Still Game to end after Series 9
- Still Game creators Greg Hemphill and Ford Kiernan have decided to end the sitcom
- Series 9 will be the show's last run. Filming is due to begin on the six final episodes soon
- The creators say "We hope you will join us later in the year to see how the story ends!"
Still Game is to return for a ninth series, but the creators say it will be the sitcom's last set of episodes.
The BBC confirms: "Filming gets underway at BBC Scotland's Dumbarton Studios and around Glasgow next month in what promises to be a must-see finale for fans across the country."
Greg Hemphill, who plays Victor McDade, says: "Still Game is a story 21 years in the making. We've had an amazing run, but one of our hopes when we brought the show back was that we would get the opportunity to finish Jack, Victor and the gang's journey. We feel that time is upon us. We hope you will join us later in the year to see how the story ends!"
Ford Kiernan, who plays Jack Jarvis, adds: "I can't believe 21 years have passed in what, for us, has been an outstanding experience of collaboration, storytelling and performing. But above all being fortunate to entertain people and make them smile. So when the last episode airs we hope your memories of our little gang will be fond ones."
Since making its TV debut in 2002, Still Game has grown into one of the BBC's biggest sitcoms. When it returned in 2016 after a nine year hiatus, it became the most-watched TV programme in over a decade in Scotland, attracting more than half of the viewing audience.
Kiernan and Hemphill will be joined again by Jane McCarry (Isa), Sanjeev Kohli (Navid), Gavin Mitchell (Boabby), Paul Riley (Winston) and Mark Cox (Tam) for the last six episodes.
Shane Allen, Controller Comedy Commissioning, celebrates Still Game's comedy achievements: "Ford and Greg have achieved that rare beauty of making a modern classic sitcom that has made millions laugh and will be enjoyed for decades to come. This new series is another riot of rich character-based comedy and sees all our old pals from Craiglang off in style."
Steve Carson from BBC Scotland comments: "Still Game is a once-in-a-generation comedy that attracts audiences of all ages. Jack, Victor and the gang at the Clansman have made millions laugh by growing old disgracefully and we're going to miss them when this fantastic new series concludes."
The final series of Still Game will be shown later this year.