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Rab C. Nesbitt
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Ian Pattison
Starring	Gregor Fisher Elaine C. Smith Andrew Fairlie 1988-2008 Eric Cullen Tony Roper Barbara Rafferty
Theme music composer	David McNiven
Country of origin	Scotland
Language(s)	English/Scots
No. of seasons	8
No. of episodes	53 (List of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	Colin Gilbert
Location(s)	Govan, Glasgow, Scotland
Running time	48x 30 minutes 2x 40 minutes 1x 45 minutes 1x 50 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC Two
Picture format	4:3 (1990-1998) 16:9 (1999, 2008-)
Original run	21 December 1988 – 18 June 1999 23 December 2008 - present

Rab C. Nesbitt is a Scottish sitcom that originally ran from 1988 til 1999 and then 2008 til present. Produced by BBC Scotland, it starred Gregor Fisher as an alcoholic Glaswegian who believed unemployment was the life for him. He was originally a regular in the BBC 2 sketch series Naked Video (1986-1990).

The pilot, made for BBC Scotland in 1988, a Christmas special entitled Rab C Nesbitt's Seasonal Greet, repeated on the network the following year. The first series began on 27 September 1990 and continued for seven more, ending on 18 June 1999 and returning with a one-off special on 23 December 2008.^[1]

A new series of six episodes is currently in production and will air in 2010.

Ian Pattison created and wrote all 53 episodes. They approached darker topics than usually encountered in sitcoms (although almost always in a blackly comedic manner rather than a serious one), among them cannibalism, contract killings on the homeless, suicide, incest, anal sex, sexual harassment, neo-Nazism, mental illness, zoophilia, murder of suspects by police officers while in custody, alcoholism, organised crime, devil worship, mass long-term unemployment, sexually transmitted disease, mariticide, the Holocaust, drug dealing,necrophilia infidelity, police brutality, gun crime, ringworm, domestic violence, transsexuality, shoplifting, infertility, drug abuse, alcohol-induced cirrhosis, eating Rottweiler flesh, murder and cancer. Often several normally unapproachable subjects were used in the same episode.

The series featured Norman Lovett, Peter Mullan, Rikki Fulton, Anita Dobson, Timothy Spall, Stanley Baxter, Clive Russell, Jerry Sadowitz, Viv Lumsden, Sylvester McCoy, Russell Hunter and then unknowns David Tennant, Ashley Jensen, Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill, Karen Dunbar, Jane McCarry and Paul Riley.

Cast and characters

The Nesbitt family

• Robert "Rab" C. Nesbitt (Gregor Fisher): alcoholic in denial, deadbeat, self-styled "street philosopher" and "sensitive big bastard", although "sensitive by Govan standards, y'understand, y'know. Ah awiz keep mah pinkie oot wan ah batter sumwan oer the heid wi a basebaw bat." Described by his wife Mary as not "an unemployed person" but "the original unemployed person", Rab is very rarely seen in anything other than a pinstripe suit in very poor condition, rotting plimsolls, a filthy headband and a string vest. He has two sons, Gash and Burney. Rab has four brothers, all dead; Rab only survived because he was the only one out of the five who was able to understand the benefits form (however, one brother Gash at least, is still alive). He claims to have been talented as a teenager, but never went anywhere with it due to Govan-dwellers being scared of talent when they saw it and tried "tae batter it tae death wi' empty wine bottles".

• Mary "Mary Doll" Nesbitt (Elaine C. Smith): Rab's long-suffering wife, more functional and aspirational than her husband. Claims that on the day she was born it was a toss-up whether she or the dog's litter would end up at the bottom of the river Clyde in a sack (Burney: "She won. There's nae bloody justice, eh?").

• Gash Nesbitt (Andrew Fairlie) (1988-2008) (Iain Robertson) (2009-): The Nesbitts' elder son. Described by his father as "so anal-retentive he's still shitein rusks." Has dabbled with Christianity, hard drugs, Hare Krishna, Scottish nationalism, and ram-raiding BT shops in his efforts to find himself.

• Burney Nesbitt (Eric Cullen): the couple's younger son (the first three seasons only). Briefly dabbled with neo-Nazism. Was also discovered to be gifted at painting, although gave up on this avenue when he realised it wasn't getting him sex. Apparently has "a tattoo awn mah erse an baws like gooseberries". Referred to as "that wee bendy toy" by Gash. Actor Eric Cullen left the programme following series 3 due to personal problems to be replaced by David McKay's Screech. Cullen died in 1996, and in the 2008 Christmas special it is revealed that Burney died in a 'ramming' accident.

• Screech Nesbitt (David McKay): Rab's nephew (replaces Cullen in the fourth, fifth, and six season). Actor David McKay earlier portrayed Young Young McGurn's son Bimbo in "That's Entertainment".

• The other Gash Nesbitt (Sylvester McCoy): Rab's brother, who he named his son after. Gash Sr. was once highly intelligent but very sensitive, and developed mental illness either following or coinciding with a period of particularly intense ill treatment by Rab and their father. Gash is usually a resident of a special home, yet managed to escape (or merely unconsciously wandered away) to be briefly taken in by the rest of the Nesbitt family during the episode "Father".

The Cotter family

• James Aaron "Jamesie" Cotter (Tony Roper): Rab's longtime friend, as well as chronic serial philanderer and self-described 'scumbag'. Jamesie is always seen with his trademark shabby sports jacket and bottle of Irn-Bru. Possesses an odd obsession with the imprints he leaves when stepping in puddles with trainers, a habit that very nearly got him eaten by Yum Yum McGurn. "Some men climb Everest, some men write symphonies, but Jamesie Cotter left a good imprint when he stood in a puddle." Despite his womanising, Jamesie is infertile and allegedly poorly-endowed, according to his wife Ella. It was revealed in the special episode "Fitba" that Jamesie had played football for Third Lanark A.C..

• Ella Cotter (Barbara Rafferty): Jamesie's fiery wife, with her red beehive haircut and leopard skin coat. Seems to loathe her husband and frequently considers murdering him, and has stabbed him at least once.

The Two Ways Inn regulars

• Andra (Brian Pettifer): one of Rab's best friends, described more than once as looking "like a Ninja Turtle". Married to a woman called Bobbie who he is so repulsed by that he dry heaves when thinking about sleeping with her.

• Dodie (Alex Norton/Iain McColl): another of Rab's best friends. Is implied to be fond of unconventional methods of intoxication (e.g. sniffing shoe polish).

• Dougie (Charlie Sim): The barman of the Two Ways Inn.

• Norrie (John Kazek): The barman of the Two Ways Inn. Norrie takes over the running of the pub after Dougie gives up the job.

Recurring cast members

• Phoebe (Sara Corper / Sarah Crowden): An extremely middle-class English woman, married to Hugh.
• Hugh/"Shug" (Sean Scanlan): A relative of the Nesbitts, Hugh feigns Englishness or at least pretends to be a middle-class Scot from Berwick-upon-Tweed due to Scottish cultural cringe and the distaste displayed at anything working-class and/or Scottish on the part of his wife Phoebe. Rab grows to dislike Shug as Rab feels that Shug is willing to do anything for Scotland - except actually live in it. As soon as it suits him, Shug scurries off back to England and his wife, a habit that very nearly got Rab killed by a hitman in "Pie".
  During that episode, and a nervous breakdown of sorts on Shug's part occasioned by the (further) degradation of his marriage to Phoebe, Shug started "Shug's Pie Shop" in Govan, convinced that he could do better than the unhealthy mutton pies available and popular at the time. However, the only real novelty introduced with his mutton pies was changing the shape from round to square.

Notable one-time characters

• John William Pure Mad Mental Intae Yoor Body Simpson Craig Gemmell Chib The Bam Rib-Racker No Real Young Rebel Ya Bas St. John McGurn aka Young Young McGurn (Maurice Roeves) from 'That's Entertainment': a local "psychotic, with cannibalistic tendencies" who regularly threatens to eat people who displease him. McGurn's family burgle and vandalise local houses with impunity. Unfortunately for Jamesie Cotter, he chose to "whap the meat oop" McGurn's daughter Tracey, a fact that very nearly got him eaten himself.

• Peter The Warlock (Peter Mullan) from 'Life Has Meaning': a Devil worshipper who, after feeling insulted by Rab, places a hex on him, resulting in a dart embedding itself into Rab's cranium. Owns a cloak allegedly once owned by Aleister Crowley (but is most often seen naked) as well as a dog with a unicorn-like horn. Last seen sprinting naked down the street pursued by a furious, pitchfork wielding, Rab.

• Davina (David Tennant); a transsexual barmaid who, despite highly speculated gender, holds the affection of everyone.

Episodes

The programme began being broadcast on 27 September 1990 and originally finished on 18 June 1999 but returned for a Christmas special on 23 December 2008, however the show will return for a new series of 6 episodes in 2010.

Seasons

In addition to the eight series, the Christmas specials "A Seasonal Greet" and "Clean", the two other feature length specials "Fitba" and "Home", and a live show have been released.

There are also a novel entitled A Stranger Here Myself, written as Rab's autobiography, and two script books.

References

1. ^ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcasting/a125638/rab-c-nesbitt-to-return-on-bbc-two.html

External links

• Rab C. Nesbitt at BBC Online Comedy Guide
• Rab C. Nesbitt at Phill.co.uk
• Rab C. Nesbitt at British Film Institute Screen
• Rab C. Nesbitt at The Comedy Unit
• Rab C. Nesbitt at the Internet Movie Database