Free speech comedy club Comedy Unleashed has done an open air pop up gig outside Holyrood's Scottish Parliament after the first venue and then, reportedly, a second venue cancelled their appearance due to the inclusion of gender critical Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan on the bill.
According to their Instagram post, the first venue, Leith Arches, cancelled the show earlier this week when they were made aware of Linehan's involvement, stating that "this does not align with our overall values".
A second venue was found - the location only revealed to ticket holders by email – but shortly before the gig was due to start at 7.30pm it was announced that it had also been cancelled by the venue. Andrew Doyle, who set up Comedy Unleashed five years ago with Andy Shaw, tweeted: "This show is happening, whether these activists approve or not."
The organisers quickly decided to set up outside a windy Holyrood, erecting a small square stage for acts to stand on while they performed short sets for free to a crowd of around 120, which was a mix of supporters, people with filming equipment and the curious. The show was unticketed.
Compere Dominic Frisby opened the gig and Linehan received an enthusiastic round of applause for his brief set when he appeared. He concluded by saying: “It’s been such a strange day. I think I’ll leave it there. But I just wanted to say, first of all, I’m really sorry that you got messed around today. As you can tell, despite the animal cruelty, there’s not really much to these jokes. It’s just insane. I mean, I’ve been fighting this stuff for five years, and I’ve never seen anything as insane as the last few days." He added that he would be staying around for a drink if people wanted to chat.
After the show Comedy Unleashed tweeted: "Well, that was the hardest gig we have ever organised. Hopefully, the next one will be a bit easier."
And Linehan tweeted: "That was lovely! Thanks, Edinburgh!"
Graham Linehan is due to appear at the next Comedy Unleashed show at their regular venue, The Backyard Club in East London, on September 12, where he will be appearing alongside Andrew Lawrence, Andrew Doyle, Junior Booker, Cressida Wetton and compere Bruce Devlin. Tickets available here.
