The second funniest episode of 'Rab C. Nesbitt'.
Rab has been summoned to court following his 23rd charge of drunk and disorderly. The judge rules out sending him to prison as she feels it is obviously no deterrent to him and so instead sentences him to 200 hours worth of community service, however before sentence can be passed, she is informed by the clerk of court that ''Govan's Edith Piaf has died!''. The person in question is Marilou Devine, a Govan born country western singer. Soon, Govan is engulfed in a tsunami of grief, with Rab being the exception who, as he puts it, saves his compassion for the living, not the dead!
As part of community service, Rab is given a succession of gardening jobs, one of which being for a cantankerous, unhygenic pensioner named McCuttcheon. Rab and the old man initially do not hit it off but later one evening Rab, in an attempt to escape the enforced grief of the fallen Marilou, is gardening for him and finds him lying unconscious in his living room, having apparently taken an overdose. Rab manages to save the old man's life and discovers that he has ended up living like a hermit following the breakdown of his marriage.
The end of Rab's community service nears and work on the garden has reached completion. Indeed, McCuttcheon is so inspired by Rab's hard work that he pulls himself together and manages to get his house in order again..
It's a hilarious episode, no doubt about that however it was heartbreaking watching it in the knowledge that Rikki Fulton ( who played McCuttcheon ) was suffering from the early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Rikki, previously known by his associates as 'One Take Fulton' ( nicknamed because of his ability to learn lines fast ), had great difficulty remembering his lines and became mortified and upset when one scene had to be re-shot 23 times! All in all, frail though he was, Rikki still managed to put in an excellent peformance and the scenes between him and Gregor are deeply touching.
Marilou is played by Susan Nisbet, who appeared in the series two episode 'Lesson', whilst future 'Victor McDade' of 'Still Game' Greg Hemphill played a news reporter.
Funniest bit - on his first day of community service, Rab is given the job of tidying an old woman's garden. The old woman is horrified however when she discovers that Rab has prepared a grave for her in her garden!
Second funniest bit - Rab, impressed by McCuttcheon getting his house cleaned up, asking him, in good humour, ''What happened? Were you burgled by a team of sarcastic cleaners!''.
Rab has been summoned to court following his 23rd charge of drunk and disorderly. The judge rules out sending him to prison as she feels it is obviously no deterrent to him and so instead sentences him to 200 hours worth of community service, however before sentence can be passed, she is informed by the clerk of court that ''Govan's Edith Piaf has died!''. The person in question is Marilou Devine, a Govan born country western singer. Soon, Govan is engulfed in a tsunami of grief, with Rab being the exception who, as he puts it, saves his compassion for the living, not the dead!
As part of community service, Rab is given a succession of gardening jobs, one of which being for a cantankerous, unhygenic pensioner named McCuttcheon. Rab and the old man initially do not hit it off but later one evening Rab, in an attempt to escape the enforced grief of the fallen Marilou, is gardening for him and finds him lying unconscious in his living room, having apparently taken an overdose. Rab manages to save the old man's life and discovers that he has ended up living like a hermit following the breakdown of his marriage.
The end of Rab's community service nears and work on the garden has reached completion. Indeed, McCuttcheon is so inspired by Rab's hard work that he pulls himself together and manages to get his house in order again..
It's a hilarious episode, no doubt about that however it was heartbreaking watching it in the knowledge that Rikki Fulton ( who played McCuttcheon ) was suffering from the early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Rikki, previously known by his associates as 'One Take Fulton' ( nicknamed because of his ability to learn lines fast ), had great difficulty remembering his lines and became mortified and upset when one scene had to be re-shot 23 times! All in all, frail though he was, Rikki still managed to put in an excellent peformance and the scenes between him and Gregor are deeply touching.
Marilou is played by Susan Nisbet, who appeared in the series two episode 'Lesson', whilst future 'Victor McDade' of 'Still Game' Greg Hemphill played a news reporter.
Funniest bit - on his first day of community service, Rab is given the job of tidying an old woman's garden. The old woman is horrified however when she discovers that Rab has prepared a grave for her in her garden!
Second funniest bit - Rab, impressed by McCuttcheon getting his house cleaned up, asking him, in good humour, ''What happened? Were you burgled by a team of sarcastic cleaners!''.
