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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
National
Lee Dalgetty

Still Game’s Winston Ingram on life after Craiglang and French bulldogs in New York

Still Game might have come to an end more than three years ago, but it lives on in the hearts of its army of fans across the country and beyond.

While the classic Scots show and its characters are beloved by many, close friend of Jack and Victor - Winston Ingram, is a firm fan favourite of the cast.

The man behind Winston, Paul Riley, is returning to the stage next month for a night of laughs with his show, Auld Before my Time at 18 Candleriggs.

READ MORE - What the cast of legendary Glasgow drama Tutti Frutti are up to now

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We caught up with him to discuss what life has been like since his Craiglang days, how he coped during the Covid-19 pandemic and the legacy of Still Game.

Paul chatted to Glasgow Live all the way from New York.

He said: “I’m doing a string of satellite gigs, where it’s quite relaxed but you’ve got a Q&A, meet and greet, a bit of stand up and live music - and it just lasts as long as it does.”

Paul Riley played iconic Still Game character Winston Ingram (BBC)

After pausing the conversation momentarily to tell us about the French bulldog he spotted on the street, he added: “The Glasgow show on August 13 is a really intimate venue and it really lends itself to the kind of show I’m doing.”

While Paul is doing stand up and working in many avenues, the character of Winston will always be important to him. He said: “Still Game will never go away. Everybody loves it, every single place you go to everyone says hello and quotes their favourite line for the show.

"How could I ever have a problem with that? I’m in New York right now and, even here, people know about the show and throw back quotes at you, it’s amazing.

“The one thing I always say at the start of my shows is ‘does anyone want to shout shut it tadger and get it out the way?’ and then we all shout it together, it’s great.”

Since the show ended, Paul’s been spending a lot of his time writing - preparing for his upcoming shows, writing a children’s book, a short movie, and keeping himself pretty busy.

He said: “Since the show I’ve done loads, and it’s been great. I’ve been writing a lot and I’ve been living the life.

“During lockdown I did a podcast along with Mark Cox and Jane McCarry called 3 down 1 across. It was great fun, and everyone was doing nothing and in the house but I was busy - didn’t stop.”

As for returning to the stage, the Chewin’ The Fat alumni is most excited to get back to audiences.

Paul said: “My favourite thing about performing is the interaction with the audience, it’s like a roulette. If someone says something, you react.

“They want to chat, they want to meet you and tell you their favourite scenes and it’s something I really enjoy. At all my shows there’s always time to interact with me.”

Fan interaction is something that Glasgow is known for, Paul told us.

He said: “I think Glasgow is one of the best places for audience interaction. Although if you ask an English comedian one of the worst places to perform is Glasgow, but for me it’s a home crowd.”

Paul is set to perform at 18 Candleriggs, formerly Wild Cabaret, on August 13. More information can be found here.

READ MORE NOSTALGIA:

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What cast of Rab C Nesbitt are up to now - from screen successes to untimely deaths

When Ross Kemp came to Glasgow to visit ‘notorious’ Barlinnie

Resurfaced Glasgow documentary recalls 1960s street gangs that terrorised city

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