The Culture Swally

With the BBC recently releasing a new series, based on the character DI John Rebus, created by prolific Scottish author, Sir Ian Rankin, I thought we would go all the way back to 2000, to look at the first attempt to transfer the character to television and look at the first ever Rebus episode called Black and Blue. DI Rebus, played by John Hannah investigates when a number of women are killed with the same modus oper...

We’re going back to 1999 on the latest episode of The Swally, as we look at the slightly problematic sequel to the beloved Gregory’s Girl - Gregory’s Two Girls. Eighteen years later, Gregory, now a 35-year-old English teacher in his former secondary school, has fantasies about a 16-year-old student. He then gets involved with students in a plot to overthrow a businessman they suspect of trading in torture equipment.

It’s our 100th episode! To celebrate we are returning to one of our favourite films of all time, Gregory’s Girl. We previously covered this film in episode two of the podcast, but thought it was the perfect opportunity to have a ReSwally and visit it once again.

Directed by Bill Forsyth and starring John Gordon Sinclair, Dee Hepburn and Claire Grogan, the film tells the tale of Gregory, who is a normal t...

The Party's Just Beginning follows a young woman, Liusaidh, from Inverness, who is dealing with the suicide of her best friend. Liusaidh tries to cope by binging on alcohol, sex and late-night junk food, while visions of her friend’s dying image plague her waking life. 

Released in 2018, this is Karen Gillan's debut feature as writer and director and also stars Lee Pace, Matthew Beard, Paul Higgins and S...

We are Unleashed on The Swally this week as we look at the 2005 film of the same name, also called Danny The Dog in certain countries. Starring Jet Li, Morgan Freeman and Bob Hoskins (yes, really) the films tells the tale of a man enslaved by the mob since childhood and raised into behaving like a human attack dog who escapes his captors and attempts to start a new life.

In the news we attend an auction ...

Hang About! Look Out! It’s Super Gran! Airing on ITV from 1985-1987 and spanning 27 episodes in total Super Gran tells the story of an elderly grandmother, Granny Smith, who acquires superpowers when she is accidentally hit by a magic ray created by Inventor Black. Under the guise of 'Super Gran', she protects the residents of the fictional town of Chiselton from villains such as Scunner Campbell and his gang. Super G...

We’re off to Uganda on the latest episode of The Culture Swally as we look at the 2006 film The Last King of Scotland. Starring James McAvoy and Forrest Whittaker, the film is based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's regime as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s.

In the news we visit the famous Wonka Experience in Glasgow, Celebrate a new National Day in Scotland, discove...

Today we are covering the 2022 BBC adaptation of the 2020 Andrew O’Hagan novel, Mayflies. Starring Martin Compston, Tony Curran and Ashley Jensen, Mayflies follows lifelong friends Jimmy and Tully, as they grapple with the news that Tully has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

In the news we discover the safest place to be in Scotland during a Zombie apocalypse, find out what coastguards listen to on t...

We’re getting spooky on the latest episode of The Culture Swally as we take a look at the 2018 Netflix film Malevolent. Starring Florence Pugh, Ben Lloyd Hughes, Celia Imrie and our favourite James Cosmo, it follows a group of fake paranormal investigators who suffer the ultimate reality check when confronted by the true horrors that lie hidden within a haunted orphanage.

In the news we hear about a disa...

On this episode we are covering the 1992 film written by and starring Peter Capaldi, Soft Top Hard Shoulder. Having failed to make it in London as a comic-book artist, Gavin Bellini (Capaldi) - an Italian-Glaswegian from an ice-cream dynasty - reluctantly yields to his uncle's demands that he return home for his dad's sixtieth birthday party; if he makes it, the uncle played by Richard Wilson, may give him a share of ...

It’s the Silver Jubilee tour of the legendary Scottish rock and roll band The Majestics as we look at the absolute classic Tutti Fruitti. Starring Robbie Coltrane, Emma Thompson and Richard Wilson, the six part series follows The Majestics on the eve of their tour, when their lead singer Big Jazza McGlone, is killed in an unfortunate kebab related car accident.

In the news we hear the latest on our favou...

It’s our Best of the News 2023 special! Yes, that’s right, Nicky and Greg are being lazy and having an extra week off for the festive season, so have put together a clip show of our favourite news stories from 2023.

Join us as we hear about a woman who had her eyebrows blown off, a woman who has a very nosy neighbour and have a sing song with the lads in Saughton Prison. We also meet a man who likes dres...

Happy Hogmanay! Yes, it’s our Hogmanay episode on The Culture Swally and we’re covering a Scottish institution. We are looking at the 1999 episode of the wonderful Jonathan Watson show, Only An Excuse? Taking a look at the good and bad of Scottish football with a whole host of characters including; Sir Alex Ferguson, Chick Young, Frank McAvennie, Graeme Souness, Dick Advocaat and Sir Kenny Dalglish.

Only...

It’s The Swally Christmas Special! This week we take a look at one of the more bizarre Scottish items set at Christmas as we join Robbie Coltrane in 1992’s The Bogie Man. Following a mental patient who believes he is Humphrey Bogart when he escapes from his institution and sets about solving a case around Glasgow.

The Bogie Man is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4iG3XsaN1E

It’s Saint Andrews Day! So to celebrate the patron saint of Scotland we’re featuring something starring the patron saint of The Swally, James Cosmo, as we look at 2018’s Outlaw King. Directed by David Mackenzie, and set in Scotland during the 14th century, it follows the Scottish King Robert the Bruce who starts a rebellion against the English empire after the fall of William Wallace and leads his small group of fight...

On this episode of The Swally, we’re going back to 1979, as we look at the BBC adaptation of John Byrne’s, The Slab Boys. Taking place in the Slab Room of a carpet manufacturer in Paisley, the play follows  the antics of Slab Boys Phil, Spanky and Hector as they try to scrape through life in the 50s. Starring Gerard Kelly, Billy McColl, Joseph McKenna and Tom Watson, Slab Boys is available to watch on YouTube here: ht...

It’s the annual Swally Spooktacular! On this episode we look at the 2014 horror film, Let Us Prey. Starring Liam Cunningham, Pollyanna Macintosh, Jonathan Watson, Bryan Larkin, Douglas Russell and Hanna Stanbridge amongst others, it tells the story of Rachel, a rookie cop about to begin her first shift in a Scottish police station in a small town. But when a mysterious stranger arrives in town, all hell breaks loose.