''City Lights'' is a Scottish

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

made by

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, employing approximately 1,250 staff as of 2017, to produce 15,000 hours of television and radio programming per year. BBC Scotla ...

and set in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. It ran from 1984 to 1991 (networked 1987 to 1991) and was written by Bob Black. Two stage shows, featuring the original cast, toured Scotland.

Premise

It starred

Gerard Kelly Gerard Kelly (born Paul Kelly; 27 May 1959 – 28 October 2010) was a Scottish actor who appeared in many comedies, including ''City Lights'', ''Rab C Nesbitt'', '' Scotch and Wry'' and '' Extras''. He had more serious roles as well, including ...

as Willie Melvin, a bank-teller at the fictional Strathclyde Savings Bank (whose logo was very similar to the TSB), with dreams of becoming a novelist. Most of the plots revolved around his attempts to get his book, the autobiographical ''My Childhood Up A

Close Close may refer to: Music * ''Close'' (Kim Wilde album), 1988 * ''Close'' (Marvin Sapp album), 2017 * ''Close'' (Sean Bonniwell album), 1969 * "Close" (Sub Focus song), 2014 * "Close" (Nick Jonas song), 2016 * "Close" (Rae Sremmurd song), 201 ...

'', published, however his efforts are continually thwarted by both his own incompetence and overall gullibility. He frequently gets led astray by best friend Chancer ( Andy Gray), who has a penchant for get-rich-quick schemes and various dodgy dealings that backfire, with Willie getting caught up in the resulting mess. None of this ingratiates Willie with his long suffering boss and bank manager Adam McLelland (who is always looking for an excuse to fire him), and constantly exasperates his mother, played by Jan Wilson.

Cast and characters

He was held back in this by his own incompetence, the dodgy dealings of his best friend Chancer ( Andy Gray), and the lack of support he gained from his mother (Jan Wilson), the bank's manager Adam McLelland ( Dave Anderson) and his obsequious fellow teller, Brian ( Jonathan Watson). Other recurring characters included Chancer's friend Tam ( Iain McColl), Willie's classmate from a creative writing class Irene ( Elaine C. Smith) and his

love interest (; ) were stock characters within the theatre style known as commedia dell'arte, who appeared in 16th-century Italy. In the plays, everything revolved around the lovers in some regard. These dramatic and posh characters were present within pl ...

s, Janice (

Elaine Collins Margaret Elaine Collins (born 21 April 1958) is a Scottish actress and producer. Career Collins made her acting debut in 1975, appearing in a guest role in the series ''Lord Peter Wimsey''. Her most prominent roles include films such as '' Soft ...

, Series 1 and 2) and Fiona ( Ann Bryson, Series 4 and 5).

Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, musician, television presenter, artist and retired stand-up comedian. He is sometimes known by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his idiosyncratic and of ...

guest-starred in one episode.

References

External links

* * Comedy Guide *
''City Lights''
at British TV Resources 1984 Scottish television series debuts 1991 Scottish television series endings BBC Scotland television shows BBC television sitcoms Scottish television sitcoms Television shows set in Glasgow 1980s Scottish television series British English-language television shows 1980s British sitcoms 1990s British sitcoms {{Glasgow-stub