You may have already missed the broadcast of Wired News on BBC Radio Scotland by the time you read this but, fear not, you’ll be able to catch up with it on iPlayer. The pilot goes out at the alarmingly specific time of 13:32 on Monday the 21st of October and features man of a million voices, Lewis Macleod, holding things together as the show’s anchor.
Following on from his success with BBC Radio 4 Extra’s Newsjack, Lewis continues in a similarly satirical vein with this show, ably backed up by the performing talents of Gabriel Quigley, John Dredge, Leah MacRae and Gerry McLaughlin.
Could there be any vested interest in me recommending this new show to you…?
Well, I should probably hold my hands up and admit that you can catch interviews I’ve done with Lewis Macleod and Gerry McLaughlin over at MyHeroPodcast.com. Oh, hang on…a quick scan of the writers also reveals the name Colin Edwards, who you can also find an interview with at MyHeroPodcast.com.
Is that all the nepotism out of the way yet? Not quite. One of my best friends and co-star of a Stand Comedy Club show from the past (The Amazing B*stards), Steven Dick is also one of the writers. One of Scotland’s top satirists, he was behind the hit play The Commission, which took Play, a Pie and a Pint by storm at Glasgow’s Oran Mor and Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre this year.
There does seem to be another name lurking in the writing credits that jumps out at me… I wrote on it too! Don’t let that put you off though. Produced by The Comedy Unit, the company behind Limmy’s Show and Burnistoun, the programme offers a humorous take on issues such as benefit reform, immigration and the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
You can find more details here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03dvxqh
If what your heart really craves though is something comedy-related in Scotland that I haven’t had my grubby little paws anywhere near, then I recommend you pay a visit to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street in Edinburgh. The Tickling Jock exhibition is running until the 25th of May 2014 (so you don’t have to rush) and features portraits reminding us that Scotland’s comedic heritage didn’t begin with Billy Connolly.
The Big Yin does, of course, feature in the exhibition, but alongside comedic giants (metaphorically speaking that is – after all, Ronnie Corbett is featured!) of Scotland’s music hall past, such as Sir Harry Lauder, Rikki Fulton and Sir Stanley Baxter. All the kinds of names that you would expect to see mentioned…with the slightly more curious inclusion of Lulu! Then again, who among us hasn’t had a chuckle while contrasting the accent used in her Scottish interviews with the one she uses in her English ones. She makes us wanna shout. At the screen.
The exhibition gives a valuable chance to be reminded of the nation’s comedy journey. And if that hasn’t sold it to you yet…it’s also free to get in! You can find more information here: http://www.nationalgalleries.org/whatson/exhibitions/tickling-jock
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