Greg Hemphill facts for kids

Gregory Edward Hemphill (born 14 December 1969) is a Scottish comedian, actor, writer, and director. He was born in Springburn, a part of Glasgow, Scotland. In the mid-1970s, Greg moved to Montreal, Canada. He came back to Scotland in 1988.

Greg Hemphill is one of the main people behind Effingee Productions, a company that makes TV shows. He often works with Ford Kiernan, who is his comedy and writing partner. Together, they created popular BBC Scotland comedy shows like Chewin' The Fat (1999–2005) and Still Game (2002–2007, 2016–2019). Greg was also the Rector of the University of Glasgow from 2001 to 2004.

Early Life and Family

Greg Hemphill was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father, Edward, was an accountant, and his mother, Anne, was a teacher. In the mid-1970s, when Greg was a child, his family moved from Scotland. He spent a lot of his childhood in Montreal, Canada. This is why he has a mix of Scottish and Canadian accents.

When he was 18, in 1988, Greg returned to Scotland. He went to the University of Glasgow. There, he earned a degree in theatre, film, and television. Greg is married to actress Julie Wilson Nimmo. They have two sons together. Even though he lived in Canada, Greg always felt Scottish. He said his parents were from Glasgow, and many people he met in Montreal were also from other places.

Career Highlights

Starting Out in Comedy

Greg Hemphill has worked on many different projects. In 1990, he performed at the Edinburgh Fringe festival. He was part of a group called the "Trio Brothers Troup" with Rab Christie and Neil Warhurst. They won an award called "So You Think You're Funny" that year.

He continued to perform on stage. He was in a show called God Plus Support in 1992. He also joined the popular Only an Excuse? tour in 1995. Greg also worked in radio. He was the first host of a football show called Off the Ball on BBC Radio Scotland. He also worked on Eddie Mair Live.

Greg and Ford Kiernan wrote seven episodes for a children's TV show called Hububb between 1999 and 2000. Greg also appeared in one episode of Hububb with Ford. But Greg is best known for his work with Ford Kiernan in the TV sketch show Chewin' the Fat. They also created its spin-off show, Still Game. Greg's brother, Steve, even had a small part in Still Game as a CN Tower lift operator.

The Success of Still Game

After Chewin' The Fat became very popular, Greg Hemphill and Ford Kiernan wrote Still Game. This show was based on a play they had written for the Edinburgh Festival in 1997. The main characters, Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade, had already appeared in Chewin' The Fat.

Six series and four special episodes of Still Game were shown between 2002 and 2007. The show stopped after the sixth series in 2007. This was because the company that made Still Game, Effingee Productions, seemed to break up. Greg Hemphill said he did not want a "boardroom battle." This break led to the show being put on hold for a long time.

In 2012, an actor named Kenny Boyle got the rights to the original Still Game stage play. He toured the show with a new cast. Greg and Ford saw these performances. This made them think about bringing Still Game back officially.

On October 15, 2013, the Daily Record newspaper announced that the show would return. On October 23, 2013, Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill officially announced live shows called Still Game Live. These shows would be at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow. They planned four shows, but because so many people wanted tickets, they added more. They ended up doing 21 shows! These shows ran from September 19 to October 10, 2014. They were seen by 210,000 fans and made £6 million from ticket sales.

On May 12, 2016, the BBC announced that Still Game would return for a seventh series with six episodes. This was nine years after the last series. Filming started in the summer, and the new series began on October 7, 2016. The first episode of the new series had the most viewers ever for a single episode. It was watched by 1.3 million people in Scotland. The show also aired on BBC One across the whole UK for the first time. It reached a total of 3.2 million viewers.

On March 16, 2017, the BBC announced an eighth series. This series started on March 8, 2018. On July 13, 2018, the BBC said that Still Game would have a ninth and final series in 2019. Filming for the last series began in August 2018 and finished on September 14, 2018.

In September 2016, a second live show, Still Game Live 2: Bon Voyage, was announced for The SSE Hydro. This show ran for ten nights starting February 4, 2017. Five more shows were added later. Unlike the first live show, this one was not shown on TV. The third and final live show, Still Game: The Final Farewell, was announced on November 1, 2018. It had five shows in September 2019, and five more were added later.

Other Projects and Roles

Greg Hemphill was chosen as the Rector of the University of Glasgow in March 2001. He won the election against four other people, including Alasdair Gray.

Greg also appeared in a Scottish Gaelic-language drama called Eilbheas. In this show, Greg played the spirit of Elvis. It was first shown when BBC Alba started. He also wrote a stage play called Appointment with the Wicker Man with Donald McLeary. This play was for the National Theatre of Scotland. It was about a small town trying to make a musical version of the film The Wicker Man.

Greg Hemphill has even been involved in Scottish wrestling! He had a match against actor and comedian Robert Florence at "Kelvin Brawl" in Glasgow on June 21, 2013. Comedian Frankie Boyle also took part in this event.

In 2014, Greg was a guest star in the children's TV show Katie Morag. He played a character named Donald John Cameron. Greg also played Mr Sawdust in two series of the CBeebies show Olga da Polga. His wife, Julie Wilson Nimmo, also starred in this show.

In 2022, Greg and Julie Wilson Nimmo starred in a TV show called Jules and Greg's Wild Swim. This show was about wild swimming. It first aired on New Year's Day 2023 on BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer. The full series of six episodes came out in 2023.

In March 2023, Greg was part of a BBC Scotland program celebrating the broadcaster's 100th birthday. He appeared with his wife, Julie Wilson Nimmo, and his Still Game co-star Sanjeev Kohli.

In 2024, Greg Hemphill played the father, Ade, in the BBC Programme Dinosaur. Also in 2024, Greg made his first appearance in a Hollywood film. He had a small role as a bartender in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Directing Work

In 2016, Greg Hemphill wrote the script for a horror/comedy film called West Skerra Light with Donald McLeary. This one-hour film was his first full-length drama as a film director. In 2017, Greg also helped direct a black comedy ghost-hunting drama called Long Night at Blackstone with Hopscotch Films.

See also

In Spanish: Greg Hemphill para niños