IT WAS 1986 – and a new six-part programme about a Glasgow band was about to hit the small screen.
Tutti Frutti was a cult classic when it first aired, but it became one of Scotland’s most-loved TV hits thanks to its script by John Byrne and top notch performances from the likes of Emma Thompson and Robbie Coltrane – both of whom were better known for comedy at the time.
Byrne’s dark, witty tale centred on the Majestics, a rock and roll band who are about to embark on their 25th anniversary tour when their lead singer dies in a freak car accident.
Despite the death of Big Jazza, manager Eddie Clockerty is determined to re-create The Majestics’ halcyon days.
Clockerty, played by One Foot In The Grave star Richard Wilson, talks Big Jazza’s younger brother Danny – Coltrane – in to joining the band as its new lead singer.
Suzi Kettles (Thompon), an old classmate of Danny, also joins as guitarist.
Despite a calamitous tour of Scotland’s less salubrious clubs and pubs, the band’s fortunes appear to take a turn for the better. But a series of personal disasters and backstage squabbling threaten their bid to recapture their former glory.
The cast included Maurice Roeves as guitarist Vincent Diver, and Katy Murphy as the hilarious Miss Toner.
It was Coltrane’s big break – the Rutherglen-born star has since gone on to appear in everything from the Harry Potter movies (as lovable Hogwarts gamekeeper Hagrid) to psychological drama series Cracker.
It was Tutti Frutti that put him on the map (and earned him a Bafta best actor nomination).
The show was later made into a stage play toured by the National Theatre of Scotland in 2006 with Tom Urie in the lead role.
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Coltrane has previously told how double Oscar winning actress Thompson almost missed out on her breakthrough as Kettles in the iconic series, because she was seen as too posh and English.
The show came back in 2019, when the new BBC Scotland channel repeated it in its entirety, to the delight of fans.
Another legendary local figure within the industry, Bill Bryden, who died recently, was also involved behind the scenes.
There was also a successful LP released with all the songs from the show.
In our pictures from the archive, Coltrane is photographed alongside other stars of the show filming on location at the Pavilion Theatre, when the BBC film crew took over the venue for several days.
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