Comedy
The A-Z of Kevin Bridges
With more dates added to his Here If You Need ME UK tour in 2026, we run through the A-Z of the Glaswegian comic's life and career
A is for Anecdotes
Kevin Bridges has built much of his comedy around real-life anecdotes drawn from the mundane, as seen in his brilliantly relatable live specials The Story So Far, The Story Continues, and A Whole Different Story.
B is for The Black Dog
Not one for starting a podcast as many other comedians did to fill their time in lockdown, Bridges sat down to write one day and soon had a novel in his hands. The Black Dog, his debut novel, was published in August 2022 and centres around an unsatisfied young Glaswegian writer Declan and his labrador Hector. The Herald called it “edgy, dark, funny and perceptive.”
C is for Celtic FC
Bridges is a die-hard fan of Celtic Football Club, often weaving his support into his comedy. He even gave a motivational speech to The Hoops before a testimonial match against Ireland. “Brendan Rodgers pulled me aside in the medical room and said, ‘How do you want me to introduce you?’” he told The Big Interview with Graham Hunter podcast. “I was like, ‘You need to say that we’re bringing in this new coach and he’ll be working very closely with the team for the next couple of seasons. He’s going to come in and say a few words.’”
D is for Did Ye, Aye?
One of Bridges’ classic Glaswegian go-to lines for calling bullshit, as he used as a recurring theme in his 2012 show Kevin Bridges: The Story Continues.
E is for Edinburgh Fringe
Bridges first appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2005, aged 18, after reaching the final of the So You Think You’re Funny? competition. His solo show debut came in 2009 with An Hour To Sing For Your Soul, earning him a nomination for the best‑newcomer award. By 2010, his rapid rise saw him selling out Fringe venues of over 700 seats. Reflecting on that year with The Scotsman, he said “I think about 15 extra shows were added, it was quite humbling that so many people came out to see me.”
F is for Frank Skinner
Bridges has often cited Frank Skinner as the reason he first got into standup, inspired especially after reading Skinner’s autobiography as a teenager. The two eventually met while filming Kevin Bridges: What’s The Story, released in 2012.
G is for Glasgow
Kevin Bridges was born and raised in Clydebank, just outside Glasgow, and continues to live in the city today. Like fellow Glaswegian comedians Billy Connolly and Frankie Boyle, Bridges draws inspiration from the city’s unique humour and accent.
H is for Hoose Rice
A disdainful referral to home-cooked rice to accompany a chinese takeaway, as coined by Bridges in his hilarious sketch about childhood sleepovers.
I is for Inmates
One of the Scotsman’s hardest gigs was to inmates of Shott’s Prison. Apparently his more uncouth material went down particularly, though no one can escape the odd heckle: he has joked about how “a guy got up 10 minutes into my set and went back to his cell.”
J is for John Bridges
Kevin has an older brother, John, who along with their late father Andy would drive him to his gigs when he was starting out as a comedian. He’s the first person Kevin opened up to about pursuing company, though his support came with some good-old fraternal bluntness. “I was bored in my room one night and went in to annoy him, telling him I’d written some comedy routines,” he told Radio Times. “He started laughing, very much at me rather than with me. I punched him in the knee, in response to which John gave me my first-ever bit of feed- back – if you want to make it in comedy, assaulting people for laughing could prove to be a setback.”
K is for Scouse Karaoke
As per his hilarious observational sketch about watching a Liverpudlian butcher Lady Gaga’s ‘Alejandro’ whilst on holiday.
L is for Live At The Apollo
The Scottish comedian has appeared numerous times on the beloved, live audience stand-up show, both as a guest performer and as a host of the show. He first hosted it in 2010, certainly a breakout year for Bridges, performing at Channel 4’s Comedy Gala and selling hundreds of thousands of copies of his debut DVD Kevin Bridges: The Story So Far… Live in Glasgow.
M is for Madrid
Believe it or not, Bridges took a wee sabbatical from comedy and moved to Madrid. After a huge tour in 2016 the comedian began questioning his love for the craft and wanted to disconnect from it for a while, so took to the capital to take a course in Spanish. Thankfully, his stint abroad made him miss his career: “I was walking about Madrid where nobody knows you,” he told The Spanish Sun. “You have a freedom and you start to think life’s alright and I started missing stand-up.”
N is for Noel Gallagher
Bridges cites Noel as a major inspiration for chasing his dreams to become a comedian, and even sent the rocker a DVD of his special when it came out. The pair are now firm friends.
O is for The Overdue Catch-Up
Bridges’ returned after the Covid years with a new show The Overdue Catch-Up, armed with plenty to talk about, not least getting married and becoming a father. The Telegraph marvelled at how refined his performance and craft had become: “the secret is that he is a sensitive, meticulous performer. His command of the stage is often remarked on, but how is it achieved? He moves around it like a tango dancer, without ever drawing attention to that pitch-perfect physicality.”
P is for Patricia
Bridges is very close with his mum, Patricia, and the pair can often be spotted out together. “ The best mother, best nana and best pal,” he wrote on her 70th birthday.
Q is for Quid
One of Bridges’ famous jokes retells a generous offer from a shady Glaswegian by a bus stop at night, offering him the chance to avoid a stabbing for just one quid.
R is for Record Breaker
The Clydebank comedian holds the record for the most shows at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, with a whopping 63 sell-out shows.
S is for The Stand
At the age of 17, Bridges performed his first ever routine at The Stand Comedy Club. “I remember this lad sat in the green room looking unfeasibly nervous,” Jojo Sutherland, the compere, told the BBC. He told a joke about being served a pint despite his age, and the rest was history. “A huge laugh went up. I got a tingly feeling. I’ve never seen anything like that before or since.”
T is for TV
Kevin Bridges has made numerous TV appearances across popular British programmes, from breaking through on Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow and going on to perform on Live at the Apollo. Elsewhere, he’s boosted his profile thanks to guest appearances on various panel shows such as Would I Lie to You?, Mock the Week, Have I Got News For You and 8 Out of 10 Cats.
U is for The USA
In 2025, Bridges launched his first ever North American tour with a slew of sold-out shows including a triumphant finale at New York’s Beacon Theatre.
V is for Vernacular
A large part of Bridges’ charm stems from his Glaswegian vernacular and use of Scottish slang. Get it up ye!
W is for What’s The Story
In 2012, Bridges and the BBC released What’s The Story, a six-part documentary looking back at the comic’s upbringing and meteoric success.
X is for Extra dates
Five more dates have been added to Bridges’ huge new tour for 2026, Here If You Need Me. There’ll be two more nights at O2 Apollo, Manchester on 28 & 29 August, one more at Eventim Apollo, London, on 16 October and of course two extra nights at the OVO Hydro at home in Glasgow on 3 & 4 November 2026.
Y is for Ticket Of The Year
Bridges won Ticketmaster’s own UK Ticket Of The Year award back in 2018, in which fans voted for their favourite show of the year – beating Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Hamilton, no less.
Z is for Zzz (or lack thereof!)
If only bread could send us to sleep, Bridges has jokes, referring to his busy mind and insomnia as soon as he gets into bed.
