Right said Fred, next stop Fort William
Comedian Fred MacAulay hits Fort William tonight (Thursday May 25) as his new What(ever) Next??: Again!! stand-up tour kicks off at The Highland Cinema, write Jamie Wills.
It is the third time Fred has gigged in the town, although his last visit in 2021 was for a very different reason.
“It was with Dougie Vipond and we did the official opening of a new mountain cycle track.
“Dougie is somebody who has spent his leisure doing that kind of thing. I’d never done it before. I thought all I would have to do was say a few words at the top and pose with a bike.
“But I had to go down the blooming track. For a man of my age with no experience it was quite a challenge.”
Uncertainty will be a theme of the new show, which tackles the topics of the past few years – the title is taken from an exasperated expression frequently uttered by Fred’s mother.
During the Covid lockdowns Fred went around 20 months without any proper work. He returned to touring in 2022, opting for venues in smaller Scottish towns.
The choice of locations was born of a key detail: “It’s where I think I can sell tickets!” Fred said. The tour was an enjoyable success, inspiring Fred to repeat the idea and add “Again!!” to the title. As well as Fort William, the new schedule includes Islay, Laggan, Stonehaven, and Melrose in the Borders.
“I enjoyed doing it very much and thought: ‘Well, I’ll go back this year, add in whatever new stuff has happened, and see how it goes’.
“I’m doing it in preference to doing the Edinburgh Fringe. It’s about the size of venues I play at the Fringe but doing it around Scotland. It gets me out and about.”
Without any entourage or external writers, Fred promises his stand-up shows are “all me’”. It is a deal that has allowed him to thrive for more than 30 years on the comedy circuit, from his start at So You Think You Are Funny?. Longevity, however, has its drawbacks.
“A lot of people who come along to my shows tend to be a similar age as myself, which is not the first flush of youth. There is a lot of grey hair and nae hair in the audience,” he jokes.
Read the full interview with Fred online at the lochabertimes.co.uk.