John Scott: Totally Fed Up

• Gordon Eldrett
• 5 August 2012

This article is from 2012.

An unsure and unfocussed hour of comedy

A successful Edinburgh show is a marathon not a sprint and for a lot of jobbing comedians used to doing 20 minute slots on a bill, an hour to themselves can be a bridge too far. Even with this, his second full Fringe set, that still seems to be the case with John Scott. Wielding a scattergun approach, he pinballs across subjects from religion to politics and back with none of them given time to breathe as he constantly loses his way.

There are a number of comedians for whom the appearance of mental drifting is an integral part of their act, but here, it is less whimsical and more confused. He covers his topics with a lack of conviction and is overly apologetic about some of the cheesier one-liners which, ironically, are among the stronger moments

Everything about the show feels unsure including Scott himself, and while it’s early in the run, this feels a long way from the finished article.

The Stand III & IV, 558 7272, until 26 Aug (not 13), 10.30pm, £8 (£7).