Offside was a Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 comedy football television show aired on BBC One Scotland and was presented by Scottish Football journalist Tam Cowan

Tam Cowan

Tam Cowan is a Scottish football journalist, radio and television presenter. Educated at Braidhurst High School in Motherwell, he writes a twice weekly article in the Daily Record newspaper and was presenter of Scottish football comedy TV show Offside.He reviews Scottish restaurants in the Daily...

.

The programme was axed in 2007, for unknown reasons.

Jonathan Watson

Only an Excuse?

Only an Excuse?

Only An Excuse? is an annual Scottish football comedy sketch show that airs each Hogmanay.Starring actor and comedian Jonathan Watson, the show features impressions of some of Scottish football's great characters such as Denis Law, Tommy Burns, Barry Ferguson, Sir Alex Ferguson, Frank McAvennie,...

star Jonathan Watson

Jonathan Watson

Jonathan Watson is a Scottish comedian and impressionist best known for his comedy sketch show Only an Excuse?, which parodies people and events from the world of Scottish football. Watson also regularly appeared on Tam Cowan's Offside television programme on BBC One Scotland where he performed a...

 also contributed to the show, previously producing the Only a Wee Excuse section of the show which was replaced by the "Week that Wisnae" sketch for the last series, this was essentially a simplified version of its predecessor.

Catriona Harvey

Every episode Catriona (Cat) Harvey would star with Tam Cowan and Jonathan Watson. Nearing the end of the last series the Real Radio (Scotland)

Real Radio (Scotland)

Real Radio Scotland is an Independent Local Radio station in Central and Southern Scotland, owned and operated by GMG Radio. The station broadcasts from studios at Ballieston in the east end of the Glasgow on 100.3 & 101.1FM and on DAB.- Background :...

star stopped appearing on the show for unknown reason.

Guests

Offside began with only minor footballing guests, however in its later times more widely known celebrities appeared, such as Joyce Falconer

Joyce Falconer

Joyce Falconer, born in 1969, was raised in a housing scheme in Torry, which is across the River Dee from Aberdeen fish market. Educated at Tullos Primary and Torry Academy where her natural talents for performing and music were encouraged....

, Kevin Keegan

Kevin Keegan

Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....

, George Galloway

George Galloway

George Galloway is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who was a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. He was formerly an MP for the Labour Party, first for Glasgow Hillhead and later for Glasgow Kelvin, before his expulsion from the party in October 2003, the same year...

 and Tommy Sheridan

Tommy Sheridan

Tommy Sheridan is a Scottish socialist politician. He has had various prominent roles within the socialist movement in Scotland and is currently one of two co-convenors of the left-wing Scottish political party Solidarity....

.

Audience

The audience for Offside normally come dressed in replica football jerseys, and actively cheer or boo when references are made about their concerning teams. Tam himself is a Motherwell F.C.

Motherwell F.C.

Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...

fan, and a significant number of the audience normally reflect this. Up until the 2006 Season, the show featured its mascot "Jock the Cock", a giant rooster, who would dance at the end of the show, at Cowan's request: "Take it away, Jock the Cock". Jock the Cock was played throughout by the infamous former fur filler of St. Mirren's Paisley Panda (a.k.a. Andy Duncan)

External links

• Offside at The Comedy Unit