Host: Des Clarke.
Panellists:
Stuart Mitchell
Elaine Malcolmson
Mark Nelson
Jay Lafferty
My second visit to the new Stand in Glasgow, and this time there were surprises.
The first surprise was that the BBC didn't know ticket validation had been advertised as starting at 11.30 am. They were not ready until their usual time, midday, by which time the queue was huge, stretching way along past the Kelvin Bridge. I leaned against the bridge wall, unaware of the writing on the brickwork, until my wife pointed out that I had chalk all over my jacket. The sun was unseasonably warm and bright. I was pleased when the BBC staffer moved us down the side street, though even that was too short to accommodate us.
In the end, over forty people were turned away, the event way oversubscribed. I suspect the BBC's ticketing department didn't realise The Stand has a lower seating capacity than Drygate. They certainly didn't comprehend that the Stand has a tiny footprint for places to wait. We managed to squeeze into a corner near the door, so we could hear when they called out the numbers for going in. Only that didn't happen. They called Accessibility forward first and then Purple stickers. We had purple stickers, numbers 175 and 176, so by the time we got in, the majority of the seats in the centre were already filled. We ended up on a hard pew at the side, near the entrance.
I then realised two things:
1. The programme was being recorded for TV, not Radio, to be shown over the festive period, with multiple cameras set up to face the stage.
2. The room was far deeper than we'd experienced at Josie Long, double the depth of that event.
The recording was brilliant. The comedians had a blast, providing answers which were hilarious but wouldn't make the edit. Des showed off his talent for mimicry, showcasing his impressions of The Donald, as well as George Galloway and Raymond Mearns. Mark Nelson cracked some hilarious jokes, such as "I've been inside a voting booth more often in the last ten years than I've been inside my wife." Stuart Mitchell had some dark humour lines, too. This is in relation to DJT's second state visit: "Usually, the only time Americans return to Scotland a second time is to get scattered."
The only downside to the recording was that it ran over by fifty minutes. By the time Des was recording his pick-ups at the end, many of the audience had decided to escape, causing a noise problem with chairs being scraped and footfalls on the steps.
At the very end, the producer presented a candlelit caterpillar cake to Des, and we sang "Happy Birthday" to the show.
On the journey home, intending to collect the dogs first from doggy daycare, I entered our destination incorrectly into the sat nav. Fortunately, crossing the Squinty Bridge, I noted that the journey time was showing 2 hours and 45 minutes, and I realised my mistake. I'd hit the Favourite button 12. Cruden Bay, instead of 13. Pawz & Co. The joys of a touchscreen.
I'm pleased future recordings of the show are returning to Drygate. Fingers crossed my application for tickets is accepted.
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| Our view of the stage |
Ticket Price: Free from BBC Tours and Shows
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