CV

Fred MacAulay: Legally Bald
Live Review

Fourteen years as BBC Radio Scotland’s morning presenter ensures a sold-out gig for Fred MacAulay, although the sharp intake of breath when he swears or cracks a gleeful close-to-the-bone one-liner early in the show, suggest at least some who’ve come out to see him have to adjust to the difference between stand-up and broadcasting.

They soon settle into it, though, and there are plenty of others that already knew him as the seasoned comic he is. He may be lesser known on the southern side of Hadrian's wall but a major force on the comedy circuit above it.

With 23 Fringes under his belt, it's no surprise that he's as slick and sharp as he is. He begins the set with a few topical gags, the material about the riots can't be any more than a few days old and the routine on Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall's marriage in Edinburgh only a few weeks.

The only proverbial fly is the hoary nature of MacAulay's chosen topics, there are routines on those most common of stand-up themes: hotel porn, air travel and balding. Not that anyone in the room had a problem with it. His hotel porn routine though touch laddish, is playful and self deprecating. Plus there's an inadvertent double act with a woman in the second row who is clearly heard to say 'sorry son' to the young man next to her at a vital point.

His routine about Ryanair is neatly filtered through his naïve 19-year-old son who excitedly informs his Dad that he's booked a flight for a holiday with friends for 68p. Of course anyone who has experienced the frustration of attempting to book a flight with one of the cheap airlines, can fully empathise – and the son angle freshens it up.

Elsewhere he covers the more unusual topic of climbing Kilimanjaro, which includes a nice routine about how his guide advises that your body will tell you if it's had enough, cue MacAulay's comedically straight- talking inner voice.

Overall it's a solid hour of gags; though it might not be ground-breaking, you really can't fault it.

Fred you played a fine gig at the One Touch Theatre at Eden Court in Inverness 14th May. Good rapport with your audience,a thoughtful well constructed set of anecdotes honed to perfection. Some with a childish/adolescent mischief, which just added to the spectrum of humour and subject matter you brought up in the conversation that evening. Thank goodness you took the 'leap of faith' and quit accountancy for comedy. A happy and contented audience left the theatre that night. I had bought tickets months before for Inverness gig, then date at my hometown of Nairn announced for Arts/Book Festival in June.

Douglas Thomson, June 2010

I saw Fred MacAulay tonight for the first time and found him very very funny. He was performing as part of "Britcom" at the Just For Laughs festival in Montreal. I hope he's enjoying his stay in our city as much as we've enjoyed his act. He was great and I'd love to see him perform here again.

Nadia, July 2006

Saw him while serving in Iraq 2003. He was the compere for the forces show in Shiybhah. Great for someone of his stature come out to a hostile environment and make us laugh, especially when the show had to be stopped when any aircraft came in,. Power to his elbow - if only many more high profile comics would do that

Steve Cheetham, May 2006

Saw him as part of the "Funny Farm" in Glasgow's Tron Theatre around 1989, he made me laugh then, he makes me laugh now. That's consistency.

Andrew Duncan Macleod, February 2005

His monthly shows in The Stand at Glasgow were some of the funniest gigs I've ever been to.

Rhona I, July 2003