This is a real Edinburgh gem.
We are used to hearing his warm tones on the radio, behind the mic at a charity event or on stage at the King’s in panto with Allan Stewart and Andy Gray. Now Grant Stott has found his own (fairly big) feet as a solo stage act. And although he’s standing up he was quick to point up to us ahead of last night that this is not a stand up comedy show.
We went to see @GrantStott973 last night **** Here he is talking about the show pic.twitter.com/P0LVXYmosD
— Edinburgh Reporter (@EdinReporter) August 19, 2016
Always the consummate professional in all his roles, this is a show which is slick with professionalism, but made to look as though it is just happening around him. With no real stage setting other than the red ‘Mic Live’ sign he nonetheless fills the stage, and has the largely local audience rolling in the aisles in no time.
There are many references to the Edinburgh he has known during his career (who remembers Coasters roller disco?) and he uses sound bites from the radio show to great effect. ‘Stevie frae Craigmillar’ should probably get royalties!
A former policeman, (what a career move that turned out to be!) Stott has been around the airwaves since the very first heady days of his own show at two in the morning on Radio Forth 1548 AM. Asked by Donny Hughes to take up one of the radio slots (right after Father Andy, remember him?!) he really has never looked back.
The only hiccup in the last few years might be that revelatory moment with John Robertson of Hearts, but we will leave it to you to go along and hear the story for yourselves!
Grant is an accomplished professional, but this show allows him to tell us a different story from previous Fringe appearances. He has no stooge since Andy Gray is off doing River City, and so Karen Koren told him to do his own thing, giving him free rein at the Gilded Balloon at Teviot.
Peppering the screen behind him are photos of himself and others who are referred to in the unfolding story. But, folks, we have to say that we did notice that there is no photo of panto dame Allan Stewart anywhere (except the panto poster which is an unashamed plug for the Christmas 2016 show at the King’s, undoubtedly already sold out!) although Andy Gray appears both in photos and video…….
Can he do no wrong? It appears not from the closing round of applause from a sell-out audience who were more than happy to go down memory lane with him, and many of whom probably make up his daytime radio fan club.
Top tip – to get a wee mention on the show send him a tweet during the day!
You might be lucky enough to get a ticket by clicking here.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
