Sneak Peek All-Star Edinburgh Fringe Previews, Paisley Arts Centre. Sunday 26th July, 2026

 

Two preview shows for a damned fine price. Connor is definitely the bigger draw. He's almost sold out his entire Fringe run already, including three shows at the 3,000-seater Edinburgh Playhouse. Chris's shows have yet to sell out for any dates.

Chris's show is called Father Christmas, where he intends to bring the seasonal ho-ho-ho's rather than regular ha-ha-ha's. Intriguingly, it is a show he can perform at any time, except Christmas, and it has been sixteen years in the making. It's your typical Edinburgh show. No spoilers here, though.

One laugh I could recall: At Christmas, the family like to play party games, such as charades. Every year like clockwork, his father would mime the same film by unzipping his fly - "Free Willy". He then tops the joke by revealing all the wrong answers they had prepared, such as "The Color Purple", amongst others.

After the interval, Connor goes through his set. 

For a show titled "Flow", it's far from finished, but it is very funny, covering the topics: the World Cup, Customer Service, the airline losing his case, his fiancée going to get her eyebrows done then getting her fanny lasered too. He also talks about willies. He closes on the story of the bloody haemorrhoids he experienced after moving in with his girlfriend during Covid. 

We saw his WIP for last year's Edinburgh show, and that was more developed than this one. Let's hope he finds his flow before the Fringe begins (but hey, that's the nature of works in progress).

Ticket Price: 2x£15 & £2.50 booking fee = £32.50 from OneRen.

Pre-Show Music
Belle Stars - The Clapping song

Wham - Last Christmas

Chris Rea - Driving Home for Christmas

Slade - Merry Christmas Everybody

After-Show Music

Joni Mitchell - River

Solange - Losing You

Interval Music

Annie - Heartbeat

Jessy Lanza - Limbo

Carly Rae Jepsen - After All

Le Tigre - Deceptacon

Blurb

23 Jul 2026 - 19:30 / 24 Jul 2026 - 19:30 / 25 Jul 2026 - 19:30 / 26 Jul 2026 - 19:30

Sneak Peek All-Star Edinburgh Fringe Previews
Don't miss your chance to see some of the UK’s best headlining comedians - off notes and off adrenaline! Comedy stars including Connor Burns, Craig Hill and Kai Humphries, Chris Forbes, Kim Blythe plus more!

Please note these shows are still a work in progress; there will be some strong language, and although they might not be slick, they sure will be funny!  Join us for a night - or two! - of uproarious and laugh-out-loud stand-up comedy.*  

Thursday 23 July 2026 - Kai Humphries, Daniel Petrie and Connor Burns

Friday 24 July 2026 - Kai Humphries, Daniel Petrie and Craig Hill

Saturday 25 July 2026 - Kim Blythe, Daniel Petrie, Jack Brookmyre

Sunday 26 July 2026 - Chris Forbes and Connor Burns

Age Recommendation: 16+ (no babes in arms)

Tickets: £15

*£2.50 transaction fee applies

* Line-up may be subject to change at late notice*

GICF Comedy Gala 2026, King's Theatre, Glasgow. Sunday 29th March, 2026

This was my third consecutive GICF Gala in a row, and it had probably the strongest line-up so far. 

As we were also seeing Alan Davies later on, we decided to make a day of it. We put the dogs into the kennels and arranged to have lunch with Colette and her hubby at The Griffen before the show. Graeme brought the car, not realising that on-street parking is no longer free on a Sunday, and ended up parking quite a distance away, on the other side of Charing Cross. He'll not do that again (they got soaked in the rain on the walk back after the show).

The lunch was good. We pencilled in doing it again next year.

The view from our seats.

The Gala opened with Almost Angelic, the musical double act of Karen Dunbar and Tom Urie, kicking the show off in absurd style. Afterwards, a stagehand pushed the platform, upon which Tom sat with his keyboard, across the stage the long way, much to Karen's mock despair. They'll be supporting Marti Pellow at the Bandstand in August.

Susie McCabe, as MC, wasted no time bringing on the first act, Des Clarke. My wife and I had heard his jokes just a few days ago, including one which I repeated at lunch, but they were still funny. 

Next up was Susan Riddell, using PowerPoint to illustrate the material relating to her arrest for (alleged) "Terrorism and Malicious Mischief". She's barred from Edinburgh because of this as part of her bail conditions and has to accept a 7 pm curfew. I'd love to hear the full story sometime.

Fred MacAulay referenced one of Susan's jokes at the start of his five minutes. A veteran of the circuit, Fred gave a quality set. I'm looking forward to seeing him on tour later in the year (though I'll probably skip his show with Ally McCoist at the Armadillo at those ticket prices).

Amanda Dwyer gave a funny but low-energy set, winning over the audience.

Likewise, the relatively unknown Ifrah Qureshi gave a fine set, demonstrating a good eye for comedy, especially at her family's expense.

Connor Burns closed the first half, giving a performance that ably demonstrated why he sold out five shows at the King's this festival. He is a comedy superstar in the making.

After the break, Susie gave us five minutes on why her life has been a struggle of late, with a heart attack being the least of her worries.  

Then, Karen Dunbar returned for a routine about when she and her sister (God rest her soul) went to the social club and got hammered on the new beverage, White Lightning.            

Another newcomer, Jack Brookmyre, looked uncomfortable in his sleeveless denim jacket patched with heavy metal band logos, but gave a confident performance. His voice work is great, especially his Gollum. One to look out for.

Stuart Mitchell's star is in the ascendant. He's always reliable for a laugh and today was no exception.

Mhairi Black was a more left-field choice, but she showed that her transition from politics to stand-up has gone well. She has always been a great speaker and knows how to be funny.

Rosco McClelland closed the stand-up element of the Gala, confident enough to throw in some new material which didn't hit the mark. 

After this, the Festival Director, Krista MacDonald, gave an impassioned speech about celebrating Scottish comedy, a flourishing circuit despite the lack of financial support it receives as an art form. She introduced a video highlighting each nominee for the Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award. They were:

Top Row:

Amanda Dwyer (Comedian) 
Chris Conway (Comedy promoter/owner of Blackfriars of Bell Street)
Kate Hammer (Comedian)

Second Row:

Kim Blythe (Comedian)
Susan Riddell (Comedian)
Zara Gladman (Writer, performer, and producer)

The winner was: Amanda Dwyer.

Accepting the award, she was speechless, never believing she would win, already assuming that her Material Girl partner, Susan Riddell, would take it.  The short video they showed of Billy Connolly praising Amanda was quite emotional. He looked unwell, with the moonface of a man possibly on long-term steroids. Lovely to hear his voice, though.

As we departed the room, the audience was treated to an airing of his 1974 song, "If It Wasnae for Your Wellies". Lovely to hear that again.

All the nominees were present, even those not performing (Chris Conway isn't a comedian). I know this because an old friend of mine managed to snatch selfies with each individual at the stage door. It's his thing.

Outside, we spotted Dave Flynn, producer of Breaking the News. My wife wouldn't let me take his picture. She didn't need to say it. She just gave me a look.

Ticket Price: £24.10 x2 + Transaction Fee £3.95 = £52.15 from ATG Tickets.

Comedy Sneak Peaks - Connor Burns and Stuart McPherson, Paisley Art Centre. Sat 12th July, 2025

 

It's telling when the blurb describes one of the acts as 'brilliant' and the other as 'award-winning'. While both were performing works in progress in advance of the Fringe, it was clear how vast the gulf was between the two descriptions. 

Connor opened the night, introducing himself and explaining the situation: both shows are still rough; they'll have notes; it may not always be funny. He then warmed us up with some crowdwork, finding some mileage with Clare and her meek voice, turning her into a disability scammer, skipping the amusement park queues and getting a free parking space near the venue; he also enquired if anyone was from another country, and my friend, whom I didn't know was there, sitting in the front row, volunteered that she was from Northern Ireland. Brave girl! One to speak to the comedian, and two, to sit in the front row (not her choice - those were the only tickets left). When she revealed what she did for a living - a care worker for people with special needs - Connor immediately thought she and Clare should pair up.  

Connor then introduced Stuart. My back was spasming whenever I leaned to see past the Wilson Fisk-like behemoth sitting in front of me, so I didn't often have a direct view of the comedian (with his Hugh Grant Four Weddings floppy hair). What I heard wasn't that funny. It wasn't anything special or interesting. Just stuff about his relationship with his partner. That might work for a club twenty, but won't cut it as an Edinburgh show. He needs to put in a lot more effort. But that's what these shows are all about. Learning what to cut and what to keep. He might need to return to the drawing board. (I suspect his shtick might work better as a low-key, BBC Scotland sitcom about families.)  

During the interval, I hobbled down the steps to chat with Andrea. My wife didn't mind. She got to read her book in peace. 

In the second half, Connor did his material and blew us away. He is more polished as a performer, has more interesting takes on his subject matter, and his gags are sharper. His bits about the Deep South and Trump's America showed off his ability with accents and impressions. His school tales were the right side of risque. The laughs kept rolling so hard, he didn't want to leave us, adding another routine then another, packing them in until it was really time for him to go.

I suspect Connor's Fringe run will be a great success, as will the subsequent tour. Stuart might still be with his girlfriend, or might not. I didn't really care. 

Ticket Price: £12.50 x 2 plus Booking Charge £2.50 = £27.50

Blurb

Connor Burns is a brilliant stand-up from one of the fastest rising new stars of Scottish comedy.
Stuart McPherson is an award-winning stand-up comedian, writer and actor, probably best known for his appearances in SCOT SQUAD (BBC)
Please note these shows are still a work in progress, there will be some strong language and although they might not be slick, they sure will be funny!

GICF Comedy Gala 2025. King's Theatre Glasgow. Sunday 30th March, 2025

The great thing about the GICF Comedy Gala is that it exposes you to comedians you wouldn't normally see. Each of the hand-picked comedians gets five minutes to show off their talents in a sampler of their work. And boy, what a feast it was.

On hosting duties was last year's recipient of the Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow award, Susie Mccabe. First up was Zoe Lyons, who was probably the most famous act on the bill. She was followed by Chris Thorburn, Viv Gee, Ayo Adenekan and Kim Blythe. Rounding off the first half with a beat-heavy, blistering impromptu rap involving objects from the pockets of the first two rows was MC Hammersmith. He was my favourite from this group. 

At this point, the event organisers surprised Viv Gee with a special one-off award issued by the Lord Provost of Glasgow in recognition of outstanding Glaswegians during its 850th year. She received a bespoke trophy (a plate) in recognition of her extraordinary contribution to the comedy community in Glasgow. 

After the interval, Susie introduced Kate Hammer, Stephen Buchanan, Alana Jackson and Connor Burns before finishing off the comedy with a set of her own. Connor was my fave from this half, even though I'd heard him deliver the material only a few weeks ago.

Then, all that remained was for Festival Director Krista MacDonald and Elaine C Smith to announce who had won this year's Billy Connolly award.  2025’s Shortlist included Craig Hill, Kim Blythe, Marjolein Robertson, Paul Black, Rosco McClelland, Scott Agnew and Viv Gee. I was surprised that only two of the acts performed, although my wife noticed Paul Black appearing from backstage at the interval. I wonder how many of the others were present to hear Rosco McClelland win the award. He seemed flabbergasted to have won, finding it difficult to express how much it meant to him to have Billy Connolly, his comedy hero, pick him. 

A friend and former colleague was also in the crowd. We both agreed it was a great afternoon and hoped to attend again next year. It's a great way to celebrate comedy in Glasgow.

Ticket Price: £24.10 x 2 plus £3.95 Transacton Fee from ATG Tickets. 

Connor Burns, "1994", King's Theatre, Glasgow. Saturday 15th March, 2025.

They say it's good luck if a bird shits on you (the feathered variety, not the fetishist, although maybe that is too). I was extremely lucky because, as my mate and I exited the car on Blytheswood Square, a seagull dropped a massive shit on his jacket. By the time we arrived at the pub for some dinner and a drink, having attempted to clean up the mess with a tissue, the paint-like smear had solidified and wasn't for cleaning. It was just as well we were heading out to see a comedian afterwards. He needed a laugh.

Scottish comedian Connor Burns had never been on my radar. I was unaware of his social media work, or how he had been on the comedy scene for eight years, so I bought these based solely on the buzz around him. He'd sold out his entire Edinburgh run last year, well in advance of the festival, and sold out five shows at the GICF in 2023. That rarely happens unless the act has had major TV exposure, which Connor hasn't (I looked this up after the gig, not wanting my opinion of him to be swayed one way or another).

This was the second of his two sold-out shows at the King's Theatre this festival. I'd misread the ticket and thought the show started at 9 pm, so we arrived at 8.45 pm and joined the long but fast-moving queue. Tickets checked, we made our way inside to our seats in the stalls, five rows from the front. Lots of empty seats prompted me to recheck the start time. Turned out 9 pm was doors open, though they'd let people in early. The website confirmed the show started at 9.30 pm.

As we waited, I noticed the background music, with tracks like Basket Case by Green Day and Say It Ain't So by Weezer, were all quite old and quickly twigged they were all from 1994. There was one exception, though: Sheryl Crow's All I Wanna Do, which was released in 1993. I'm sure there was a reason why this one slipped through but I never did find out what it was.

Connor Burns had a lovely surprise for us. Although he doesn't normally have a support act, he did tonight. Before he introduced him, he explained he would be coming back on straight after the support so not to fuck off for a drink. He then welcomes on none other than DANIEL SLOSS! 

I paid to see this young comedy veteran at the Armadillo a few years back and he was awesome. Daniel had been taking a year off from stand-up following the birth of his second child, so his unexpected performance tonight was at his wife's request, who, after having had him at home for eight months, was delighted to see the back of him. His assured set related to his current homelife situation and was extremely funny. Afterwards, I read that Connor had supported Daniel on previous tours, so it was nice to see them switch roles.

Much of Connor's set revolved around the tunes that were hits at important stages in his and his father's lives, from Rock The Joint by Bill Haley & His Comets and Voodoo Child by Jimmy Hendrix to Love Is All Around by Wet Wet Wet and The Mr Blobby song. He got some mileage from the significance of these songs. Time was another theme he used, discussing how there was a ten-year gap between him and his nearest sibling and how he'd been born nine months after his father's birthday. Cringe! 

Connor's routines flowed naturally and were cleverly crafted with only a hint of nervousness in their delivery. The idea of replacing the Scottish national anthem with Glasgow's unofficial anthem, dance track Bits and Pieces, touched a comic nerve within the crowd who were totally up for it. It was a very funny show. Top marks!

He is definitely an act worth catching. He will be performing his new show GALLUS at this year's Edinburgh festival, from  JUL 31, 2025 - AUG 24, 2025 at Just The Tonic Nucleus - Venue 393. Get in there quick. Tickets are already on sale.     

Ticket Price x 2 = £46.40
(including Booking fee £3.70 per ticket, which incorporates the Venue Fee of £1.75 per ticket)
1 x Order Processing Fee £1.25
Total £47.65 from SEE Tickets