Stars behind TV gem High Times are hoping for big comeback
Fans of one of Scottish television’s“hidden gems”have been enjoying an online reunion with its stars thanks to a team of West Lothian filmmakers.
The boys behind popular podcast ‘JibberJabber’ have reunited the cast of STV’s
BAFTA award-winning TV series ‘High Times’.
The show – written by John Rooney – is set in a Glasgow tower block and tells the story of Rab and Jake, their chaotic lifestyle and their larger-thanlife neighbours.
It ran for two series between 2004 and 2008 and starred Stephen McCole, who went on to appear in hit movies including‘Rushmore’, ‘The Outlaw King’and ‘The Wee Man’.
The show also stars his brother Paul – a regular face on Limmy’s Show – alongside John Morrison, Cora Bissett and Alison Peebles.
One of the names behind the ‘JibberJabber’podcast, Kevin Wells, said he reached out to Stephen McCole asking him to take part in a podcast and they have been friends since.
And he says he hopes the reunion will lead to a new lease of life, a special screening in Bathgate and the possibility of a third series for the show.
Kevin said:“The genius of that show was down to its writer, John Rooney.
“He won a BAFTA for it so it was really strange it got canned after just two series.
“It was one of these hidden gems so we wanted to speak to each cast member about their time on the show.
“Once lockdown is over, we hope to reunite the whole cast, possibly at Bathgate Cinema, and play an episode or two, because there is a lot of love for the show in Scotland.
“We also have a script for an episode that was never made so it would be great to have the cast read it out to the audience.”
Kevin said the JibberJabber team – himself along with Jordan McCaig, Sebastian Kulwicki, Todd Forrest and Callum Kerr – have also offered their services as filmmakers in the hope of securing a third series for the show.
And they are no strangers to rubbing shoulders with the stars, as they are currently in the process of filming a documentary about the life and career of musician Gerard MacMahon, the man behind countless film and TV soundtracks.
He is perhaps best known for writing the song‘Cry Little Sister’ on‘The Lost Boys’soundtrack and Kevin and the team brought him over from the US to perform at a special screening of the movie earlier in the year in
Bathgate. Kevin said the project is still progressing, despite lockdown, and Gerard is in discussions with Netflix for the rights of the documentary – once it is completed.
But turning back to‘High Times’, Kevin said he hopes a renewed interest in the show will lead to a new series.
He added:“Homegrown shows like ‘Still Game‘ and ‘Chewin’the Fat’ aren’t being made anymore and people need to laugh more than ever in 2020. We have said to them that as a podcast we have a full filming production available and if they need us we’ll do what we can to bring the show back into the mainstream.”
To listen to the podcast, visit www.jibberjabberpodcast. com.