Kicking off its Fringe 2025 season upstairs at the Duke of York Hotel, 100% Scottish Comedy is a bonnie wee treat for fans of Scottish humor, or even just the Scottish accent. Presented by veteran comedian Vladimir McTavish doing his best Billy Idol impersonation with recently bleached and punked-up locks, the show features a rolling line-up of funny Scots. 

Kicking off the show in a daringly short dress and looking gorgeous in it, was comedienne, Gill Cordiner. Cordiner assured all that the dress had shrunk in the wash, leaving little alternative but to wear a potentially age-inappropriate ensemble. Her set was filled with observations about ‘women of a certain age’ and what’s acceptable, what’s offensive and what dating apps have to offer those reentering the dating market after divorce. Her jokes were topical (you looked great in the skimpy dress and chandelier earrings, Gill, and anyone saying otherwise is an eejit), offered acidic insight (yep, mum’s do have favourite kids, and they often switch rank several times in a day) and laced with just the right amount of Braveheart-esque fire in the belly.  Sexy, sassy and freaking funny audience rapport all made this reviewer put Gill’s show ‘Abs Flab’ on her wish list . 

Second in the trilogy was Erin McKinnie, a 29-year-old wee bonnie lass from Edinburgh. She regaled with tales of her comedy gigs on cruises where the only requests to DJs were to lower the volume. She ragged on Americans, safe in the knowledge that it’s culturally inoffensive to bond with other non-Americans over how annoying they can be when they say things like: ‘if the Lord Jesus can do it, then I certainly can…” She offered sage insights about the pitfalls of working as an au pair and earning in a month what some lawyers earn in an hour and told tales of cultural clashes between fun, friendly Scots and brittle, boring Brits. Apparently, Tinder is a better language app than Duolingo, even if some dating translation tragedies resulted in unintentional propositions. Erin had great stage presence with a set squarely aimed at the 20-somethings in the room.

Saving the best till last was Vladimir McTavish—a stage name that worked well for 27 of his 30-year stage career until, in 2022, some other “Vladir” became problematic. Stereotypically Scottish in a loud, orange, tartan suit, McTavish assured all that he was not drunk, he was just from Glasgow, which is apparently a similar condition. He also expressed doubt about his recently acquired bleached 80s rocker look, and warned others against $15 haircuts from barbers who don’t speak your language. He carried off fake “debauched drunk” with aplomb, satisfying stereotypes and sneaking in wise, satirical insights about the soft state of society today. His derisive glee at some questions in surveys about whether one might be alcoholic was wickedly contagious. Instead of asking ‘have you ever drunk more at an event than you intended?’, McTavish suggests a more apt question for a Scot might be ‘have you ever sh*t yourself on public transport?” His finest moment was a dissection of the discussion between Jesus and his disciples at the last supper. This segment would have made my intensely Catholic father show outward disdain while guffawing in private. If you are easily offended by jokes about Jesus and religion, be warned that this is a thing if you intend to go as McTavish is the mainstay of the revolving entourage. But, if Chris Bond could do it…  

With the line-up changing every night, there is a guaranteed variety of talented guests alongside McTavish. While not all punchlines were sharp enough to shear sheep, as happens with variety line-ups, some jokes did hit harder than the Loch Ness monster after a few drams. Overall, the first Fringe Saturday of 100% Scottish Comedy delivered diverse belly laughs akin to a Highland feast and for those seeking comedy variety with cool accents, it’s nae to be missed.