British Comedy Guide
Still Game. Image shows from L to R: Victor McDade (Greg Hemphill), Jack Jarvis (Ford Kiernan)
Still Game

Still Game

  • TV sitcom
  • BBC Scotland / BBC One / BBC Two / BBC One Scotland
  • 2002 - 2019
  • 62 episodes (9 series)

Scottish sitcom about pensioners Jack and Victor, a duo who strike a blow against ageism with their rascally antics. Stars Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill, Jane McCarry, Paul Riley, Mark Cox and more.

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Mark Cox interview

Still Game. Tam Mullen (Mark Cox)

Mark Cox plays Tam. He says the Still Game actors are catching up on their characters' ages.

You play Tam Mullen... what's he like?

Well, Tam Mullen's Craiglang's financial adviser. Over the years, he's got used to money saving methods and it's getting worse the older he gets. He's quite fly when it comes to money.

He's got a relationship with everyone but they're all quite suspicious of him but not enough to not let him be part of their team. He wouldn't do anything bad to anyone but he doesn't have a problem with trying to make a penny or two out of them if he can.

He's known as the local miser - fair comment or is he just frugal?

Oh he's a miser. He's never had money, just like the others so he's got something of an addiction to trying to get more as, and when, he can.

Still Game has grown to be something of a comedy phenomenon...

It seems to have an appeal to everyone through the ages - Still Game attracts the very young to the very old. I had a group of pensioners come up to me recently telling me how authentic it was to them. Its longevity is that it appeals to all ages and the thing is it's got a new group of fans who weren't even born when it first came out but they've been sort of handed it down by their parents or they've found it online.

I get loads of people come up to me saying "I watch it every night" - the number of times I hear that phrase said is quite incredible.

Still Game. Image shows from L to R: Boabby (Gavin Mitchell), Winston Ingram (Paul Riley), Victor McDade (Greg Hemphill), Jack Jarvis (Ford Kiernan), Isa Drennan (Jane McCarry), Tam Mullen (Mark Cox), Navid Harrid (Sanjeev Kohli). Copyright: BBC

What does the new series offer comedy fans?

We've got some new characters including some new 'darker energies', shall we say, in the shape of an undertaker played by Bruce Morton called I D Sheathing. This character is brilliant, the very nature of the demographic of the show which is made up of old people means they're unnerved by the arrival of a new funeral director. He's not that bad... or is he?

Then we had the wonderful Craig Ferguson join for the end of the run. Brilliant character - a wee bit of Hollywood coming to town on screen and on set.

It's great having different people come and join in as they bring different energies with them.

The aging process for Still Game is amazing - how do you find it?

HD TV has a lot to answer for. I'm 46 now but time marches on and I'm seeing a big change on screen which is terrifying! We're in the departure lounge now, catching up on our characters' age.

Tam wears lots of acrylic and man-made fibres, there's nothing cotton in there apart from my own underpants! The shoes are always really comfortable so mustn't grumble.

And if you could be in any other comedy series which one would you choose and why?

There's a lot going on at the moment. I always liked The League Of Gentlemen; and Derry Girls is really good. Comedy is everywhere, not just on TV now, which is wonderful.

Published: Saturday 3rd March 2018

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