Rab C. Nesbitt

If you seen Rab C. Nesbitt walking towards you on the street, you'd be liable to cross the road just to avoid him. His string vest and filthy headband would be enough to put anyone off. In spite of this, Scotland's most famous scrounger has, over the years, become Glasgow's most iconic television character.

Rab & wife Mary Doll.

The character of Rab C. Nesbitt, played expertly by Gregor Fisher, first appeared in sketch show Naked Video in 1986. Rab strived for an easy life, based on the principles of unemployment and alcohol, and his antics were commissioned for a full series by the BBC, when Naked Video finished in 1990.  Beginning at the tail end of the Thatcher government, the show was often a direct attack on Tory policy, and the antithesis of the yuppie culture which had permeated throughout the 1980's. Despite Rab's shambolic appearance, he remained remarkably switched on about current affairs. Every episode would result in him ranting about one of the prominent social issues of the day, be it sectarianism, drug abuse or immigration.

Relive some of Rab's finest moments, from the beginning.

Actress Elaine C. Smith, who played Mary Doll felt Rab C. Nesbitt helped redefine Scottish caricatures. In a recent interview, she explained that drunks and lay-abouts were almost always played by Scottish actors. But Rab C. Nesbitt was seen as Scotland taking back that stereotype and using it for their own devices. Ever since the show first aired in 1990, Scottish people are far less likely to turn up as the drunk, as it's viewed as being cliched. Plus, it would be professional suicide to challenge Rab to a drinking game, so to speak.

When series 8 finished in 1999, it was thought that Rab, Mary Doll and co. had been consigned to the archives for good. But against all odds, like the character himself, Rab C. Nesbitt made a triumphant return to our screens for a special in 2008. Two further series' have introduced the show to a new generation of fans, as we see Rab getting older, and finding religion. And yet, through the years, Rab's charm, and vest, are the same as they were almost 30 years ago.

BROADCAST: 1990-1999. 2008-present.
STARRING: Gregor Fisher, Elaine C.Smith.
WEEGIE RATING:- Belter.