Chewin the Fat

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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:

• 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:

First keeper: (in a quiet voice that suggests he's working very hard at not shouting) Goannae no dae that? 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.

Tropes used in Chewin the Fat include:

• 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.