Tutti Frutti

This has to one of the best programmes to come out of Scotland if not the UK from the BBC. The acting and the script are just wonderful and combines great (Scottish/Glasgow) humours and rock'n'roll, can't get much better! The script was adapted for stage in late 2006 and had a run of shows in Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Managed to get to the Edinburgh show and it was just a good as the TV show! The cast played and sang and were very good, OK you can't compete with Coltrane/Thompson but they come close. They are coming to Glasgow in April 2006 so get there if you can!! The reason the show has never been repeated or issued as a video/DVD is to do with the licensing of the music used in the show. I believe they are trying to sort this out so maybe we'll get the chance to buy a DVD version soon.

Some DVD copies surface on ebay occasionally but the quality isn't that great...

Cheers, Al

Been looking for this for ages and finally managed to track it down. Why do the BBC think it's fine to repeat the same old crap over & over again, but sit on gems like this which never make it to UK Gold or Dave? I originally thought they must have deleted it or something, but looking on Google it seems the original cast aren't keen on a re-run for some reason. Look on ebay, there's a guy selling the whole 6 episodes on DVD, can't wait to receive mine, hope it's not a poorly recorded pirate copy. Even if it is it will still be worth the £7.50 just to relive some classic Scottish comedy, the genius stuff the BBC used to be good at knocking out.

I was too young to catch this when it came out back in 1987, and as it was only repeated once shortly after then confined to the archives it remained a bit of a mystery. However there had to be something about the show as it seemed to be spoken about in terms of 'masterpiece'

Therefore I was glad to finally get hold of a copy on DVD over 20 years on, and now I know what people were talking about, it's a perfect 6 hours of deathly dark but usually hilarious comedy.

The casting is spot on at all levels, a real ensemble of the some of the best Scottish talent that at most levels are still highly familiar today. I love the use of location, whether in Glasgow the main setting or one of the less than glamorous towns on the road, namely Buckie, Methil and Ardrossan. It's almost as if they chose the locations after listening to 'Letter from America' by the Proclaimers.

I'm sure I'm not the only one when watching this to get the most enjoyment from the Clockerty/Toner relationship. Is there something gong on here, or is it merely penny pinching on Clockerty's behalf that Eddie and Janice share twin rooms and cabins on Sleeper Trains. Either way it's a blast.

All in all I'm very thank full that they finally got this out on DVD, keeping it locked away for so long is a crime on a par with wiping all those great sitcoms back in the 1960s.

Tutti Fruti was one of the best BBC series of the 1980s. John Byrne's script was smart, witty and full of lively banter. It cleverly captures the delusions of an aging Scottish rock band who return for one last tour. Although the band don't seem to have much of a following they still believe they should have made the big time. There are similarities to Spinal Tap, but the characters in Tutti Friti seem more real.

Byrne creates an amazing cast of characters and the acting is excellent. Emma Thompson was never better or sexier as Suzy Kettles. Katy Murphy was a revelation playing Miss Toner. Richard Wilson, Robbie Coltrane and Maurice Roeves were all superb. I would love to see this again.

Been a while (35years I think), and back on the BBC as a tribute to Robbie Coltrane, but it's not lost any of it charm. Every single actor from the main characters down to bit parts buying clothes in the managers shop plays a blinder. They really don't make them like this any more. It's a slow burning, takes it time kind of drama. It has shots that mean nothing to the narrative but look good and raise a smile. I think I only saw it once but I seem to remember loads of lines. In a way I like the fact that John Byrne hardly wrote anything else and it has hardly ever been seen by anyone I know. It made me fall in love with Emma Thompson and Robbie Coltrane, after this they could do no wrong. There's even a cool bit in the Glasgow School of Art.

A classic.