Stephen Callaghan Guest Blog

What does the Glasgow Comedy Festival mean to me? In a word – everything. This festival is stitched so tightly into my life that without it I’m sure I would fall apart like a pair of Primark leggings.

It was at the festival that I cemented my marriage to my long-suffering comedy husband Davey Connor, and we gave birth to our first child, The Stockholm Syndrome (Capitol, 10pm every Saturday night throughout the comedy festival - plug number 1). It was at the festival that I met the first boyfriend I ever wanted to introduce to my wonderful mother (Janet Callaghan, check her out, she’s awesome – plug number 2). And this year it will be the place that I perform my debut solo show (Stephen Callaghan’s Memory Box, Capitol, Sunday 3 April, 8pm – plug number 3).

But what’s in it for me? I hear you cry. Glasgow is a ridiculously understated, fantastic city. It tingles with a beautiful self-deprecating wit. It is cool, but doesn’t feel the need to rub your nose in it (not like flashy Edinburgh). At times it will show you its hard side, but that is for your own good, and it will always give you a wee cuddle after it. The people of Glasgow, performers, organisers and audiences, harbour a burning love for their city that oozes out of everything they do.

It’s this passion that makes the Glasgow Comedy Festival one of the best in the world. Step into any show (especially The Stockholm Syndrome or Stephen Callaghan’s Memory Box – quick replug) and you will find it incredibly difficult not to be swept up in the passion that us Glaswegians feel for the place we live.

If it’s your first time attending the festival then I’m incredibly jealous. You are about to fall in love in a way that you have not experienced since you were 14 and pissed off Diamond White, or your strong cider of choice. There is nothing you can do. Don’t try to fight it, you would only be doing yourself a disservice. My advice: book some tickets, sit back and prepare to laugh your sexual organs off.

Stephen will be performing his debut solo show Stephen Callaghan's Memory Box at Capitol on Sunday 3 April at 8pm. Click here for more show information.

You can also see him in The Stockholm Syndrome every Saturday during the festival at 10pm (19, 26 March and 2, 9 April). Click here for more show information.

Find out more about Stephen here and on the Stockholm Syndrome website.

Giggle Beats Guest Blog

North East comedy is experiencing somewhat of a renaissance at the moment. The emergence of comedy clubs such as The Grinning Idiot, The Laughing Penguin, Hilarity Bites and the forthcoming Stand Comedy Club in Newcastle provide up and coming comics with many a platform to showcase and develop their material in the region; the result is a plethora of young, talented comedians from the North East, and some of those acts, like Kai Humphries, Carl Hutchinson and John Whale, will be travelling to Scotland next month for the annual Glasgow Comedy Festival.

Andrew Dipper, editor of comedy website GiggleBeats.co.uk, guides you through some of the best Northern acts on offer this spring:

SARAH MILLICAN

Tuesday 5 April, 8pm, Old Fruitmarket.

Perhaps the most successful Northern comedian in the country at the moment, South Shields born Sarah Millican has sold out her show faster than anyone else at this year’s festival and it’s easy to see why. Thanks largely to her cult following and the everywoman feel to her humour, Millican’s now a regular fixture on comedy programmes such as Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, and those of you lucky enough to see her on 5 April are in for a real treat.

Click here for show information.

KAI HUMPHRIES

Sunday 10 April, 8.30pm, Blackfriars Basement

Like Millican, Kai Humphries has experienced an astounding amount of success in such a short space of time. Humphries recently turned professional after just under two years in comedy and runs the monthly Punch-Drunk Comedy Club in Cramlington. He’s a natural entertainer who has a clear passion for his comedy and his debut solo show, Evolution, garnered mainly positive reviews at last year’s Fringe. Kai Humphries joins Sean Grant for one night only on 10 April.

Click here for show information.

JASON COOK

Wednesday 30 March, 9.30pm, Stand Comedy Club

Jason Cook has been one of my favourite comedians for a long time now. Recently nominated for best compere in the Chortle awards, Cook is at ease with audience interaction but is also a superb storyteller. If you like your comedy with charm, poignancy and a little bit of silliness then Jason Cook is your man, and you can see him for an hour at the Stand Comedy Club on 30 March.

Click here for show information.

CARL HUTCHINSON & JOHN WHALE

The Triumphant Return of Jimmy & Jackie, Friday 25 March, 7.30pm, West

I watched Carl Hutchinson perform quite recently and he’s came such a long way over the past few years. Hutchinson began comedy in 2006 and since then has won countless competitions and awards – he’s another of my favourite comedians, and you can read my interview with Carl here too if you like.

A lot of up and coming comedians try their hand at deadpan comedy but very few enjoy the success John Whale has experienced. Naturally Whale’s been likened to Stewart Lee in the past, but you can see why – his material is well-carved, dark and there’s a confidence to his act that’s simply infectious. He’s one of the less experienced Northern acts on offer at this year’s festival, but he and Carl Hutchinson are more than worth your time and money.

Click here for show information.

CHRIS RAMSEY

Sunday 20 March, 8.30pm, Blackfriars Basement

Perhaps 2011 is Chris Ramsey’s year. Having recently toured with both Al Murray and fellow 2011 festival star Russell Kane, South Shields comedian Ramsey is a man in demand; so much so his website even crashed after his recent appearance on Comedy Rocks alongside Jason Manford. If you missed him on TV he's performing alongside Gareth Richards on 20 March, and you'll probably be seeing a lot more of him in the near future.

Click here for show information.

THE GINGE, THE GEORDIE & THE GEEK

Sunday 27 March, 8pm, Tron Theatre

Sketch comedy troupe The Ginge, The Geordie & The Geek had a very successful Fringe and recently supported Michael McIntyre at the Childish Things charity gig. You can read my interview with them here, and catch them in Glasgow on 27 March.

Click here for show information.

Giggle Beats was founded by Andrew Dipper and Richard Milburn in June 2010 as a means of promoting comedy talent performing in the North of England. On www.gigglebeats.co.uk you’ll find reviews of some of the best (and worst!) acts working the circuit from their team of comedy enthusiasts, interviews with some of the top comics in the country and everything you need to know about the region’s comedy scene.

Des McLean Guest Blog

Ah Glaswegians! They are self-deprecating, don't suffer fools gladly, but like a right good laugh. That's why the Glasgow Comedy Festival is now in its ninth year, and I've been lucky enough to be part of it from the start.

Well, when I say lucky, I didn't feel that way the first time I was asked to be involved. I still remember lying in bed, awake at 3am saying to myself 'bloody train station, oh no, why?' I had to get up at 5.30am ready to perform to bunch of bewildered commuters at Glasgow Central Station running late for their train. It was like a sadder and lonelier version of the T-Mobile flashmob advert.

My comedy busking continued the next year when it was 'on the buses', performing stand up to a bunch of bleary-eyed passengers from Glasgow's Buchanan Street Bus Station all the way to Edinburgh and back. The ones who weren't listening to their iPods were staring out the window or pretending to read their free newspaper upside down, It was on the BBC News so the viewers at home could witness my struggle. The following year was on the trains, then it was shopping malls then the Glasgow Underground - all nice and scary PR stunts to get punters in the mood for the festival and give me more sleepless nights! But it was exciting fun and stood me in good stead for the shows coming up.

I can't complain about my shows at the comedy festival. I started out in the Thirteenth Note - a basement bar in the Trongate, then moved on to the Arches, the Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow City Halls, the Theatre Royal, The King's Theatre, and last year, the amazing Clyde auditorium. This was a very effective laxative which was filmed for TV, and DVD. Also along the way I loved taking comedy to the communities around Glasgow, including Easterhouse, Drumchapel, Castlemilk.

This year I am honoured to be the opening headline act at the festival. I will be playing the King's Theatre on the Thursday 17 March, and what was my stategy for choosing this date? Well, my wife Alison and I are due our first baby at the end of March. Alison asked, 'When's the first available date.......?'

Des McLean will be performing his solo show Live at the King's 2011 on Thursday 17 March at the King's Theatre. Click here for more show information.

Find out more about Des McLean at www.desmclean.com.

Craig Hill Guest Blog

It's already been quite a busy start to the year! After heading down to Cardiff and Birmingham to perform at The Glee Club (no Sue Sylvester- how disappointing!) I've also done two solo shows on my tour -one at Macrobert Arts Centre in Stirling and another at a particularly mental Dundee Rep gig where a man confessed to having a fetish for his wife dressing as a penguin! I asked where she was tonight and someone shouted 'Edinburgh Zoo!'

I also had a great night in London at the launch of the Glasgow Comedy Festival at the Leicester Square Theatre with a fab line up of comedians who are appearing.

For the first time at the Glasgow Comedy Festival this year I'm doing two nights! How exciting. Last year at Oran Mor loads of lovely Glesga folk couldnae get in so we decided to do another show this year which I'm now thinking I should have entitled 'Oran Mor and more'!

I still talk about last year's show even now, where a wummin from Mull of Kintyre with a home perm shaved at the sides was renamed 'Mullet Kintyre', and the gayest guy on earth worked for a roofing company called 'Ruby Roofing!' - precious! That's the thing about performing my show in Glasgow - the gigs throw up these real gems of characters that I don't think you'd find everywhere else. Glaswegians have real balls and are generally inherently funny and so want to really join in with the show and give you the quality of banter that makes for totally one-off moments that you couldn't plan.

So needless to say I'm wetting myself to go back (in a kilt that could really be disastrous!) So bring yer da, yer maw, yer granny, yer granda and 'Why Don't You Come Down The Front?' See you there guys! X


Craig Hill will be performing his solo show Why Don't You Come Down the Front? at Oran Mor on Friday 1 and Saturday 2 April. Click here for show information.

Find out more about Craig at mrcraighill.com including his blog.

Nick Revell Guest Blog

I was gigging in Glasgow the summer before last; I opened with a little comment about the weather - It was a beautiful weekend; hot, sunny, people walking round in tee shirts and shades; so different from the previous time I’d been there - January, freezing cold, driving rain, arctic winds; people walking round in tee shirts, shades….Not a great joke but a nice one to open with (obvously you don’t get my elegant delivery off the page, so do come and see me at The Stand on March 27th) and it did its job.

Point is though, afterwards, I’m having a quiet pint in a quiet corner of the club, (too much of a grown-up now to seek post-gig attention. Don’t need it. Sad really.) A girl comes up and says - “Very funny set, by the way, but it should be: in the winter, folk had on tee shirts, shades…and a wee scarf.” She has this little gesture to go with ‘wee scarf,’ and then she’s away on the back of my appreciative laughter.

Next night ‘wee scarf’ was in. And the gesture. And it killed. Perfect.

So thank you, whoever you were. Attentive, sharp, generous and poetic. What more could you want from an audience?

That’s why I love Glasgow.


See Nick's festival show Revell Yell on Sunday 27 March 2011 at the Stand Comedy Club. Click here for show information.

Find out more about Nick at www.nickrevell.com.

Zombie Science 1Z Guest Blog

Hello there Zombiology Students,

My name is Doctor Austin, Theoretical Zombiologist and Head of the Zombie Institute for Theoretical Studies (ZITS) at the University of Glasgow.

Many people are unaware that the world’s leading Zombieism research facility is based right here in Scotland’s biggest city. The Institute has existed since the early 19th Century before Glasgow even had a comedy festival. It was a dark time. Imagine being forced to go to Edinburgh to attend a comedy festival,

not pleasant at all.

This year I’m very excited to be taking part in the MGICF with my lecture Zombie Science 1Z. They say that laughter is the best medicine, and although my patients prefer drugs & surgery, a wee joke here and there often helps.

In Zombie Science 1Z we aim to increase awareness of the Zombieism condition, dispel misconceptions about zombies perpetrated by popular culture and inspire the public about biological sciences. There will of course be live science demonstrations. In fact I’ve just finished turning my nephew’s tennis racquet into a crossbow for one of them. He did try to complain, but obviously I had a crossbow.

All the best and don’t let the fear of Zombieism stop you enjoying all the brilliant acts at this year’s festival,

Doctor Austin ZITS MSz BSz DPep

Our research is generously supported by the Wellcome Trust & University of Glasgow - www.zombiescience.co.uk

Doctor Austin will be giving his lecture Zombie Science 1Z at the Queen Margaret Union on Thursday’s 17th, 24th, 31st March and 7th April at 8.00pm. Click here for show information.

Jena Friedman Guest Blog

This week's guest blogger, American comic Jena Friedman, tells us about making her festival debut back in 2010:

The last and only other time I was in Scotland was to visit (I think in Glasgow the term is peg) my ex-insignificant other who was working at a crusty youth hostel in Edinburgh. I backpacked around a bit, stopped by Lock Ness and Stirling (where I saw the Braveheart statue modeled after my sixth favorite* anti-semite Mel Gibson) but never quite made it to Glasgow... until 2010.

Through divine intervention, I landed a spot in the Glasgow International Comedy Festival to wow local lads and lassies with my comedy vomit.

Glaswegians have really dark comedic sensibilities. Prior to the festival, I had never heard an audience laugh at an AIDS joke before I even got the punch line. They also REALLY like to get mutted (which is awesome because alcohol pairs well with comedy). During one show at Maggie Mays, I accidentally repeated a joke onstage - first time ever - because it was my third show of the night and I too was slightly dunted (from all the free cheeky water courtesy of festival organizers). The audience was so supportive of my gaffe that they laughed even louder when they heard it the second time!

During another show at the Stand, a burd fell off her chair, took two glasses down with her and landed on her coupon. I was frichted (thinking she may be deed), while her trippen troopettes and the rest of the audience cheered on before anyone could even measure her pulse. Turns out the swamp donkey was just really charred and apparently Glaswegians are that accustomed to public displays of inebriation to think anything else of it.

* My top five favorite anti-semites, in no particular order, are Roald Dahl, Immanuel Kant, Edgar Degas, T.S Eliot and Mrs. Rochna, my rock sculpture teacher in Chile who gifted me the only slab of marble in her studio to work with because I had tendonitis in my wrists and she had bad Jew-dar.

Jena will be performing at the festival with Elaine Malcolmson on Friday 8 April at the Griffin. Click here for show information.

Find out more about Jena at jenafriedman.com, including her blog.