Jaggy Thistle article Sept 2002 

Jaggy Thistle article Sept 2002

With production company The Comedy Unit desperate for a sitcom hit after the uber-minger that was Snoddie (see SOTB 3 If you can bear to be reminded of it) the prospect of a lucrative spin-off from Chewin’ the Fat must be welcome. And on the basis of the first episode at least, they’ve cracked it.
Written by Kiernan and Hemphill, Still Game takes auld yins behavin’ badly Jack and Victor and opens out the sketch into a sitcom format. This was very well put together scripting, with a leavened mix of back story and a gag driven plot-line. There’s a realistic feel to the dialogue and a convincing approach to context. Jack and Victor might be foul mouthed adolescents grown older, but you’re left in no doubt that Glasgow can be a scary place for OAPs, with Jack desperate to get a flit away from care in the community psycho neighbours who respect nothing and nobody.

There’s nothing cosy in this slice of sitcom life, it might be funny but there’s a grain of hard urban truth running through it.

That’s not to say that the show doesn’t have its fair share of clunkers. Especially grating was the virtual recycling of a faux blow job gag that didn’t work the first time it was run out in Snoddie and it didn’t improve on a second airing. One can only assume that someone at The Comedy Unit has a fellatio fetish - perhaps you can get cream for it.

Anyway, hats off to auld yins behaving badly but a word of warning: while Scotland still pursues Euro qualification the show will have stiff competition in the laughable farce category