''City Lights'' is a Scottish

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

made by BBC Scotland and set in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. It ran from 1984 to 1991 (networked 1987 to 1991) and was written by Bob Black. Two stage shows, featuring the original cast, toured Scotland.

Premise

It starred

Gerard Kelly Gerard Kelly (born Paul Kelly; 27 May 1959 – 28 October 2010) was a Scottish actor who appeared in many comedies, including '' City Lights'', ''Rab C Nesbitt'', '' Scotch and Wry'' and '' Extras''. He had more serious roles as well, includ ...

as Willie Melvin, a bank-teller at the fictional Strathclyde Savings Bank (whose logo was very similar to the

TSB Banking A trustee savings bank is a type of financial institution. * In the United Kingdom: ** Trustee Savings Bank, a bank in the United Kingdom that merged with Lloyds Bank in 1995 to form Lloyds TSB until 2013 ** Lloyds TSB, the name used by ...

), with dreams of becoming a novelist. Most of the plots revolved around his attempts to get his book, the autobiographical ''My Childhood Up A

Close Close may refer to: Music * ''Close'' (Kim Wilde album), 1988 * ''Close'' (Marvin Sapp album), 2017 * ''Close'' (Sean Bonniwell album), 1969 * "Close" (Sub Focus song), 2014 * "Close" (Nick Jonas song), 2016 * "Close" (Rae Sremmurd song), 201 ...

'', published.

Cast and characters

He was held back in this by his own incompetence, the dodgy dealings of his best friend Chancer ( Andy Gray), and the lack of support he gained from his mother (Jan Wilson), the bank's manager Adam McLelland ( Dave Anderson) and his obsequious fellow teller, Brian ( Jonathan Watson). Other recurring characters included Chancer's friend Tam ( Iain McColl) and Willie's

love interest ''Gli Innamorati'' (, meaning "The Lovers") were stock characters within the theatre style known as commedia dell'arte, who appeared in 16th century Italy. In the plays, everything revolved around the Lovers in some regard. These dramatic and pos ...

s, Janice (Elaine Collins, Series 1 and 2) and Fiona ( Ann Bryson, Series 4 and 5).

Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his ...

guest-starred in one episode.

References

External links

* Comedy Guide *
''City Lights''
at British TV Resources 1984 Scottish television series debuts 1991 Scottish television series endings BBC Scotland television shows BBC television sitcoms Scottish television sitcoms Television shows set in Glasgow 1980s Scottish television series 1990s Scottish television series English-language television shows 1980s British sitcoms 1990s British sitcoms {{Glasgow-stub