Nothing But the best comedy for Jack Docherty - Karen Koren

Chief Commissioner Cameron Miekelson (Jack Docherty) in Scot Squad

Every time I wore a mask in shops I’d sweat profusely, huff and puff and steam up my glasses - very uncomfortable. Now we’re mask free at last, we can sit in a theatre and laugh again without fear.

There are circumstances when mask wearing can be appropriate – in hospitals, dental surgeries and other sensitive areas.

I went to London the other day and you would never think that there had been a pandemic at all. At least we are still wary in Scotland of distances between people and their personal space. In London it’s every man for himself.

I was there for Jack Docherty’s show entitled Nothing But, which is on at Soho Theatre every night until Saturday.

Jack finished the Scottish leg of his tour at the Traverse Theatre last Saturday night. The tour has been very well received whereever it played. It’s the first time Jack has toured as a solo performer and he very much enjoyed the experience.

The audiences were expecting more of a comedy stand-up show featuring his Scot Squad character Police Chief Cameron Miekelson, even though we did our best to advertise it as a piece of theatre. The audiences soon became enthralled and pulled in by the story and forgot all about the chief.

Nothing But is a love letter to Edinburgh, Jack’s childhood, the Fringe and summer rain; it’s a tender, playful, darkly comic tale, where Jack grapples with lost youth, infatuation, fatherhood, sex, secrets and truth.

There’s been some lovely feedback and comments of the show from all over Scotland. Inverness said “A bittersweet comedy that juggles three eras, sex, lies and fatherhood and the ridiculous vanities of ageing – not to mention the odd tiny dart of psychological analysis and a forensic eye for detail that helps nail 80s Edinburgh – Jack Docherty packs a lot into Nothing But.”

After this London run it will be returning to the Fringe for a short run at the Gilded Balloon. It’s been a journey for Jack and his fans and I wouldn’t be surprised if this story will be developed into a television series or a film. Watch this space!