Portsoy comedian who became viral sensation at Edinburgh Fringe to headline home town fundraising stand-up night

A comedian who went viral at the Edinburgh Fringe is set to return to his home town for a fundraising stand-up night.

Robin Grainger from Portsoy captured global attention two years ago when his opening show at the Fringe had only one audience member.

Rather than be a career setback, it became international news and his shows soon became sold out.

He will return to his home town as headline act of a fundraising stand-up comedy night, organised by Portsoy Community Enterprise (PCE).

Held on Friday, October 18 in Portsoy Town Hall, a night of side-splitting humour is guaranteed as Robin’s unique take on observational humour has earned him a plethora of five-star reviews, and several sell-out shows at the Fringe.

He has gigged internationally in Berlin, Germany and Cape Town, South Africa and appeared on BBC The One Show, BBC News and BBC Scotland.

All proceeds from the evening will be donated to PCE and the Portsoy 75 Club, which will be running the bar during the event.

Tickets are priced at £20 (plus a booking fee) and can be booked online at www.portsoycomedy.co.uk

The stand-up night is for over 18s and doors open at 7pm.

The Portsoy loon, now based in Edinburgh, is excited to return to his home town.

He said: “It’s great to be coming back to Portsoy and perform in the Town Hall.

“After a busy summer of festivals, this is the perfect way to round off what has been a really great year for me.

“A lot of people from Portsoy and Banff came to my shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, having that local support is really special and coming back to do this gig was the perfect way for me to say thank you.

“There is an excellent line up for the night, it’s sure to be a good laugh, whilst raising money for two great community initiatives.”

Support act for the evening is veteran of the comedy scene, John ‘Obie’ O’Brien.

A regular face in comedy clubs across Scotland for the last two decades, John’s performances focus on surreal journeys, observations with some philosophies on life too.

Keeping the night on track will be MC Cal Harbert. Comedian, impressionist and voice over artist, Cal is also one half of The Mimic Men and performed on Britain’s Got Talent in 2016. He is one of the UK’s top all round entertainers.

Portsoy Community Enterprise is a social enterprise driven by a team of volunteers.

It brings together an array of assets, events and offerings to keep alive the ingrained heritage and cultures of the north-east of Scotland.

The organisation was established following the creation of the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival.

PCE comprises the Portsoy Salmon Bothy, the Boatshed, Portsoy Links Caravan Park and the Sail Loft.

Working collaboratively, PCE aims to provide economic benefit from tourism for the town of Portsoy and the surrounding area, with all assets belonging to the community.

David Urquhart, chairman of PCE, said: “We are delighted to bring Robin back to Portsoy for our first ever stand-up comedy night.

“He is an outstanding comedian, with sell-out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and regular appearances on TV, non-stop laughs are guaranteed.

“Our support act, John ‘Obie’ O’Brien has been on the comedy circuit for 20 years, and is set to rock the room with laughter, while Cal Harbert will try and keep the night on track with his excellent impressions.

“All funds from the event will be donated to the Portsoy 75 Club and PCE, to support the development of local projects within the town.”