Chewin' the Fat

Aye, yer gonnae sh**e yerself from laughin!

Take a bit of Monty Python, add The League of Gentlemen, then scrap all the bad stuff and give it a real edge and a heavy Scottish accent and you have Chewin' The Fat, a marvelous show from the brains of Ford Keirnan and Greg Hemphill (plus Paul, Karen, Julie and the rest). With recurring characters and a few story lines, this sketch comedy series is as brilliant as it is sometimes rude and crude. You need to have a good ear for the accents, and there are a few references that may go over your head, but the three 6-episode series (plus the Live! show and their "Still Game" stage play on DVD) are about the best thing to come along in years. And a fourth series is due in November 2001!

This is not for kids. And I'd recommend that anyone who gets upset by mothers proudly telling their friends that they "need to do more laundry these days because their 14 year old son has just started mastrubating" stay clear. A solid 5 of 5 points.

I'm surprised to many people think you can only find this funny if you are from Glasgow. I think they are selling this program short. Yes, the accents are thick and, at times, difficult to understand, even with the subtitles on. And, yes, there are a lot of local jokes that we won't get. But we still laugh our butts off! My husband and I have been making a point of watching Chewing the Fat on Netflix and we've really enjoyed it. So much of the humor translates better than the Glaswegians think, ... or wish. Many of the recurring sketch taglines have become part of our own jokes. No one we know watches the show so no one gets us on this, but that's OK. Funny is funny, whatever the language.

Just got turned on to Chewin the fat. Absolutely brilliant Glaswegian comedy. Burned through every Still Game episodes and found this precursor. Though not from Scotland, having been multiples of times to Bonhill and Islay, found this one piece that made it all make sense. Laugh out loud comedy, crude or not. For those with tender mercies on their sleeves, leave this be. For others, like me, who found the comedic locale of Glasgow forbidding and hilarious, this hit the spot. Indeed, not for everyone. Yet, if you want to peer into the Glaswegian wit and lack of sensibility, this is the ticket. Give it a go if you have the patience for not so mainline sketch comedy. Worth every minute.

OK the series that was broadcast nationally was by far their worst, I gave up watchin it but the rest of it was brilliant. It represents stereotypes of the scots, ie the ponces from edinburgh (oh! the banter), the weegies. there were other great characters such as the 2 old men, jack and victor [featured in the spin off still game]. the kind of characters u see around Scotland. before u slag off a show u shld get a good idea of what ur slagging. u cant just brand all Scottish comedy rubbish... I'm too young for Rab C Nesbitt but i do know that chewing the fat was a great show and its spin off, Still Game is the best Scottish comedy ever

Comedy is in the eye of the beholder. Have read some of the comments about Chewin' The Fat and can't believe people who laugh at Bottom or The Young Ones feel qualified to put this brilliant show down.

The Scots are capable of laughing at themselves and if the English or Americans don't get it then all the better.

Not every piece of work is created for an international market and you have to wonder at people who only produce work for the Americans. After all there is nothing funnier out of America than their President!!

Chewin' The Fat is a refreshing and often strangely realistic interpretation of some of the finer points of Scotlands society. I don't laugh all the way through it, nor would i expect to, but I have laughed heartily at a good bit of the show. Thats enough to keep me happy.