Still Game final series to launch new BBC Scotland channel

The ninth run of the show will be broadcast there first, before airing on BBC1 at a later date.

Still Game, which has been a smash hit in Scotland since it first launched in 2002, follows the adventures of two Glaswegian pensioners, Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade.

The series, which started as a stage play in 1997, has since become the most-watched TV programme in Scotland for over a decade, attracting more than half of the viewing audience.

Speaking ahead of the show’s finale, writer and star Greg Hemphill explained, “We're absolutely thrilled to be launching Scotland's brand new digital channel with the last ever series of Still Game.

“Jack and Victor are a bottle being smashed on the bow of a beautiful ship.”

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Ford Kiernan, who co-wrote the show and also stars, added, “Scotland is where Still Game’s roots began and it’s right the story comes to an end here."

In June this year, Ofcom green-lit the BBC’s director-general Tony Hall’s notion of a digital Scottish channel, with its initial budget of £32 million.

The channel, which is expected to broadcast from 7pm until midnight, aims to reflect and explore typical Scottish life.

As well as Still Game, other shows for BBC Scotland include an alternative tour of Scotland and a car-based game show.

Steve Carson, BBC Scotland’s Head of Multi-Platform Commissioning, explained, “To have this iconic Scottish comedy launching on BBC Scotland is great news for our audiences and a fitting farewell to the gang that have made the nation laugh for over a decade.

"Ford and Greg are bringing Still Game home to Scotland and we are thrilled to have the final series at the heart of the BBC Scotland channel launch."

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