STILL GAME: STILL BRILL
Show’s ghoulish new character gives telly legend the fright of her life
STILL Game star Jane McCarry has told how Craiglang’s undertaker terrified one of Scotland’s showbiz treasures on the set of River City. New recruit Bruce Morton, who plays the undertaker, sent shivers through Sheildinch when he turned up in costume at the canteen in the BBC Dumbarton studios, where both series are filmed. Jane said his creepy character gave octogenarian legend Una McLean the fright of her life. Jane said: “Una was in the River City canteen and Bruce had gone along in costume to get his lunch, but at that point nobody in the canteen knew who he was. Una spotted him and turned around to ask who that guy, saying she thought he looked scary.”
But Una was the victim of a terrifying joke. Jane added: “The folk Una was sitting with, who shall remain nameless, said to her, ‘Una, there’s nobody at that table.’ She was screaming for Christ almighty. It’s such a cruel thing but it was very funny.”
Jane says Bruce’s character Iain Duncan Sheathing has been invisible to fans watching filming, too, adding: “I was filming scenes on location with Bruce and, because people don’t know his character yet, they weren’t really coming up to him.”
But Bruce’s appearance in Still Game spells curtains for one of the cast. Ford Kiernan said: “Someone is going to die and that’s why the undertaker is here. The bookies have taken bets on who it is. But we’ve done a good job keeping people in the dark.”
“It’s good for us too,” joked co-star Greg Hemphill. “We’ve got a bloody fortune riding on it.”