Still Game

Still Game is an absolute little gem of a comedy taking Victor and Jack from their sketch's in 'Chewin the Fat'into the wider world of fictional Glasgow scheme estate Craigland.

Victor and Jack are two elderly widowed gentlemen living in a grim world of scraping by on their pensions trying to keep warm in their high storey flats. But they make sure they make the most of their situation and it's pretty inspirational stuff.

The best laughs come from the other characters, crafty Winston, gossip Isa, shopkeep Naveed, barman Boaby etc, plenty of good story lines and sharp put downs make for the type of show where if you buy the DVD you watch one episode and keep on until the end, then go out and buy the another series Sadly on the network the BBC has seen fit to screen only a select few episodes. Okay the accents and certain jokes/references require a knowledge of Scottish culture/dialect but like Rab C Nesbitt the comedy is strong enough to shine through.

The laughs are often dark, and set amongst the bleak black drops of old age, poverty, crime, loneliness you name it! But like say 'One foot in the Grave' it is adept at handling serious situations then bringing us back to the comedy with just one hot line. For a spot of spirit in adversity look no further.

The fourth series of Still Game recently finished on BBC2. This was the first time it had been shown nationwide and, thankfully, the unthinkable didn't happen. The slang. the swearing, the banter and the accents were all present and correct. You've got to hand it to the BBC for choosing not to tone down the dialect, if they'd been allowed to anglicise Still Game it just wouldn't be the same. I recently met the show's creators Ford Kiernon and Greg Hemphill at a book-signing and when they were quizzed over the possibility of Still Game being toned down, Kiernon replied, "Naw, they can get it up them!". Rapturous applause followed.

You wouldn't think this programme was now in its fourth series, it still feels as sharp and fresh as it did back in 2002. While most programmes, like Ford and Greg's own Chewin' The Fat for example, tend to go downhill after a couple of runs, Still Game seems to improve with each series. Admittedly most of the laughs consist of old people swearing at each other but the excellent cast deliver their put-downs with gusto. The two leads, Kiernon in particular, make very convincing pensioners; little touches like shuffling slightly and muttering under their breath work well.

The supporting cast are excellent as well. Jane McCarry, who plays "nosey old cow" Isa, sounds frighteningly like an old woman and her double act with Paul Riley's Winston is uproarious. Gavin Mitchell as Bobby the barman and Mark Cox as tight-fisted Tam are also excellent. But the absolute standout is Sanjeev Kohli as the acid-tongued shopkeeper Navid, Still Game's ultimate scene-stealer. Scottish dialect delivered in an Indian accent is funny in a way you've never heard and his horrific remarks to his wife Mena (whose face is always hidden) are comedy gold.

Along with being consistently hilarious, Still Game is occasionally very touching; Jack memories of his late wife and Victor's strained relationship with his son are bring a real pathos and humanity to the proceedings. These moments are quiet and understated, giving Still Game a maturity that Chewin' The Fat lacked.

Whether or not the folks down south got it or not is still unclear, some dreadful reviews would suggest not, but who gives a toss as Scotland once again has a sitcom it can really be proud of. Easily a match for Rab C Nesbitt, Still Game is a hilarious, bittersweet and thoughtful look at life through the eyes of the elderly - and a real celebration of Scottish, particularly Glasgow, culture. Long live Still Game!

I have noticed that a few other reviews have been commenting on how people south of the border (the English) will not relate too or understand this Scottish comedy? However I am an Englishman living on the south coast of England (which is probably as far south as you can get from Scotland on mainland Britain) and I am an absolute Still Game fanatic!

I have been brought up on virtually all of the British gems of the comedy world i.e Only Fools & Horses, Men behaving badly, Open all Hours, Porridge e.t.c so I was therefore a little surprised and sceptical when my best mate recommended a Scottish comedy called Still Game which hardly anyone in England had heard of, including me. One episode later and I was hooked!

For me Still Game in terms of humour was not worlds apart from virtually all the other British Comedies whether they originated from the South or North of the border, I could personally see elements of humour & comedy that could appeal to fans of 'Only Fools & Horses' right the way through to fans of 'Men behaving badly' and all the other comedies in between.

Next to the humour, the acting is superb with clever story lines and quotes that define it as a true gem. I only wish I could have followed this sitcom from the very beginning but unfortunately for some reason or another Still Game was never aired on English primetime TV (which seemed a bit stupid seeing as how England accounts for most of the BBC's viewers).

I was introduced to this series a fortnight prior to the time of writing,and can honestly say it is one of the best programs i have seen for years. Being a big fan of Phoenix Nights,Max and Paddy,Little Britain etc.. and even the Black Adder series, i thought when told about this 'Still Game' thing it would suck. How wrong i was..its absolutely BRILLIANT. The characters it portrays live on a council estate in Scotland. A shopkeeper,A landlord and a collection of various ageing punters who specialise in malicious gossip and sometimes cruel but funny mockery of each other. The acting is incredibly convincing and for the first time in years i can say,"Here is a series in which every character has you in stitches". All these factors contribute to a package that will have you splitting your sides. If you haven't seen it,watch it. If you have seen it,watch it again. I have over and over.

We just "discovered" this show on NetFlix two weeks ago and we are addicted to it! We have watched all the episodes on NetFlix and are watching them all again already. (Thank goodness for the subtitles because some of the slang we can't understand, haha.) Great actors, clever scripts, so funny! We just LOVE Victor, Jack and Winston!! This show is unique because it's funny and has genuine "heart". The cast is top notch and we truly care about them so when Jack is missing his wife or Jack and Victor go to visit Winston in his awful new apartment out of town, the viewers really care about these characters in their sad situations (this proves what great actors they are). There are too many great episodes to pick a favorite! So many lines from this hilarious TV series have crept into our every day language, like "cheery-bye" (haha). We love how they make reference to many famous American entertainers that we love (like Perry Como, Jack Lord, "Quincy," Abbott & Costello, etc.) We are so excited to hear that they are filming a new season this summer although we don't know how long it will be until American viewers can see them. Unfortunately, we can't find the series on Region 1 or 0 even though we would love to own them on DVD. We love, love, love "Still Game"! Thanks, NetFlix, for bringing this amazingly clever, creative, fun, unique show to American viewers! (This show is funnier than any new American TV shows/movies!)