Rhys James "Chop Logic", The Glee Club, Glasgow. Thursday 29th October, 2026

I don't know how closely they follow this rule, but the Glee Club website stated that the last entry to this show was 7.15 pm. We left at 6.10 pm, thinking that was plenty of time to drive from Paisley to Glasgow. The M8 had other ideas. From Braehead onwards, I barely got out of second gear all the way to the Kingston Bridge. Even in the city centre, cars and buses had slowed to a crawl. With no parking spaces near the venue, we ended up using the Concert Hall car park and paying £5 for the pleasure. That parking choice meant we did make it to the venue for 7.05 pm. Thank goodness for allocated seating; otherwise, we would have been way at the back. 

Halloween bats decorate the sign

We made our way down to table C11. The view was good, close enough to meet the gaze of the comedian, but far enough away to feel protected. Neither comedian engaged with anyone in the audience, which helped. Bar service via a QR code meant the staff brought our drinks to the table. So much easier than going to the bar.

The Glee Club website listed Liam Whitnail as support, so it was a pleasant surprise to hear Marc Jennings being introduced. His set was well written and engaging, with some big laughs. The Clydebank comedian was far better than when I'd seen him previously. He seemed more relaxed, confident with his material. 

After the interval, Rhys delivered his set, gags flowing at a terrific pace. If one failed to land as he anticipated, he'd play with the audience, berating our sensibilities, mocking our older generation's faux poshness, not what he expected from Glasgow. It was nice to see him step away from the script, confident to riff. The set was full of clever ideas, like his plan to outdo money-saving expert Martin Lewis at his own game, so Martin would have to recommend him. I'd heard him perform a few of the gags before, but when there were so many, that didn't matter. He also seemed less judgmental and angry with us than when he played the O2 Academy, finding the middle ground between berating us and needing us to laugh. 

It's incredible how many callbacks he packed into the show, ending as he said he would: on a cliffhanger - blackout. 

Rhys is finding his stride now. He's a clever writer and assured performer, producing a huge amount of funny material. He deserves a bigger platform. I doubt he'll be playing small venues like the Glee Club much longer.

Ticket Price: 2 x £20.00 & Booking Fee £5.50 =  £45.50 from The Glee Club 

Press Launch info:

Rhys James Announces Brand-New Tour Chop Logic

Critically acclaimed comedian, writer and series regular on TLC’s hit recent reboot of Mock the Week, Rhys James, has announced his brand-new UK stand-up tour Chop Logic – a fast, forensic show of big ideas and gag-dense overthinking from one of the nation’s sharpest stand-ups.

With the show set to debut at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe (announcement to follow), the ‘master of the lightning-paced, precision-delivered set’ (The Guardian) will then tour the show across the UK with a 40-date run from 10th September 2026 – 15th May 2027, including a big London stop-off at Soho Theatre Walthamstow (13th March 2027).

Rhys has made a discovery that could fix everything. It’s been staring him in the face the whole time, in a mirror held behind his head. If he can ignore his own problems for long enough, he might just be able to solve yours. 

Breaking The News BBC Television Recording, Drygate, Glasgow. Thursday 15th October, 2026

My initial application was unsuccessful, but two weeks before the show, I received an email and a text saying I had been allocated tickets due to call-offs. 

Host: Des Clarke

Panellists: Marc Jennings, Elaine Malcolmson, Scott Agnew and Amanda Hursy.

As this one was for TV, it took a little longer to set up. During one round, the lights flickered, so while the crew looked into it, Scott and Des reminisced about their time at the Rutherglen Reporter and ended on a story about the Orange Order's mascot, Proddy the Pigeon. Then they all had to redo the round, repeating their jokes while trying to make them sound fresh, which in itself generated laughs.

Elaine Malcolmson's deadpan, left-field humour got the biggest laughs today, even when she was being serious.  

Round One - Broken News Round:

Andy Burnham is talking about negotiating a new post-Brexit deal.
Scottish pubs are shutting. Research shows 62 pubs closed in 9 months. 

Elaine - "I love a pub. It's just a great place to meet people you wouldn't have in your house."

Round Two - Who is in the news?

1. Shetland MSP Hannah Mary Goodlad, advertising for an artist in residence.

2. 71-year-old glamour gran Anne Marie Harper, oldest contestant in running for Miss Great Britain in over 45s category.

Friends of the Show  

Gail Porter on irresponsible tourism

John MacKay on the film Digger, expected to lose $ 244 million.

Final Quickfire Round: What sold for over £2 million?

Klaxon: Craig Revel Horwood. "Everyone going to complain about everything."

 

Tickets from BBC Shows and Tours via ballot.

The view from the back row

Marc Jennings, "Marc'sism", GICF, St Luke's, Glasgow. Monday 24th March 2025.

Before the gig, we went for dinner at the Winged Ox part of the venue, having booked a table in advance. The food was very good and not overly expensive. No desserts, though, so my wife and I had to kill time with conversation, additional drinks and much-needed trips to the loo.

With fifteen minutes before the doors were due to open, we made our way outside to find no queue. There were a few people hanging about the inside door, so we waited there. Slowly, the corridor filled to the point that no one else could enter. It was then that a rather sniffy steward informed us we should be queuing outside. Everyone decanted to join the four already there. It was no biggie, but perhaps an information sign or a team member could have sorted this out earlier. We still got good seats in the fourth row with an excellent sightline to the comedian. 

Monday nights are rarely good for comedy. The energy of the crowd can be low, so it needs a comedian at the top of their craft to make it work. I'd only ever seen Marc perform short routines online, so I was looking forward to seeing how good he was live. 

First up was Susan Riddell in the support slot. She peddled her familiar twenty-minute set about dating apps and relationships. She did well despite the audience's seeming muted reaction. It was funny when she couldn't find the exit door from the stage after her set. 

Headliner Marc, a Scottish comedian from Clydebank, has grown a large enough following to sell out the venue and add a second date at Blackfriars for the end of the Festival. He's also done well enough to have to pay tax on his earnings for the first time last year, he admits. He also comments on it being a Monday but hopes we still have a good time.

He was okay. There were no barnstorming routines, just funny jokes and observations, with perhaps a little too much reliance on the comic analogy. He covered topics like his desire to get on the property ladder, some bits on politics (with a nice Nicola Sturgeon joke), and some material about his family and what it means to be a man in today's society. Nothing overly deep, but still funny. 

Perhaps not his finest hour, but it was a Monday.

Ticket Price: £12.50 x 2
Service Fee £5.12
Delivery Fee £2.00
Total Payment £32.12 from TicketWeb.