Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
ON TOUR WITH STILL GAME STARS
Radio presenter to host shows
An Airdrie friend- of-the-stars is helping to keep the legacy of Still Game alive and well by heading out on tour with three beloved performers from the hit BBC sitcom.
Radio presenter Ross Owen will hit the road with Paul Riley, Jane McCarry and Mark Cox, who played Winston, Isa and Tam respectively in the long-running series, for spin-off stage show “Still Gaun!” this autumn.
Ross, who will host each of the 22 dates and take questions from the audience for the talkative trio, took inspiration for the show from his hugely popular “An Evening With...” events held at Airdrie’s Penny Cars Stadium which has seen him bring the likes of Shaun Ryder, Grado and Still Game cocreators Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill to his home town.
Ross was the first port of call for Paul, Jane and Mark when they put the idea for “Still Gaun!” together at the start of this year, in response to demand from passionate Still Game fans.
Paul said: “We sat down on Hogmanay to have a blether. We just thought it would be a really good night out for folk.
“I’ve done a few of these type of things with Ross. What we want to do with this show is tell our own stories and our versions of events. We can talk about our experiences all day long.
“We did a dry run in my living room and stopped after 50 minutes as we’d hardly scratched the surface.”
Jane added: “Ross is very experienced at this type of event and the show is about the journey of our lives as friends.”
Ross is excited to team up with the funny favourites, telling the Advertiser: “I did interviews with Ford [Kiernan} and Greg [Hemphill] and they were telling me to get Jane involved in something as, just like her character Isa, she’s got the gift of the gab!
“People still watch Still Game all the time – some every single night – and fans didn’t want it to end so this gives us the chance to keep the show alive in some form.
“To have Paul, Jane and Mark together is fantastic as there will be a lot more interaction and stories and memories from their time on the show.
“Like my ‘An Evening With...’ events, there will be questions from the audience which will help dictate the subject matter of each show.
“It’s great that I’ve reached the stage in my career where I can get involved in such a big show alongside some of the most iconic Scottish actors; it will make my wee mammy proud!”
Jane said: “This show is going to be about our experiences of playing the characters, but it’s so much more than that.
“It’s about the journeys of our lives as friends and the opportunities Still Game has given us.
“Ford and Greg have already both done events like this with Ross. I’m sure they’ll be absolutely 100 per cent in favour of what we’re doing.”
Mark added: “We will have very special guests, including other characters from the show [Still Game], joining us at many of the venues.
“There will be a proper set design with a contemporary take on the pensioners’ high-rise flats in the TV show.”
Ross has revealed that demand for the “Still Gaun!” dates is already “very high”, with the show previewing at the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock in June before a nationwide tour in September and October at venues including Motherwell Concert Hall, the King’s theatres in Glasgow and Edinburgh and visits to the likes of Ayr, St Andrews and Stranraer.
And, if Ross has his way, there is a chance the “evening of fun, laughter and memories” could come to his home town.
Ross said: “I am working on potentially bringing ‘Still Gaun!’ to Airdrie; finding a suitable venue is the key.
“I would love to host the show in Airdrie as it’s my home town and I think Monklands audiences would take to it really well.”
To view all of the “Still Gaun!” dates, and the hosting venues’ contact details to book tickets in advance, visit https:// adobe. ly/37I4DWf