Angus Dreichmor Returns (Again?)
Devotees of radio comedy may remember a series called Naked Radio. It spawned so many characters and careers and its legacy lives on in programmes such as Watson's Wind Up and the recent revival of Rab C. Nesbitt.
But one of my all-time favourite sketches from that original radio series involved a spoof of the kind long-running social history programmes that were a staple of the Radio Scotland schedule in the early days. I can't remember the exact wording of the sketch but it went something like this:
PRESENTER: Today and for the next thirty weeks we'll be tracing the history of the Scottish potato. With me now is farmer Jack. Now you must have some very funny stories to tell about Scottish potatoes?
The sketch continued with the farmer struggling though his laughter to describe the day that he found a potato in the shape of a man's head. Both he and the presenter then guffawed at the very thought of such an unusual find.
It concluded with the presenter asking the following question:
PRESENTER. But tell me, have you got any advice for young drug addicts out there?
What tickled me about that sketch was the juxtaposition of cosy rural nostalgia with a question about the realities of life in urban contemporary Scotland. I often cite this when I talk to programme makers about the range of our output and the awkward gear changes that can result.
It was only recently, however, that I discovered who had written that sketch. It was Neil MacVicar who also created the character of Angus Dreichmor, the surly crofter struggling to come to terms with modern life. Angus was a popular feature on the old Tom Morton morning show and we recently resurrected him to host an edition of the Comedy Zone.
Today I met up with Neil to talk about what he and Angus might do next. We tossed around a few ideas; Angus as an agony aunt, hosting a comedy celidh or how about Angus being grilled by a hard-hitting journalist like Kirsty Wark?
So will Angus return once more?
Watch this space.
Comments
or to comment.