Daniel Downie: Jacobite ★★★★

Any native, or resident, of Scotland knows that along with a pride in the nation’s expansive history and rich culture, Scots possess an innate ability to poke gentle fun at their country, and how others see it. In the right hands, the sort of self-deprecating humour oft overheard in Scottish bars can be comedy gold. And in his latest show – Jacobite – Edinburgh Fringe regular Daniel Downie skilfully mines this rich comedic vein to hilarious effect.

A former teacher, who also runs an acclaimed comedic historical walking tour of Edinburgh, Downie is masterful at holding up a mirror to what it means to be Scottish, and the history that underpins the nation’s modern-day identity. From the off he develops a charismatic rapport with his audience, an important tool that allows those who are not Scottish to be identified and engaged with in order to establish a foil for how perceptions of Caledonia match the reality.

Grounded in historical fact, not only is Downie’s act educational – the audience left with a fairly in-depth understanding of the history of Scottish tribes – it also offers a laugh-out loud, whirlwind tour of Scottish cultural touchstones. Scottish folk songs are found to be uniformly dour – compared to upbeat Country music – because they draw on the Scottish habit of being on the losing side in military battles. Scots’ folk law and traditional healing solutions are demonstrated to still permeate Downie’s family’s psyche with hilarious effect, mostly thanks to his borderline-alcoholic grandmother.

His material also frequently strays into the absurd with great impact. Both the re-imagining of Harry Potter if it had been written in Glasgow and not Edinburgh, and the potential for settling any future (independent) Scottish/English border disputes through country dancing had the audience howling. Downie is also not afraid to stray near the knuckle – watch out for the joke about the Loch Ness Monster documentary! Jacobite is a keenly-observed, sharply-delivered hour that will have you laughing with and loving Scotland in equal measure.