Scott Agnew Guest Blog

As a Glaswegian comic there's no more exciting time of the year than the approach to March and the Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

To spend a month playing various gigs to a home crowd is a rare pleasure and it's also great fun to introduce the many visitors from elsewhere in the UK and beyond to what Glaswegians are best known for - their banter and humour.

Each year the festival throws up its own special memories that will live long in the minds' of both the acts and the punters that attend the gigs.

A personal highlight/lowlight last year was rather drunkenly compereing a late night gig last year at Sloan's which just happened to have the stupidly brilliant Ross Noble drop in to have a watch after he'd completed a 3 hour sell-out show at the Theatre Royal earlier in the evening.

Eagle eyed as always and wanting to treat the audience to something a bit special I decided to coax the Geordie comic genius into performing a set for the 120 strong festival crowd. When he at first refused I decided it might be a good idea to blackmail the Perrier nominated comedian with the taunt "Nobody in Glasgow will buy your Christmas DVDs."

To chants of "Ross, Ross, Ross" from the crowd the indefatigueable Mr Noble took to his feet and performed a barnstorming 30 minute set. Chuffed with myself I retreated to the bar to watch a master surrealist at work. He charmed the pants off the crowd and before long, me too - quite literally.

By way of revenge, on leaving the stage as I tried to close the show Mr Noble suggested that the audience might want to see me strip - which I was bashfully refusing. Before I knew it a lady in the front row leapt to her feet pulled off my suit jacket and tie - the music kicked in and she had stripped me of my shirt and was undoing my belt and hauling my jeans to my ankles before spanking my rear with my own tie whilst standing wearing nowt but my boxers - a delight for absolutely no one - I'm sure.

Embarrassing though this little episode may have been for myself, it's little unplanned, unexpected moments like this that makes the Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival a special and magical experience for all involved.

So as we approach the eighth Festival I am once again getting moist with anticipation at what this year will have in store for us all. So I hope to see you all at some point during the Festival - either at my daily lunchtime chat show with BBC Children in Need's Des Clarke at Sloans or at my own solo show, Pride (In The Name of Love) at Maggie Mays on March 25. And I promise I'll do my best to keep my kegs on this time. Legs crossed anyway!

Follow Scott on facebook at www.facebook.com/scottagnew1

Scott will be performing his solo show Pride (In The Name of Love) at Maggie Mays on Thursday 25th March and The Skinny Presents...The Big Lunchtime Comedy Chat Show @ Sloans with Des Clarke every Thursday to Sunday during the festival.