Scottish Comedy Highlights: March 2025

Before Glasgow International Comedy Festival kicks-off proper, a couple of shows you should catch this month come from a pair of Fringe faves. Edinburgh Comedy Award champ Ahir Shah brings his winning show Ends to both Glasgow and Edinburgh (Glasgow Stand, 5 Mar, 8.30pm, £17.50 / Monkey Barrel, 6 Mar, 8pm, £17.50) at the beginning of March. A beautiful, sharply written love letter to his Granddad and the story of his migration to the UK might have had slightly more potency whilst Rishi was still about, but the show’s punchy, political nature will still resonate. Bring tissues.

The same weekend, one of our favourite shows of last Fringe, Chloe Petts: How You See Me, How You Don’t, joins Shah in both cities (Edinburgh Stand, 5 Mar, 8.30pm, £17.50 / Glasgow Stand, 6 Mar, 8.30pm, £17.50). It’s a punchline-dense, hilarious hour of streamlined stand-up, which while touching on sensitive topics (self-image, gender identity, bullying) never feels heavy. It’s an hour from a comic at the topic of their game. 

Now for the main event… our picks of the GICF.

Marjolein Robertson is having a bit of a moment. Having recently upped sticks to London, the Shetlander is everywhere right now and brings two shows to Glasgow this month. One is a work-in-progress of the third part of her self-titled trilogy (The Flying Duck, 18 Mar, 8.45pm, £8/£6). The other is her highly acclaimed show O (Oran Mor, 19 Mar, 8pm, £14), which intertwines tales of a serious medical condition with the myth of the Sea Mither from her native island.

The wonderful David Callaghan presents These Lanes I Watch Into The Fog (The Old Hairdresser’s, 26 Mar, 8pm, £5/£4), a brand new work of multimedia comedy which, if it’s anything like his previous show Everything That’s Me is Falling Apart will be a wryly funny, quietly moving piece of comedy-theatre unlike anything else in the festival’s programme.

Edinburgh-local Ayo Adenekan makes his first steps into the world of solo comedy shows with his Black Mediocrity WIP (Van Winkle West End, 22 Mar, 4.30pm, £5). He’s already highly recommended on the Scottish scene and placed 3rd in last year’s So You Think You’re Funny competition so is well on his way to good things.

Talking of So You Think You’re Funny, we’re keen to see what Alana Jackson (Old Hairdresser’s, 29 Mar, 2pm, £12) has in store for her debut solo hour. Having won the competition last year, the London-based Glaswegian has a sharp, straight-talking style and a whole lot of presence. Catch her WIP early to boast you’ve seen a rising star.

The hugely talented and subversive cult comic Jain Edwards comes to Glasgow with her first new show in what feels like aeons. Titled She-Devil (Drygate Peaks Bar, 24 Mar, 7pm, £8/£5), the content of the show remains something of a mystery, but without a doubt will be charming and delulu in equal measure. Find Jain on socials for a taste of her comedic brand.

Finally, don’t miss Yorkshire’s biggest bastard himself, Frankie Monroe as he dons his shoulder pads and Sudocrem for a night of chaotic chuckles. Expect facts, songs, a monstrous puppet and a selection of high quality tinned meats at this ludicrously funny working men’s club night from hell. He performs at GICF (Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe: Live!!!, The Stand Glasgow, 19 Mar, 8.30pm, £15) with a pitstop at Edinburgh Stand the night before (18 Mar, 8.30pm, £15).