Karen Dunbar

Written by: Si Hawkins
Published: Friday 9th May 2025

It was the first of times, it was the worst of times.

This time we welcome Karen Dunbar, the Scottish stage, screen and banger-spinning favourite who has just begun a sizeable tour of her homeland; around the nation in 80 dates, including Dunbar itself (although that's sold out already). Are there other places she's particularly keen to visit on what looks a pretty epic jaunt?

"Aye it's a giant! I love touring Scotland, it's so beautiful and I get to see folk I wouldn't normally. All towns are great in their own way but I've got a special love for Grangemouth as that's where my mum came from."

Dunbar also boasts a burgeoning rep as a DJ, more on which below, so expect deck tales along the way. Elsewhere "the show is a mix of new and old," she explains.

"First half is all my news, stuff I've written about what's been happening recently (like me winning a BAFTA!) and the second half is old favourites from Chewin' The Fat and The Karen Dunbar Show. Lots of people haven't seen me before and they want to hear about the TV characters and some particular sketches - especially ones about ice cream vans!"

Cool. Now, time we chewed the fat about what Dunbar's done before.

First gig?

The very first stand-up comedy gig I ever did was in 1990 in a pub in Ayrshire. At that time I was 19 and hosting karaoke in a pub called Bonkers in Ayr. Someone saw me there and offered me the gig and I said aye.

I had no material, just hosting patter. The place was heaving and I stood on the carpet next to the bar with a mic prattling on about Patsy Cline and bar snacks for 10 minutes. I think I even sang a song at the end! I died on my arse...

Favourite show, ever?

Really hard to pick one but I'd say a wee charity gig I did in a church in Ayr about 25 years ago. Chewin' The Fat had really taken off, the place was packed and my dad was there.

He was getting old and quite frail and after the gig lots of us were in a wee back room and he was stuck away in the corner. I remember looking over to him and mouthing "you ok?" and he nodded and gave me a thumbs up but there was something in his eyes and I knew he was proud of me...

Worst gig?

Oh, being the turn at the Scottish Sports Personality of the Year awards was a cracker! About 25 years ago, had a 20 minute slot. I did the same set before at a women's football night out and it went down a storm. Three minutes into this one I knew I wasn't gonna get the same response.

It was like playing to a bunch of Easter Island statues! I wanted to shout "hey, if you're not enjoying this it's your fault! The football women loved it last week!" but I didn't, I just went FAF*

*Fast as f**k.

Which one person influenced your comedy life most significantly?

Billy Connolly and I make no apologies for that. My earliest memories were listening to his records as a kid and my whole family laughing. I could sense the joy and power involved in doing comedy and I thought "I want that!"

And who's the most disagreeable person you've come across in the business?

Hmm... fortunately not many but there was one person who was in a show with me and the majority of folk working on it ended up avoiding them cos they were so shut down. I wasn't so much angry at them, just felt a bit sad they had alienated themselves so much.

Is there one routine/gag you loved, that audiences inexplicably didn't?

Aye, I'm doing one just now and nobody laughs and it makes me laugh so much that nobody laughs I'm determined to keep it in! I won't give it away completely but it's about Kathy Bates...

You DJ too - how did that begin?

Yeah and I love it - it's a real passion now but I've done it for decades. I started DJing in 1993 in Club X in Glasgow and played three times a week for seven years so I had loads of experience. Then the TV stuff came and I let it go but during the lockdown I started to learn how to DJ on my laptop and reconnected with my love of it.

I decided if we ever got out the house again I'd go back to it and I'm so enjoying it. I'm on at [big Scottish festival] TRNSMT in the summer and playing in Ibiza too!

Any reviews, heckles or post-gig reactions stick in the mind?

Well I vividly remember my first written review. On the karaoke sing sheet in the pub I worked in in Ayr in 1990 someone had written on the back of it: "the fat dog that sings is shite." PMSL!

How do you feel about where your career is at, right now?

Very settled, LOL! I'm so busy between stand-up and DJing but at the same time I've got chunks of time off too so it's a good balance. As I'm all round the country people are happy to see and meet me and that feels lovely. And 'cause I'm DJing and playing a lot of classic tracks people are jumping up and down when I play. That feels lovely too.

An Evening with Karen Dunbar is touring now. For details: breakneckcomedy.co.uk