The Flying Pigs
Encyclopedia
The Flying Pigs are a music
al sketch comedy
team based in Aberdeen
in the North-East of Scotland
that has received some UK
-wide coverage due to their BBC Scotland
radio show 'Desperate Fishwives'.
during the 1990s, several members of the script team, during the 1996 last night party, toyed with the idea of creating a more raucous version. For years, a substantial body of material had been rejected from the Show on the grounds that it was too "out of left-field", not of a piece with the remainder of the production, or just indecent. Writers Greg Gordon, Andrew Brebner, Charles Sandison, Ewan MacGillivray and Grant Campbell started meeting on a regular basis, creating new characters and ideas. After a while, due to other commitments and relocations, only Gordon and Brebner remained; but by the end of 1997 they had enough material to put on a show. The then director of Student Show, John Hardie, was asked to direct the show, and the original cast, all Student Show alumni, were assembled. The first show, Last Tango in Powis was debuted at the Lemon Tree Theatre on 19 February 1998.
which is particular to the North East of Scotland. Indeed it was this use of the Lowland Scots
dialect that seemed to be one of the attractions to the BBC. The use of Doric allows for humour to be built on the language as well as the situations and characters in the sketches.
who, like The Flying Pigs, also formed after meeting each other at the University of Aberdeen
. John Hardie of the Flying Pigs is the son of Scotland the What?
star, William "Buff" Hardie. The group cemented their reputation in the City and connection to STW? by performing at the 'Freedom of the City of Aberdeen' reception for Scotland the What?
approached the Group, following their His Majesty's Theatre
stage show, Desperate Fishwives, to make a show for radio. Later on that year it was broadcast. Following the success of the first series, a second radio series was broadcast in 2008. A third series was broadcast in December 2010 throughout Christmas week, culminating in a special Christmas Day episode. In 2009, it was confirmed that the BBC were interested in creating a TV pilot, and in April 2010 BBC Scotland
filmed this TV pilot on location in the North East using the "Desperate Fishwives" title. The pilot aired on BBC2 Scotland on 14 December 2010.
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
al sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
team based in Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
in the North-East of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
that has received some UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-wide coverage due to their BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
radio show 'Desperate Fishwives'.
History
After the success of the Aberdeen Student ShowAberdeen Student Show
Aberdeen Student Show is a musical and theatrical show, usually with a strong comedy element, staged every year in Aberdeen, Scotland. Its purpose is to raise money for charity, as part of the Aberdeen Students' Charities Campaign....
during the 1990s, several members of the script team, during the 1996 last night party, toyed with the idea of creating a more raucous version. For years, a substantial body of material had been rejected from the Show on the grounds that it was too "out of left-field", not of a piece with the remainder of the production, or just indecent. Writers Greg Gordon, Andrew Brebner, Charles Sandison, Ewan MacGillivray and Grant Campbell started meeting on a regular basis, creating new characters and ideas. After a while, due to other commitments and relocations, only Gordon and Brebner remained; but by the end of 1997 they had enough material to put on a show. The then director of Student Show, John Hardie, was asked to direct the show, and the original cast, all Student Show alumni, were assembled. The first show, Last Tango in Powis was debuted at the Lemon Tree Theatre on 19 February 1998.
Language
The shows themselves use a large lexicon of words from the 'Doric' dialectDoric dialect (Scotland)
Doric, the popular name for Mid Northern Scots or Northeast Scots, refers to the dialects of Scots spoken in the northeast of Scotland.-Nomenclature:...
which is particular to the North East of Scotland. Indeed it was this use of the Lowland Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
dialect that seemed to be one of the attractions to the BBC. The use of Doric allows for humour to be built on the language as well as the situations and characters in the sketches.
Influences
One of the major influences on the group is the group Scotland the What?Scotland the What?
Scotland the What? were a Scottish comedy revue act comprising William "Buff" Hardie, Stephen Robertson and George Donald.Buff Hardie and Steve Robertson first met in the Aberdeen Student Show in 1952. George Donald, another University of Aberdeen student, wrote music for the 1954 Student Show, but...
who, like The Flying Pigs, also formed after meeting each other at the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
. John Hardie of the Flying Pigs is the son of Scotland the What?
Scotland the What?
Scotland the What? were a Scottish comedy revue act comprising William "Buff" Hardie, Stephen Robertson and George Donald.Buff Hardie and Steve Robertson first met in the Aberdeen Student Show in 1952. George Donald, another University of Aberdeen student, wrote music for the 1954 Student Show, but...
star, William "Buff" Hardie. The group cemented their reputation in the City and connection to STW? by performing at the 'Freedom of the City of Aberdeen' reception for Scotland the What?
Scotland the What?
Scotland the What? were a Scottish comedy revue act comprising William "Buff" Hardie, Stephen Robertson and George Donald.Buff Hardie and Steve Robertson first met in the Aberdeen Student Show in 1952. George Donald, another University of Aberdeen student, wrote music for the 1954 Student Show, but...
Productions
- Last Tango in Powis (1998, Lemon Tree Studio Theatre)
- Where Seagulls Dare (1999, Lemon Tree Studio Theatre)
- Stanley Cooslick's Clockwork Sporran (2000, Lemon Tree Studio Theatre)
- All Quiet on the Westburn Front (2001, Lemon Tree Studio Theatre)
- Prime Cuts - The Best of Flying Pig (2001, Aberdeen Arts CentreAberdeen Arts CentreAberdeen Arts Centre is a theatre on King Street in Aberdeen, Scotland.The 350 seater auditorium regularly plays host to music and drama events and is the focus for much of Aberdeen's amateur dramatic activities....
) - The Madness of Kingwells (2002, Aberdeen Arts CentreAberdeen Arts CentreAberdeen Arts Centre is a theatre on King Street in Aberdeen, Scotland.The 350 seater auditorium regularly plays host to music and drama events and is the focus for much of Aberdeen's amateur dramatic activities....
) - The Hunchback of Walker Dam (2004, Lemon Tree Studio Theatre)
- Best Back - The Best of Flying Pig (2004, HMT at Hilton)
- The Seagull has Landed (2005, His Majesty's TheatreHis Majesty's TheatreHis Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen is the largest theatre in north-east Scotland, seating more than 1400. The theatre is sited on Rosemount Viaduct, opposite the city's Union Terrace Gardens. It was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1906...
) - Desperate Fishwives- Stage Show (2007, His Majesty's TheatreHis Majesty's TheatreHis Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen is the largest theatre in north-east Scotland, seating more than 1400. The theatre is sited on Rosemount Viaduct, opposite the city's Union Terrace Gardens. It was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1906...
) - Desperate Fishwives- Radio Show (2007, 2009, 2010, BBC Radio ScotlandBBC Radio ScotlandBBC Radio Scotland is BBC Scotland's national English-language radio network. It broadcasts a wide variety of programming, including news, sport, light entertainment, music, the arts, comedy, drama, history and lifestyle...
) - How to Look Good Glaikit (2009, His Majesty's TheatreHis Majesty's TheatreHis Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen is the largest theatre in north-east Scotland, seating more than 1400. The theatre is sited on Rosemount Viaduct, opposite the city's Union Terrace Gardens. It was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1906...
) - Desperate Fishwives - TV Pilot (2010, BBC ScotlandBBC ScotlandBBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
) - The Silence of the Bams (2011, His Majesty's TheatreHis Majesty's TheatreHis Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen is the largest theatre in north-east Scotland, seating more than 1400. The theatre is sited on Rosemount Viaduct, opposite the city's Union Terrace Gardens. It was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1906...
)
BBC Scotland
In 2007 BBC Radio ScotlandBBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland is BBC Scotland's national English-language radio network. It broadcasts a wide variety of programming, including news, sport, light entertainment, music, the arts, comedy, drama, history and lifestyle...
approached the Group, following their His Majesty's Theatre
His Majesty's Theatre
His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen is the largest theatre in north-east Scotland, seating more than 1400. The theatre is sited on Rosemount Viaduct, opposite the city's Union Terrace Gardens. It was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1906...
stage show, Desperate Fishwives, to make a show for radio. Later on that year it was broadcast. Following the success of the first series, a second radio series was broadcast in 2008. A third series was broadcast in December 2010 throughout Christmas week, culminating in a special Christmas Day episode. In 2009, it was confirmed that the BBC were interested in creating a TV pilot, and in April 2010 BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
filmed this TV pilot on location in the North East using the "Desperate Fishwives" title. The pilot aired on BBC2 Scotland on 14 December 2010.