Still Game facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 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	United Kingdom (Scotland)
Original language(s)	Scots English
No. of series	9
No. of episodes	62 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Ford Kiernan Greg Hemphill Steven Canny
Producer(s)	Colin Gilbert Michael Hines Ewan Angus Jacqueline Sinclair
Production location(s)	Glasgow, Scotland Dumbarton, Scotland
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	The Comedy Unit Effingee Productions BBC Scotland BBC Studios
Release
Original network	BBC One Scotland (2002–2004, 2006–2007) BBC Two (2005–2008) BBC One (2005, 2016–2019) BBC Scotland (2019)
Original release	6 September 2002 (2002-09-06) – 28 March 2019 (2019-03-28) (including hiatus)
Chronology
Related shows	Chewin' The Fat

Still Game is a funny Scottish TV show called a sitcom. It was made by The Comedy Unit and BBC Scotland. The show was created by Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill. They also played the main characters, Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade.

Jack and Victor are two older friends from Glasgow, Scotland. They often get into funny situations. These characters first appeared in another TV show called Chewin' the Fat. That show was on TV in Scotland from 1999 to 2005.

Still Game first aired on September 6, 2002. In total, 62 episodes were made. This includes special episodes for Christmas and Hogmanay (New Year's Eve). The show also had almost 50 live stage performances.

At first, Still Game was only shown on BBC One Scotland. Later, some episodes were shown across the whole UK on BBC Two. From the fourth series onwards, it was broadcast throughout the UK on BBC Two.

After series 6, the show stopped for a while. The creators, Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill, had some disagreements. But they later worked together again. They made the seventh series in 2016, which was shown on BBC One.

On July 13, 2018, it was announced that the ninth series would be the last. The creators said the characters would "retire" from comedy. The final day of filming was September 14, 2018. The last series started on February 24, 2019. It was one of the first shows on the new BBC Scotland channel.

How Still Game Started

The original stage play of Still Game (1997–1999)

Still Game began as a stage play. It featured three characters: Jack Jarvis, Victor McDade, and Winston Ingram. In the play, the three men are stuck in Victor's flat because a lift is broken. They talk about many different things.

The stage play was performed in Scotland, England, Ireland, and Canada. It was filmed in Glasgow in 1999. You can even find it on YouTube now.

When Still Game became a TV show, some things changed. For example, Gavin Mitchell first played Winston in the play. But Paul Riley played Winston in the TV series. Gavin Mitchell then played Boabby, the barman. Other characters who were only mentioned in the play became important characters in the TV show.

In 1998, Jack and Victor appeared in short funny parts of a documentary. It was about Scottish pop music. They watched the music and made funny comments about the performers.

The characters also appeared in Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill's sketch show, Chewin' the Fat. Jack, Victor, Tam, and Winston were in almost every episode. They were a bit different from their later TV show versions. By the time Still Game became its own show, Winston looked quite different. But Paul Riley still played him. As the show went on, other characters became more important. Jack and Victor's last appearance on Chewin' the Fat was in a 2002 New Year's Eve special.

For the first three series, Still Game was only shown on BBC One Scotland. Then, for the fourth series, it moved to BBC Two and was shown across the UK. On December 28, 2005, the first Christmas special was shown on BBC One. This was the first time the show was broadcast nationally on that channel.

A fifth series started filming in February 2006. It was shown in June on BBC Two. In 2006, series three had not been shown nationally. Only five episodes from the first two series were shown on national BBC Two in early 2004. The second series was shown nationally from July 10, 2008. This made it seem like a new series to viewers outside Scotland.

In the first three series, episode titles were Glaswegian words. These words were related to the episode's story. From series four onwards, the episodes had titles in standard English. This made them easier for everyone to understand.

The characters in Still Game always stay the same age. This is called a floating timeline. For example, Victor says he is 74 in one episode. But he celebrates his 75th birthday much later in the show.

The sixth series of Still Game finished on BBC Two on August 23, 2007. A Christmas special was shown on BBC One Scotland on December 23. It was shown to the rest of the UK on BBC Two on December 28. There was also a New Year's Eve special called "Hootenanny." It aired on BBC One Scotland and later in the UK.

The company run by Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill, and Paul Riley stopped working together for a while. This led to the show taking a long break.

In 2012, an actor named Kenny Boyle brought the original Still Game stage play back. He toured it with a new cast. Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill saw these shows. This made them think about bringing Still Game back officially.

On October 15, 2013, a newspaper announced the show would return. On October 23, 2013, Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill announced live shows. They were called Still Game Live and 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! Ford Kiernan said that Kenny Boyle's tour helped them decide to bring the show back.

The 21 shows at The Hydro ran from September 19 to October 10, 2014. Over 210,000 fans watched them. The shows earned a lot of money from ticket sales.

In November 2014, a special short scene was made for Children in Need. Jack and Victor visited the set of River City. The director of Still Game, Michael Hines, also appeared in it. On Hogmanay 2014, BBC Scotland showed a documentary. It was called Still Game: The Story So Far. It had interviews with the cast and famous fans.

On May 12, 2016, the BBC announced that Still Game would return. A six-part seventh series would air in 2016. This was nine years after the last series. Filming started in the summer. The new series began on October 7, 2016. The first episode had a huge audience in Scotland. It also aired for the first time on BBC One across the whole UK. It had a total audience of 3.2 million viewers.

In September 2016, a second live show was announced. It was called Still Game Live 2: Bon Voyage. It ran for ten nights in February 2017. Unlike the first live show, this one was not filmed for TV.

On March 16, 2017, it was announced that an eighth series would be made. It was planned for late 2017 but started on March 8, 2018.

Before the eighth series began, Greg Hemphill said he and Ford Kiernan were writing the ninth series. They also planned a third and final live show.

On July 13, 2018, the BBC confirmed that the ninth series would be the last. Filming for the final series started in August 2018 and finished on September 14, 2018.

The third and final live show, Still Game: The Final Farewell, was announced on November 1, 2018. It had five shows in September 2019. Five more shows were added the next day.

Series and Episodes

Cast Members

Main article: List of Still Game characters

Filming Locations

Still Game is set in a made-up area of Glasgow called Craiglang. Many scenes were filmed in the Maryhill area of the city. The first episode, "Flittin," had early scenes filmed in South Nitshill, Glasgow. This is where Jack lived before moving next door to Victor at Osprey Heights.

The block of flats used for Osprey Heights is on Collina Street in Maryhill. The shops in the series are in the Townhead area of Glasgow. The Forth and Clyde Canal and its locks are often seen in the background.

For the first three series, a pub in Ruchill was used for the outside of the Clansman pub. This building was later knocked down. So, a new outdoor set for the Clansman was built in Glasgow North Media Park, Maryhill. An outdoor market in Possilpark was used in the episode "Cauld." This is where Winston buys electric heaters.

The bingo scene in "Courtin" was filmed at the Gala Bingo hall in Possilpark. This scene was special because two old friends, Paul Riley (Winston) and Joe Houston (the bingo caller), met again by chance. Inside scenes, like Jack and Victor's flats and Navid's shop, were built sets. They were in a warehouse in Maryhill. Some episodes also had scenes filmed in Knightswood, Glasgow. This includes outdoor scenes in "Courtin" and golf course scenes in "Tappin."

Finport, a place seen in the fifth series, was filmed in Largs and Saltcoats. These towns in North Ayrshire used to be popular seaside places for people from Glasgow. The promenade and sea wall shots are from Saltcoats' harbour. The cafe Jack and Victor walk past is The Melbourne Café in Saltcoats. The pub scene is in the Royal Oak pub in Largs. The place where Jack and Victor stay overnight is a bed and breakfast in Largs.

Ardgowan House, a large old house in Inverkip, was used for Blairtunnoch in the episode "Fly Society." Jack and Victor go to a fancy dinner there. They try to impress two ladies with made-up stories.

The area where Jack and Victor sit during a court break in "Recipe" is The Crookston Hotel in Glasgow. The bakery scenes in the same episode were filmed in factories in Glasgow. One was the Tunnocks factory in Uddingston. The court scenes were filmed in Hamilton Sheriff Court.

The bar used in the 2007 Hogmanay Special, "Hootenanny", was The Red Hoose in Dunipace. It was chosen because it looked old-fashioned.

Navid's shop interior was a set in Hillington industrial estate. The outside shots were of a row of shops in Kennedy Path, Townhead, Glasgow.

The scenes where Jack and Victor visit Barbara at her job were filmed in Clydebank. The inside of the shop was filmed in a local charity shop.

Before the fifth series started, a pest control team was called to the Maryhill studio. Rats had gotten into Navid's shop and were eating the food. Jane McCarry (Isa) found a dead rat, which raised the alarm. There were many rats in the area because the Forth and Clyde Canal was nearby.

The Children In Need sketch was filmed on the River City set. This was at the BBC Scotland studios in Dumbarton, Scotland. Much of the seventh series was also filmed there.

The main music for the TV show is from a song called "Cuban Boy" by The Cuban Boys. This song uses a sample from Frank Chacksfield's song of the same name. The opening and ending music was changed for the DVD and Netflix versions. This might be because of music licensing rules. The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra recorded a new version of the theme music for Series 7. This version is also on the DVD for that series.

Awards and Recognition

Still Game has won many awards over the years. It has been recognized for being a great entertainment program and a popular show. The actors and writers have also won awards for their work on the show.

DVD Releases

You can find all the series and special episodes of Still Game on DVD. There are also DVD sets that include multiple series or the complete collection. The live shows have also been released on DVD.

See also

• List of Still Game episodes
• List of Still Game characters
• Chewin' the Fat