Al Murray brings the iconic character to the King’s Theater on Friday 28 June as part of the Al Murray: Guv Island tour, promising audiences “some absurd explanations for things, all wrapped up in the guise of common sense”.
Al says that for people who have seen one of these shows before, it “has that atmosphere, but completely new.”
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“There’s stuff about TikTok, there’s stuff about kids these days,” he says.
“There are things about the state of the nation that the Pub Landlord would send to Rwanda, for example people coming to the till without a ticket.
“And there’s something about the way we’re being colonized by the Americans and turned into Americans, so they’re the headlines of some of it.
“But I talk to the audience a lot and they are involved in all the stories and the flow of the show.”
This year marks 30 years since the Pub Landlord first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1994 in the show Pub Internationale with Harry Hill.
Al created character “accidentally to fill a gap” and says it’s “pretty amazing” to him that The Guv is still so popular after three decades.
‘If you ask me to explain why [the Pub Landlord is still popular] I wouldn’t know,” he says.
“I think it comes from keeping it up, refreshing it every time we do a tour. It’s the same, but it’s all new.
“After all, that’s what comedians do who don’t play characters. With any other comedian, the way they present it won’t change, but what they talk about might.”
He continued: “When I came across it, I quickly realised that I could keep it up for a while because it’s an attitude.
“But when I first thought of it, I wasn’t thinking about thirty years.”
In the thirty years since the Conservative Publican’s founding, Al finds it “weird” that his position has become central to the political landscape.
He explains: “When I started doing this, he was quite reactionary and not particularly pro-European and things like that.
“And what has happened in recent decades is that these kinds of views have become central and I find that very interesting.
“It means that it is constantly being renewed by events in a way I could never have imagined.
“There was a period when people said to me, ‘Why are you still doing that, that position is all outdated?’, and I remember thinking no, you’re just looking in the wrong place.
“Being reactionary and those kinds of archetypes are eternal.”
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Despite visiting Glasgow several times over the years as a Pub Landlord, Al says he still gets a “buzz” when he performs for the city’s crowds and that he “loves” playing here.
He said: “What I feel when I’m in Scotland is that the character is automatically more English when he’s not in England, so that gives an immediate point of reference.
“And I love all that, I love the kind of old-fashioned jokes you hear with a Scottish audience.
“Glasgow audiences are known for being able to make things difficult for you, known for their spirited nature, and I love that.”
Where does Al like to go when he’s in Glasgow and not on stage?
“Café Gandolfi,” he reveals.
“I would absolutely love to have breakfast there.
“And I love Ubiquitous Chip and Oran Mor.”
He added: “I don’t just go there to work, it’s a place I go for fun.
“It’s one of those places that has the best atmosphere, the best groove.
“I’m looking forward to coming back because it’s been ages.”
Al Murray: Guv Island opens at the King’s Theater on Friday 28 June.