Stillbellaafteralltheseyears: Gregory’s
The best days of our lives as cast and creator share memories and
Forty years ago this month, Gregory’s Girl captured the hearts of cinemagoers. Despite its low budget, Bill Forsyth’s coming-of-age romantic comedy about a schoolboy goalie who falls for his female centre-forward delighted fans and critics alike with its quirky tale of teenage angst, first love and football.
Apart from a few well-known adults, such as comedian Chic Murray, the film’s cast consisted largely of unknown young actors.
However, it made stars of John Gordon Sinclair, Dee Hepburn and Clare Grogan, while its cinematographer, Mike Coulter, would go on to work on such successes as Four Weddings And A Funeral, Notting Hill, Sense And Sensibility, and Love Actually, earning himself an
Oscar nomination. The film also paved the way for a new wave of Scots movies, ranging from Local Hero to Shallow Grave and Trainspotting, and put Scotland – especially Cumbernauld – firmly on the world movie-making map.
Why Cumbernauld? “At the time there was huge unemployment in Glasgow with heavy industries closing and strikes,” recalls Bill Forsyth. “The city wasn’t looking or feeling its best.”
On the other hand, Cumbernauld was only 10 years old, a new town set between Glasgow and Edinburgh. When it was built, TV adverts tried to tempt people to make it their new home with the cheery reminder – “What’s it called? Cumbernauld”.
Bill Forsyth and Gregory’s Girl took up the challenge, portraying the Lanarkshire town as a youthful oasis of smart, sparky women and permanent sunshine where “there’s definitely something in the air” as schoolboy Andy (Rab Buchanan) excitedly declares to his pal.
To celebrate its 40th birthday, The Sunday Post revisits the movie’s most-loved moments with Bill and some of his stars.