HMT at Hilton –  2004

‘The Best of Flying Pigs does everything it says on the packet. If you can beg, borrow or steal a ticket, do so. Your sense of humour depends on it.’

— Evening Express

An invitation to perform at HMT’s temporary venue at Hilton led to Best Back, our second outing of 2004 and our second ‘Best Of’ production.

Opening announcement: “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, this is Flying Pig Productions. Welcome to ‘Best Back’, oor ‘best of’ compilation. So if ye think this is bad, you should’ve seen the dirt we left oot!”

Initial concerns that our fanbase might balk at being asked to again fork out their hard-earned cash to see material which they now seemed to know better than us proved to be ill founded; enough of you wanted the proverbial another chance to see The Mither! Wedding saga, The Buckie Drifters, Ghengis Khanna and The Liar; Mother Theresa to enable us to sell out our first great muckle venue. Even a couple if feet of snow couldn’t deter the diehards, and as we gathered at Greg and Susan’s for the traditional wine and stovies, we were all agreed that the concussion suffered by one of our number inadvertently head-butting an opening car boot while loading props out of the theatre was a small price to pay for another successful show.

Cast
John Hardie
Moray Barber
Craig Pike
Susan Gordon
Steve Rance
Elaine Clark
Greg Gordon
With
Andrew Brebner

Script
Greg Gordon
Andrew Brebner
Lyrics
John Hardie
Andrew Brebner

Directed by
John Hardie
Musical Arrangements
Steve Rance
Craig Pike

What the Papers Said
Aberdeen Evening Express

In just six years, the Flying Pig has travelled from its launch pad at Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree to the stage of Her Majesty’s Theatre, earning itself a good few air miles – and a theatre full of fans – in the process. This latest show reminds us of their journey so far, presenting the eight talented comedy actors who started out in Student Show and now find themselves perfectly at home on the stage of the city’s largest theatre, where it looks as though they might be tempted to stay. As a “Best Of” show, theatregoers will have seen some of the material before, but predictable it certainly is not, as you reacquaint yourself with such classics as Mither and Archie and Davie, and laugh all over again at the hilarious lines you certainly won’t remember from last time. Characters retired a few shows back make a welcome return – The Liar, Oor Faither, Ghengis Khanna and the boys from The Cruel Sea provide some side-splitting moments, while rewritten lyrics for some of the best-known pop songs vary the pace and become classics in themselves. The Best of Flying Pig does everything it says on the packet. If you can beg, borrow or steal a ticket, do so. Your sense of humour depends on it.

Previous show: The Hunchback of Walker Dam – 2004

Next Show: The Seagull Has Landed – 2005

His Majesty’s Theatre – 2005

‘Flying Pig reached the pinnacle of their success with their awesome debut on the newly refurbished stage of His Majesty’s Theatre.’

—Evening Express, 29 December 2005

After managing to lure a good number of hardy souls out to darkest Hilton in the bleak mid-winter, a long-standing ambition was realised when, in an unguarded moment, those in charge of HMT asked if we’d like to come and play in the Big Theatre. Being the sharp, professional operation we are, we checked the contract, hummed, hawed and kept ’em in suspense for a number of tenths of a second before saying yes in a thrilled, but slightly feart, collective voice.

Selma and Eddie added a fresh twist to the Mither and Faither saga; Minker TV Gold made it’s debut, Hilton John’s candid confession was a musical highlight and Aberdeen’s bid for the 2016 Olympics provided both a setting for a host of old favourites and new characters and a suitably grand (and daft) finale.

They asked us back you know. Some folk never learn.

Cast
John Hardie
Moray Barber
Craig Pike
Susan Gordon
Steve Rance
Elaine Johnston
Greg Gordon

Script
Greg Gordon
Lyrics
John Hardie
Moray Barber

Directed by
John Hardie
Musical Arrangements
Steve Rance

Sponsors
Sparrows Offshore
Town & County
CMS Cameron MCKenna

What the Papers Said

Aberdeen Evening Express 12/11/05

Flying Pigs Root Out Crackling Comedy.

Anyone following the progress of Flying Pig Productions knows they reached the pinnacle of their success this weekend with two sell-out shows at HMT. The local comedy group’s popularity has exploded since its first show at The Lemon Tree in 1998, later moving to the Arts Centre and finally alighting at HMT at Hilton last year. Now the company makes an awesome debut on the newly refurbished stage of His Majesty’s Theatre with The Seagull Has Landed. The beauty of the Flying Pigs is its ability to fit any venue, and please any audience. Last night, with its familiar pink sets and costumes, and carefully blended comedy and music, it finds the perfect home on Aberdeen’s largest stage. Greg Gordon’s side-splitting scripts reacquaint audiences with old favourites Mither and Faither, Archie and Davie and The Liar, while introducing Scotland The What?-style characters Selma and Eddie, the jobsworth Doctor’s Receptionist and Aberdeen City Council’s Licensing Board. With Aberdonian Pavement Dances taught by a line-up of couthy experts, and music fro The Buckie Drifters, Glen Camphill and Hilton John, local comedy has found a home in a new generation. Pigs might fly – only time will tell us how far.

Previous show: Best Back – 2004

Next show: Desperate Fishwives – 2007

2002 – Aberdeen Arts Centre

“Every line delivered with precision by a confident and talented cast.”

– Evening Express

“I was sore from laughing at half time!”

—David Morrice

Back in the Arts Centre, this time for a 4 night run, we got some unexpected free publicity when the local press used our title to report on plans to build a football stadium to the west of the city. That didna harm oor ticket sales. And so the first Flying Pig audience to break 1000 discovered the fate of Wee Alickie, the defunct Green Final’s cartoon paperboy, saw Robbie Shepherd’s efforts as a roving reporter and met Billy and Dougie; ex-trawlermen turned Air Stewards.

Cast
John Hardie
Elaine Johnston
Oli Knox
Craig Pike
Steve Rance
Susan Webster
And Introducing
Greg Gordon

Script
Greg Gordon
Andrew Brebner

Lyrics
Andrew Brebner
John Hardie

Directed by
John Hardie

Musical Arrangements
Steve Rance

What the Papers Said

Aberdeen Press & Journal 03/10/02

Flying Pig Productions, the North-east’s very own kings and queens of comedy have gone all multi-media in their new show at Aberdeen Arts Centre, and with hilarious results. Led by John Hardie, Craig Pike and Susan Webster, the Flying Pigs have rightly earned an excellent reputation for ringing laughs from homegrown targets. Their latest show, The Madness of Kingswells must be their best yet. Written by the brilliant Greg Gordon and Andrew Brebner, the show successfully develops some familiar favourite characters and takes them far beyond our comedy expectations. While the new characters just seem to get better and better. Expertly produced and performed, the Madness of Kingswells really does guarantee a hilarious night out.

Aberdeen Evening Express 03/10/02

I must confess to being a Flying Pigs fan – along with, I suspect, most of this first night audience. Often likened to Scotland The What?, the self-styled humour of these Student Show stars bears a passing resemblance to their predecessors. However, with four years’  experience now behind them, the group is making an impact all of their own. The Madness of Kingswells transports the comics from The Lemon Tree to Aberdeen Arts Centre, greatly increasing the staging potential, which director John Hardie oversees with his usual imaginative flair. Lighting and slide shows aside, the comedy has also moved up a gear, with writers Greg Gordon and Andrew Brebner turning in some of the group’s funniest moments yet, and every line delivered with precision by a confident and talented cast. It’s as much fun as any theatre-goer can handle.

Previous show: Prime Cuts – 2001

Next show: The Hunchback of Walker Dam – 2004

2001 – Aberdeen Arts Centre

“Like watching a home game in which the whole team scores, even the keeper.”

—Press & Journal

‘Scotland the What?’, the next generation.”

—Press & Journal

Alan Franchi’s kind invitation to headline the first Aberdeen Arts Centre Comedy Festival with a “Best Of” show took us by surprise. We’d known we were going to have to replace Laura Sinclair, who was off to drama school, but we didn’t realise we’d have to do it within a couple of months, for our biggest show to date. So we were very pleased to welcome Elaine Clark to the team, just in time for the move from our compact and bijou home at the Lemon Tree to a venue more than twice the size. Ever positive and forwards-looking, we hypothesised (and fretted) that :

A larger venue + material the punters have heard before =

Loss of intimacy + audience ennui =

Nae b*gger laughing.

We needn’t have worried; the laugh which greeted Archie and Davie’s reminiscences of Gothenburg 1983 nearly blew John and Pikey’s flat caps off, and Oli’s impassioned impression of Chewbacca singing the works of Barbara Dickson almost hospitalised one loyal fan, which is always nice.

We also recorded our first CD, now sadly sold out. Sadly for anyone who wants one. Happily, though, for Andrew’s folks who finally regained full use of their loft in 2008.

Cast
John Hardie
Oli Knox
Craig Pike
Steve Rance
Elaine Clark
Susan Webster

Written by
Greg Gordon
Andrew Brebner

Directed by
John Hardie
Musical Arrangements
Steve Rance
Craig Pike

Sponsors

Town & County
The Press and Journal
Gardner Accountants

What the Papers Said

Aberdeen Press & Journal 20/10/01

The Aberdeen Arts Centre was packed last night for Flying Pig – Prime Cuts and rightly so. Born from Students’ Charities Shows, Flying Pig is in one sense Scotland The What?, The Next Generation, with John Hardie, Craig Pike Oliver Knox and Susan Webster magnificently taking the lead roles. In other words, if you’re from the North-east an evening with Flying Pig is like watching a home game in which the whole team scores, even the keeper. Exploiting local scenes and characters and giving them a distinctly surreal twist is Flying Pig’s secret. The sharpness of the writing and the power of the performances, however, raises it far above its Student Show origins. The laughter rocked the Arts Centre last night as one hilarious sketch followed another. Basically a greatest hits collection, this all too rare appearance of the Flying Pigs is not to be missed. They fly again at the Arts Centre tonight and cannot be recommended enough.

Previous show: All Quiet On The Westburn Front – 2001

Next Show: The Madness Of Kingswells – 2002

Lemon Tree Studio – 2001

“15% of it was very funny. The other 85% was f@*#!ng hilarious!”

—Paul Hughson

Having refined our schtick there were no major changes for the fourth production, aside from saying farewell to Shirley and welcoming new performer Laura Sinclair. We put Robbie Shepherd in Stars in their Eyes, had PC Bobby Constable take the rap for Grampian Police, saw Davie phone a friend and revealed the hidden truth about Genghis Khan and the actor Peter Mayhew.

Cast
John Hardie
Oli Knox
Craig Pike
Steve Rance
Laura Sinclair
Susan Webster
With
Andrew Brebner
Greg Gordon

Written by
Andrew Brebner
Greg Gordon
Additional Material
Simon Fogiel

Directed by
John Hardie

Previous show: A Clockwork Sporran – 2000

Next Show: Prime Cuts – 2001

Lemon Tree Studio – 1999

 

“A maelstrom of mirth.. This show is seriously funny & should not be missed!”

—Press & Journal

Why ‘Where Seagulls Dare’?

The full and frank story behind the sequel to Last Tango in Powis:

Greg:       ‘ Well, that last one went very well, didn’t it? Shall we do another one?’

Andrew:  ‘Yes, let’s.’

No time was wasted in beginning preparations for the second show. Indeed, the first new sketch was composed by Greg in Jock’s Bar after the opening night of Tango. Taking on board the criticism of the more off colour moments; expletives and bodily functions were pruned from the show and confined, instead, to rehearsals.

There were personnel changes too, with Scott and Fiona lured away to stage school in London, and the arrival of Susan and Steve, bringing a most welcome dose of coothy Doric and arseless Northern humour to proceedings.

Highlights included the debut of Aberdonian Pavement Dances, Archie & Davie remembering the Glory of Gothenburg and Maurice the Liar telling a whopper of biblical proportions.

Here’s the programme, featuring Craig’s debut appearance as cover star and a pair of stuffed seagulls which, legend has it, Oli smuggled out of (and, crucially, back into) the Zoology Dept at the University.

Cast
Shirley Cummings
John Hardie
Oli Knox
Craig Pike
Steven Rance
Susan Webster

Written by
Greg Gordon
Andrew Brebner
Additional Material by
Shirley Cummings
John Hardie
Gordon Irvine
Susan Webster

Directed by
John Hardie

Musical Arrangements
Steve Rance

Lighting Design
Kelvin Murray

What the Papers Said

Aberdeen Press & Journal, 3/6/99

‘Apparently I hailed the first Flying Pig production, Last Tango In Powis, as a banquet of belly-laughs which must be true, because it was. Far be it from me to deprive the brilliantly funny Piglets of a handy bite-sized nugget of praise for their publicity material.So here are a few gems about their current comedy show, Where Seagulls Dare, which opened at the studio theatre of Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree last night. “A cocktail of capers” is quite good, as is “a treasure chest full of chuckles”. “A maelstrom of mirth” is better, or even “a lexicon of laughs!”All of which apply, are completely true and would fit neatly on to a poster and flyer. Written by Andrew Brebner and Greg Gordon, Where Seagulls Dare features the usual suspects. But for this new show Hardie, Knox, Pike, and Cummings are joined by the excellent Susan Webster and the superb Steve Rance.In all seriousness, this show is seriously funny and should not be missed.’

Aberdeen Evening Express, 4/6/99

‘What happens when the student show grows up? Well you may ask, as it doesn’t happen very often. Last time Scotland the What was born. Now its the turn of Flying Pig Productions to cut loose from the apron strings with their comedy show Where Seagulls Dare. Owing as much to Harry Enfield and chums as to Buff, Steve and George, the top comedy team of Last Tango In Powis fame pulls together yet another fun-packed evening in true North-east style. PC Bobby Constable is present and correct, courtesy of Doric grand master Craig Pike – whose portrayals of Mr Fester the undertaker and the coothy Doric terrorist are outshone only by his double act with John Hardie, Archie and Davie. If you lament the demise of Scotland the What?, Archie and Davie brings it all flooding back, reincarnated in the way only Buff’s son could get away with. Steven Rance, the Yorkshireman who mastered Doric for this year’s student show, turns in a still impeccable local accent, while girl power is supplied in gallons by talented duo Shirley Cummings and impersonator Susan Webster. Another year has brought new confidence, new faces, and a few necessary changes to the Flying Pigs, but I am glad to report the comedy and laughs are frequent as ever. I am already looking forward to next year.’

Previous show: Last Tango In Powis – 1998

Next show: A Clockwork Sporran – 2000