Fred MacAulay is something of an icon in Scotland. A boy from Perth at heart, he was the presenter of BBC Scotland’s morning show since 1997, a familiar voice to wake up and drive to work to for generations of Scots, before deciding to quit the airwaves to indulge himself in his love of stand-up comedy. A familiar face, he has appeared on popular panel shows such as QI, Mock the Week as well as Have I Got News For You.

You trained as an accountant before switching to comedy – why the change?

Well I was good at maths and knew becoming an accountant was a solid job that could bring in a decent pay cheque at the end of the month so that was what I drove myself to do. I didn’t do any amateur dramatics or performing of any kind at uni but I always secretly thought I liked the idea of being a comedian. By the time I got to 30-years-old I thought: ‘Right, it’s now or never!’

What did your family and friends make of your decision?

They were very supportive actually (my wife more than most) bless her. At first I think it came as a bit of a shock but once the TV and radio gigs started coming around I don’t think they really had a choice but to take me seriously!

What was your first big break of that nature?

My first TV gig was appearing as a panellist on Have I Got News For You in 1995. That was a fantastic experience and it wasn’t long after that that the radio work started coming in and it became a lot easier to book venues for tours and all the rest of it.

Do you enjoy appearing on comedy panel shows like that?

Yeah they’re good fun, I mean, they are most of the time anyway. Have I Got News for You is probably my favourite, followed shortly by QI. Mock the Week was a nightmare to film. Torturous, in fact.

Why’s that?

Obviously I wouldn’t want to slate the show or anything – it’s obviously really funny but it’s just such a nightmare to film. You’re there for about three hours and there’s such a lot of rehearsal that goes into the whole thing.

You mean like the ‘improvised’ Wheel of News rounds?

Sure. I am baffled by the sheer number of people who genuinely believe that these routines are being made up on the spot and then complain when they see them being performed again as part of someone or another’s arena tour. I couldn’t be arsed with it to be honest.

Do you think there’s a great difference in Scottish and English humour?

I’m inclined to say, overall, no. I think there is a wider sort of shared understanding of ‘British humour’ so to speak and that is a very broad church that spreads throughout the land. Saying that though, humour can be different from city to city. There’s a good chance your average Glasgow audience is going to react ever just so differently to routines by comparison to your average Edinburgh audience. It’s interesting but I think overall we have a vaguely agreed space on what’s funny.

Have you seen much of a change in the comedy scene in Scotland in your time?

Oh absolutely. Since the 1990s comedy as a career has boomed across the UK but I can’t think of a place where it’s been felt more strongly than in Scotland. Once upon a time we didn’t have a comedy circuit or comedy clubs or anything like that. You would have to travel down to London if you wanted to cut your teeth on the stand-up scene. Now there’s a whole range of opportunities for aspiring comedians up in Scotland and that’s great. There are just so many more opportunities now.

Do you think you would have tried your hand at stand-up much earlier if such a circuit had existed in Scotland when you were younger?

Y’know, I don’t know if I would have to be honest. I don’t know if I would have been ready. I think I needed to see a bit of the real world and have a job and a family and everything that comes with that before I could really have anything to talk about on stage. I think I’m at a place now where I know my own voice and what I have to say – I just hope everyone else is willing to listen!

‘Twenty Fifteen’ is running at the Cambridge Junction on Tuesday 10th November, 8pm.