scotish comedy legend Janey Godley. Edinburgh Comedydoo The White Horse, 266 Canongate, 07989 268847. 8–10pm. £5. Up and coming comedians do their stuff with a splendid headliner every time. The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £9. See Fri 17. Men With Coconuts The Granary, 32–34 The Shore, Leith, 554 9465. 8.30–10pm. £6 (£5). See Fri 17. The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £12 (£10; members £6). See Thu 6 for line-up.

Saturday 8

Glasgow Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £16. See Fri 7.

The Saturday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879.

9pm. £15. See Thu 6 for line-up.

Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive

MY COMEDY HERO JAMES ACASTER Òran Mór, Glasgow, Sun 9 Nov

The Rock was one of my favourite comedy characters growing up, and I still think he is. Mainly because he took himself so seriously by being ridiculous and a buffoon all the time but always took the high status. I liked all his little catchphrases and mannerisms; he would call people ‘jabroni’, which is still very funny and tell everyone they needed to know their roles and would refer to himself in the third person all of the time. There’s not many comedy characters that make me laugh as much as The Rock does; it’s nice to have a big muscly guy being funny and stupid. And he’s in an arena where people take themselves far too seriously and making himself look like an absolute idiot. I could try and sound more clever, but if I’m being honest with myself, it has to be The Rock. I never liked wrestling, but I thought The Rock was brilliant, and that is a statement to how funny he is that I’d even watch a show that I didn’t like just to see him on it. All of wrestling was stupid and I didn’t understand why my friends took it so seriously and saw it as a real thing. I didn’t get how they couldn’t see that WWF was a massive platform for this comedy genius. (As told to Brian Donaldson)

Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £9. See Fri 17. The Saturday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £15. See Thu 6 for line-up. Sunday 9

Glasgow Scott Capurro: Islamahomophobia The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 7.30pm. £12 (£10). Scott Capurro is once again questioning absolutely everything, from gay marriage to the Koran, in a manner that’s probably best kept to those less easily offended. Part of Glasgay!.

James Acaster: Recognise Òran Mór, 731–735 Great Western Road,

357 6200. 8pm. £11.50. See My Comedy Hero, above.

Edinburgh Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). See Sun 19. With Irish trouble-maker (in a good way) Michael Legge. Monday 10

Glasgow Vikki Stone: Instrumental The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £12 (£10). Vikki Stone’s musical comedy features a total of 20 instruments. Part of Glasgay!. Edinburgh Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. See Mon 20; acts TBC..

Tuesday 11 Glasgow Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. See

Mon 20; acts tbc.

Edinburgh Lee Mack: Hit the Road Mack Edinburgh Playhouse, 18–22

Greenside Place, 0844 871 3014. 8pm. £28.50. See Wed 29.

Wednesday 12 Glasgow BBC Comedy Presents The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £4. See rising stars of comedy before they get too big for their boots.

Edinburgh Lee Mack: Hit the Road Mack Edinburgh Playhouse, 18–22

Greenside Place, 0844 871 3014. 8pm. £28.50. See Wed 29. Melting Pot The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5 (£4; members £2.50). Vote for the best of new sketches and skits from local comedy types.

Thursday 13

Glasgow The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£7; members £5). With Karl Spain, the occasionally caustic Diane Spencer and hosted by the one and only Kevin Shepherd. Just Comedy Wild Cabaret & Wicked Lounge, 18 Candleriggs, 552 6165. 9–11pm. £5 (£10 with a sharing plate and drink). See Thu 16. Edinburgh The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£7; members £5). With North American maestro David Fulton, musical comic Ria Lina and hosted by our very own Bruce Devlin.