Des Clarke might not be easily accessible for the international crowds. With his fast speech, strong Glaswegian accent and Scottish-based jokes, he might be hard to follow by the foreigners that populate Edinburgh during the summer. On the other hand though, he is pure joy for the Braveheart descendents.
His sharp tongue and cheeky humour are best suited for those who know where Falkirk is (where, according to Clarke the wheel arrive in the last 3 years while the whole world had it invented centuries ago), or understand a bit of the Scottish background of our newly imposed First Minister, Gordon Brown.
Clarke uses the idea of destiny as his overall theme, and with brutal honesty (he was involved in the BBC phone scandal, and isn’t ashamed to admit it… even if it is just to boast about his £10,000-a-show payroll) he entwines bits and bobs about his life as a scrawny kid living in Glasgow, his BBC ordeal or his view on Scots living in London with brilliantly funny comments about the Britishness of the new Paisley-born Doctor Who, or the state of terrorism, burning cars and airports.
As he finishes his hour, Clarke explains how he could have been John Smeaton, Glasgow’s own terrorist unit, but how by pure chance, or destiny as he sees it, he never was. So, he might not be the new William Wallace, or John Smeaton, but Clarke is definitely a talented Scots: a down to earth, extremely funny comedian, who is a pro with on the spot jokes and witty punch lines.
5/5
Adrian G. Velazquez
