Susie McCabe
Glasgow common sense delivered with the short fuse of an ex-tradesperson.
1 special · 2026
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A Susie McCabe bit gathers speed the way an argument starts in a kitchen. She leans into the microphone with an incredulous, wide-eyed stare, waiting a beat for the room to catch up before letting loose. Her cadence is conversational Glaswegian, full of brisk self-interruption and skeptical pauses where she checks if anyone else sees how ridiculous things have gotten. When a punchline lands, she does not bask in it. She grunts, gives a tight nod, and presses deeper into the annoyance, escalating an ordinary hassle like a hotel breakfast buffet into pure farce.
Stand-up specials
On stage
In Scotland she is a major draw, selling out the King’s Theatre in Glasgow and filling festival rooms. Across the wider UK circuit she works both panel television and club bills, commanding respect as a comic whose rhythm relies on live heat rather than digital clips.
Her strength is narrative drive backed by unsparing self-effacement. McCabe is happy to play the fool in her own tales, whether detailing a hospital stay or domestic incompetence, but she underpins every story with a combative pride. When an anecdote lingers a minute too long setting the scene, the eventual punchline usually covers the debt.
She does not trade in detached irony.
That bluntness comes naturally. McCabe worked for years as an electrical estimator in the construction trade before trying standup in her thirties on a dare. Growing up gay in a working-class Catholic family gave her an early education in reading a room. Her work on the Here Comes the Guillotine podcast shows that same grounded instinct: comedy treated not as high art, but as a practical trade.
Turning points
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Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award
McCabe won the prestigious Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award, hand-picked by Connolly himself.
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Heart Attack and Creation of Best Behaviour
McCabe survived an unexpected, severe heart attack in Bristol, prompting a complete lifestyle change that formed the centerpiece of her acclaimed solo show Best Behaviour.
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Leicester Comedy Festival Best New Show
Her solo stand-up show The Merchant of Menace was awarded Best New Show at the 2024 Leicester Comedy Festival.
At a glance
- Born
- 1980, Glasgow, Scotland
- Style
- observational, storytelling, dark comedy
- Breakout
- The Merchant of Menace
- Topics
- Elsewhere
- Website
Fans also like
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Frankie BoyleBoyle and McCabe share a darkly subversive Scottish comedic sensibility as regular co-hosts of Here Comes The Guillotine and panel collaborators on Frankie Boyle's New World Order.
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Christopher Macarthur-Boyd
A fellow Scottish comedian who co-hosts Here Comes The Guillotine alongside McCabe, matching her quick, topical, and irreverent Glasgow banter.
Podcasts
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Here Comes The Guillotine · co-host
Comedians Frankie Boyle, Susie McCabe, and Christopher MacArthur-Boyd share subversive and darkly funny opinions on the chaos of the world.
Also on screen
- 2019–2026
- Breaking The News
- 2021–2022
- Frankie Boyle's New World Order
- Have I Got News for You
- Live at the Apollo
A clip to start with
Susie McCabe on Scottish Drinking Culture | Live at the Apollo