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Jack Docherty in The Chief – Still No Apologies

 
Ross Anthony Review by Ross Anthony 3 Published: 8 Aug 2025 Gilded Balloon at Appleton Tower Show Dates: 1 Aug 2025-17 Aug 2025

Jack Docherty has found a character that works for him, and he is sticking with it. After success on Scot Squad, he reprises the role of the Chief of Scotland’s Police Force in an often bumbling caricature of public service. This works reasonably well, though it does feel a little middle of the road. On the one hand, he can touch on Scottish areas that feel familiar, but he has to go so broad that it becomes the sort of comedy that would do well on a Christmas afternoon when you put the TV on for the in-laws.

He knows what works and is able to get through the hour well enough

Everyone will get it – and that means that very few will be truly satisfied.

With a performance that feels very by the numbers, Docherty does not disappoint. He knows what works and is able to get through the hour well enough. Unfortunately, he leans into jokes from Scot Squad that we have all seen before. There is little fresh about the performance, and at times it comes perilously close to dog-whistling on subjects like gender. That said, there is no sense of malice – rather, it feels like a way to please his older crowd about “wokeness gone mad” without actually saying anything unkind. Particularly about police dogs.

It was an hour well enough spent, and worth seeing if you are a local with family in town.

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The Blurb:

BAFTA award-winning star of Scot Squad, The Chief, and Absolutely, returns to the Fringe after a 2024 sell-out run. Favourite bits, classic bits, improvised bits and bits that aren't even really bits but are, nonetheless, still bits. 'An incredible hour of laughs' (Edinburgh Evening News). 'It's simply impossible not to love what he does on stage' (Scotsman). 'Masterful, superlative' (Chortle.co.uk). 'A hugely talented comic performer' (Sunday Times). 'Docherty's mighty presence fills the room' (ThreeWeeks). 'A maverick genius' (Herald). ***** (Daily Business) **** (Guardian). **** (List). **** (Evening Standard). **** (Skinny).