After a nine year hiatus, BBC Scotland’s iconic comedy series Still Game will return to BBC One this year with a new six-part series starring all the original cast, including writers and stars Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill.
The new series will film over the summer months at BBC Scotland’s Dumbarton Studios in a purpose-built set – the first time the comedy has filmed there – and will air on BBC One later in 2016.Writers and stars of Still Game, Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill, will reunite to play pensioners Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade for the sitcom which last aired on BBC One in 2007. The new series will also see the return of Still Game favourites Jane McCarry as Isa, Sanjeev Kohli as Navid, Gavin Mitchell as Bobby, Paul Riley as Winston, and Mark Cox as Tam.
Ford Kiernan is thrilled Still Game will make its TV return soon: “We’re super happy to come back with the show – we had no idea how much it had been missed until we played the Hydro! Myself and Greg are really excited about getting the gang together again and we are putting our all in to make our fantastic audience feel like we’ve never been away.”
Greg Hemphill adds: “We are thrilled to be given this opportunity, with the full support of the BBC Network, to don the bunnets once more! On behalf of all the cast, I’d like to thank Still Game fans for keeping the show alive after all these years. We’ll save a seat for you in the Clansman.”
The new series of Still Game will be a BBC in-house production, and was commissioned by Shane Allen, Controller of Comedy Commissioning. After a nine-year break from TV, Shane welcomes a Still Game reunion: “A comedy phenomenon, Still Game’s return is much-anticipated as we, once again, meet up with Jack, Victor and their friends. The new series revisits one of the most iconic comedies of its time, a show which holds a very special place in the hearts of our audience. Ford and Greg are an exceptionally talented writing partnership and we’re looking forward to catching up with Jack and Victor after all these years.”
Ewan Angus, BBC Scotland’s Commissioning Editor, TV, and Still Game executive producer adds: “It’ll be fantastic to see Ford, Greg and the rest of the gang getting up to more comedy capers in Craiglang. Our audiences love Still Game. Whenever we show past episodes, we are guaranteed big audiences and I know this new series will again delight Still Game’s legions of fans.”
The new six-part series will be executive produced by Ewan Angus, BBC Scotland and Steven Canny, BBC Comedy. It will be directed by long-time Still Game collaborator Michael Hines and produced by Jacqueline Sinclair.
Following a mammoth 21-night run of live shows at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro Arena in 2015, audiences have been waiting in anticipation for Still Game to make its TV return.
The original run of the sitcom, which stars Kiernan and Hemphill as evergreen Glaswegian pensioners Jack and Victor, aired for six series between 2002 and 2007, transferring from BBC Scotland to BBC Two. The new series of Still Game will air on BBC One network when it returns later this year.
BBC
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