The comedy club which is putting Fife town on the map for Scotland’s biggest stand-ups
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The Kings Theatre in Kirkcaldy is now home to a thriving monthly comedy club which has created a whole new audience in the Lang Toun and given stand-ups a new place to perform outwith the big cities - and it has plans to grow even further in 2025.
A host of comedians have taken to the stage to be part of the monthly Bearfoot Comedy nights, and the man behind the venture is set to launch the 2025 season with a bang with a solo show from Fred Macaulay on February 13 - and it is already heading towards a full house with advance ticket sales going well.
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Hide AdAnd the list of comedians getting in touch is starting to grow as they hear good things about the venue and the audiences.


Jay Hunter Miles brought the club to Kirkcaldy after launching it in Edinburgh in 2017.
“We’d moved it to the Braid Hills Hotel in Morningside and it was gathering momentum and then lockdown hit - and nothing. I’d moved back to Kirkcaldy and Skoti - Graham Scott, who I’ve known all my life, approached me to see if I could do something at the Kings. I’d done a few shows there and liked the idea.”
Armed with his own contacts book he set about staging monthly comedy nights which clicked with local audiences - on some nights people were turned away at the door as every seat had been sold.
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Hide AdA host of recognised names from the Scottish comedy circuit have since made the journey across the Forth, with Jay picking Tom Stade’s gig as one of his highlights so far.


“There’s a lot of effort that goes into getting the right bill - you want a mix of content,” Jay said. “It is really promising that we can have solo shows as well as our monthly line-ups where you will see someone you maybe haven’t seen before, and someone who really stands out.
“We see a lot of people returning for each show which is great. It helps to build something special.” And those connections, for Jay, are part of what comedy is all about.
He started doing stand-up in 2012, appearing in Kinghorn with Susan Morrison as MC.
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Hide Ad“I did student radio in and a lot of stuff between songs was patter and chat. I talked a lot!


“When I got married I wrote my groom’s speech and just read it out. I did a few gags about my my brother and the room fell about. That was how I started. I wrote it the night before, and and wondered what I could I do if I had more time on it
“I spoke to a guy in comedy and he told me to work up a five minute set and then gig it as much as possible. If you do that for three months and still want to do it, keep going.”
And there’s a serious side to making folk laugh too: “It’s great for your mental health to be in a room where everyone is laughing. That is so good. Comedy is also my social life. I am quiet speaker, so you get a mic, and 10 to 15 minutes where people listen to you and then go home - that’s me!”
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Hide AdWith panto taking over the Kings, Jay is now busy finalising his 2025 schedule with a host names pencilled in - everyone from Viv Gee to Billy Kirkwood and Raymond Mearns who headlines the first bill on February 1.
And the start early in the new year is perfect timing.
“Comedy is much better in the darker months,” said Jay. “There is something about being in a dark room and it’s also dark outside. We have a great vibe here with a very local audience - it’s more like a Glasgow gig. People know it is a good show and don’t worry too much about who is on the bill, and comedians have been hugely supportive.
“They like the venue, the room, and how it operates. That all tweaks their interest - and they love the way the Kings is set up with a stage, that they have a great green room before hand - things audiences don’t often see but which all add up when we are putting a call out to see who is interested in coming over.
“It is great to get feedback from the comedians because it is a small community and they all talk.”
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Hide AdThe Kings is also perfect for work in progress shows where comedians try out new material before touring or heading to major events such as Edinburgh Festival Fringe - and that could be the next step for locals who reckon they can get up on stage and make people laugh.
Jay is set to launch a Comedy Academy where people can sign up and learn everything they need to know about becoming a stand-up.
It will be led by Viv Gee who was a finalist in So You Think You’re Funny and the BBC Open Mic Awards, and the recipient of the award for outstanding contribution to comedy at the inaugural Scottish Comedy Awards.
Over the course of eight weeks, would-be stand ups will be given a complete insight into appearing on stage before then taking the mic to deliver their own set. For more information contact www.facebook.com/bearfootcomedy
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Hide Ad“We want to create a comedy scene in Fife with local people and give them a place to perform,” said Jay. “If we can get a group out of this academy that would be a great start, and we can look at staging open mic nights at the Kings.
“Everyone has their own funny - it is very, very subjective - so you have to come up with what you think is funny and then see what the broader appeal is for and what to learn from it.I always overwrite my set so when I see what lands I keep - and it isn’t always what you think it will be.
“The academy will be based around group work because it’s great to bounce ideas off each other. We’ll show them all they need to know and learn - from how to hold a mic to riding the before give them all the information they need to go about performing - from how to hold a mic, to judging the laughter in a room - and at the end there will be a showcase where everyone can perform.
“The audience might well be family and friends but it will give them the experience of coming out and standing on a stage and performing live.” The course is limited to 16 participants, and several have already expressed an interest.
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