THE HOT 100 GREG MCHUGH
When it comes to arresting openings in new TV comedy-dramas during 2011, it’s unlikely that anything came close to Channel 4’s Fresh Meat. The sight of Greg McHugh, naked from the waist down, blow-drying a row of Peking ducks won’t leave many witness’ minds. ‘When you’ve got a sock over your front parts and a whole crew of individuals standing behind you, a scene like that certainly doesn’t seem to go by quickly.’
Through Howard, the eccentric Scottish recluse with ‘creepy Taxi Driver specs’ and scratchy beard, McHugh took the chance to prove that there is more to his comedy repertoire than the askew-minded, camp squaddie he has crafted into a BAFTA-winning BBC Scotland show, Gary: Tank Commander. Created and overseen by Peep Show’s Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, Fresh Meat threw McHugh up against the likes of Robert Webb, Joe Thomas and Jack Whitehall, and with a second series having been given the go-ahead, McHugh will hopefully have the chance to develop his loveable oddball further. Not that McHugh is neglecting ‘Gurry’, whose second series hit screens this year (he’s currently penning season three)
and took him onto the Glasgow King’s stage for a Palestine benefit gig in March. ‘What I always do just before performing is to go through the set, so I’ll find a corner and be Gary there. I think if you were to CCTV me, you’d see me walking as Gary and talking to myself as Gary and that would be quite disturbing, but no one else gets to see that. I don’t have any nerves walking on in front of a camera any more, other than maybe the first day of filming, but in stand- up they never go away. Especially at the King’s where I was following Frankie Boyle, who is just phenomenal.’ (BD)
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30 KEVIN MACDONALD FILMMAKING WHERE EAGLES DARE
Macdonald’s vision for global clip-fest Life in a Day resulted in a special cinematic collaboration back in January. His
Roman romp The Eagle may not have clicked with audiences, but he’s set to bounce back in 2012 with a Bob Marley doc and an adaptation of Meg Rosoff’s children’s book How I Live Now. (EH)
29 NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND REVIVED CULTURAL INSTITUTION
One of Edinburgh’s favourite tourist 34 THE LIST 15 Dec 2011–5 Jan 2012
attractions reopened in July after a £47m facelift courtesy of architect Gareth Hoskins and exhibition designer Ralph launch Music is the Music Language, run Retreat! Festival IV, and tour the incredibly well-received Archive Trails; where folk ballads mingled with drone, poetry and puppets. (CS)
Appelbaum. The museum now has a new entrance hall and restaurant and a restructured collection comprising 8000 new items, and it also became an unlikely music venue with the first in a series of List-curated RBS Lates events. (DP)
DIY MUSIC PROMOTER 28 TRACER TRAILS
27 JUNCTION 25 AT THE CROSSROADS OF GREAT THINGS
The dynamic young people’s theatre company was formed six years ago but broke through in a major way
A one-woman force behind the central belt’s more offbeat music events. 2011 saw Emily Roff’s Tracer Trails co- at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2011 with the award-winning I Hope My Heart Goes First, a witty, thought-provoking insight into the painful, joyful process of growing up that marked the company out as one to watch. (AR)
26 ANTHONY BAXTER TAKING TYCOONS TO TASK
With the infuriating but funny You’ve Been Trumped! the Melrose- based filmmaker documented the Scottish government’s shameful flogging off of an Aberdeenshire nature reserve to the ridiculously-coiffed American tycoon/golf course developer Donald Trump. Baxter’s been blackballed ever since. He’s a real local hero. (MF)
25 GREG MCHUGH THE TANK COMMANDER TACKLES SOME FRESH MEAT
See Panel (left).
24 NUMBERS MORE ELECTRONIC DISPATCHES FROM GLASGOW’S UNDERGROUND
The cutting-edge electronica club night and record label celebrated their eighth birthday in 2011.
Numbers are no longer confined to Glasgow with regular nights in London and a slot on Rinse FM. Releases in 2011 included tracks from Redinho, Jamie XX, Lory D and Deadboy, plus core member (and definite one-to- watch) Jackmaster put out a Fabric mix. (HN)
23 ALLY MCCRAE CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONING MUSIC
When he’s not drawing Radio 1 listeners’ attention to the best of Scottish music on the ‘BBC Introducing. . .’ radio show he presents, the lanky, ever-effervescent 24-year-old also runs the excellent Detour podcast/ inspired music event programme with good pal David Weaver. (A tattoo on McCrae’s arm reads ‘David Weaver’.) Read about his favourite bands of 2011 (including fellow Hot 100-ers Discopolis) on page 38. (CS)
YOU KNOW WHO 22 STEVEN MOFFAT
See panel (right).