10 Questions with Christopher MacArthur Boyd

Christopher MacArthur Boyd took time out of his busy schedule ahead of his London Soho show to chat with us.

1. Thanks for your time. You’re getting ready to perform a couple of shows in London next week, what can fans expect from the show?

“I’m biased, because I’m me, but I think it’s a good hour of stand-up. It was my debut show at the Edinburgh Fringe, and because it was my first attempt, it was kind of a compilation of the best bits from the five years I’d been performing stand-up.”

2. What can you tell us about Home Sweet Home?
“It’s about the effect the housing crisis has had on my personal life, which makes it sound quite dry and rubbish, like a dry crap. In reality it’s a series of stories about living in close proximity with my parents, and falling in love, and growing up.”

3. What are the good and bad bits of living with the parents?
“The good bit is a fully stocked fridge. The bad bit is literally every other aspect.”

4. What would you say are the best things someone gets from living with Christopher Macarthur-Boyd?

“An in-depth knowledge of professional wrestling, a never-ending supply of 330ml cans of Irn-Bru, and a standard of comparative patheticness that’ll boost your self-esteem.”

5. You’ve been described as the future of Scottish stand-up and “following in the footsteps of Kevin Bridges”. How does that feel at this stage in your career?

“It’s nice! Kevin was like the Beatles in Glasgow when I was a teenager. He’s a lovely guy, and probably one of the best comedians in the world, so it feels encouraging and unwarranted that someone would say that about me.”

6. What is your view on the standard of Scottish comedy – who are the stand-out names you think we should be looking out for?
“Scottish comedy is in rude health. We’ve got more comedy clubs than ever, with great places like The Glee in Glasgow, Breakneck in Aberdeen and Monkey Barrel in Edinburgh complimenting the classic institution that is the Stand. The more places folk can get up and do it, the better everybody’s going to be. In terms of new acts, definitely keep an eye out for Liam Farrelly. He’s going to be a big deal, I think.

7. London is always seen as the hub of everything, how important is it for a comedian at your level to break the London scene or is the whole “London is the place to be seen” just a myth ?
“London seems like an awful place to start doing comedy, with all the bringer nights and the open mics. I think it’s probably better to get good somewhere else, like Glasgow or Manchester or wherever, then go to London once you’ve got a sense of yourself. I’ve thought about moving down, but the psychic trauma of living in the capital would make me want to kill myself. I’m not strong enough for London.”

8. You’ve also got Edinburgh Fringe Festival coming up, at this stage in your career how important is it to have a successful Edinburgh ?
“It’s great to have a successful Edinburgh. I had a really nice year last year, with good reviews and busy rooms. Hopefully lightning can strike nice, but I’m quite an anxious person, so the foreseeable August seems like an abyss of rolling black dread populated by skeletons of failure. Probably be fine, though.

9. Curveball Question – Would You Rather Go A Month Without Internet Or Go A Month Without Bathing?
“Bathing, one hundred percent. I’ll just bulk-buy a crate of moist wipes and give myself a go over. Loophole destroyed.”

10. Again, thanks for your time. Just to finish, apart from the few shows you’ve got coming up and Edinburgh, what are your plans for the rest of the year?
“I’m going on holiday to New York in a few weeks! That’s quite exciting. Got a few projects lined up for the new BBC Scotland channel as well, so I’m looking forwards to making them. I’m just going to keep on being a comedian and see what happens.”