'Still Game' is to my mind the finest sitcom of the 21st Century. Like the earlier 'Rab C. Nesbitt', it originated from a sketch show which in this case was 'Chewin' The Fat'. Each week, the wily pensioners from Craiglang, played by Greg Hemphill and Ford Kiernan would show us how they fought to live another day.
The first sight of Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade was a curious sketch in which we see Victor drinking a glass of his own urine ( which he claims is all to do with his detox diet ), much to the bewilderment of Jack. The characters caught the public's attention so much that they were later spun-off into a stage show entitled 'Still Game'. Ford and Greg reprised their roles as Jack and Victor while Paul Riley was brought in as their friend Winston. The play saw the three men in Victor's living room, swapping various opinions, stories and memories in a bid to pass the time. 'Still Game' was a sell-out not only in Scotland, but also in England, Ireland and, surprisingly, Canada. Three years later it became a sitcom for BBC Scotland and within weeks established itself as unmissable Friday night viewing.
As you already know, Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade, along with their friends Winston, the tight-fisted Tam ( Mark Cox ) and incorrigible gossip Isa ( Jane McCarry ) are pensioners who refuse point blank to grow old gracefully. The three places in Craiglang they like to frequent most are the bookies, their local pub The Clansman which is run by the surly Boabby ( excellently played by Gavin Mitchell ) and the local newsagent, manned by the foul-mouthed Navid ( Sanjeev Kohli ) and his grumpy wife Meena ( who is only ever seen from behind ). Each episode would see Jack, Victor and co coping with whatever life threw at them, whether it was trying to survive against the cold weather or the local thugs making life hell for the residents of Craiglang. The reason for 'Still Game's' phenomenal success was because the public could identify with the characters. Each character has a grain of truth to them. For instance, who hasn't met someone as nosey as Isa in their time? As Jack and Victor, Ford and Greg are outstanding, though Paul Riley as Winston is undeniably the funniest. Also hilarious were Mark Cox and Sanjeev Kohli. Jake D'Arcy ( who sadly passed away not too long ago ) was funny in the episodes he appeared in as Pete the jakey. The late Ronnie Letham appeared from time to time as Isa's estranged husband Harry, as did Maureen Carr as Edith, a friend of Isa's who has teeth like a row of condemned houses and a voice that could grate cheese. Later in the series, Tam got married to local librarian Frances, who was portrayed by Kate Donnelly, who many people may remember from 'Naked Video'.
Among the impressive list of guest stars were Robbie Coltrane as a manic-depressive bus driver, Clive Russell as an old friend of Jack and Victor's, Celia Imrie as a surly home help, David Hayman as a food-van proprietor and life-long enemy of Winston but the best one of all was boxing champion Jim Watt, who appears at a charity event that Boabby is holding at The Clansman.
'Still Game' was initially only screened in Scotland by BBC1, but as the show began to rise in popularity, it eventually moved to BBC2 in 2005 for a national viewing ( with the earlier series broadcast nationally in reruns ).
In 2007, the show came off the air for a long time following a fall-out between Ford and Greg but in 2014 returned in triumph when it was revamped as a stage show ( shown at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow ). In October 2016, it returned with a hilarious seventh series. Two more series followed between 2018 and 2019, both of which also were better than they had a right to be and things were tied up neatly in the final episode 'Over The Hill'. Indeed, the final sequence is bound to bring a lump to the throat of any true 'Still Game' fan.
The first sight of Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade was a curious sketch in which we see Victor drinking a glass of his own urine ( which he claims is all to do with his detox diet ), much to the bewilderment of Jack. The characters caught the public's attention so much that they were later spun-off into a stage show entitled 'Still Game'. Ford and Greg reprised their roles as Jack and Victor while Paul Riley was brought in as their friend Winston. The play saw the three men in Victor's living room, swapping various opinions, stories and memories in a bid to pass the time. 'Still Game' was a sell-out not only in Scotland, but also in England, Ireland and, surprisingly, Canada. Three years later it became a sitcom for BBC Scotland and within weeks established itself as unmissable Friday night viewing.
As you already know, Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade, along with their friends Winston, the tight-fisted Tam ( Mark Cox ) and incorrigible gossip Isa ( Jane McCarry ) are pensioners who refuse point blank to grow old gracefully. The three places in Craiglang they like to frequent most are the bookies, their local pub The Clansman which is run by the surly Boabby ( excellently played by Gavin Mitchell ) and the local newsagent, manned by the foul-mouthed Navid ( Sanjeev Kohli ) and his grumpy wife Meena ( who is only ever seen from behind ). Each episode would see Jack, Victor and co coping with whatever life threw at them, whether it was trying to survive against the cold weather or the local thugs making life hell for the residents of Craiglang. The reason for 'Still Game's' phenomenal success was because the public could identify with the characters. Each character has a grain of truth to them. For instance, who hasn't met someone as nosey as Isa in their time? As Jack and Victor, Ford and Greg are outstanding, though Paul Riley as Winston is undeniably the funniest. Also hilarious were Mark Cox and Sanjeev Kohli. Jake D'Arcy ( who sadly passed away not too long ago ) was funny in the episodes he appeared in as Pete the jakey. The late Ronnie Letham appeared from time to time as Isa's estranged husband Harry, as did Maureen Carr as Edith, a friend of Isa's who has teeth like a row of condemned houses and a voice that could grate cheese. Later in the series, Tam got married to local librarian Frances, who was portrayed by Kate Donnelly, who many people may remember from 'Naked Video'.
Among the impressive list of guest stars were Robbie Coltrane as a manic-depressive bus driver, Clive Russell as an old friend of Jack and Victor's, Celia Imrie as a surly home help, David Hayman as a food-van proprietor and life-long enemy of Winston but the best one of all was boxing champion Jim Watt, who appears at a charity event that Boabby is holding at The Clansman.
'Still Game' was initially only screened in Scotland by BBC1, but as the show began to rise in popularity, it eventually moved to BBC2 in 2005 for a national viewing ( with the earlier series broadcast nationally in reruns ).
In 2007, the show came off the air for a long time following a fall-out between Ford and Greg but in 2014 returned in triumph when it was revamped as a stage show ( shown at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow ). In October 2016, it returned with a hilarious seventh series. Two more series followed between 2018 and 2019, both of which also were better than they had a right to be and things were tied up neatly in the final episode 'Over The Hill'. Indeed, the final sequence is bound to bring a lump to the throat of any true 'Still Game' fan.