Des Clarke: Des Comedy Jam

Des Clarke begins his set by determining his audience demographic and, judging by the Braveheart-style roar that goes up when he mentions Scotland, it's safe to say his fan base is largely made up of natives.

The audience makeup comes as no great surprise, as both Clarke and his act are Scottish through and through. Raised in Glasgow's notoriously rough Gorbals, he came good to become a successful radio presenter, and Des Comedy Jam conveys both the strong sense of national identity and self-deprecation for which the Scots are often stereotyped.

With his machine gun style of delivery he fires out joke after joke, barely allowing his audience the time to process his punch lines. He covers an immense amount of ground—albeit usually within Scotland's borders—from the Pope's eye-opening visit to Glasgow to the challenges of being the only Glaswegian metrosexual, which essentially means he bathes on a regular basis.

Clarke makes no small effort to include tonight's non-Scottish contingent by providing context to his anecdotes, and in the main his wit transcends national boundaries. But too many times does it feel like an inside joke told only for the home crowd.