The most famous and cantankerous pensioners in Scotland, Jack and Victor, are back on our screens this Friday after a nine-year absence, as the sit-com Still Game returns to the air waves.

All the main characters are making a return: Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade played by Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill; Jane McCarry as Isa, the nosey neighbour; Gavin Mitchell as Bobby the barman, Paul Riley as Winston, and Mark Cox as Tam. The series will also welcome back Sanjeev Kohli as Navid and Jane McCarry as Isa. Other returning cast members include Gavin Mitchell as Bobby the barman, and Paul Riley and Mark Cox as Jack and Victor's sidekicks Winston and Tam.

Sanjeev Kohli, one of the best-loved characters, shop-keeper Navid Harrid, is also back, and chatted exclusively to the Sunday Herald about the revival of the show - which is getting a UK-wide BBC screening.

Kohli says that when he heard Still Game was returning he mainly felt “relief”.

“After the live show, it was the sensible next step,” he said.

In 2014, 'Still Game: Live at the Hydro' attracted 210,000 fans to the Glasgow venue and sold £6 million in tickets. Kiernan and Hemphill were scheduled to perform only four shows in September, but the huge demand meant that the run was extended to 16, then 21 shows.

About the success of the live show Kohli said: “If you get that number of people 21 times, the [return of Still Game] is a sure-fire thing. It felt right… it felt natural”.

When asked why the show is still so popular, Kohli said: “People really do relate to the characters. People that age are always in their lives”. The show has only grown in popularity outside Scotland since it was given a Netflix release.

Kohli is full of admiration for the show’s creators, Kiernan and Hemphill: “They are very clever, nuanced, sophisticated writers and performers,” he said. He also praised their “liquorice black humour” and the wide-spread appeal of the show’s themes. “Elements of the show are Scottish… but a lot of things are very universal," he said.

The read-through for the new series took place in June of this year at the BBC’s Pacific Quay HQ. Filming began in July at Dumbarton Studios, but also took place in and around Glasgow. In August, fans got very excited by a tweet from Kiernan: “Thanx Glasgow for the massive generosity in letting us film Still Game, see you in October!”

According to Kohli, there is “no reason” why the new series shouldn’t be as popular as the original. He got the impression that, as the series was ending, a lot of people in the North of England got “a big stake in the show”.

“It’s nice to hear people without Scottish accents are enjoying the show,” he said.

He is also keen to see what viewers in the South of England think of Still Game, as they may not have heard of it before. He urges them to “give it a chance”. The fact that she show has a “very nice slot” is another reason why Kohli thinks that the news series of Still Game will be successful.

The theme tune for Still Game has been revamped for the new series. The fresh orchestration has been arranged composer Ben Foster. The theme was recorded by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and is a re-working of the Frank Chacksfield song, Cuban Boy.

An older version, performed by the Cuban Boys, served as the show’s original theme from series one to six. Kohli is “really glad that the original theme is back, albeit played by an orchestra”.

Still Game ran between 2002 and 2007, and was first shown on BBC One Scotland. After the first three series’ success, the show moved to BBC Two’s “Comedy Zone” and was broadcast UK-wide. Still Game had better viewing figures than the channel’s other evening programmes: it had 300,000 more viewers than The Catherine Tate Show and 700,000 more than Steve Coogan’s Saxondale. It maintained a large audience across all six series, with 3.18 million viewers for the first episode of series one, and 2.08 million viewers for the last episode of series six.

Still Game has also won a number of BAFTAs between 2004 and 2007. They won the award for Scotland’s Best Entertainment Programme in 2004 and 2005, as well as the Scotland Audience Award in 2006 and 2007.

Paul Riley and Jane McCarry won Scotland BAFTAs for their performances in 2006 and 2007 respectively. In addition, Still Game won the Best Broadcast Award at the 2004 Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Awards.

After the show ended, Jack and Victor made an appearance in a sketch for Children in Need in 2014. The sketch featured the two men visiting the set of River City. The director in the sketch was a cameo role for Still Game director Michael Hines.

On Hogmanay 2014, the cast popped up on TV screens again in a documentary about the show – Still Game: The Story So Far. The programme also featured interviews with celebrity guest stars, interviews with fans, and some favourite moments.

Still Game is not the first show in which Jack and Victor appeared. Nor is Chewin’ the Fat, Kiernan and Hemphill’s 1999 sketch show with Karen Dunbar, in which Jack and Victor also feature.

In fact, the characters were written for a stage play in 1997. The plot involved Jack, Victor and Winston getting trapped in Victor’s flat, due to a faulty lift. The show toured Scotland, England, Ireland and Canada, was eventually filmed and then released on video and DVD.

Jack and Victor made their TV debut in a 1998 tongue-in-cheek documentary about Scottish pop music, called Och Around the Clock. The two are shown watching pop performers on TV in Victor’s flat. While they watch, they make cutting criticisms of the performances.

The fact that Jack and Victor are still going strong after nearly 20 years is remarkable, and is a testament to the work of Hemphill, Kiernan, Kohli and the rest. As we wait for the new series to be broadcast, anticipation continues to grow. Due to recent successes at the Hydro and the characters’ longevity, it is unlikely that fans will be disappointed.

Naughty but nice ... five great scenes from Still Game

Hogmanay

Ned: Tenner Feechees.

Jack: Feechees to you too. Are ye helpin us or whit?

Ned: Naw. A tenner fae each eh yeses.

One In, One Out

Victor: Back aff, ya spooky bitch!

Jack: You called ma Betty a spooky bitch!

Victor: You're off your t**s on morphine, Jack

Who's The Daddy?

Eric: Lager, Boabby!

Boabby: Shut yer hole, ye d**k!

Recipe

Navid: You want me to talk to Tam, the most miserable b*****d in the world, about changing his ways? Why don't you give me something simple to do, woman?! Like steal the Koh-i-Noor diamond, or climb K2 with Meena strapped to my back?!

Cairds

Winston: We're no playing 'cairds'. We're playing cards. Cairds are what you play cards wi'.