Success kills off 'McSocrates', Scotland's working-class hero
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.He was the epitome of Scotland's rejection of Thatcherism: surly, scruffy, unemployed and with an attitude problem. But now Rab C Nesbitt, Scotland's favourite comic philosopher, is to hang up his string vest.
He was the epitome of Scotland's rejection of Thatcherism: surly, scruffy, unemployed and with an attitude problem. But now Rab C Nesbitt, Scotland's favourite comic philosopher, is to hang up his string vest.
The heavy-drinking character, played by Gregor Fisher, was once called "McSocrates with a drink problem". His staple diet of a "poke" of chips fits the stereotype of the working-class Glaswegian. Nesbitt may still evoke a recognisable aspect of Scottish life, but Fisher's off-screen graduation to a house in the country and a Jaguar convertible, thanks to his fee of £250,000 a series, has left him tired of the part.
Audiences for Rab C Nesbitt have been falling for some time, after 15 years and 55 episodes of Rab's life in Wine St, Govan, on BBC2. And even though the BBC wanted to make a ninth series, his declining popularity seemed to echo the fact that Scotland is changing from the land of angry shipyard workers that Nesbitt represented.
Govan, birthplace of Sir Alex Ferguson and Billy Connolly, is no longer a hub of national discontent. Unemployment is one-third of its level in the mid- Eighties, much of the tenement housing is gone and a science park is being built there, as well as BBC Scotland's home.
But Rab will certainly not disappear. Many of the words in his patter have become part of the national language, words such as bampot or dunderheid, for idiot; boak, which means sick; and swally, a booze-up.
Ian Pattison, creator and writer, said: "Rab's now got a bad back, he drinks a lot less than he used to and he wears spectacles because he was having increasing difficulty reading. The character has evolved over the years, as we all have, and who knows where we'll all be in a couple of years."
In the meantime, nostalgic Scots can look forward to an "autobiography" of Rab C Nesbitt, which Mr Pattison said he is planning to write.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments