The High Life (TV series)

Infobox_Television
show_name = The High Life


caption = The High Life
format = Sitcom
runtime = 30 minutes
creator = Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson
starring = Alan Cumming
Forbes Masson
Siobhan Redmond
Patrick Ryecart
country = Scotland
network = BBC
first_aired = 9 January 1994
last_aired = 10 February 1995
num_episodes = 6 (+1 pilot)

"The High Life" was a Scottish situation comedy written by and starring Forbes Masson as Steve McCracken and Alan Cumming as Sebastian Flight. Cumming and Masson met at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and united after several solo projects, to create the theatrical BBC sitcom, "The High Life". The two leads were based heavily on their famous Scottish comedy alter-egos, Victor and Barry.

The series followed the cabin crew at the fictional airline, Air Scotia, flying out of Prestwick Airport. The crew consisted of the camp, alcohol-loving, narcissistic and bitchy steward, Sebastian; his sex-obsessed colleague Steve; their up-tight, antagonistic chief stewardess, Shona Spurtle; and the eccentric pilot, Captain Hilary Duff.

Sebastian and Steve longed to be promoted to long-haul flights to see exotic locations, instead of the current short-haul trips with their superior Shona, played by Siobhan Redmond, whom they described as 'Hitler in tights', ‘Mussolini in Micromesh‘ and ‘Goebbels in a Gossard‘. The deranged pilot, Captain Duff, played by Patrick Ryecart, would need to be frequently reminded who he was, where the cockpit was and where he was flying to.

Interspersed with surrealism, childish humour, sarcasm and theatrical song and dance numbers; "The High Life" combined intelligent dialogue and superb comic acting to create an anarchic Scottish sitcom. It only ran for one series due to Alan Cumming being beckoned towards Hollywood; however during an [http://www.reddwarf.co.uk/flibble/masson/interview.html interview] , Masson claims that a second series was written, yet not acted upon. Despite its short-run, it is remembered for Steve and Sebastian’s joint catchphrase: ‘Oh deary me!’ and for the opening sequence which featured the cast performing a spectacular dance routine to the title song.

The series ran for six thirty minute episodes. The Comic Asides pilot was broadcast on BBC2 at 9pm on Sunday 9 January 1994. The series of six episodes were broadcast on Friday Nights at 9.30pm between 6 January and 10 February 1995.

The entire series (including the pilot) was released on VHS and DVD in 2002.

Cast, Characters and Crew

*Alan Cumming - Sebastian Flight (Sebastian Flight is said to be a reference to 'Sebastian Flyte' in Brideshead Revisited.)
*Forbes Masson - Steve McCracken
*Siobhan Redmond - Shona Spurtle
*Patrick Ryecart - Captain Hilary Duff

Crew
*Alan Cumming - Writer
*Forbes Masson - Writer
*Tony Dow (director) - Director (pilot)
*Angela deChastelai Smith - Director (series)
*Tony Dow (director) - Producer

Episode guide

*Pilot - "The High Life" - Same plot as "Choob".
*Episode 1 - "Feart" - Steve and Sebastian decide to find away out of Air Scotia. The impending arrival of the staff inspector could make these dreams come true.
*Episode 2 - "Birl" - Air Scotia employees attend a weekend of intensive training. Steve finds love with flight-attendant, Heather.
*Episode 3 - "Winch" - Sebastian returns from his holiday in Florida to discover something has happened between Shona and Steve.
*Episode 4 - "Choob" - An almost total reshoot of the Comic Asides Pilot. Shona lands the job of presenting the Air Scotia’s in-flight video, much to Sebastian’s annoyance.
*Episode 5 - "Dug" - Sebastian decides to enter the Song For Europe contest as Scotland’s first entry, in a hope to find fame and fortune, and some girls for Steve.
*Episode 6 - "Dunk" - The crew become involved in a small-business espionage plot around biscuits in a spoof of the 1960s series of "Batman".

References