Molly Weir RIP

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Just over the BBC newspages.

Mainly known in 'modern' times for the Flash adverts (floor cleaning powder rather than internet tool). I met her once, one of the nicest celebs I ever met. She was 94, by the way. One of those faces that pops up in old british b&w films.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 29 November 2004 15:36 (twenty-one years ago)

and in Rentaghost as well.

Sadly she comes under the "I Didn't Know She Was Still Alive, Except Obviously Now She's Not" category. 94, not bad.

― Marcello Carlin, Monday, 29 November 2004 15:41 (twenty-one years ago)

I think I only know her from Rentaghost, though I've seen plenty of films she was in... RIP

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Monday, 29 November 2004 15:44 (twenty-one years ago)

She was also in the final episode of The High Life, as the creator of Scotland's top, top-secret tablet recipe.

― caitlin (caitlin), Monday, 29 November 2004 15:47 (twenty-one years ago)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4052617.stm

The BBC news page, just in.

I guess they'll fill in more, as the day progresses.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 29 November 2004 15:49 (twenty-one years ago)

it must've been so great working on/in Rentaghost

― Frankenstein On Ice (blueski), Monday, 29 November 2004 15:52 (twenty-one years ago)

She was probably the last surviving member of the ITMA cast as well.

I see John Dunn has also gone, from cancer, aged just 70. Very much a Radio 2 DJ of the old school but I liked him.

― Marcello Carlin, Monday, 29 November 2004 15:52 (twenty-one years ago)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4052519.stm

They did a better page.

"The Root of all evil" that's probably what she was filming when I met her. I was doing a pop quiz at the time.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 29 November 2004 16:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought you were going to say it was at the theatre in Windsor where she was appearing in 'Hoots Mon' or something.

― Puddin'Head Miller (PJ Miller), Monday, 29 November 2004 17:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Nooooooo.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 29 November 2004 17:11 (twenty-one years ago)

'Molly's Lips' by the Vaselines was about her (thus Kurt Cobain has sung a song about her!)

― Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Monday, 29 November 2004 18:50 (twenty-one years ago)

the bbc describe her merely as a prolific author, she was in fact the world's most prolific autobiographical writer.

― MarkH (MarkH), Monday, 29 November 2004 21:44 (twenty-one years ago)

The second link mentions 8 vols of autobiog. Blimey, at that rate, I'm probably mentioned!

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 09:23 (twenty-one years ago)

My mum had a couple of her books, i can remember reading and enjoying them as a nipper. Is her brother still around? Stv still show weir's way at weird times of the morning.

― leigh (leigh), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 10:19 (twenty-one years ago)

RIP

I love weir's way.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 10:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Repulsive old Tory hag.

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 11:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I bet your floors are really dirty, Dadaismus.

― Puddin'Head Miller (PJ Miller), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 13:13 (twenty-one years ago)

My bathtub's scratched to buggery too

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 13:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Weirs Way is great - I think Tom is long dead though. It's great to see all the places Kev and I visit.

My friend and I were talking about autobiographies a couple of weeks ago, and I mentioned how dire I thought Molly's were. I feel a little bad about that now.

RIP Molly.

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 13:36 (twenty-one years ago)

If you grew up in Scotland in the 70s there was a five minute slot before "Crossroads" where, if you were lucky, you might get a cartoon ("Calimero" probably) but often you got a crap STV five minute space filler, of which they were three varieties:

1. Molly Weir's tales of growing up in a Glasgow tenement - back when you could leave your back door open and no-one would steal your jeely pieces and the working classes were living 12 to room and dying of TB but knew there place and, while we're at it, vote Thatcher.

2. Lavinia Derwent - like Molly Weir except in the countryside.

3. Bill Knox - this was the best one, it was a kind of quick guide to gruesome murder cases from Glasgow's gruesome past hosted by a guy who obviously took ghoulish joy in describing acid bath murders to six-year olds waiting to see "Calimero".

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 13:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Cali-friggin-Mero. Egg on his head. Same episode every day. "Awww what-a-way-to-eeeend!"

Cliff Hanley and Jack House to thread, assuming either is still breathing (which I suspect they ceased to do several decades ago).

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 30 November 2004 13:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Professional Glaswegians - dontcha just love 'em? Who was Jack House again? He sounds like a dance genre.

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 13:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Frankie Knuckles had nothing on our Jack.

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 30 November 2004 13:54 (twenty-one years ago)

"Jack House came to be regarded as an authority on Glasgow, earning the nickname "Mr Glasgow". He wrote over seventy books, most of them with a Glasgow theme."

Money for old rope eh? I remember him now, he looked like one of Malcolm Muggeridge's testicles.

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 13:55 (twenty-one years ago)

If you grew up in Scotland in the 70s there was a five minute slot before "Crossroads"

there used to be this clip of kids singing 'yellow submarine', everything was bright primary colours. this 5 minute slot was on sundays as well between glen michael and arthur "goal!" montford.

― DJ Salinger (joni), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 14:19 (twenty-one years ago)

This thread is reminding me of Armando Iannucci's "That's except for viewers in Scotland" sketch. "You saw a programme on how to turn base metals into gold and we got a quiz about hills hosted by Paul Coia."

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 14:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Michael, hardly a day goes by when I don't think about that sketch - many a true word spoken in jest etc

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 14:44 (twenty-one years ago)

yes! that sketch was so otm.
now i'm remembering horrors like 'the untied shoelaces show' and 'now you see it'. argh!!!

― DJ Salinger (joni), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 14:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Poor Calimero. He has been abandoned.

― Puddin'Head Miller (PJ Miller), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 15:10 (twenty-one years ago)

It's an injustice

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 15:12 (twenty-one years ago)

you got a crap STV five minute space filler, of which they were three varieties

You got "Pop shop" as well; which had a bit of ELO, 10CC or Status Quo on it.

― KeithW (kmw), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 20:49 (twenty-one years ago)

I have never seen Glen Michael's Cartoon Cavalcade. It wasn't viewers in Scotland, it was STV viewers. Us Grampian bods were sadly deprived. It was off air before I moved to the Central Belt. I once lost a pub quiz with my Invernessian pal as we were neck and neck with one other team up until the last question which was about Glen Michael's Cartoon Cavalcade WHICH NEITHER OF US HAD EVER SEEN. And yes, we complained. And yes, that bastard who used to run the quiz in Nice'n'Sleazys laughed at the silly wee teuchter lassies. And yes, I'm still bitter about it eight years later.

We got the last laugh the next week by being the only people in the pub who knew who the Lord Provost of Glasgow was.

In other news, I had no idea until the other day that Mollie Weir was Tom Weir's sister. He is, I'm pleased to confirm, not dead.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 20:57 (twenty-one years ago)

When I was a kid, I saw Glen Michael live in Glasgow. One of the best gigs I've ever attended.

― KeithW (kmw), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 21:35 (twenty-one years ago)

i won an essay competition when i was 9, my prize was presented to me by Glen Michael at this function thing at a hotel in Glasgow & i got to sit beside the then reigning Miss Scotland. Paladin was nowhere to be seen however.

― DJ Salinger (joni), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 21:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Did you try it on with her?

― KeithW (kmw), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 21:58 (twenty-one years ago)

glen michael's cartoon cavalcade is the reason I live in cowcaddens not really.

was it pat lally, ailsa?

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 23:18 (twenty-one years ago)

No, it was Tommy Dingwall, which may date this (I think it was maybe around 1995-6?). I didn't know, but my friend did because she had handed a petition into his office a few weeks before, about building on the land up near our halls of residence/the Glasgow Uni Vet School.

We've gone way off topic. Here is a picture of Mollie Weir.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/fortytwo/rentaghost/c_weir.jpg

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 23:42 (twenty-one years ago)

YARG

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 23:42 (twenty-one years ago)

OK, how about a picture of Glen Michael (now to be heard on Saga FM)?

ihttps://www.saga.co.uk/radio/images/shared/presenters/gmichael.jpg

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 23:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah I apologise for saying Tom had kicked th bucket - he's ninety and lives in a nursing home in Balloch.

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 08:36 (twenty-one years ago)

My mum informs me that i was terrified of paladin as a nipper.

― leigh (leigh), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 09:03 (twenty-one years ago)

I didn't know you were a 'teuchter', Ailsa.

― Puddin'Head Miller (PJ Miller), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 10:21 (twenty-one years ago)

So you can imagine the quality of programming which followed the announcement, "That's except for viewers in the Grampian region".

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 13:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Exactly. Hence no Glen Michael. We did get Dotaman and Donnie Murdo long before you. We also had Robin Galloway as a continuity announcer long before he started being a tit on Real Radio.

― ailsa (ailsa), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 22:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Dunno who Donnie Murdo is. Donnie Munro was our headmaster at university for a few years.

― KeithW (kmw), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 22:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Donnie Murdo = Danger Mouse, in Gaelic.

(that's right, isn't it?)

― caitlin (caitlin), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 22:53 (twenty-one years ago)

So Donnie Munro is Danger Hill?

― KeithW (kmw), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 22:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Must be the Gaelic version of that mountain rescue drama series :-)

― caitlin (caitlin), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 22:58 (twenty-one years ago)

What, Rockface? (Yes, I pay far too much attention to anything involving the Highlands, even if it is shit).

Caitlin, Donnie Murdo = Gaelic Dangermouse. We also get Padraig Post (Gaelic Postman Pat) and Calum Clachair (Gaelic Bob the Builder). I'm sure these are nation-(as in Scotland-)wide come to think of it, aren't they BBC shows rather than ITV, therefore not as regionalised?

― ailsa (ailsa), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 23:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I've seen both Padraig Post and Calum Clachair, but not Donnie Murdo. All the Gaelic children's TV I know is the things that were on TV when I was a student.

― caitlin (caitlin), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 23:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I think Donnie Murdo was the prototype. As Postman Pat and Bob the Builder were most recent inventions, stands to reason their Gaelic counterparts are the more recent ones still on telly.

STV viewers also miss the Gaelic news and current affairs programmes which are brilliant as the Gaels don't have words for anything invented after about 1700, so it's like half-English, half-Gaelic.

I don't speak any Gaelic, by the way.

― ailsa (ailsa), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 23:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Sam Smaildaig - Fireman Sam

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Thursday, 2 December 2004 09:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Things i don't miss about Scotland = Programmes in Gaelic

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 2 December 2004 14:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Donnie Murdo does not mean Danger Mouse but they had to call him something beginning DM because that's what it says on his outfit. I sat next to an ageing Airdrie player the other night at a posh do.

― Madchen (Madchen), Thursday, 2 December 2004 15:02 (twenty-one years ago)

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