Still Game

The revival of this comedy continues with Jack and Victor dealing with booze-related problems. Not only has Boabby decided to quit The Clansman, to be replaced by a fearsome new barman, but grog prices are up and Craiglang's residents have turned to bootleg "hoochie-coochie", which is having unwanted side effects. A comedy that should, by rights, be past its sell-by date but still reliably delivers laughs, this episode is dedicated to the late Jake D'Arcy (Pete the Jakey).

I fear this once brilliant sitcom is turning into Mrs Brown's Boys. Just like an auld yin in the Clansman, its teeth have been removed and it's gumsy and ineffectual and a bit of a bore. Maybe the wings have been clipped to make it more palatable for a UK audience or maybe the famous falling out between Hemphill and Kiernan has taken its toll? Or maybe it should just never have been revived, having blazed brilliantly in its time, but that time is now history? I watched the old series on Netflix, and the gulf between them and this new one is astounding.

This week, Pete The Jakey dies and there are only 15 people at his funeral. That's what comes from being a jakey who lived under a bridge ... Winston limps along as a pallbearer, prompting tears not of grief but "of pishing yerself". And Boaby decides to resign from the pub. Prices are rising and there's "bootleg garbage floating aboot". How will he cope with being a civilian? And how will the regulars cope with his terrifying replacement?

Instant review - Still Game episode 2

The strong series opener was followed up with a bang as the Craiglang gang sample some moonshine.