Now, having lived my early years in Scotland and my family being from the haggis-eating capital of the world (or out and proud Scousers) I am often fixated by show’s the focus on the normal lives, of every-day people in the North, Terri McIntyre- Classy Bi***, does just that.
Now my proud Scots/Scouse family heritage aside, what makes Terri McIntyre such a fantastic character is her lack of giving two craps about anything and pretty much anyone. She is outrageous and witty, whilst being written and played to perfection by the late, great Simon Carlyle (who later went on to write smash hit Two Doors Down).
The show follows Terri, who runs a tanning salon called ‘Fan of the Tan’ in Glasgow. She is a fairly unbothered mother to her son, Dylan and an even more unbothered daughter and side kick to both her mother, Dinah and also her Best Friend, Arlene. ‘Mad Helen’, in charge of the local pub becomes a butt of many a joke but then again so do most of the character’s, including Terri herself.
By Series 2, Terri has sold ‘Fan of the Tan’ and is now working as a sale’s rep for tanning products company, Tannissimmo whose slogan is "United We Tan, Divided We Peel". Although Arlene is the only other character to remain in the show after the first series, the show remains strong. There are solid guest appearances from David Tennant and Joanna Scanlan and the show is still wickedly funny.
If you’re a fan of the flamboyant, cheeky humour that shows such as Still Game, Chewin’ the Fat, The Karen Dunbar Show or Nighty Night has to offer, then this camp Scottish classic from the early noughties will be right up your street, or should I say tanning salon!
P.s. Every episode is now on Youtube…
We need to campaign to get BBC Scotland to release the whole series on DVD. It's still my all-time favourite comedy show. It's comedy genius.