Scott Gibson: Like Father Like Son

We can all rattle off stereotypes about what comedians hope to achieve at the Edinburgh Fringe: exposure, serious stage-time, extreme socialising. But sometimes a guy just needs to get stuff off his chest.

Gibson is a sort of comedy Trojan horse, sneaking powerful themes and experiences into what might appear to be a traditionally bawdy hour, early on. The bald, beefy Glaswegian lulls the lads in with candid revelations about his weight, notably an excruciating experience during a doctor’s check-up that exposes the limitations of modern scales (“You’re too fat for digital!”). Any heavy-set audience members are encouraged to rise up against their thin oppressors, via a fine joke about being in their shadows. But what he really wants—perhaps needs—to discuss is still to come.

As the title suggests, Like Father Like Son is about Gibson’s dad, who wasn’t the best at parenting. "Distant" sums it up pretty well. The outwardly gruff comic is now getting baby-broody himself, but worries that his father-free childhood could repeat itself. So he takes us back to his attempts at re-bonding with dad, who eventually moved to America. Gibson senior does invite him over, but with an ulterior motive: Scott has to smuggle in a particular root vegetable that you just can’t get in the States. It’s high farce, with feeling.

Eventually dad returns, requiring help, and here Gibson gets serious, albeit using a scatological tale to draw a profound conclusion about his own parental potential. You get the distinct impression that this entertaining show is doing him good, too.