Gary: Tank Commander

Gary: Tank Commander
Starring Greg McHugh
Country of origin Scotland
Original language(s) English, some Scots
No. of series 3
No. of episodes 18 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time approx. 30 minutes
Production company(s) The Comedy Unit
Release
Original network BBC Scotland (both BBC1 & BBC2)
Original release 21 October 2009 (2009-10-21) – 17 October 2012 (2012-10-17)
External links
Website

Gary: Tank Commander is a BAFTA award-winning[1] Scottish sitcom, written and created by Greg McHugh, and produced by the Comedy Unit. The show originated in 2008 as a one-off pilot for More4, under the title Gary's War.[2] A full series was subsequently commissioned and broadcast on BBC Two Scotland in December 2009, with the programme moving to BBC One Scotland for the second series in January 2011.[3] Originally broadcast in Scotland only, in the summer of 2011 the series received a UK-wide screening on BBC Three.[4]

McHugh, who is also the screenwriter, plays the eponymous character, Gary McLintoch (the tank commander), a corporal in the fictional 104th Royal Tank Regiment of the British Army. Filming for the third series began in April 2012.[5]

Plot

Each episode is about the lives of Gary and his three British Army friends after they have returned home to Midlothian, Scotland from military deployments. The first series follows the foursome's service in Iraq, while the second takes place after their time in Afghanistan.[6][7]

Production

Locations

Filming locations have included East Kilbride's Territorial Army (TA) Centre, Walcheren Barracks in Maryhill, Garelochhead Training Camp and the drill hall of the Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities Officer Training Corps. Clydebank has also featured as the "town centre" (episodes 1 and 3) and a location in Kirkintilloch was used for the Iraq army camp scenes (apparently, a section of land and a human-made hole were employed), both appearing in the first season.

The second series was again filmed at East Kilbride TA Centre and Maryhill, with Cambuslang's Dechmont ranges included. Locations also included the small village of Milton of Campsie, most notably the old railway line, used in the storyline that features the scattering of Gary's mother's ashes. For the second season's Afghanistan scenes, Hughes revealed in 2011 that filming was undertaken in Scotland.[8]

Language

Most of the main characters, especially Gary, occasionally use Scots language when speaking, giving rise to some humorous situations throughout the show. A notable example occurs in series 1, episode 3 ("The General"),[9] when a visiting American general struggles to appropriately use the term "ken" ("know" or "understand"). The use of Scots language has not hindered the accessibility of the show to a broader English-speaking audience.[10][11][12]

Format

The original pilot was filmed as a mockumentary, with interviews, archive news material, YouTube-style videos and "fly-on-the-wall" footage following Gary's return home from Iraq.[2] For the series, the show moved towards a traditional sitcom format,[1] although it retained the use of interspersed interviews and video clips.

Interviews

Each episode contains several scenes where Gary is interacting with an unseen interviewer regarding a topic from the respective episode. The interviews are usually composed of Gary's idle thoughts and they help viewers to understand Gary. Occasionally, words or phrases (but rarely complete sentences) are subtitled in these interviews for emphasis. These subtitles are often presented with the use of subtle kinetic typography.

Video clips

Each episode commences with a YouTube-style video clip (with an accompanying time meter) showing the soldiers and their antics whilst in Iraq (series one) or Afghanistan (series two) and further segments are spread throughout the episode. The clips are usually independent of the episode's plot but display the soldiers' sense of humour, creativity with equipment and their boredom during deployment.

Running gags

Main cast

Actor/Actress Character Occupation/Rank Notes
Greg McHugh Gary McLintoch Corporal
Robert Jack Jacko Jackson Lance-Corporal
Scott Fletcher Charlie Smith Private
Paul-James Corrigan Adam Kenning Private Series 1 & 2
James Rottger Mickey Millar Private Series 3
Stuart Bowman Sergeant Thomson Troop Sergeant
Miles Jupp Sebastian Fanshaw Captain (Officer Commanding)
Leah MacRae Julie Jackson Bakery worker; Jacko's sister
Callum Cuthbertson Martin McLintoch Gary's father Recurring
James Allenby-Kirk Jeff the Chef Chef Recurring

List of episodes

Pilot (2008)

Series 1 (2009)

Series 2 (2011)

Series 3 (2012)

Reception

Concerns arose regarding the show's portrayal of British Army soldiers and the offence it may cause Scottish viewers. McHugh subsequently dismissed these worries, stating that, "We hear lots about the death of troops, sadly, but we never hear about the more human side or the lighter side".[15] The concerns were proven to be unfounded and the programme was re-commissioned by the BBC,[16] thereafter returning for a second series.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 stv (29 October 2010). "British Academy Scotland Awards: Winners in 2008". BAFTA. bafta.org. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  2. 1 2 Channel 4 (2012). "Gary's War". Channel 4. Channel 4. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  3. BBC One (2012). "Gary: Tank Commander - Checkout". BBC One. BBC. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  4. Chortle (16 May 2011). "Tank Commander to invade England". The UK Comedy Guide - Chortal. Chortle. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  5. GARY MCLINTOCH (31 January 2012). "GARY MCLINTOCH" (Social media). @GARYTANK. Twitter. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  6. Lucy Mangan (23 December 2011). "Your next box set: Gary: Tank Commander". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  7. Brocklehurst, Steven (4 December 2012). "Greg McHugh: The man behind Gary: Tank Commander". BBC News Scotland.
  8. BBC Scotland (16 December 2010). "Gary: Tank Commander, the Continuing Mission". BBC Scotland. BBC. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  9. IMDb (1995–2012). "Gary Tank Commander: Season 1, Episode 3 The General (23 Oct. 2009)". IMDb. IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  10. Riddoch, Lesley (6 March 2011). "Giving tongue to the vexed question of our language". The Scotsman.
  11. Riddoch, Lesley (19 December 2012). "What connects Alasdair Gray, Dirty Dancing and Gary: Tank Commander". Bella Caledonia.
  12. McManus, Angela (21 December 2013). "Hepburn joins Scoopy Doo on cringe-inducing cast list". Herald Scotland.
  13. BBC One (20 February 2012). "Gary: Tank Commander - Best of Gary". BBC One. BBC. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  14. http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcone/programmes/schedules/scotland/2012/09/24
  15. "News - New comedy Gary Tank Commander is sensitive to war effort, says star Greg McHugh". Retrieved 2009-12-17.
  16. JG2 (5 July 2010). "Green light for more laughs with second series commissions for Burnistoun, Gary – Tank Commander and Limmy's Show" (Press release). BBC Press Office. BBC. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
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