Take a raucous road trip with the stars
HARD to imagine anyone who could hold their own in a duo with the formidable Miriam Margolyes – but Alan Cumming is the perfect sparring partner and travel companion.
The Hollywood actors and friends both have Scottish roots and plan to investigate them in a three-week campervan road trip.
Eighty-year-old Miriam’s father was an immigrant Glaswegian, while 56-year-old Alan was born and raised in Scotland.
“We’re driving around the land of our fathers,” says Alan.
“I’ll be showing Alan my Scottish bits,” adds Miriam, always looking for the innuendo.
They begin in Glasgow, stopping off at the street where Miriam’s Jewish family first arrived in Scotland. It makes Miriam feel “quite sad”.
There are other emotional moments – Alan is reminded of some painful childhood memories.
But there’s absolute joy when Alan reveals a special surprise at a tartan factory – he has commissioned their very own, personalised ‘Aliam’ tartan.
Alan chose all the colours for special reasons, including pink for lust ‘because we’re both lusty people’. It even has ‘rebel’ stitched into it.
Miriam couldn’t be more thrilled.
The pair enjoy sharing each other’s histories, from a rumoured dalliance in Alan’s ancestral past at Cawdor Castle that could see him related to nobility (a portrait hanging in a hall bears an uncanny resemblance to Alan), to a trip down memory lane for Miriam with actor Bill Paterson.
Miriam and Alan’s chemistry is excellent.
She calls him darling, he bats back the saucy comments.
Both have a naughty, outspoken, rebellious streak.
The result is a riot.