Comedy star reveals thinner figure in new series of Only Child

Fans will be seeing a lot less of Gregor Fisher in the next series of Only Child when it airs next week.

The Scottish comedy star has lost a substantial amount of weight since season one was filmed in the summer of 2024 and the second in the summer of last year.

Asked what inspired him to shed the pounds, the 72-year-old said bluntly: ‘The inspiration is that the doctor said I was too fat. 

‘She didn't actually say that, but she said "You’re pre-diabetic Mr Fisher" and I said "Am I really?" and she said, "You’re not just pre-diabetic, you’re just a bit tipped over.’

It was a different approach from how he was treated in France, where he lived for about 12 years.

Fisher said: ‘My French doctor had the cheek and impertinence to say, "you need to lose weight" and all the rest of it.  When I came back to Britain, I think the way that they judge these things is slightly different. 

‘My doctor here said, "I think you are over the line for diabetes" and my papa, the chap that adopted me, fell foul of the diabetes and had various limbs removed. I thought, I don’t want to have any limbs removed because I am diabetic, so I better do something about it.

‘My downfall was that I discovered beer in France in a big way, and at a certain point, my wife and I would drink beer and eat crisps, which was terrible, and we just blew up. So, I don't eat crisps or drink beer anymore.’

The comic actor said he enjoyed filming Only Child as much of it was made ten minutes from his Glasgow home ‘which means a very late call’.

‘I get a long lie-in in the morning and then off I go to play silly buggers with Greg McHugh,’ he said. ‘So what is not to like?’

McHugh plays his son in the comedy, which airs at 10.30pm on Monday on BBC Scotland and iPlayer, then BBC One at 9.30pm on Wednesday. 

Published: 28 Apr 2026