Ruby Wax: Glasgow in the 1970s was like an ashtray but it was the best time of my life

“Once again, Ruby will be - just about - kept in check by her lifelong friend and A-list producer Clive Tulloh, as the pair come together to review clips from the extraordinary shows they worked on, share scandalous stories that have never been heard before, and take the audience along for the ride.”

Before Ruby Wax OBE was an award-winning comedian, actress and mental health advocate, before the Royal Shakespeare Company, primetime TV, and script editing on Absolutely Fabulous, Ruby was a student in 1970s Glasgow, travelling from America to start a new life in the UK and study drama.

I asked her about what she remembered of her time here, her answers were direct, playful and acerbic: “They hadn't cleaned it for 400 years. It was horrible. There was no sun. The buildings were collapsing. It was like an ashtray, except people were hilarious. I knew Bill Patterson and all those people in 7:84 Theatre Company. Glasgow was at its most creative. It was dirty from all the soot but it was a place that's real. It's like in Chicago, when it's depressed it has the greatest sense of humour.

“I always think the more cappuccino bars you get, the less funny people get. It lost that edge. I was there in its heyday, and The Citz theatre was flourishing. I was a fan. I would stalk Rupert Everett and Suzanne Bertish,. Giles Hevergill was a genius. There was never anything as elaborate as that, the productions were magnificent. It was like France in the 1800s. It was a magical place.”

After applying to a succession of drama schools, the RSAMD was the one that accepted her: “I didn’t start out wanting to go to Glasgow, but in the end I was lucky to go, because it was a great school and everyone was hilarious. You wouldn’t have had that in London.”

At that stage, Ruby wanted to be a classical actress: “The chances were zero. I mean, I didn't even get parts in the plays at drama school where you're paying £200 a year. But then I got a gold medal at the end because I worked my ass off and then got into the Royal Shakespeare Company. So I had the last laugh.

“I'm really happy that I am going to be on the stage at the Citizens Theatre, I can't believe it because I was like the lame duck, it makes me happy because I remember feeling that this was not going to work when I was in drama school.”

As a Glasgow student, Ruby stayed on Kirklee Terrace, off Great Western Road, “across from the Botanic Gardens, above Goodies. I’ve been back since, I know how genteel it is now. It wasn’t when I was there. I never thought Glasgow would end up being awarded the title of Cultural Capital of Europe.

“It was fun. It was the best time of my life. There were no places to eat though. Just bad food. The weirdest stuff, it was ridiculous. Now Glasgow has all these stylish cuisine restaurants, it makes me laugh. We used to just have the Ceylon Tea Centre where they had different flavours of coleslay and that was a fancy day out.”

Ruby Wax is performing at the Citizens Theatre on 27 March as part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival.