Chewin' the Fat

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.

Personally, I think that part of the genius of Chewin' the Fat is that it doesn't need to be prestigious or live up to any kind of predecessor to be quality entertainment.

There're countless jokes in the show which can simply be described as plainly silly, but its this naïvety and disregard for intellect makes these sketches hysterical on even the most primitive of levels.

Chewin' the Fat is more orientated (and, indeed, is prone to subjectiveness) around the Glasgow way of life as opposed to that of Scotland in general; hence it's likely to appeal to an even more limited audience than anticipated.

It's unjust to write of this show as a failure to amuse due to its skin-deep lack of precision, but this programme has mair baws than is widely concievable because the creators were aware that it didn't need to live up to any bygone acts.

Top-notch; just don't watch it too many times :)

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've read reviews to say it's not for non-Scots due to the culture etc. I'm Welsh and I've loved every minute, so much more than the 'valley' culture that infests our shows. I'm a city boy so I cannot identify with the Welsh sitcoms/sketch shows (fact I don't speak Welsh is a factor too)

Roland Villiers, The lighthouse men, the crazy shop lady, the camp banter boys - it's brilliant.

Some say to avoid this and watch Little Britain instead. For me that ran out after 2 series but they kept going and was much more crude - only Tom Baker's linking bits were worth it.

Half way through this (finished S2), two more to go and it's great to see the origin of Jack and Victor from Still Game - plus regular guest roles from Paul and Mark who played Winston and Tam.

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.