When Nish Kumar name drops arguably the best restaurant in the city for those in the know, it’s clear his love for Glasgow runs deep.

“I just ate at Big Counter. Oh my god, it was so good. It was so good. The food was ridiculous. It’s such good food I loved it,” the 38-year-old comedian says.

He will return to the city on September 12 with his latest show, Nish, Don’t Kill My Vibe after spending most of August performing at the Edinburgh fringe. His close links to the Capital are well documented, but Nish doesn’t play favourites when it comes to Scotland’s cities.

He said: “I’m always excited to go to Glasgow. It’s a city that’s been very good to me down the years.

“I've done an amount of gigs I can’t enumerate. So yeah, I’m always excited.

“It’s a really, really good city to do comedy in. And in The Kings Theatre - this mad old huge theatre - you really feel the history of the place. It’s great.”

The co-host of Pod Save the UK has amassed a huge following with his politically charged jokes and ability to turn the angst surrounding climate collapse and income inequality into guttural belly laughs.

(Image: Matt Stronge)

With his podcast, Nish has joined a new rank of comedians who seamlessly switch between journalist, interviewer and jester. At his show, audiences can expect the material to stay fresh with the changing headlines. His work has become a re-entry point into current affairs for those battling news fatigue and fed up with politics.

He said: “I’m not under any illusions. I don’t think I’m changing anybody’s mind about anything.

“I know the people that come to see me – I sort of did a joke about it in my last show where it’s basically like, you’ve not come to see a political comedian because you want to be challenged.

“You’ve come to have opinions you already hold reinforced loudly in the company of like-minded strangers.

“What I’m trying to do is just make jokes about the subjects to give a sense of relief around them.”

He added: “I don’t know whether this sounds mad, but I do find the gigs quite cathartic for myself as much as anyone else.

“Because I think actually being able to talk about all of these things in a way that is hopefully funny is like a collective exhalation between the audience and me.

“Sometimes people say to me after the show – is that not exhausting to do? No, you’re as angry as me. And I get to yell about it on stage. I get to do the thing you really want to do which is scream f*** into the void.”

With a career that sees him straddle both the serious and silly, Nish says: “I’m very lucky that I feel that to some extent all of the sides of my personality have been catered for and represented in my work.”

For someone so immersed in the media, politics and current affairs, how does he switch off? “I go and watch a lot of films in cinema,” Nish says.

“Even when something comes out on Netflix, if it’s in the cinema I would rather watch it in the cinema. It is nice to just sit and watch something for a couple of hours without thinking about what’s on your phone.”

His advice to fans? Forget what’s happening in your phone if you’re in the theatre. “You paid money to watch a show, why don’t you just put a phone in your bag or not think about it.”

Nish laughs. “Glasgow is definitely a city that has embraced the more progressive side of politics and I think it’s one of the many reasons why I consistently have had good gigs there.”

Nish, Don’t Kill My Vibe is at the King’s Theatre on Thursday, September 12. Tickets.