‘I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue’ tour set to tickle Dundonians’ funny bones

‘I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue’ is coming to Dundee! We spoke to comedian Fred MacAulay and producer Jon Naismith to find out more.

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The stage tour of ‘I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue’, dubbed “the greatest radio comedy of all time,” is coming to Dundee for the first time! The show is slated for Wednesday, 15 March at 7:30 PM in Caird Hall. It stars Rory Bremner, Marcus Brigstocke, Pippa Evans, and Fred MacAulay. Colin Sell will be at the piano while the one and only Jack Dee will be in the chair.

Tayside star to feature in ‘I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue’ Dundee show

Scottish fans of the long-running BBC Radio 4 programme can look forward to seeing one of their own on the stage, Fred MacAulay. It’s a homecoming of sorts for the Glasgow-based comedian who studied at the University of Dundee where he graduated with an MA in Accountancy and Jurisprudence. Fred says: “I’m really looking forward to coming back to Dundee. It’s very fortunate I’m coming back up to Tayside.”

He adds: “It’s fun. Everybody has such a fond regard for the show. I can remember listening to it when it was the original cast. Humphrey Lyttelton obviously was a magnificent host. Jack, who I think is equally good, brings his own deadpan humour to it.”

It’s also a challenging gig for Fred, one that pushes his creativity. “My pride is that just about everything I’ve ever said in the rounds where you have to come up with material individually is mine. I try not to borrow some of the stuff that is created for you. But then obviously, some of the rounds for example, where you sing the first line to a song and then you’re interrupted, are collaborative. I very much enjoy that aspect as well.”

What makes ‘I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue’ tick

It’s this collaborative energy that makes the show so successful, according to producer Jon Naismith. Jon says: “I think the audience love it when they see the comedians enjoying the show. I generally arrange the show so that no one in the cast knows what another cast member is going to say, so their laughter on the show is genuine. This tends to encourage the comedians to compete amongst one another for laughs, and if they can make each other laugh, they can usually make the audience laugh. It’s a joyful show, though it can be quite hard-hitting, quite anti-establishment at times. But it’s usually regarded as the show that other comedians like; it’s the comedian’s show.”

Listeners – new ones and those who have followed the programme over the past 50 years – can look forward to a ‘greatest hits’ presentation, including the rounds and sketches that people love the most from the show. That includes some of the funniest and best-loved games on the programme, like Mornington Crescent, new additions to the Uxbridge English Dictionary and songs sung to the tune of another.

‘Clue’ brings joy to listeners’ lives

It’s easy to dismiss this antidote to panel games as silly, but for Jon, there’s nothing more gratifying than to be able to give happiness to someone’s life. He shares this story as an example: “When I had taken over the show in the early 90s, an estate agent was showing a client a house and was kidnapped. She was shut in a coffin. How frightening would that be? She was eventually rescued, and when she told her story to a newspaper, she revealed that while she was in the coffin, her kidnapper had the radio on and she heard ‘I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue’. She said that at moments in the show – despite the dreadful situation she was in – she found herself laughing. I’m grateful that ‘Clue’ makes people happy in this way; I feel lucky to work on it.”

This year also marks the first time the ‘Clue’ tour is doing four dates in Scotland. Aside from Dundee, the show will also travel to Perth, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Visit the website of ‘I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue’ for the full tour dates. Buy your tickets online or call 01382 434 930.