'Rab C.Nesbitt' was one of the finest B.B.C. sitcoms of the '90's. Like the later 'Alan Partridge', the character originated in a sketch show - in this case, 'Naked Video'. Wearing a tattered suit ( with string vest ), clutching a rolled-up newspaper, and a blood-soaked bandage round his head, the drunken philosopher from Govan delivered rants through clenched teeth which he prefaced with: "I will tell you this, boy!". A lot of what he said made sense though. Gregor Fisher was loathe to take on the role originally as he initially perceived it to be a stereotype, but later changed his mind.
Our first sighting of 'Rab' was a vox pop item in which he described the then-Tory Government as 'jumped-up Fascist bastards'. He next appeared losing his rag in a D.W.P. office when the clerk refuses to give him benefit. He proved so popular he was eventually given his own show, commencing with the special 'Rab C.Nesbitt's Seasonal Greet'.
What followed was basically a comedy soap opera; Rab was married to Mary Doll ( Elaine C. Smith ) and had two sons - Gash ( Andrew Fairlie ) and Burney ( Eric Cullen ). Despite complaints from some English viewers about the incomprehensibility of the cast's accents, it caught on immediately.
Ian Pattison's superb scripts combined elements of traditional sitcom with black comedy, such as the episode where Rab thinks he's terminally ill. Gregor Fisher was magnificent as Rab, as was the rest of the cast, particularly Elaine C.Smith as 'Mary Doll', Tony Roper as his sex-mad pal 'Jamesie Cotter', and his faithless wife 'Ella' ( Barbara Rafferty ). Sean Scanlon was impressive in those episodes he did as 'Shug'. Guest-stars included the great Stanley Baxter, Jimmy Logan, Iain Cuthbertson, Rikki Fulton, and Russell Hunter. A young David Tennent made his television debut here. I must throw in a word of praise for David McNiven's splendid theme tune which caught the mood of the show so well.
When Eric Cullen went to prison, 'Burney' was replaced by cousin 'Screech' ( David Mackay ), but it just was not the same ( plans to reinstate the actor collapsed when he unexpectedly died during a minor operation ). Eventually, Gash married Bridie ( Nicola Park ) and fathered a child.
Given the show's immense popularity at the time, it is astonishing how few repeats there have been on B.B.C.-2. It is rather like 'The Goodies' in that respect. You can stick your plastic American rubbish such as 'Friends', I'll take Rab every time!
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