Gary Little (comedian)
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Gary Little | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1964 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | (aged 61) near Morvich, Scotland |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 2003–2025 |
| Medium | Stand-up |
| Subjects | |
Gary Little (1964 – 15 August 2025) was a Scottish comedian. Described as one of Scotland's finest comedians[1] and as a "leading light"[2] and "literal giant"[3] of the Scottish comedy scene,[2] Little was a regular headliner at many of the top comedy clubs in the UK.[4] He was a fixture at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where he performed regularly.[5]
Little began performing comedy in 2003, when he became a finalist in a competition by The Stand Comedy Club and The Daily Record.[6] He performed regularly at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe,[7] where in 2005 he performed his first one man show.[6]
In 2010, he performed at the Breakneck Comedy Club, on King Street, Aberdeen.[8] In 2016, together with the radio presenter Julia Sutherland, Little co-wrote and presented the show "Jail Mates" on BBC. Inspired by real life events, the fictional comedy show was about a convict and the woman who writes to him in prison.[9] In 2017, he took his show to Australia and performed at the Perth Fringe. In 2018, he performed at the Adelaide Fringe.[4] Also in 2018, he performed at the Scottish Comedy Festival with the show "Big Mouth".[10] In 2022, he performed at The Beehive Inn at the Grassmarket.[11] In 2024, Little created a four part stand-up series for BBC Radio 4, titled "Gary Little: At Large", the series offered a "hilarious perspective of life before, behind, and beyond bars".[12] A performance in late July 2025 at the Number 57 Pub Company in Dundee was one of his final gigs.[13]
Little also performed internationally, at venues in the UAE, Canada, Thailand and the US (especially at the New York Comedy Festival).[11]
Style
Little's stand-up shows tackled themes of mental health and addiction and in his material, he often drew from his controversial personal experiences, including his time in prison.[7]
Personal life and death
Little was born in 1964.[14] He was from Springburn,[7] and grew up in Maryhill.[15] In 1994, he was imprisoned at Barlinnie for an ecstasy dealing charge,[16] being released after serving four years out of an eight year sentence.[17] After his release in 1999, Little started working as a forklift truck driver at the HarperCollins warehouse in Bishopbriggs.[17] In 2007, he was jailed for 27 months for stealing books from the warehouse.[18]
Little died on 15 August 2025, at the age of 61.[19] He had been hillwalking on the Five Sisters of Kintail trail, when he was killed as the result of a fall.[20]
Philanthropy
Little was a volunteer for the Scottish charity MCR Pathways, where he mentored three people from Whitehill Secondary School and All Saints Secondary School.[21]
In September 2023, Little performed at the Cruden Hall in Greenock as part of a fundraiser for the Inverclyde charity Inverclyde Faith in Throughcare.[22]