Glasgow Comedy Festival unveils 2016 programme
Comedy will take over Scotland's largest city for the 14th annual Glasgow International Comedy Festival this March, and the full programme has now been announced.
The line-up for the 18-day festival includes Frankie Boyle bringing his new show Hurt Like You've Never Been Loved to Clyde Auditorium, where a third night has just been added. Expect ruthless one-liners and put-downs – classic 'Frankie has a rant' stuff – but coupled with an intent to reflect the realities of the world around us: a comedian with a point of view.
Not as well known as Boyle to a general audience – but should be to fans of live comedy – are Fern Brady, Larry Dean and Richard Gadd. As with Boyle, the festival sees this trio returning home to Scotland. As radically different as their stand-up styles are, they are all interesting acts who will doubtless face certain artistic choices as their reputations continue to grow. Brady, for example, mines plenty of comedic material from the invitations she's received to appear as a 'talking head' and 'token Scot' on TV. As ridiculous as she finds all this, it's her discomfort with 'playing the media game' which is interesting.
There are plenty more local stars too, there's character comedy from Scot Squad’s Grado and Chief Commissioner Cameron Miekelson, both at the Kings Theatre. The same venue also hosts UNCLES, a new comedy from the creators of BBC Scotland's sketch show Burnistoun, while Breaking the News presenter Des Clarke comes full circle with The Trouble with Being Des, which began touring at the Glasgow Comedy Festival in 2015. Fellow Breaking writers and stand-up Kier McAllister – as part of a talented triumvirate with Larah Bross and Jay McAllister – also brings The Last Laugh, the acclaimed play on stand-up comedy and feminism.
There are many household names arriving in March too, including Whose Line Is It Anyway? star Greg Proops, recording his The Smartest Man In The World podcast; Rob Delaney, fresh from success with sitcom Catastrophe, brings his show Meat; and then there's Jenny Eclair, whose How To Be A Middle Aged Woman tour makes a stop at Citizen's Theatre.
We've been waiting too long to see Romesh Rangnathan's Irrational, which we wrote about almost a year ago. It was due to premiere at last year's Fringe, but Raganathan's mother temporarily exiled him on an educational journey to Sri Lanka. Asian Provocateur made for an excellent TV series and the only downside to Irrational is that Mother Ranganathan won't be alongside her son.
We're also treated to comedians at the very beginning of their careers, often at the smaller and overlooked comedy venues, performing works-in-progress or their first full show. Christopher MacArthur-Boyd brings Sweetheart to The Hug and Pint, having impressed at the recent Scottish Comedian of the Year awards. There's also Gareth Mutch playing at the excellent Yesbar, who we once regrettably compared to Hogworts' gamekeeper Hagrid. Perhaps to shake off any implication he was born half-giant, he's travelled back to the sixteenth century in order to dress in Shakespearian togs for his publicity photo. He promises “no big issues, political satire or any opinions,” but he'll use his famous gravelly voice to elicit more laughter in Mutch Ado About Nothing than a Bard comedy ever has.
There are 420 shows across 42 venues meaning we've naturally missed many, many great shows in this brief round-up. This is the very shortest of introductions to the exciting and varied line-up within the now available programme.
Find the full programme here.
Glasgow International Comedy Festival runs 10 - 27 March
The GICF London launch takes place on Burns Night, Monday 25 January 2016 at the Leicester Square Theatre