Paul Sneddon, better known as Vladimir McTavish, has died after a 30-year stand-up career on Scotland's comedy circuit. The Stand Comedy Club in Glasgow paid tribute to him and said it would mark his life appropriately in time.
He had been due to perform in August at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with a show about the three months of chemotherapy he underwent at the start of the year. That planned appearance now carries a sharper edge: the work he was preparing to take on stage will not happen, and the circuit has lost one of its most familiar names.
The Stand's tribute
The Stand said Sneddon was a much treasured and loved figure on Scotland's comedy circuit and described him as known for his kindness, encouragement and generosity as well as his immense talent. It added that he made every green room brighter, every line-up funnier and the world a nicer place to live in.
It also said: “We are broken at the loss of our dear friend and will in time be marking his life appropriately.” For a club that hosted him over the years, that wording points to a measured public tribute rather than a rushed announcement.
Frankie Boyle, Phil Ellis and Ray Bradshaw
Frankie Boyle said Sneddon was “Just a great guy, and such an inclusive person. Made everyone feel welcome, and made me feel I was good enough to do tour supports for him when I wasn’t!” He added: “I used to love, over the years, getting to say 'Please Welcome Vladimir McTavish' or 'Please Welcome Bob Doolally'.”
Phil Ellis said: “So sad to hear this awful news. Paul was always such a wonderfully funny, fun to be around and supportive man.” Ray Bradshaw added that Sneddon was “Probably one of the friendliest and welcoming people in comedy,” saying he had watched him on Live Floor Show when he was a kid.
August Fringe absence
The unfinished August Fringe show matters because it was built around a recent medical ordeal, with three months of chemotherapy already behind him at the start of the year. His death leaves that project incomplete and turns what would have been a personal return to the stage into part of the tribute now gathering around him.
For audiences and comedians on Scotland's comedy circuit, the immediate next step is simpler than a calendar date: the tribute work begins now. The Stand has already said it will mark his life appropriately, and the flood of messages from Boyle, Ellis and Bradshaw shows how widely Sneddon’s reach ran across the rooms where he worked.
