THE STILL GAME STAR TALKS TO AM
Gill Sherry
“I’m wandering about a park, which is decidedly dodgy!”
These are virtually the first words spoken by Gavin Mitchell when he answers my call. A series of disturbing images run through my head, none of which are helped by the sound of heavy breathing.
“It’s actually quite nice,” he adds, “the sun’s just come out.”
This paints a much brighter picture, so once the heavy breathing has stopped, I ask him how his acting career began.
“I’m untrained, which you can probably tell once you’ve watched me.”
He’s laughing now, which seems appropriate coming from an actor best known for his comedy roles.
“Being a working-class kid of my age group from Springburn, the idea of acting wasn’t open to someone like me. I come from that generation where I was plonked in front of the television. I watched a lot of 60s and 70s tele, played games and did impersonations.”
His family, he tells me, moved around a lot when he was a child. As a result, he went to lots of different schools.
“I found it was quite a defensive thing… I made people laugh and I could do impersonations. I never realised what I was doing was, in a way, storing up for the future.”
At that time, Gavin was interested in art and later found himself doing casual work painting the sets at Citizens Theatre in Glasgow.
“I’d done all sorts of different things. A friend of mine had been a joiner… he got casual work at the theatre as a carpenter. Both of us were unemployed, we didn’t really know where we were going with our lives. There was a ‘look’ at the Citizens back then – peely-wally, black-haired and skinny – which I was in those days! He had no aspirations to be on the stage, but he said, ‘They’ve asked me to do this show’ and I was like, ‘I’d love to do that!’ so he said, ‘If you do it, I’ll do it’ and we shook on it. And that was it. It all started with a dare.”
That very first show was titled ‘Tis Pitty She’s a Whore’. Why am I not surprised?
“We were extras,” he recalls, “and we ended up throwing people on a giant bonfire and burning them to death! It was a great way to start… and it’s not the first time that’s happened in the Gorbals!”
He’s laughing again, but I soon learn that despite his outward confidence, Gavin does harbour an element of self-doubt.
“I was an extra on sets for about four or five years, so I learned on the job. I was paranoid for years that I was untrained.”
Even when he was nominated for Best Actor at The Scottish Comedy Awards in 2019, his lack of ‘proper’ training prevented him from believing he would win.
“I honestly didn’t think I had a chance. It was amazing because of who I was up against… there was a list of people far more experienced and worthy than me. I was quite surprised when my name got called.”
The same year, Gavin was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters by Glasgow Caledonian University.
“It was a great year, before everything went horribly wrong!”
He’s referring to the pandemic rather than any personal disaster.
“It was an honour,” he says of the Best Actor award. “It’s voted for by your contemporaries, so it was lovely, it meant a lot to me. I think when you get something either from the people you work with, or the fans, it really means a lot.”
The same year, in addition to Gavin winning Best Actor for his role as Robert “Boabby” Taylor, Still Game won Best TV Show. Was he surprised by the show’s popularity?
“Yeah, I think we all were. It’s bizarre, if you knew why it worked, you’d bottle it! Nobody quite expected it and it’s hard to tell why it is so popular. I have my own ideas… it’s got good heart, it tells the truth, and it’s got a brilliant sense of community. It’s also universal. What’s been fascinating about it since it went on Netflix is that we now have fans from all over the world.”
Apparently, people from Japan and Zimbabwe seem to love it but not, it seems, people from a little closer to home.
“Ironically, no offence, you meet people from London who go, ‘I just don’t get it, mate, it’s Jock humour innit?’”
His cockney accent is pretty good! And despite being English myself, I’m certainly not offended by what I already know to be true. And let’s be honest, the figures speak for themselves. Sixty-two episodes of Still Game were aired on TV spanning 18 years and nine series (plus seasonal specials). The sit-com won 14 major awards and went on to entertain tens of thousands of fans as a live show.
“It was originally meant to be four shows, but we ended up playing the Hydro 51 times to about 12,000 people a show, which is pretty mad!”
There’s a pause in our conversation while Gavin deals with a pack of dogs…
“I must smell beautiful!” he jokes.
His humour prompts me to ask about his various TV roles (Monarch of the Glen, The Field of Blood, Still Game, The Last Czars…) and whether he prefers comedy or straight acting.
“I do the job because I like the variety. I’ve never been that aspirational or really ambitious. I like bumbling around and seeing what’s around the corner and what interests me. But I think I prefer straight acting. A lot of people say comedy is the most difficult thing you’ll do but I find the opposite. I find it more challenging doing straight stuff.”
There’s no denying, though, that most people associate Gavin with comedy.
“I’m often referred to as an actor/comedian, but I’m not a comedian. There’s always been this funny thing about it. I remember years ago I took over as the new pathologist in Taggart. Quite a few people wouldn’t take it seriously!”
He feels very fortunate to be able to do both. In fact, he’s also done theatre, opera and radio.
“I’ve done all sorts of things. I think that’s what keeps you fresh and excited. Oh, a dog’s just dropped a ball at my feet!”
I feel as though I’m listening to a radio drama which, I soon learn, is actually Gavin’s preferred method of acting.
“To be honest, if I had to choose my favourite thing, it would probably be radio. I find radio really exciting because it’s one of the few places where you can do anything. You get to play all sorts of parts that you’d never get to play on screen or at the theatre. And you get to use your voice and accents. Plus, you can turn up looking as if you’ve just fallen out of bed, and you get to drink tea and eat biscuits!”
Of course, as with any job, the people you work with can also make a huge difference, and Gavin has been fortunate to work with many talented actors – Douglas Henshall, Glenda Jackson and Robin Williams to name just three. No doubt these names, and others, will be mentioned in his upcoming show, Look Who It Isnae – An Evening With Gavin Mitchell. But what else can we expect when he takes to the stage at Cumnock Town Hall on 26th April?
“Expect the unexpected!” he says, before elaborating: “It’s a journey through my life… how I became the famous ‘Two Pints Prk’ behind the bar. The people I’ve worked with, various tales from backstage at Still Game, and the stories of some of the people that I’ve met. I’ve been called a prk the world over!”
I’m just calculating the number of asterisks I’m likely to need for this written interview when he continues his summary of his live show.
“There’s the opportunity for the audience to ask me questions – anything they want – which 99% of the time turns out to be the best part of the show! There’ll be some photos and wee clips that people haven’t seen, and some personal stuff of mine. But a lot of it will just go where the night takes us, that’s part of the fun really.”
Those lucky enough to have seen Gavin’s show in Stewarton in March will know what an entertaining evening it promises to be.
Back in the park, the heavy breathing has returned…
“I’m just going up a hill. I’m getting so old!”
At 60 years of age, I’m sure there’s plenty of life in the old dog yet. And talking of dogs…
“I could bore your a**e off about Bob the dog!” he says, referring to his own four-legged friend. The story about Bob is…”
As amusing as this particular tale is, I’m keeping it to myself. If you want to hear more, you’ll have to buy a ticket for his show! What I can tell you, is what Gavin is planning next.
“This is my passion project,” he confirms. “During the pandemic, quite a few libraries in Glasgow were being closed. I’m a big bibliophile… and my wee dog, Bob, and I used to go and demonstrate in our local library. Eventually, a group of us managed to save five or six libraries.”
Following his campaign, he came up with idea of making a documentary about the importance of libraries and the transformative power of literature.
“That’s where your dreams are, that’s where self-improvement lies, that’s your escape route. That’s why they’re so important and so undervalued. Dreams are being taken away from people and I’m very much against that.”
It’s clearly a subject he feels very passionate about. And he’s not the only one.
“I’ve got various people involved… Irvine Welsh, Ian Rankin, Louise Welsh. I spent a lovely afternoon with Billy Connolly as well who’s very much behind it, too. He’s a real book lover and totally gets the ideas of why libraries are so important to us.”
His enthusiasm leaves me in no doubt that his passion project will be a huge success. As, I’m sure, will be his show on 26th April, tickets for which can be purchased from www.eastayrshireleisure.com/events.
And, just for the record, I needed six asterisks!
