Five of the best famous festival faces

The Glasgow International Comedy Festival is now in full swing, with shows taking place all over the city.
Sarah MillicanSarah Millican
Sarah Millican

It’s sometimes daunting to pick what to book tickets for, with people often plumping for a familiar face from television.

Sadly not all celebrities make the best standups, but here are five whose talent bridges the mediums.

Caroline Rhea

The Stand, March 28

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Perhaps best known in this country for her role as Aunt Agatha in ‘Sabrina The Teenage Witch’, Caroline Rhea has long been a feature of New York’s live comedy scene.

Her material includes plenty of indiscreet tales about her showbiz career which has seen her star alongside everybody from Jim Carrey to Larry David.

Chris Ramsey

Garage, March 20

Multi-talented Chris Ramsey has quickly graduated from the dubious honour of being a ‘panel show regular’ to starring in popular BBC comedy Hebburn.

His latest show ‘The Most Dangerous Man on Saturday Morning TV’ uses his experience of being ‘sent off’ the Soccer AM sofa for a jumping off point to a range of musings.

Josh Widdicombe

Garage, April 3

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One of the stars of Channel 4’s ‘The Last Leg’, as well as a regular on a multitude of panel and standup variety shows, Josh Widdicombe has been everywhere in the past couple of years. He even finds time for his own radio show on XFM and to produce a top ten podcast.

His standup persona - which won an Edinburgh Best Newcomer nomination in 2011 - is a classic ‘young fogey’ character, railing at the modern world and decrying the people in it.

Sarah Millican

Clyde Auditorium, April 3-4

Seemingly never off our screens, Sarah Millican is a firm favourite with comedy fans who voted her to the British Comedy Award for Queen of Comedy.

Those only familiar with her television output might be surprised at quite how rude her live act is - but it’s never anything less than hilarious.

Ruby Wax

Citizens Theatre, April 5

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Anglicised American Ruby Wax started out as an actor at the Royal Shakespeare Company, before a massively successful career in comedy beckoned.

Lately she’s become a mental health campaigner and has incorporated her experiences of suffering depression into her life-affirming live shows.

Mixing gags into such a serious subject is tricky, but Wax’s larger-than-life personality is the perfect vehicle for the delicate balancing act.

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