BBC Scotland/iPlayer THERE should have been an alert beforehand: “Warning: the following programme contains scenes of Scottish politicians giggling, which some viewers might find disturbing.” Yes, it is that time in the electoral cycle again when BBC Scotland sends a comic in to do a journalist’s job. First it was Gary: Tank Commander, then Chief Commissioner Cameron Miekelson (Jack Docherty) came along to make the gig his own. Politicians lining up to laugh and be laughed at – it is not something you could imagine happening in England. It is rather to the credit of Scotland and her politicians that the party leaders agree to take part. Perhaps they fear being accused of that great Scottish crime of not having a sense of humour. (One leader was conspicuous by his absence. Can you guess who?)
COMMENT
TV debates donât need to be revelatory or even particularly interesting for them to still be worthwhile IT’S no secret that I am a bit of a TV election debate superfan. I have declared my personal interest from the outset because I am committed to transparency in public life – which is more than can be said for some elected representatives of the Conservative Party. I’ve taken my bias out of my handbag and put it squarely on the table in front of you, and with that out of the way, here’s why I think we need more TV debates in these final weeks of the Holyrood election campaign.
Unexpected plaudits We got a ringing endorsement from the head of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service . for slagging off the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. One of the ongoing gags is that Chief Commissioner Cameron Miekelson – played by Jack Docherty – hates the fire service. Sometimes when you make jokes about them you feel guilty because nobody could really hate firefighters. And often you get some people taking offence, but never the people in the fire service themselves. They love it. The nature of the job makes them tough and that harsh humour appeals. I can say that with confidence because the real Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Chief Officer Martin Blunden got in touch to tell me that he loves it when we take the p .
Unexpected plaudits We got a ringing endorsement from the head of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service . for slagging off the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. One of the ongoing gags is that Chief Commissioner Cameron Miekelson – played by Jack Docherty – hates the fire service. Sometimes when you make jokes about them you feel guilty because nobody could really hate firefighters. And often you get some people taking offence, but never the people in the fire service themselves. They love it. The nature of the job makes them tough and that harsh humour appeals. I can say that with confidence because the real Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Chief Officer Martin Blunden got in touch to tell me that he loves it when we take the p .
HERE S a subject for investigation: mockumentaries – when did they start, and will the invasion end with the ubiquitous format taking over TV? I would trace the beginnings to the 1984 film This Is Spinal Tap. In Rob Reiner’s classic comedy, written by Christopher Guest, Reiner (also starring), Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, the cameras followed a heavy metal band on tour, their triumphs and tragedies but mostly their regular bouts of humiliation, including getting lost en route to the stage. It was such a hit that imitators were sure to follow, and it turned out that television, with its love of cheap to make fly-on-the-wall shows, had a lot to mock, from programmes about office life (The Office) and the BBC (W1A), to urban pirate radio DJs (People Just Do Nothing). Viewers had seen enough traditional takes on institutions to slip easily into the joke, and the style worked across the globe.