It’s probable that people would have various methods of calculating just how committed someone is in pursuing their chosen career. But no one could have any doubt that Glasgow-born Larry Dean was hell-bent on eventually becoming a stand-up comic given the lengths he went to while a student in Southampton. ‘I was in my second year when I entered the Chortle Student Comedy Award, but I didn’t get through the first round as I died in that gig,’ the 24-year-old recalls. ‘Most of the gigs I was doing at the time were up in Liverpool and Manchester which told me I had possibly chosen the wrong place to live. I was probably spending about 30–40 hours in the car every week, just to do five-minute spots. I was being stubborn and hoping that I had picked the right career.’

Whether this can be described as stubborn or not, Dean’s plain old determination has certainly paid off and his victory at last September’s Scottish Comedian of the Year final surely justified his commitment to the cause.

‘In the semi-final, I was third so I got into the final as the wild card. I was just really happy to be in the final. It was in September and I had done loads of gigs during August at the Fringe, sometimes eight in a day: it worked out as 140 in 24 days, so the excessive gigging made me ready. Of all the competitions, that was the one I really wanted to win.’

The Stand, Edinburgh, Thu 23–Sat 25, Mon 27 Jan; The Stand, Glasgow, Sun 26 Jan.

Larry Dean Comedy Showreel