Looking back at the Hogmanay TV shows we miss

Some great TV specials have been showcased on Hogmanay over the years, many of which are no longer on our screens unless it’s a re-run.

We’re looking back at some of the great Hogmanay shows we miss.

White Heather Club

Andy Stewart with fellow singer Moira Anderson (Image: Newsquest)

This is one for some of the older generations, as the White Heather Club aired from 1957 to 1968. It was a regular variety show which was broadcast on the BBC from a Glasgow studio. It featured well-known faces such as singer Andy Stewart and Robert Wilson and was known for the cast wearing traditional Scottish tartan dresses and kilts during performances.

The regular cast as well as some guest stars used to bring in the bells in the Hogmanay version of the White Heather Club.

The show ended in the late 1960s, so many of us may have never seen an episode – but for our parents and grandparents, The White Heather Club was a patriotic part of their Hogmanay viewing.

Scotch and Wry

Rikki Fulton as Supercop (Image: Newsquest)

This sketch series began life as a one-off special celebrating the Glasgow patter and went on to run for two series in 1978 and 1979. What propelled Scotch and Wry into our beloved telly memories though were its Hogmanay specials.

Starring Rikki Fulton as well as an ensemble cast including Gregor Fisher, Tony Roper and Juliet Cadzow, the show featured on BBC Scotland’s impressive roster of Hogmanay viewings alongside some of the other programmes in this list.

Scotch and Wry was known for its local humour that mocked aspects of Glasgow such as Celtic and Rangers, and as it was a BBC show they often parodied rival channel STV programmes. Viewers will remember such characters as Reverend IM Jolly, the Supercop, Tam McGlinchey and Alky Broon.

Only an Excuse?

Another highlight of evening viewing every December 31, Only an Excuse? entertained Glaswegians into the New Year every year from 1993 until the last-ever episode on December 31, 2020.

Before he was cracking us up as Colin in the hit series Two Doors Down, Jonathan Watson was the master chameleon behind the sketches in this Scottish football parody show, which featured impressions of big names such as Denis Law, Sir Alex Ferguson, Tommy Burns, Walter Smith as well as ‘stereotypical’ Rangers and Celtic fans.

Still Game

We only ever got two Hogmanay specials with our favourite Glasgow pensioners, and it was never enough.

Airing in 2006 and 2007, these episodes of Still Game had us entering the New Year with a smile on our faces. The first ends up with Jack, Victor and Isa stuck in the lift in their block of flats, Osprey Heights, on their way to a Hogmanay party. With little else to do until they are rescued, they reminisce on a party they had on the same night back in the 1970s, and it’s a rare moment where we see the cast as their younger selves – and the actors looking their real ages.

The following year, Jack and Victor are joined by Tam and Winston as they make their way to the island of Tighnahulish to begin the New Year at a cottage. The trip is not without its hiccups though, as they manage to irk the very few locals they come across.

These classic episodes are usually re-shown around Hogmanay, proving we miss bringing in the bells with our Craiglang crew.

Chewin’ the Fat

Before Jack and Victor sprung onto our screens on Still Game, they were just two of the many characters in Chewin’ the Fat, which aired from 1999 to 2005 and featured six special Hogmanay episodes.

Starring Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill and Karen Dunbar, Glaswegians will remember such characters as Ronald Villiers, Rab McGlinchy, Harry, Linda and George, Big Jock, the Teacher and more.

Which of these Hogmanay shows was your favourite?