Considering that Mark Nelson was the winner of the inaugural Scottish Comedian of the Year in 2006, and since then has gone on to star in his own Radio Scotland show as well as writing and starring in this year’s successful ‘Don’t Drop the Baton’ the sketch show linked to the Commonwealth Games, it was perhaps surprising to find him playing at the Billiard Room in the Gilded Balloon one of the smaller Fringe venues.
The truth is that Mark is one of Scotland’s best kept secrets, but hopefully not for much longer.  Think Kevin Bridges anecdotal skills coupled with Frankie Boyle’s ability to shock and you get an idea of why the Dumfries comic’s act was well worth braving the stormy conditions last night.
The quietly spoken comedian quickly won the audience over with his smart one liners and cutting observations along with just the right amount of audience participation.
Unlike other comedians who like to humiliate selected audience members, Mark tended to use the men to confirm that his views on how much more fun being single is was correct.
Please Think Responsibly is about him having to face up to the responsibilities of becoming a father and how much his life has changed since then, although not always for the better.
A routine about the differences in responsibility of adults to teenagers was particularly well received as were his thoughts on the forthcoming referendum and his comparisons to Scandinavia were both clever and funny, but the best part of the show was when he discussed his relationship with his (long suffering) wife and in particular how and when he discovered that she was a sociopath.
One or two of the jokes could have caused offence, but his delivery and cheeky smile made it hard to take any.
If you get the chance to go along to see Mark this Festival then go out of your way to do so and you certainly won’t be disappointed.
The Guilded Balloon – Billiard Room
Thursday 31 July – Monday 25th August 2014 (Not 11th) 20.45 for one hour.
Suitability 16 plus
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
