Ninth series will be its last

Still Game is to come to an end at the end of the next series, creators Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill have revealed. 

The move will mean the end of the road for their alter-egos Jack Jarvis, and Victor  McDade  21 years after they made their debut at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Their characters were revived four years ago for a run at the Glasgow Hydro, which prompted a TV comeback after a nine-year hiatus – with the show promoted to a nationwide BBC One slot.

Hemphill said: ‘We’ve had an amazing run, but one of our hopes when we brought the show back was that we would get the opportunity to finish Jack, Victor and the gang’s journey. We feel that time is upon us. We hope you will join us later in the year to see how the story ends!

Kiernan added: ‘I can’t believe 21 years have passed in what, for us, has been an outstanding experience of collaboration, storytelling and performing. But above all being fortunate to entertain people and make them smile. So when the last episode airs we hope your memories of our little gang will be fond ones.’

Filming on the final series stars  at BBC Scotland’s Dumbarton Studios and around Glasgow next month.

Shane Allen, the BBC’s controller of comedy commissioning, paid tribute to thepair.

He said: 'Ford and Greg have achieved that rare beauty of making a modern classic sitcom that has made millions laugh and will be enjoyed for decades to come. This new series is another riot of rich character-based comedy and sees all our old pals from Craiglang off in style.’

The last series of six episodes will air later this year

Also returning are Jane McCarry (Isa), Sanjeev Kohli (Navid), Gavin Mitchell (Boabby), Paul Riley (Winston) and Mark Cox (Tam).

Published: 13 Jul 2018