Visit the Biscuit Factory? You’re having a laugh - Fiona Duff

There are certain times when what you need is a good laugh. Not a giggle nor a smirk but a big belly rumbling cackle with not a care who hears it.

JoJo Sutherland, comdian and comedy club host

And luckily for me I have tickets for a comedy night next Thursday at The Biscuit Factory. It is produced by the Leith Comedy Festival so there’s quite a bit of expertise behind the event which promises some of Scotland’s finest comedians.So in case you don’t know I shall be watching Stuart McPherson, who you would probably recognise from Scots Squad. Then there will be Larry Dean, who I recently saw at the Playhouse supporting Joe Lycett. There were about 3,000 other people there and he had them all in stitches and he is very good at putting on accents.The host is reigning Scottish Comedy Award winner, Jojo Sutherland. Again, I have seen her before and she is definitely one funny lady. I remember, many moons ago when I lived in London females in comedy were a bit of a rarity. I imagine in those days it was a tough time getting onto the comedy circuit if you didn’t have boys bits. If you know what I mean.Of course there were some, like Joan Rivers, who had crashed through that barrier and held their own. I have just finished the fourth series of Marvellous Mrs Maisel on Amazon which may or may not be based on her. There are certainly some similarities – she’s Jewish, wears fantastic clothes and I don’t remember seeing any other ladies on stage at the gigs.Personally, I can’t think of anything more terrifying than standing on a stage, with just a microphone for company, and trying to make people laugh. I imagine that you have to have a certain wiring in your brain to want to do a job like that.Luckily for comedy audiences that is not the way mine works, so I’ll just get on the bus to Leith and let someone else do the talking. I’m much better at laughing at them.