Chewin the Fat

A sketch show from Scotland. Very famous in its home country, but almost unheard of anywhere else, and produced by The BBC. Single-handedly responsible for a lot of Memetic Mutation, which, again, confuses the hell out of anyone not Scottish.

Some of the Running Gags and recurring characters used in the show: "First keeper: (in a quiet voice that suggests he's working very hard at not shouting) Goannae no dae that?
 * Interpreting for the Neds -- A Violent Glaswegian man translating serious news stories for the benefit of the city's underbelly.
 * Grumpy Old Men Jack and Victor, who got their own Spin Off in Still Game.
 * An uptight teacher who recoils at the very mention of anything sexual. Particularly funny when she has to teach the class sex education -- naturally, they know more about it than she does.
 * The two lighthouse keepers. One of them is cheerfully doing something bizarre and/or dangerous, and the other is irritated by it. The dialogue, in every sketch, goes as follows:

Second keeper: (with complete innocence, not actually stopping) How?

First keeper: (in an even more pained voice) Just ... goannae no."


 * The Banter boys. Two Ambiguously Gay Edinburgians who find everything Glaswegians say simply delightful, much to the bemusement of the Glaswegians.
 * The Van: People are caught in various serious situations until they are interrupted by the sound of the ice-cream van, at which point one of the characters dashes off to buy something while another holds them back for a moment trying to decide what they want.

This show provides examples of:

 * Bawdy Song: The songs sung by Jack, Victor and their friends at the pub.
 * British Brevity: Only four seasons of 6 episodes each were released.
 * Dirty Old Woman: Betty the Auld Slapper, much to the shock of anyone who talks to her for more than five seconds.
 * Fish Out of Water: One sketch was based on a police exchange between the NYPD and Strathclyde Police. Hilarity Ensues.
 * New Age Retro Hippie: Eric the Activist.
 * Running Gag
 * Spin Off: Victor and Jack eventually got their own sitcom Still Game.
 * Those Two Guys: Bish and Bosh.
 * Violent Glaswegian: The foundation of half of the show.