The High Life

I count myself extremely fortunate to have first seen Alan Cumming on stage in 1987 or there abouts. He was playing the shepherd in "As You Like It". Hardly a major role but he completely stole the show and had my friends and I frantically flicking through our programmes to find out who the wonderful young actor playing the shepherd was. Since then I've always looked out for him and have yet to be disappointed in any role he's played.

"The High Life" is a cute, original and extremely funny comedy with wonderful performances from the three central actors and it's a huge shame that it was allowed to sink without trace due to very poor promotion by the BBC. It was broadcast on a weekday evening in what used to be the notoriously difficult 9pm slot on BBC2. I can recall nothing more than a couple of brief trailers and a little piece in the Radio Times and it was as if the powers that be just didn't care wether is succeeded or failed. These days we have the likes of the appallingly bad "My Hero" being shown early on a Friday evening on BBC1 and then repeated on a Sunday afternoon, while something as well written and acted, clever and original as "The High Life" was allowed to sink without trace.

I don't suppose Auntie Beeb would ever go to the trouble of producing a video, or better still, a DVD, but they could at least repeat this glorious one-off. That way, the few of us who loved it first time 'round could tape it and watch it over and over, and those who never got a chance to see it will finally know what the rest of us are harping on about.

The High Life, was unfortunate to be cast among the often discarded sitcoms of the BBC's dustbins. This was a brilliantly written comedy set around a scottish airline called Scotair. Although only six episodes and a pilot were ever released, they certainly brought pleasure to myself and many other people. Sadly it has only been aired once, although I think it was repeated in the week for those not fortunate enough to catch it on the Sunday. Again another series as indeed the Brittas empire not released on BBC video. (Although there was one 6 episode VHS tape released of Brittas.

High life was very camp but extremely funny, and it saddens me that a second series was canned.

I loved this series, and have been waiting patiently for it to be repeated. Imagine my surpise when searching the internet I found that it has eventually been released on DVD (including the pilot episode).

I used to watch 'The High Life' with my best friend religiously. We were huge fans of this great series! It was hilarious! We still to this day remember the opening title song word for word and the characters constant teasing of Shona. It has become one of my fondest memories of growing up. We watched every single episode made and we loved Alan Cummings performance in The High Life. I am just sorry that it is not available to buy so I can take a trip down memory lane and enjoy once more... 'Living the High Life, we're living it well!'

I'm not sure what exactly struck me and my partner about this relatively obscure Scottish aviation sitcom from the mid nineties. We'd not long returned from a rather unaccustomed set of galling long-haul flights when it was repeated by BBC Scotland and it's beguilingly silly mix of camp foolishness and nostalgic nineties beige was rather intoxicating. Plus Alan Cumming is magnificent at all times.

Loosely based on a set of exaggerated cabaret characters that Masson & Cummings used to perform as, Steve is a lovesick buffoon and Sebastian is a fame-hungry slugabed. They are opposite the acidically prim Shona Spurtle played by (the usually very dry) dramatic actor Siobhan Redmond and the possibly deeply insane hammy English captain Hilary Duff. It's an odd set-up, more cheeky pantomime than sharp comedy and the series is at its best when they abandon all pretence at sitcom structuring and delve into strange parody as in the steward "boot camp" episode or the wildly silly spoof of Batman in the final episode. The entire endeavour is enlivened by Masson & Cummings road-sharpened chemistry and the particularly the latters' magnetically mannered performance.

Apparently there was a second series written but it was scuppered by Cummings (well deserved) ascending stardom although part of me still hopes they come back together and try it again one of these decades. As such, it remains a strangely comforting slice of 90s Scottish sitcom silliness.