Jimmy McGhie: Apologia

Like a scene from They Live or Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the Fringe has suddenly realised that white guys are everywhere: Westminster, the media, chewing through the internet like termites. We expect comedians to point out these inequalities, but look, oh my God, up there on stage: it’s one of them.

Jimmy McGhie is one of innumerable comedians this year who, as nice left-leaning white boys, opens with an acknowledgement that there are innumerable white men on stage at that very moment. The revelation is always delivered with an embarrassed cough, like they’re offering up the last chipolata they really want themselves.

McGhie’s problem is bigger than most, given that he comes from the same background as David Cameron and Boris Johnson and has an accent to match. His theory that BoJo and the rest are acting out their playground rivalries also explains his own material, which tends to fixate on childhood anxieties and how Gen X has slipped between the cracks.

It’s all delivered with the sure-footedness of a comedian who could perform at sea if he had to. (In fact, he already has.) Taking this weekday crowd in his stride, he can rely on his well-structured routines: the laughs fall where they should.

Yet while in previous years McGhie has brought some wounded feeling to proceedings, Apologia is slightly unadventurous. It’s possible that the childhood divorce of his parents has lost some of its power amid the general discussion of white male privilege.

Nevertheless, this is a fun hour and a solid recommendation. And you can trust me on that: I’m a white guy.