They have made us laugh for the last two decades and their fond farewell had the nation in tears.
But for their next trick, could Still Game’s Jack and Victor be about to save us from Brexit?
Greg Hemphill and Ford Kiernan are staging a final live show in October – two weeks before the latest deadline for leaving the European Union.
The Craiglang crew’s Hydro debut came five years ago, the night after the Scottish independence referendum, and that sellout reunion show was seen as a coming together after the heated constitutional debate.
And while the Hydro dates were booked long before the latest EU exit date was set, the Scots comedy stars hope fans can have a break from politics for a hilarious night out.
Greg said: “It’s like a coming together before Brexit. The first night of the first show was the day after the independence referendum and it’s a really strange bookend to think the last shows are on the 13th of October with Brexit scheduled for the 31st.
“We don’t want to get political about it but that’s a very strange set of circumstances that was completely accidental.
“We’ve always prided ourselves on avoiding politics with the show as well as football and religion – we wanted it to appeal to as many people as possible.
“Jack and Victor are for everybody. There’s a reason we never find out what team Oor Wullie supports.”
Ford said: “There’s plenty of satire shows out there to go to, that’s not our bag. We don’t want to be dividing the audience, and that’s not to do with any detriment to sales, it’s because people are out for a laugh.
“We don’t need to be challenging them on their opinions and what’s happening in government.”
The two men revived their characters with that 21-night Hydro run in September and October 2014, so it’s only fitting they lay them to rest, properly, at the same Glasgow venue.
They love getting the chance to play with the vast open space and are about to launch into rehearsals.
“You’re much more free with things at the Hydro. In theory, you can do anything,” Greg said. “We are trying to create a party atmosphere, a going away party.
“Without saying too much, it picks up where the TV show leaves off.”
Ford said: “The first one was very much a reunion show so the anticipation on the audience part was different and for our part we hadn’t done a stadium show before. You’re not tied to the sitcom half-hour.”
Greg said: “It is the last farewell, and we want to be clear about that. A lot of guys say, ‘They are going to do something and then come back in two years’ time.’
“It feels like we have come to the end of the road with these characters, and it’s been amazing.”
“Ford and Greg are open to ideas for the next stage of their careers. Ford said: “We’re still young, relatively speaking, so it’s about hanging fire and seeing what presents itself.”
When it does come to an end, Ford predicts Jane McCarry (Isa) and Gavin Mitchell (Boaby) will be the first to get teary. Although Paul Riley (Winston), Mark Cox (Tam) and Sanjeev Kohli (Navid) won’t be far behind.
Greg, 49, and Ford, 57, will always cherish the fun of Still Game, and the legacy they are leaving for themselves when they become OAPs themselves.
Greg said: “I will use Still Game as a guide for how to act in old age – we’ve written ourselves a handy guide to the next third of our lives.”
Ford refuses to grow old gracefully, saying: “I just bought a JBL boombox and I’m 57. Our generation are quite lucky in that we were on that cusp of technology and the digital world.
“I’m quite confident how pension age is going to go, and I’d like to stay as mellow and as connected to friends as Jack and Victor.”
And while they have both been 100 per cent committed to the idea of a final ending, their seven years off air have prepared them for the fact the public will keep asking them about it.
Ford said: “When we stopped the show, it never went away, whether you were in B&Q or the pub, people would be saying, ‘Bring it back, bring it back’.
“You get used to fielding it – it’s a nice thing for people to have fond memories. The reply this time will just be, ‘No, we’re finished with that.’”
(Image: BBC)
Greg reckons they’ve picked the right time. He said: “We love the characters as much as the audience do. It was sad for us to announce but we’re sticklers for not outstaying our welcome. We did it with Chewin’ the Fat – we didn’t do a fifth series when the BBC offered it.
“And we’ve not been without our critics since we brought it back, but it’s water off a duck’s back for Ford and I because we remember people saying in series four that it had lost its lustre but nobody says that now.
“We’re finishing the series with the same viewing figures as we had in series one and we know in our heads it’s the same as it always was. It only looks different because we got older.”
He added: “Something we have come to realise after nine series is that one of the things that makes it unique is the idea it’s young people inside old people, which is a great metaphor.
“Seeing us all at 75 playing 75-year-olds would be a bit sad. It wouldn’t have the same power.”
● The final Still Game shows are at the SSE Hydro, Glasgow, from September 27 to October 13. For the last tickets, see ticketmaster.co.uk.
