Scotch and Wry

Scotch and Wry was a Scottish comedy sketch show which was broadcast on BBC One Scotland and starred Rikki Fulton. After two series, in 1978 and 1979, the programme continued as a regular part of the channel's Hogmanay celebrations between 1980 and 1992. The show gave early exposure to actors like Gregor Fisher, Tony Roper, Gerard Kelly and Miriam Margolyes.

Very much a regional comedy show, the focus of Scotch and Wry was on predominantly Scottish (and in particular Glaswegian) humour - the viewer had to be familiar with the Glasgow Patter in order to understand many of the jokes. As a result, much of the humour was constructed around distinctly Glaswegian themes; such as the city's suburbs, its football clubs, and even its famous sectarian divide was also played for laughs. In later episodes, less of an emphasis was placed on this, and the writers began to draw on major news events that had happened during the previous year as their basis.

In many sketches, characters poked fun at Sydney Devine. He even appeared in a sketch once, a parody of Phantom of the Opera.

In later years it became customary of Scotch and Wry to include a post-closing credits sketch which was usually a dig at The Hogmanay Show which followed immediately afterwards. This usually involved Rikki Fulton interrupting a party to throw the television out the window before The Hogmanay Show started.

After the series ended, it was replaced by Jonathan Watson's football-themed sketch comedy show, Only an Excuse? in BBC Scotland's Hogmanay television lineup.

Characters

Principal and Recurring Characters

• The perennially depressed Reverend I.M. Jolly, who, with his catchphrase "Ah've had a helluva year", proved to be the most popular of several fictional ministers played by Fulton in "Last Call", a parody of Scottish Television's late-night "God slot" programme Late Call. Even after the series finished, Jolly's "Last Call" continued to be part of the Hogmanay programming. The Jolly monologues usually contained references to his mysterious wife "Ephesia", and the antics of church organist "Mr. Bampot" - neither of which are seen (but are referred to) in the spin-off series.

• Supercop, an incompetent traffic policeman with the catchphrase "OK, Stirling, oot the car!", only to find himself dealing with Batman, an extraterrestrial, DCI Jim Taggart, Dr Crippen or any other unlikely traffic offender.

• Dirty Dickie Dandruff, Gallowgate Gourmet, the unbelievably unhygienic television chef who would always say, Hullo and welcome to Dirty Dick's. (billed as "Dickie Dandruff's Delicatmessen")

• Aloycious {AKA Tam} McGlinchey, a colourful Rab C Nesbitt type character.

• Alky Broon, similar to the Dickie Dandruff character, who first appeared as a terminally unhygienic barber (in the 1983 show), then in 1993 as a cack-handed dentist.

• Ticket Clerk, an unnamed ticket clerk, intended to poke fun at British Rail. He regularly would pull the shutter down in front of an unfortunate passenger with the line the last train left five minutes ago.

Notable one-offs

• Rev. David Goodchild, from one of the most memorable Scotch and Wry sketches. He un-knowingly gets drunk during his "Last Call" after his water decanter is accidentally spiked with gin.

• Rev. W.E Free, a hypocritical Free Presbyterian minister who uses his "Last Call" to go into a diatribe about the "sins" of his parishioners - only to reveal he wished he could be as sinful as them.

• Rangers F.C. was parodied in one well-known sketch, in which the team's manager (played by Fulton) discovers a phenomenal talent, only to sour on him immediately when he finds out the player is Roman Catholic. The humor from the sketch derives from the manager's failed attempts to, as subtly as possible, find an excuse to not sign the young player.

• Big Chief Swift Half, an unemployed Glaswegian who dresses up as a Red Indian to get out of getting a job.

• Mrs Ida Closeshave, a woman who talked about the events of her missionary work on "Last Call"

• S.W Duff, a Funeral Director.

Parodies

• Bonnie Prince Charlie

• Robert the Bruce

• The Curries, a parody of the scottish singing duo, The Corries.

• Beechgrove Garden Presenters, a parody of the BBC Scotland gardening show which shows the two presenters (Fulton playing George Barron, and Gregor Fisher as Jim McColl) "growing" whisky.

• The Phantom of the Opera, in which Rikki plays The Phantom. He takes off his white mask to reveal there's nothing wrong with his face but his love interest runs off screaming. Then, he reveals his son, played by Sydney Devine.

Guest stars

Scotch and Wry also attracted many celebrity guests like Barry McGuigan, Jim Watt, Mark McManus, Gavin Hastings, Dougie Donnelly, and Archie Macpherson.

Spin-offs

In the mid 90's two home videos were released which depicted Rev I.M. Jolly in similar situations to which he mentioned on his Last Calls. The first, Jolly: A Man for All Seasons and a "christmas special", 'tis The Season to be Jolly.

Reprisals and Specials

Shortly after Rikki Fulton's death in 2004, BBC aired The Very Best of Scotch and Wry.

For Children in Need in 2009, Alex Salmond gave a message in the style of Rev I.M. Jolly's Last Calls.