''Dear Green Place'' is a Scottish
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
programme set in a park in central
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 first aired on 19 October 2007 on
BBC One Scotland
BBC One Scotland is a Scottish free-to-air television channel owned and operated by BBC Scotland and is a Scottish variation of the UK-wide BBC One.
For all of the time the channel is referred to on screen as ''BBC One Scotland'', sometimes us ...
. The second series finished airing on 5 December 2008.
The show was created by comedy actor
Paul Riley, and features
Ford Kiernan
Ford John Kiernan (born 10 January 1962) is a Scottish comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for his work with Greg Hemphill on the BBC Scotland comedy series ''Chewin' the Fat'' (1999–2005) and '' Still Game'' (2002–2007, 2016–201 ...
, both of whom featured in the sketch show ''
Chewin' the Fat
''Chewin' the Fat'' is a Scottish comedy sketch show, starring Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill and Karen Dunbar. Comedians Paul Riley and Mark Cox also appeared regularly on the show among other actors such as Gregor Fisher and Tom Urie.
''Ch ...
'', and its successful sitcom spin-off ''
Still Game''.
It was announced in April 2009 that BBC Scotland would not be commissioning a third series due to poor viewing figures and also having commissioned a new series of ''
Rab C. Nesbitt
''Rab C. Nesbitt'' is a Scottish comedy series which began in 1988. Produced by BBC Scotland, it stars Gregor Fisher as an alcoholic Glaswegian who seeks unemployment as a lifestyle choice. Rab C. Nesbitt was originally a recurring character ...
'' and Ford Kiernan's new sitcom ''
Happy Hollidays''.
Cast
* Archie Henderson – played by
Ford Kiernan
Ford John Kiernan (born 10 January 1962) is a Scottish comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for his work with Greg Hemphill on the BBC Scotland comedy series ''Chewin' the Fat'' (1999–2005) and '' Still Game'' (2002–2007, 2016–201 ...
* Riordan – played by
Paul Riley
* Peter McAllister – played by Paul Blair
* Woody – played by Johnny Austin
* Wallace – played by Martin Docherty
* Michelle – played by Jenny Ryan
* Tina – played by
Carmen Pieraccini
Carmen Pieraccini (born 1979) is a Scottish actress and clown doctor, who has appeared in the BBC Scotland soap opera ''River City'' since 2003, until her departure in 2007. She returned full-time to the Soap in 2010 and again in 2019 for a shor ...
* Toner – played by Michael MacKenzie
* Gavin – played by Gavin Jon Wright
Episodes
Series 1
# "Rocksalt": Some of the dopier lads get a crash course in rock salt, while boss Henderson takes a horse for an eventful walk.
# 'Sorry': McAllister accidentally reveals his secret relationship with Michelle and must find a way of making it up to her. Meanwhile, Henderson suffers an allergic reaction.
# "Pish": Woody and Wallace are set to fail a mandatory drugs test until Wallace's granny provides the solution. McAllister invents a bogus girlfriend to make Michelle jealous.
# "There's Been A Murder: Henderson and Toner are on the trail of a swan murderer. Riordan queues against his will for concert tickets.
# "Gimme Shelter": Riordan and Michelle find some air raid shelters in the park while Woody and Wallace are on night shift at the museum.
# "Bandstand": An eco-warrior chains himself to a bandstand threatened with demolition.
Series 2
# "Beetlemania": A beetle infestation threatens the park, while pheromones mean that love is in the air.
# "Uppers and Downers": Woody and Wallace uncover a time capsule, and an insomniac Nazi tries to get some sleep.
# "Goats": Woody and Wallace have to look after cashmere goats and they attempt to sell the cashmere whilst Archie's wife Alice is locked out of the house and needs his help.
# "Waiting for Smeato": As Tina's cafe approaches its grand re-opening, everyone is wondering who the mystery guest is.
# Industrial Daftness": The parkies imitate deafness in order to get a payout from the doctors and Archie has a conflict with the bowling club over a 20 mph zone sign which causes one of the members to get run over.
# "Puppy Love": Tina installs a new tanning booth in the cafe and Peter & Michelle are on the hunt for a new pet dog.
Reception
The series was received negatively. A review in ''
The Scotsman
''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its pare ...
'' criticised the show's humour for being unoriginal.
DVD release
* Series 1 DVD was released in December 2007.
* Series 2 DVD was released in December 2008.
References
External links
*
* {{British Comedy Guide, tv, dear_green_place
BBC television comedy
BBC Scotland television shows
Scottish television sitcoms
2007 Scottish television series debuts
Television shows set in Glasgow
2008 Scottish television series endings
2000s Scottish television series
Scots-language mass media