Music, comedy and literature of Glasgow have proven to be rich seams of inspiration for television shows over the years. Add to that mix the local acting talent that the city has consistently produced and you have some memorable programmes that capture aspects of Glasgow life, language and humour. Here are the greatest Glasgow TV shows of all time, as suggested by our readers.
13. Glen Michael’s Cartoon Cavalcade
Glen Michael’s Cartoon Cavalcade ran from 1966 for 26 years, with a generation of Glasgow kids growing up watching cartoons and Glen’s interactions with Paladin the talking lamp, Totty the Robot and dogs Rudi and Rusti. Photo: WikiComms/Okonski
14. Tinsel Town
Set in Glasgow, the series was broadcast on BBC Two in 2000, featuring the lives of characters drawn together by the Tinsel Town nightclub. The cast included Kate Dickie, Dawn Steele and David Paisley.
15. The Vital Spark
Para Handy was a character created for a series of stories in the Glasgow Evening News from 1905 to 1923 - the Gaelic skipper of the Vital Spark, a Clyde puffer taking goods from Glasgow to Loch Fyne and the Hebrides. After an adaptation for television in 1959, The Vital Spark was broadcast 1965-6 in black and white, then 1973-74 in colour with Roddy McMillan as the captain.
16. Burnistoun
The sketch show written by comedians Iain Connell and Robert Florence was set in a fictional Scottish town called Burnistoun, near Glasgow. The town’s name was drawn from Springburn and Dennistoun where Florence and Connell grew up.