Planet Hogmanay. Jack Docherty. Copyright: The Comedy Unit
Planet Hogmanay

Planet Hogmanay

  • TV sketch show
  • BBC One Scotland
  • 2015
  • 1 episode

Jack Docherty presents a mix of archive footage and comedy comment to look back at how Scotland celebrates the New Year. Stars Jack Docherty.

Press clippings

Narrated by Jack Docherty, this lovely one-off programme gathers various Scottish comedians and asks them to reminisce about our Hogmanay traditions.

"Ye cannae see in the New Year with a messy hoose," my Gran always says, insisting that if you start the New Year in a mess then you'll remain so. That's the tradition this programme opens with: the need to have the place spick and span to greet the New Year, and we're mocked for boasting about our Hogmanay housewifery. "Whit, ye've hoovered?", says Des Clarke. "That's something you should be doing regularly!" Nonetheless, we boast about the dusting because it makes us feel part of the celebration.

"Officer Karen" from Scot Squad talks of opening the door to let the old year out - something which is rarely welcome as it also means letting the cold in, whilst Jane McCarry recalls wandering the streets and looking up at tenement windows to see where the loudest noise and brightest lights were coming from - then you'd simply walk up and gatecrash. "There were nae buzzers in those days" so it was easy.

All these Scottish traditions are compared with others from around the globe, but the verdict is that ours are the best.

Julie McDowall, The National (Scotland), 31st December 2015

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