'Rab C. Nesbitt' is what I regard to be the finest television creation of all time. The likable drunken street philosopher from Govan, played so wonderfully by Gregor Fisher, was first seen as a regular character on the brilliant BBC2 sketch show 'Naked Video', wearing a shabby pin-striped suit over a tattered string vest, as well as a bloodied bandage around his head. Rab appeared each week delivering rants, usually prefaced with the catchphrase ''I will tell you this, boy!'', on subjects as diverse as politics, the entitlement of state benefits, modern television and N. H. S cuts. Gregor Fisher initially refused to play the role as he felt the character presented a bad image for the West of Scotland, however, after much badgering, he later relented.
The character became so popular that its creator Ian Pattison and 'Naked Video' producer Colin Gilbert decided to give him his own show, kicking off with the seasonal pilot episode - 'Rab C. Nesbitt's Seasonal Greet'.
As I earlier stated, Rab lives in Govan, is married to Mary Nesbitt ( Elaine C. Smith ) and has two sons - Gash ( Andrew Fairlie, later Iain Robertson ) and Burney ( Eric Cullen ). His best friend is Jamesie Cotter ( Tony Roper ), a sleazy love rat if ever there was one. His wife Ella ( Barbara Rafferty ) is well aware of his philandering but on occasions has shown to be just as bad as her husband. Much of the humour came from Rab's from the heart rants about society, though unlike the earlier 'Alf Garnett', what Rab said had a great deal of logic to it.
With its consistently well-written scripts by Ian Pattison and brilliant acting not only from Gregor Fisher, but also the support cast, particularly Tony Roper and Eric Cullen, 'Rab C. Nesbitt' was a huge hit nationwide. Fisher's portrayal of a drunk is nothing short of outstanding. So convincing is he that at times it seems like you can smell the booze on his breath. As well as being funny, 'Rab C.' also contains some dramatic elements, such as when Rab was diagnosed with stomach cancer and fought for his life. Impressive guest appearances included Rikki Fulton, Stanley Baxter, Anita Dobson, Gerard Kelly, Russell Hunter, John Gordon Sinclair and Richard E. Grant.
Eric Cullen was written out after series three following imprisonment for being found in possession of child pornography and was replaced by David McKay as cousin Screech. McKay's character was nothing more than an unnecessary substitute and was soon dropped. Plans to later reinstate Burney were thwarted when Eric Cullen died from a heart attack whilst undergoing a minor operation. Later episodes saw the appearance of Gash's girlfriend Bridie ( Nicola Park ) with whom he had a daughter named Peaches ( Rachel Crossan, then Anna Devitt ).
After eight series, plus a stage show tour in 1992, 'Rab C. Nesbitt' was put on hiatus in 1999 when Fisher wished to pursue other projects but returned in triumph in 2008 with an excellent Christmas special which saw Rab give up alcohol and become leader of a temperance group while his wife Mary started up a cleaning company called 'The House Mice' with Ella. The success of the special led to a ninth series in 2010. Though it had its moments, it wasn't as funny as before, mainly due to the recasting of Gash. 'Sea Of Souls' actor Iain Robertson was all wrong for the role. In 2011, Pattison made the mistake of writing a tenth series. By this point it was clear that the show had run out of ideas. Rab ending up in bed with Jamesie following a drugs trip was almost as absurd as Rab and Jamesie starting up their own cleaning business called 'Hunks For Hire'. At the beginning of this year, 'Rab C. Nesbitt' bowed out with a superb special episode entitled 'Rab In Hoodie' in which Rab became a self-styled 'Robin Hood' and stole from the rich to give to the scum!
Nearly thirty years on since its original transmission, 'Rab C. Nesbitt' remains as hilarious as ever. In a recent documentary, Gregor told a story of how he was once accosted by a drunk man who clearly was not a fan of the show - ''I wish you'd go and take a f**k to yourself, ya bastard, you're giving this place a f**king bad name!''. As Gregor himself said, the gentleman clearly did not realise the irony of his remark!
Favourite episode? 'Clean', the 2008 special. Hilarious from beginning to end. Second favourite episode? 'Community', mainly because of a memorable guest role by the much missed Rikki Fulton.
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