Retired factory worker takes part in Glasgow comedy festival scheme

Here’s 88-year-old Marie McLaren performing stand-up for the first time, after part in a Glasgow International Comedy Festival scheme.

Marie performed a five-minute set at the festival after she took part in a four-week course aimed at older people and designed to help them build confidence.

She said: ‘I’ve always liked making people laugh. I’ve been a bit of a joker all my life and I’ve never had much time for folk that just complain and moan.

‘My friends used to say I should try stand-up, so when my daughter signed me up for this I thought, well, I’ll give it a go. I might be 88 but that doesn’t mean you should stop trying new things.’

Before retiring, Marie worked a range of jobs, from a sales assistant in a Glasgow outfitters to evening factory work and later cleaning in a printing works, all while raising her three children.

But she has always had a taste for performing. She and her husband joined a talent agency and took part in walk-on roles, including a music video directed by Matt Lucas for The Proclaimers.

Her daughter signed her up for the course, led by stand-up Viv Gee, which invited those with ‘banter and a bus pass’ to step outside their comfort zone and learn how to shape experiences into comedy before performing a short set at at The Social Hub Glasgow.

Marie, who has lived in East Kilbride since the early 1960s, added: ‘I’ll be honest, I was nervous at first because I thought you just stood up and told a couple of jokes and that was it.

‘I didn’t realise how much goes into it. You have to build a story, work on the timing and think about what people will find funny. It’s not easy, but that’s what makes it so good."

‘Viv has been brilliant. She explains everything properly and gives you the confidence to try it. You come in thinking you don’t know what you’re doing and then suddenly you’re writing things down and thinking, I can do this.

‘The course gave me something to get up for on a Monday morning, to get the bus and be there on time, and I do enjoy it because the people are all lovely.

‘I’ve always kept busy and had a good life with friends and family, but this is something completely different and it’s exciting to be part of."

The initiative comes as Age Scotland research shows one in ten older people in Scotland experience chronic loneliness, with organisers hoping the project will help bring people together through creativity and shared experiences. Marie believes humour plays a key role in that.

She said: ‘If you can make people laugh, it lifts them and it lifts you as well. You see people smiling and you think, that’s worth it. That’s what life’s about. You’ve got to enjoy yourself and make the most of it while you can.’

Speaking of her earlier brushes with performance she said: ‘‘We did a few walk-ons and one of them was a music video for The Proclaimers. We were all dancing about as if we were drunk and it was all a bit mad, but it was great fun. It wasn’t comedy, but it gave you a taste of being in front of people and doing something a bit different. I enjoyed every minute of it."

Following her debut, Marie said she would happily continue performing, explaining: ‘If I was asked to do more, I would definitely say yes. As long as I can still stand up and make people laugh, I’ll keep going.

"I don’t think you should ever stop. If something comes along and you fancy it, just do it."

Published: 6 Apr 2026