Review: Burnistoun: Live and For Real!, Glasgow

On the basis of giving the fans what they wanted, this live debut for Robert Florence and Iain Connell's rascally sketch show can only be declared a success, the affection the audience roared for their favourite characters more than justifying the show's forthcoming television return.

Interview: The Burnistoun boys on going live

"If we'd never done it live, we knew that in a few years we'd regret it," says Iain Connell and Robert Florence.

Burnistoun comedy duo set for live stage show

If fans of television's cult comedy Burnistoun are wondering why it took Robert Florence and Iain Connell so long to bring their favourite characters to the stage, they might want to consider the duo's last live appearance together.

Burnistoun Live sold out in 60 minutes

Burnistoun writers Robert Florence and Iain Connell have pledged to ensure fans get to see the live version of the show after tickets sold out in under an hour today.

Burnistoun takes to the stage with 2015 live show

Comedy duo Robert Florence and Iain Connell are taking their Scottish show to Glasgow's King's Theatre during the annual event.

Burnistoun duo shoot a new sitcom

Burnistoun creators Robert Florence and Iain Connell have shot a new sitcom pilot for the BBC.

Burnistoun creators in philosophy show for school kids

Online now and airing on the BBC Learning Channel and BBC Scotland in the summer, Enlighten Up! seems an unlikely television return for Burnistoun creators Robert Florence and Iain Connell.

Getting kids into Hume with wigs and superheroes

Online now and airing on the BBC Learning Channel and BBC Scotland in the summer, Enlighten Up! seems an unlikely television return for Burnistoun creators Robert Florence and Iain Connell, their first screen roles since the sketch show finished in September.

I can't believe I'm the last person to be turned on to Burnistoun's pawky, plooky wit, to move around the workplace shouting "For real!", to instruct the kids that when you find ­yourself dissatisfied with your surroundings, the only reasonable response is "Up the road!" It didn't grab me at the start and I gave up - too soon, because new sketch shows often seem more miss than hit until they get under your skin, and in its third season Burnistoun has got under mine like scabies. Third and last, alas. The "Save Burnistoun" campaign - which I'm prepared to downgrade to the "Gie's a Christmas special at least" initiative in exchange for a month's supply of macaroon bars because, yes, I can be bought - starts here.

My criteria for a winning comedy are: a) Does it make me laugh? b) Are there good-looking burds in it? c) Does it allow me to come over all pretentious about sub-text, deeper meaning and Scottish identity? The answers are yes, yes and yes. Burnistoun seems to be saying that Scotland, formerly a land of inventors, may be stuck in the hoose these days but it continues to embrace the new. Who is Jolly Boy John, home-broadcasting on his laptop in Speedos to techno, if not the son of Jolly Boy John Logie Baird? As Scott, shell-suited mate of the equally sports-casual Peter, puts it: "Even yer maw's life-streamin' noo."

Not all change is good. The "Up the road!" boys loathe trendy ambience when they're out for a drink or a meal. Hairy McClowdry, host of Kiltie Time, incorporates Kanye West and Ryan Gosling into his heedrum-hodrum rhymes but that's deemed acceptable, whereas it's not okay for history presenters to stride around moors, all lustrous of barnet (Neil Oliver, I think they mean you). If there's schizophrenia at work on Burnistoun, well, isn't that the national condition? One thing we can all agree on, I'm sure, is that it's plain wrong for local talent to swan off to Hollywood and come back talking about how great it is to be "Skaddish" (Lulu, Sheena Easton and Gerard Butler, stop it now). If the show's creators, Iain Connell and Robert Florence, ever get to Hollywood - and I'd love to see Burnistoun: The Movie - it's a pretty safe bet they won't make the same ­mistake.

Robert Florence and Iain Connell interview

Robert Florence is the dreamer of the pair while Iain Connell brings a sense of reality to the table, but when the Burnistoun writers get together, the result is infectiously clever comedy.