QMU ’ s Head of Development and Alumni , Thomas Kelly , talks to Craig about finding his fit at Queen Margaret , his journey into the world of comedy and the maticulous planning and hard work that has helped secure his rightful place as a household name .
Arriving after his short cycle from home , Craig makes a low-key entrance to the beautiful Scandinavian style café / bar on George Street in Edinburgh where he suggested we meet .
Our conversation kicks off with Craig revealing his passion for seeking out fabulous coffee houses and I discover he ’ s turned touring the world into an opportunity to become a bit of a travel blogger . He shows me his incredibly organised bookmarks on his phone , with each city he has visited around the world having its own folder with his recommended coffee shops , bars , and restaurants alongside many other things . I later discover it is this level of organisation that is his secret to a long successful comedy career – a discipline he learned at QMC .
Taking me back in time , Craig tells me about his youth as a goth with crimped hair . “ I was a hairdresser which was pretty much just acting … well it was storytelling and they are interlinked . I ’ d have a right laugh with all the customers , but I knew it wasn ’ t a career for me .”
Craig had a passion for performing from a very young age . He gave up hairdressing when he was 20 , enrolled at Langside College in Glasgow to study acting , which then led to an audition for Queen Margaret College . He enthuses : “ I did my audition , loved it and got in ! It was the beginning of the rest of my life .”
We talk about how Craig commuted to Queen Margaret College for the first six months of his course . He recalls : “ I always remember that 902 bus from East Kilbride . It didn ’ t go up Corstorphine Hill , so each day I ’ d do that long , steep climb to the top of the brae to reach the Corstorphine campus .” He tries to continue but a little lightbulb moment happens , and he circles back .
Wide eyed , he says : “ Actually , I ’ ve never thought of it like this , but I think climbing Corstorphine Hill was a big metaphor for my career . Each day you work hard , climb that hill , but boy it is worth it when you get to the top !” His trademark cheeky smile covers his face as he takes a moment to think nostalgically about his time in Corstorphine … it ’ s that or he ’ s just really proud of that metaphor !
Opening up about his experience , he says : “ QMC was the most freeing place . I arrived on day one and I knew I had found my people . I actually came out as gay in my first week ; I just knew this was a safe place where I could be me .” Hearing this , I realise I could easily be chatting to a current QMU student – Queen Margaret continues to be a space where people are free to be their true selves – no matter their sexuality , gender , faith or ethnicity .
“ Right , so I graduated and I ’ m getting bits of acting work in theatre , wee films , some pantos plus a lot of theatre in education , to pay the bills . I also get a wee job in the Gilded Balloon Box Office . My pal , who was press officer , says to me , ‘ Craig , I ’ ve booked you a slot to try out standup comedy as you make everyone laugh – oh and it ’ s in two days ’ time !” Craig is in full swing storytelling mode now . It ’ s just like watching him do standup and I ’ m enthralled .
“ I was like ‘ NO WAY ’ but then I thought ‘ WHY NO ?’. I ’ ve always enjoyed doing things that scare me . And I totally believe in saying yes to everything . So , I got to thinking ‘ What makes my friends laugh ? I mean , who knew that Julie Andrews singing punk could start a career ?”
He continues : “ The gig goes well , and I ’ m asked to do a slot at The Stand Comedy Club – gig two . Then my third gig is in Glasgow as part of the Comedy Store competition . I get through to the next round and bang , my fourth gig is on the stage in the King ’ s Theatre in Glasgow .” Craig ’ s eyes light up as he tells me more . “ I ’ ve spent four years doing theatre in education , dreaming of performing on the King ’ s Theatre stage . But it ’ s taken me only four gigs to get on that very stage as a comedian – that ’ s when I thought , there ’ s something in this !
“ I then find myself doing London ’ s famous Comedy Store as gig number five . I remember sitting in the green room before the gig and everyone else was quite nervous . I thought to myself ‘ Is comedy not meant to be fun ?’ I got paid £ 150 for that gig , which was amazing as I was skint . So naturally I bought myself a pair of leather trousers !”
His comedy career really took off and he became a regular at the Edinburgh Fringe and on BBC comedy variety programmes . Today , Craig is a household name , well known as the kilted Scottish comedian that sells out venues across Scotland , the UK and Ireland . With shows in the likes of Paris , Barcelona , Amsterdam , New York , Sydney and Berlin , he ’ s spread his humour across the globe , and he ’ s graced the stage of some of the most prestigious venues including the Sydney Opera House and the London Palladium .
Craig quips : “ To me , comedy is an acting job that lasted !”
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QMYOU / Alumni Feature 27