Lots to laugh about - bumper collection of comedy from BBC Scotland

BBC Scotland take the wraps off a wide range of exciting new and returning comedy filmed in Scotland, including Mountain Goats, Two Doors Down, Burnistoun’s Big Night, Scot Squad and Stop/Start - highlighting its commitment to comedy.

Published: 26 February 2015
Developing comedy writing, production and performance is one of BBC Scotland’s priorities and it’s great news that we have so much to offer our audiences in the coming months.
— Ewan Angus, Commissioning Editor, BBC Scotland

From hapless mountain rescuers to suburban neighbours, Caledonian crime fighters to a snapshot of Saturday night life, marital disharmony to the trials and tribulations of leaving home, there’s a wealth of comedy on offer from BBC Scotland for both Scottish and network audiences.

  • After successful pilots, two comedies - Mountain Goats and Two Doors Down - return to BBC One and BBC Two respectively. Mountain Goats is back on BBC One as a six-part series (6x30) revisiting a ragtag family of Mountain Rescue volunteers. Starring Jimmy Chisholm (The Angel’s Share, Braveheart), Sharon Rooney (My Mad Fat Diary, Sherlock), David Ireland (Shetland, Scot Squad), Kathryn Howden (Glasgow Girls, Outlander) and Kevin Mains (Stonemouth, Cilla), filming starts from mid-March through to early June and is a mix of on location and studio recordings in front of a live audience at BBC Scotland’s Pacific Quay studios. Mountain Goats is written by Donald McLeary, executive produced by Steven Canny and Ewan Angus, and produced by Owen Bell.
  • BBC Two plays host to the new series of Two Doors Down, as the six-part comedy returns to Latimer Crescent to meet the residents. Written by Gregor Sharp and Simon Carlyle, the new series of Two Doors Down films in the autumn in locations around Glasgow, as well as studio filming at BBC Scotland’s Dumbarton studios. The series will be executive produced by Steven Canny and produced by Catherine Gosling Fuller and is expected to air in early 2016.
  • Burnistoun’s Big Night is a comedy special for BBC One Scotland, made by the Comedy Unit and set over one Saturday night in the fictional town of Burnistoun. Written by and starring Robert Florence and Iain Connell, the sketch show will feature familiar faces from the cult comedy series as well as some newcomers. Burnistoun’s Big Night is a snapshot of a town letting its hair down and will film in spring 2015.
  • Made by the Comedy Unit, Scot Squad’s Caledonian crime fighters are back for a new six-part series (6x30) on BBC One Scotland. Offering an arresting mix of comedy and crime, Scot Squad follows the further adventures of the United Scottish police force. Series two revisits popular characters and locations together with new situations and fresh crimes to solve. Blending scripted scenarios and improvised comedy, filming on the new series starts in summer 2015 in locations around Scotland. Both Burnistoun’s Big Night and Scot Squad are executive produced by Rab Christie for the Comedy Unit and Ewan Angus for BBC Scotland.
  • After two successful series on BBC Radio 4, new sitcom Stop/Start makes the move to TV. BBC One has commissioned the TV pilot about 'three marriages in various stages of disrepair', written by and starring Jack Docherty as part of their BBC Comedy Playhouse brand. Jack joins the stellar cast of John Thomson (The fast show, Cold Feet), Nigel Havers (Chariots of Fire, Coronation Street), Laura Aikman (Waterloo Road, The Job Lot) , Sarah Hadland (Miranda, Horrible Histories) and Kerry Godliman (Derek, Spoons), for the TV recording at BBC Scotland’s Pacific Quay Studios in Glasgow from mid-March. Stop/Start was commissioned by Shane Allen, Controller of BBC Comedy Commissioning and Charlotte Moore, Controller of BBC One, it is Executive Produced by Steven Canny.
  • What’s Funny about Leaving Home? is a 30 minute pilot sketch show for BBC One Scotland. Working with the newly discovered young writing talent from last year’s What’s Funny about the Indyref?, and many of the same fresh cast, the show takes a naturalistic, wry and slightly awkward look at what it means to leave home and adapt to the grown up world. The pilot is produced by Gerald Strother, directed by Jim Owen and executive produced by Steven Canny. The Commissioning Editor is Ewan Angus.

Ewan Angus, Commissioning Editor, BBC Scotland, is delighted with the wealth of comedy on offer. Ewan, who has been responsible for bringing a string of comedy successes to TV screens including Still Game, Gary Tank Commander and Limmy, says: “This fantastic range of programmes highlights the quality of comedy talent in Scotland. Developing comedy writing, production and performance is one of BBC Scotland’s priorities and it’s great news that we have so much to offer our audiences in the coming months.”

JW4

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