We've found not one but two funny Scots comedies but there's a catch

The Herald Scotland

2 days ago

Good For Her
****
BBC Scotland/iPlayer
REMEMBER the time we discovered a Scottish comedy that was genuinely funny? Only Child was the name, with Gregor Fisher and Greg McHugh as a bickering but devoted father and son. Recently commissioned for a second series, it was a comedy to claim as one of our own.
That was a year ago. Without wishing to alarm anyone, lightning might have struck again. And again. Govan Fair Queen and Good For Her, both shown on BBC Scotland, had laugh-out-loud moments and characters you would happily give house room to.
Written by Paul Black, Govan Fair Queen starred Elaine C Smith as a doting granny determined that her granddaughter (Harper Blue Hamilton) will right a historical wrong by lifting first prize in a local talent contest. But first they have to get past the head judge (Julie Wilson Nimmo).
Smith was in familiar Two Doors Down/Rab C territory at first as the fag-smoking gran in a housecoat and slippers. But both she and the story soon branched out. I've watched plenty of talent show skits, but none as truly madly Glaswegian as the one here. Let's just say there's one visual gag that's in keeping with the local culture.
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Good For Her was a Fast Show-style sketch fest written and performed by Zara Gladman. You may be familiar with some of her characters, chiefly Aileen, the West End mum, but there are plenty of others and one truly unforgettable cameo appearance. Whether she is taking on the misogynist trolling of women comedians - surely not! - indie fan boys or the ways of local newsreaders, Gladman hits the mark slyly but surely.
Before you get too attached to Black and Gladman, I have to interrupt this love-in with an important announcement: Govan Fair Queen and Good for Her are just 10 and 20 minutes long, respectively.
While there is nothing wrong with starting life as a short or a sketch - Still Game, after all, came from Chewin the Fat - it doesn't have the same ring of confidence about it as a pilot (the Two Doors Down Hogmanay special that led to seven series and counting).
A short can make the material look as though there's more work to be done. Yet both performers are already well known on YouTube and TikTok, particularly Gladman.
You might think this made the transition from social media to mainstream easier, but that only applies up to a point. The upside of social media is that anyone can upload their work and have it seen. The downside is that anyone can upload their work, etc. What was always a crowded market has become even more so.
So how can an act make the leap from online to primetime (or even just BBC3), assuming they want to? Given the speed at which YouTube is growing it might be smart to make the platform their main home. Plenty do and are earning a decent living. Alternatively, there's ye olde school way of building up a fan base, getting your name out there, and praying somebody up there in commissioning likes you.
It needs to happen fast, though. See earlier point about crowded markets. Both Gladman and Black now have impressive calling cards made at considerable expense and it is up to them, BBC Scotland, and anyone else so inclined, to spread the word.
Both films are available now on BBC iPlayer