STILL GAME

BBC1, 9.30pm

Even taking into account the nine-year gap between the sixth and seventh series of this sitcom, pensioners Jack and Victor have been with us for a long time.

Writers and stars Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill first played the characters in a stage play in the mid-1990s before incorporating them into the sketch show Chewin’ the Fat.

They got their own series, Still Game, which launched in 2002 and originally ran until 2007, before going on hiatus. And when it came back in 2016, it was arguably more popular than ever – that seventh run became the most-watched non-sporting programme in Scotland in over a decade.

For Greg, the success is all the sweeter due to just how long he’s been wearing Victor’s comfy shoes: “It feels fantastic and exciting and the fact that it didn’t happen overnight means it’s very special. These characters have been with Ford and I for over 20 years.

“They’ve changed and mutated over time. They look different. It’s like watching an early episode of The Simpsons where they’re not drawn quite the same. It’s exciting after all this time to find new viewers to come along and love Still Game.”

This week, there’s a bit of a change of scene as the pensioners discover that the reason Navid (Sanjeev Kohli, pictured below) has been shutting the shop early on Fridays is so he can escape with Meena to his newly acquired caravan for a bit of peace and quiet.

Jack and Victor ask if they can borrow it for a holiday of their own, but Navid turns them down until they wheel out their best sob stories. The shopkeeper hands over the keys on the understanding it’s for one night only but may still live to regret it when Winston gatecrashes Jack and Victor’s boys’ trip.