A WELL-known face in Scottish comedy is bringing his show all about heroes and identity to Greenock. 

Larry Dean will present Dodger at the Beacon Arts Centre on September 8. 

The show is the first stop on a huge tour which will see the three-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee travel all over the UK, and as far afield as Berlin, Oslo, and Amsterdam.

Larry's tour follows a successful run of shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. 

In Dodger, the comic finds the fun in two very emotive subjects - his gran's dementia and his own autism diagnosis - and shares a lot of funny stories about how these conditions affect people in different ways. 

Larry, 34, says that while he's never gigged in Greenock before, he's looking forward to starting the tour in Inverclyde, and knows the audience will have a laugh. 

"I never come into a gig thinking about what I want people to take from it," he said.

"I just want people to enjoy it. 

"There will be a lot of jokes in there, and people will learn about dementia and autism, and family stuff. 

"They can learn about things if they want to, but they don't need to."

On stage in Greenock, Larry will muse upon his hero Elvis and on his new boyfriend Mikey, who shares his passion for the rock and roll star. 

(Image: Matt Crockett)
He'll share how looking after his gran has shone a new perspective on people who deserve our respect. 

Larry said: "I'm always nervous about talking about my gran on stage. 

"We've had some people coming to the shows who have been affected by dementia and they've told me that they really liked it. 

"I think it's nice to hear someone talk about something that's a strange thing to get your head around. 

"My gran is very funny and has been funny all her life, so the material came quite easily because she makes me laugh a lot."

Larry said despite speaking about serious issues in the show, he doesn't want to be a 'serious comic'. 

He added: "I like being daft and I don't take myself too seriously. 

"I think if something is 'your thing', you can talk about it in any way you want. 

"I had some insecurity when I was first diagnosed but then I started to realise why I would act in a certain way, and how that could affect others."

Larry's stand-up story started when he went to university in Southampton at the age of 18. 

"I had started getting into some 'dodgy stuff' in Scotland so I got out," he continued.

"Some of the people around me were getting started in stand-up, so I started off doing five-minute spots. 

"Even if I only got one laugh, it felt really nice.

"From there I just started working and working at it and it took me five years to become good at it."

Larry has appeared on shows including Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, House of Games, and Michael McIntyre's Big Show. 

(Image: Matt Crockett)
He will soon appear on BBC Two's QI, and The World's Most Dangerous Roads. 

Larry said he's looking forward to sharing his thoughts on matters of the mind with the Greenock audience. 

He added: "When I started with Dodger, I didn't know how the audience would react to it. 

"Dementia is a sad subject but I'm trying to find the fun in it. 

"Laughter is the best medicine."