Still Game
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Ford Kiernan Greg Hemphill
Developed by	Ford Kiernan Greg Hemphill
Directed by	Michael Hines
Starring	Ford Kiernan Greg Hemphill Paul Riley Jane McCarry Mark Cox Sanjeev Kohli Gavin Mitchell James Martin
Theme music composer	Frank Chacksfield and The Cuban Boys (2002–2007) BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (2016–2019)
Country of origin	Scotland
Original languages	Scots English
No. of series	9
No. of episodes	62(list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Ford Kiernan Greg Hemphill Steven Canny
Producers	Colin Gilbert Michael Hines Ewan Angus Jacqueline Sinclair
Production location	Glasgow and the West of Scotland
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	30 minutes
Production companies	The Comedy Unit Effingee Productions BBC Scotland BBC Studios Comedy Productions
Original release
Network	BBC One Scotland (2002–2004, 2006–2007) BBC Two (2005–2008) BBC One (2005, 2016–2019) BBC Scotland (2019)
Release	6 September 2002 (2002-09-06) – 31 December 2007 (2007-12-31)
Release	7 October 2016 (2016-10-07) – 28 March 2019 (2019-03-28)
Related
Chewin' the Fat

Still Game is aScottishsitcom produced by theEffingee Productions,The Comedy Unit andBBC Scotland. It was created byFord Kiernan andGreg Hemphill, who played the lead characters,Jack Jarvis, Esq andVictor McDade, twoGlaswegianpensioners. The characters first appeared in the pair's previous TV sketch showChewin' the Fat, which aired in Scotland for 6 years from January 1999 until December 2005.

Following its debut on 6 September 2002,62 episodes ofStill Game were aired, including the Christmas andHogmanay specials in addition to the almost 50 live shows. The first three series were broadcast only on theBBC One Scotland channel, although five episodes selected from the first two series were later broadcast throughout the UK onBBC Two in January and February 2004. From the fourth series onwards,Still Game was broadcast across the UK onBBC Two.

After series six had aired in 2007, the production ofStill Game ended due to Kiernan and Hemphill experiencingburnout. The Scottish media initially reported rumours that a feud between the two had occurred, but they have since denied this.^[1] The two eventually returned to write and star in the seventh series, which debuted in October 2016 on BBC One. It was announced on 13 July 2018 that a ninth and final series would be produced, which would see the characters go into "comedy retirement".^[2] The final day of production was 14 September 2018, and it premiered on 24 February 2019 as one of the first programmes to be broadcast on the brand newBBC Scotland channel.^[3]

Still Game was acclaimed by audiences and critics and is considered a classic in its native Scotland.^[4][5] In a 2020 poll, readers ofThe Scotsman votedStill Game as the best Scottish TV programme of all time.^[6]

Still Game started as a stage play featuring three characters: Jack Jarvis, Victor McDade, and Winston Ingram. Due to a broken lift, the three men are stuck in Victor's flat and discuss a variety of subjects ranging from death to sex. The stage play toured Scotland, England, Ireland and Canada before returning to Glasgow, where the show was filmed at the Cottiers Theatre in 1999 and released on video on 22 November 1999. A DVD of the show was later released on 2 December 2002. It is available on YouTube, as of January 2022. A small number of revisions accompaniedStill Game's transition from stage to television.Gavin Mitchell, who originally played Winston (and was replaced byPaul Riley for later performances), played the part of Boabby in the series. Characters mentioned in passing were later fleshed out into supporting characters.

In 1998, Jack and Victor appeared in a number of skits in a tongue-in-cheek documentary about Scottishpop music calledOch Around the Clock. In these, they are shown to be watching while sitting in Victor's flat. Their skits centred on the duo's disparaging comments about the performers. The characters reappeared in Kiernan and Hemphill's sketch showChewin' the Fat, nearly every episode of which featured Jack, Victor, Tam and Winston, with minor differences from their counterparts in the series. By the timeStill Game became a show in its own right Winston's physical appearance had changed significantly, but he was still played by Paul Riley. As the show evolved, supporting characters assumed greater prominence. Jack and Victor made their final appearance onChewin' the Fat in the 2002Hogmanay Special.

For the show's first three series, the broadcast ofStill Game was limited to BBC One Scotland. The show was then moved to BBC Two for the fourth series and shown throughout the UK. On 28 December 2005, the first Christmas special was shown on BBC One, the first UK wide broadcast of the show on the channel. A fifth series of the show started filming in February 2006 and was shown the following June on BBC Two. As of 2006, series three had not been shown across the whole of the UK, and only five episodes from the first two series were shown on BBC Two from 17 January to 14 February 2004. The second series was shown UK wide from 10 July 2008. This meant it was listed as a new series in TV listings, even though it was not new for Scottish viewers. In the first three series, the episode titles were allScots words that were related to the episode. Starting from series four, the episodes were titled using standard English, so that international audiences could understand them.

The events ofStill Game take place in afloating timeline where the characters remain the same age from series to series. One of the most prominent examples of this is that Victor reveals that he is 74 years old in "Scran", an episode of the second series, but it is not until the fifth series ("Smoke on the Water") that he celebrates his 75th birthday. The sixth series ofStill Game ended on BBC Two on 23 August 2007. AChristmas special was aired on BBC One Scotland on 23 December and for the rest of the UK on BBC Two on 28 December. There was also a Hogmanay special called "Hootenanny" aired on BBC One Scotland, later aired to the rest of the UK on 2 January 2008.

Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill and Paul Riley's companyEffingee Productions is thought to have split up after Riley walked away to go it alone after being refused more control over the future of the company by Kiernan. Hemphill stated that he didn't want a "boardroom battle". The split ultimately resulted in the indefinite hiatus of the series.^[7] In 2012, Gary Miller acquired the rights to the original stage play of Still Game on behalf of Strathclyde Theatre Group. Working alongside Clare Sheppard andKenny Boyle of Sonic Boom Theatre Company, the show toured, with a new cast, to The Tron theatre,^[8] FTH theatre, and The Ayr Gaiety Theatre.^[9] The original play had not been staged for 14 years. Kiernan and Hemphill came to see the performances and consequently began considering reviving Still Game officially.^[10]

On 15 October 2013, theDaily Record ran a front-page story that the show would be returning. On 23 October 2013, Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill announced details of live shows entitled Still Game Live atThe SSE Hydro in Glasgow at a press conference. They were scheduled to perform four shows beginning in September 2014, but due to high demand, it was extended to 16 and then 21 shows.^[11] On 24 October 2013 Kiernan confirmed in theDaily Record that the tour of the original stage show had been one of the instigating factors for Still Game's return.^[12] The 21 shows at The Hydro ran from 19 September 2014 until 10 October 2014, played to 210,000 fans and made £6,000,000 in ticket sales.^[13] The show received mixed reviews.^[14] In November 2014, a special sketch featuring Jack and Victor visiting the set ofRiver City was made forChildren in Need. The sketch also featured a cameo of a director, played byStill Game directorMichael Hines. OnHogmanay 2014, BBC Scotland showed a documentary celebrating the show titledStill Game: The Story So Far. The programme featured interviews with the cast, celebrities who have appeared on the show and super fans, including a look at some favourite moments.

On 12 May 2016, theBBC announced that the show would return in 2016 with a six-part seventh series, nine years after the previous series concluded. Filming of the new seventh series started in the summer; the series began airing on 7 October 2016.^[15] The show's return attracted its highest ever overnight audience for a single episode on 7 October, taking a 58% share of the Scottish TV audience with 1,300,000 viewers. The show also aired for the first time onBBC One across the UK nationwide and drew a total audience of 3,200,000.^[16] As an acknowledgement of his role in bringing about the revival, Hemphill and Keenan wrote the part of Walter Ingram, Winston's long lost brother, especially for Gary Miller.^[17] In September 2016, a second live showStill Game Live 2: Bon Voyage was announced for the SSE Hydro. The second stage show was to run for ten nights beginning 4 February 2017,^[18] but in October 2016, a further five performances were added.^[19] Unlike the previous live show, this show was not televised or recorded in any other way.^[20]

On 16 March 2017, it was announced that an eighth series has been commissioned to air onBBC One with plans to broadcast towards the end of 2017.^[21] The series was pushed back to start on 8 March 2018. Before the start of the eighth series, Hemphill revealed that he and Kiernan were about to start writing the ninth series and had planned a third and final live show afterward.^[22] On 13 July 2018, the BBC announced that Still Game would return for the ninth and final series later in 2019. Filming for the ninth series started in August 2018 and was completed on 14 September 2018.^[23][24] The third and final SSE Hydro live showStill Game: The Final Farewell was officially announced on 1 November 2018, with five shows in September 2019 taking place over three days.^[25] A further 5 shows were announced on 2 November.^[26]

In August 2024, it was announcedStill Game would be back as acomic book, with the first volume releasing in September.^[27]

Main article:List of Still Game characters

Still Game is set in the fictional Craiglang area ofGlasgow, using theMaryhill district and other areas of the city as filming locations. In the series premiere, "Flittin", Jack resides in an unnamed area of Glasgow prior to moving in with Victor at Osprey Heights; these scenes were filmed in theNitshill area of Glasgow. The block of flats that doubles as Osprey Heights is located at Collina Street in theMaryhill area of the city. TheForth and Clyde Canal and its locks are often seen in the background, along with the nearby high-rise tower blocks, including Collina Street. The shops featured in the series, including the exterior location of Harrid's, can be found near the centre of Glasgow inTownhead.

For the first three series, The Gimlet pub inRuchill served as the exterior of the fictional Clansman pub. Between series three and four, the building was demolished; a reproduction exterior set was constructed by the production team in the Glasgow North Media Park, Maryhill for filming, beginning with the fourth series.

Scene interiors (Jack and Victor's flats, hallways, and the interior of Harrid's) were constructed sets in the warehouse of a complex, now a Maryhill industrial estate and part of Craigmont Studios. Navid's shop interior was a set built in Hillington Industrial Estate. Scenes from several episodes were also filmed in theKnightswood area, including exterior shots in the episode "Courtin" and the golf course scenes in the episode "Tappin".

An outdoor market inPossilpark was used in the episode "Cauld" where Winston buys several electric heaters. The bingo scene in "Courtin" was filmed at theGala Bingo hall in Possilpark and was a scene that coincidentally brought two old friends together, as Paul Riley (Winston) and Joe Houston (the Gala Bingo caller featured in filming) were friends in their youth. The scenes where Jack and Victor visit Barbara at her workplace were filmed inClydebank, a town eight miles west of Glasgow. The interior of the shop was also filmed on site in a local charity shop which is still in use today.^[31] Other locations near Glasgow double as the city, such as the interior of the bakery in the episode "Recipe" which was filmed in theTunnocks factory and bakery inUddingston,Lanarkshire. The courtroom scenes in the same episode were filmed in Court No. 2 ofHamilton Sheriff Court.^[32]

Certain episodes involve trips outside of Craiglang for the characters. For instance, the late eighteenth-centuryArdgowan House atInverkip,Inverclyde, was used as the setting for the fictional Blairtunnoch Estate in the episode "Fly Society". The bar seen in "Hootenanny" was The Red Hoose inDunipace,Falkirk, chosen by producers for its "old world" qualities, fitting that of a pub in theScottish Highlands. The fictional town of Finport, as seen in the fifth series episode "Saucy", was filmed on location in theAyrshire towns ofLargs andSaltcoats, both of which were once popular seaside resorts with Glaswegians. Real-life locations in Saltcoats seen in the episode include its promenade, sea wall and the Melbourne Café. In Largs, locations include the Royal Oak pub, while thebed and breakfast where Jack and Victor stay overnight is located at the north end of the town's promenade.

Just before the fifth series commenced filming, a pest control team had to be called into the Maryhill studio set when it was discovered that rats had infested Navid's shop and were eating their way through the stock. The alarm was raised afterJane McCarry discovered a dead rat on set. The high rat population in the area was due to the proximity of theForth and Clyde Canal.^[33]

A 2014 crossover sketch forChildren in Need with Scottish soap operaRiver City was filmed on the latter show's set, at theBBC Scotland studios inDumbarton. The town's studios were often used in the production of the series' revival from 2016 to 2019.

The theme music used on the original TV broadcasts of the show is an excerpt from "Cuban Boy",^[34] as recorded by The Cuban Boys, which is itself based on a sample ofFrank Chacksfield's track of the same name from the albumWest of Sunset. The opening and ending theme tune was changed to an entirely different theme on the BBC DVD and Netflix releases: the reason behind this is still unexplained, however licensing could be a possibility. TheBBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra recorded an updated version of the theme tune for the seventh series onward, which is also used on the corresponding DVD releases.

In August 2024, it was revealed the series would be brought back in comic book form. The first volume released in September 2024, which was adapted from the first series.^[27]

Still Game has received acclaim from audiences and critics and is considered a cultural phenomenon in its native Scotland.^[35] Referring to the fifth series' finale, Scottish tabloid newspaper theDaily Record heralded forStill Game to be added to the ranks of the "greatest sitcoms ever". They called the episode "classic comedy" and said it was "a perfect mix of empathetic friendship, laugh-out-loud gags, real feeling in the acting and genuine warmth and chemistry between the characters".^[36]The Daily Record also reported thatStill Game had higher ratings than rival comediesThe Catherine Tate Show andSteve Coogan'sSaxondale with 300,000 and 700,000 more viewers respectively. Creator and star Ford Kiernan said of the ratings: "I am absolutely delighted. The figures have gradually increased – episode after episode."^[37]TV Today praised the show for being "refreshing" in the age of dying sitcoms. It said the show was funny in a "straight down the line way".^[38] Ahead of its finale in 2019, Megan Wallace ofThe Guardian deemed it "Scotland's best-loved sitcom."^[39] The show has won awards in both the 2004 and 2005BAFTA Scotland awards and was named as the winner in the Best Broadcast category at the 2004Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Awards.^[40][41][42] In 2006, the show was once again nominated for aBAFTA Scotland award for the "Most Popular Television" category, beating contenders includingRebus andTaggart.^[43]Paul Riley, who plays Winston, was also awarded for his role in the show.^[44]

Still Game has attracted celebrity attention; in addition to many Scottish celebrities (includingRobbie Coltrane,Sylvester McCoy,Lorraine Kelly,Amy Macdonald andBilly Boyd) makingcameo appearances in the show,Foo Fighters frontmanDave Grohl and actorsSean Connery andBill Nighy are reported to be fans.^[45] Nighy has even cited the programme as inspiration for hisScottish accent in the role ofDavy Jones in thePirates of the Caribbean film series.^[46]

However, the series has received criticism. It was criticised for its "reliance on expletives" by Teddy Jamieson, television critic forThe Herald. He also commented that the sitcom "paints [Scotland] in broad strokes", through its use ofstereotypes.^[47] The series revival from 2016 to 2019 was also met with some negative reviews; Julie McDowall, writing forThe National, said of the first episode "You're going to hate me for saying this. I already hate myself for even daring to hold these thoughts, but I need to be honest with you: this was a disappointment."^[48] She later said of the series, "I fear this once brilliant sitcom is turning intoMrs. Brown's Boys. Just like an auld yin in The Clansman, its teeth have been removed and it's gumsy and ineffectual and a bit of a bore."^[49] A review inChortle said "I suspect a lot of new viewers will wonder what all the fuss is about, as this episode seems clunky and dated," going on to say "in truth no one here appears to be a great actor" and that "it seems to be a little crudely edited, too, with the timing of cutaways off the pace. And when you start to notice things like that, it's got to be a sign that something's wrong."^[50]

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