One of the standout names on this weekend’s Christmas bill is Matt Black, a comic whose rise through the Scottish circuit has been fast, fearless and entirely earned, and whose growing reputation has carried Highland humour to rooms far beyond home.
He is the kind of performer who walks on stage with that quiet, knowing energy that makes an audience lean forward before he even speaks, the kind of comic who threads together the honesty of millennial fatherhood with the chaos of being raised by Irish parents and turns the whole thing into stories that feel both personal and instantly familiar.
His journey into comedy began in the most unexpected of places when he performed his first ever set over a Zoom gig in 2022, an unlikely starting point that should have been a stumbling block but instead became the spark that pushed him towards stages he once only watched from afar.
Within two years he was playing some of the best rooms in the country with sets that landed him at The Stand, Monkey Barrel and Aberdeen’s historic Tivoli Theatre where his blend of quick wit, easy warmth and sharp observation won him new followers wherever he went.
That run of form carried him all the way to the Aberdeen Fringe Festival in 2024 where he was named Comedian of the Year, a moment that confirmed what Highland audiences had already figured out long before judges did.
This year his rise continued with a competition that turned heads across the UK when Dutch Barn Vodka launched the biggest comedy contest of 2025 with a grand prize that pushed eight hundred acts into the running for a chance to open for Ricky Gervais in Wembley.
Matt fought his way through the early rounds and won his semi final in Edinburgh before becoming the only Scottish act to reach the London final in Leicester Square, where the last fifteen performers stood on a stage that has defined careers for decades.
He represented the Highlands and Scotland with a confidence that looked entirely natural, delivering a performance that earned him a placed finish and the respect of judges and fellow comics who understood the scale of what he had achieved.
Now he returns to Inverness Town House for the Rude and Good Christmas Special with the poise of a performer who knows exactly where he is in his journey and exactly why audiences respond to him in the way they do, carrying with him that mix of humour, heart and lived experience that has become his signature.
This weekend’s show is more than a date on a calendar because it carries the sense of a scene growing in strength, with Highland comedy no longer looking south for approval but instead building its own identity through performers like Matt Black who remind audiences that talent from here can stand shoulder to shoulder with anyone in the UK.
When he steps on that stage he will bring with him the confidence of a man who has earned every round, every room and every accolade, and for anyone who wants to see a rising Highland talent in full stride, this is the moment to watch him do what he does best.
Rude & Good Christmas Special
Saturday 6 December
Inverness Town House
Doors 7.30pm
Tickets £15 + booking fee
Scan the QR code on the poster to book.
