Only An Excuse? comes to an end after 27 years

A Scottish comedy tradition is over

Scottish sketch show Only An Excuse? is to come to an end after 27 years.

Jonathan Watson’s comedy, primarily mocking the football scene north of the border, has become a staple of the Hogmanay schedules on BBC One Scotland.

But this year’s hour-long edition will be the last, the broadcaster has announced.

The final show will feature memorable moments from the archive alongside new sketches and contributions from famous faces.

First broadcast as a one-off special on BBC Radio Scotland prior to Scotland v West Germany in the Mexico 86 World Cup, it was a parody of the five-part television documentary Only A Game? which had documented the history of Scottish football After further occasional radio specials the show switched to television in 1993.

Only An Excuse? has achieved audiences of more a million viewers per show, but recent instalments have been criticised in some quarters for becoming ‘predictable, lazy and flat.’

Watson who also stars in BBC Two comedy Two Doors Down, said: ‘Every year we’ve really enjoyed the responsibility of creating a show for Hogmanay. It has been a privilege to be a part of the audience’s New Year celebrations and we’re delighted to be given the opportunity to go out on a high.

‘We’ve got an hour to look back at memorable moments down the years and catch up with some special guests who’ve inspired us. We’ll also be having our traditional look back at the big talking points from Scottish football in the last 12 months.’

Co-stars over the years have included Tony Roper, Alistair McGowan and Gordon Kennedy, with guests including Kirsty Wark, Judy Murray and Sir Chris Hoy. Writers have included Ian Pattison, creator of Rab C Nesbitt, Greg Hemphill, and Sanjeev Kohli

Director and producer Phil Differ said: ‘We’ve loved doing the show for Hogmanay down the years but it feels like a good time to bring it to an end and we’re delighted the BBC are giving us a special so we can bow out on a high.

‘There are so many characters and sketches we’ve loved doing and it’ll be great fun to give some of the classic sketches another airing. It has been a tough year so hopefully we can give everyone a good laugh again on Hogmanay.’

The pair say that although the television show is ending there is the possibility of a podcast and maybe a live show.

Rab Christie, managing director of the Comedy Unit which produces Only An Excuse? for BBC Scotland, added: ‘The final Hogmanay show will be a fitting farewell with a wealth of archive material, new sketches and guest appearances. It has evolved over the years from being purely just about football, to bringing out the comedy in films, advertising other television shows and a little bit of politics too.

‘Johnnie is one of Scotland’s finest comedy performers and Phil has always produced the words to keep the nation entertained. Their final show for the audience will be a cracker.’

Here’s a sketch from last year’s show, which increasingly set its sights beyond football:

And another about Greta Thunberg’s parents: