Jackie McNamara’s dressing room tales adapted for TV sitcom

By ADAM MORRIS
Published on Wednesday 12 October 2011 12:15

It’s a funny old game – so surely it’s the perfect material to be turned into a hit sitcom.

Former Celtic and Scotland star Jackie McNamara certainly hopes so as he embarks on a new career as a comedy writer.

The 37-year-old, who is now boss of Partick Thistle and lives in the Capital, has developed the Therapy Room comedy alongside Penicuik-based actor Francis Gilhooley.

The pair had a chance encounter at the Costco outlet in Straiton last year, and the idea grew from there.

Some episodes have already been filmed, featuring actors such as Billy Elliot star Gary Lewis, and it is hoped a major broadcaster will soon agree to take on the show.

Mr Gilhooley said: “I was leaving Costco and Jackie was coming in, and I knew him from a few years back.

“He has all these stories from the dressing room and didn’t necessarily want to put them in a book, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

“Although it’s featuring guys up here, it’s very much aimed at a UK audience, it’s not going to be another Still Game or anything like that.”

The storyline sees an English Premiership club have a “therapy room” installed, where players can go to share their feelings with the camera, and get certain issues off their chests. However, their confessions will differ from the actual truth of events they are talking about, with the viewer given the real story.

Mr Gilhooley added: “With Jackie on board and others it means we’ve got that realism to it – these are things they’ve picked up over the years that have actually happened in dressing rooms.

“I don’t want to divulge too much just now, but we’re optimistic about it getting picked up.”

The programme will combine professional actors and actual footballers.

Hearts defender Ryan McGowan, who had a brief loan spell at McNamara’s Partick Thistle last season, will be among those featured in clips.

McNamara gave up playing last season and went almost straight into management at the Glasgow club, and is now regarded as one of the brightest managerial prospects in Scotland.

He said: “Some of it is based on what I’ve seen and heard, some is fiction, and some stories have grown arms and legs. I won’t say which ones are true.

“Dressing rooms tend to be made up of around 20-odd guys aged between 16 and 35, all going through different things in their lives. When you stop playing that’s the environment you miss most, even though I went back into management fairly soon after.

“The project’s going really well – it’s important to have distractions from day-to-day involvement and this is what that has been. I’m in a couple of the scenes but mainly behind the camera.”

Comments

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8

The Genuine Mario Antionette

Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 12:11 AM

What a right dog's dinner of a mess this new website is.

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7

forsyth.bill1

Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 12:11 AM

I agree about the anthem its awful at least scotland the brave is cheery and jaunty or scots wha hae one of the oldest anthems in the world.

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Member of the Public

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 11:51 PM

Good Luck Jackie.

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TomBaillie

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 09:31 PM

Comment removed by moderator

4

SiR James Douglas

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 07:44 PM

#1, I agree. A like function for comments would have been nice.

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RadgefromtheWest

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 04:11 PM

Editor:.............. we need to be able to space out our comments into readable paragraphs instead of everything being jumbled together.

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2

RadgefromtheWest

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 04:05 PM

There is no disputing the fact that Scotland is desperately short of decent Scottish comedy programmes on tv at present.I miss our humour. We can't do nothing about what is played on the pitch but I want to see the back of that Flower of Scotland. It is a dirge fit for a funeral,a resentful chip on the shoulder rant that no proud forward looking nation should be rambling on about against a neighbouring country. Let bygones be bygones or we will always live in the past.

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1

claymore's edge

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 02:52 PM

Dont know what to make of the new website. Seems a mess. Why was the new design chosen over the older one? Cause its not an improvement, and navigating the site is worse than the old website. Also its impossible to tell whats new news on the EEN site and whats older Scotsman reports. The new website is poorly thought out and ill conceived.

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