Ford Kiernan
Encyclopedia
Ford John Kiernan is a Scottish
actor and comedian. Along with his comedy partner, Greg Hemphill
, he is best known in the United Kingdom
for his appearances in Still Game
and Chewin' The Fat
.
, Kiernan was educated at Alexandra Parade Primary School and Whitehill Secondary School. He then went on to train as a tailor
and work as a barman at Glasgow University
. In 1995, he married his current wife Lesley and they have two children together.
and on stage
. His play "Don't Start Me" won an award at the 1995 Edinburgh Fringe
. He has also broadcast frequently on BBC Radio Four and BBC Radio Scotland
. However, it is the sketch show Chewin' The Fat
that he is best known due to his ability to play a number of characters. At first the show was only shown in Scotland
but by the time of the third and fourth series, the BBC
decided to show it nationwide. Likewise, spin-off
Still Game
started in Scotland but branched out to a wider audience. The latter's sixth series broadcast on BBC Two
in July 2007, with a repeat on BBC1 Scotland. Also Kiernan, along with Hemphill
scripted 7 episodes between 1999 and 2000 for the then popular children's TV series Hububb. These episodes were, Lullabubb, Top Of The Bubbs, Conquer Leserest, Casual-Tea, Bubb Goes Boo, 2010 A Space Bubbsy and No Go Pogo. Ford also guest starred alongside Hemphill
in one episode called Casual-Tea which he and Hemphill
scripted. He also guest starred in two other episodes, Magnetic Personality and Take Me Your Leader, but these were without Hemphill
. Kiernan has also had several bit-part roles in films. In 1996, he starred alongside fellow Scot
Robert Carlyle
in Carla's Song
and in 2002, he also played the role of Black Joke Chief in the Martin Scorsese
film Gangs of New York
.
In 2007 Kiernan starred in Dear Green Place
, a BBC One Scotland sitcom series featuring park wardens. In 2008, Kiernan starred in the movie adaptation of Irvine Welsh's
best-selling novel Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance
.
hotel that he had extramarital relations with newsreader Sarah Heaney
. According to the Sunday Mail
, Kiernan was drunk and "seemed unconcerned by who heard the claims". Hours earlier, he had sworn several times in front of an audience at the BAFTA Scotland
ceremony. Kiernan later issued an apology stating that "[he was] really, really sorry" and he admitted that "[he'd] had a few drinks". Sarah Heaney flatly denied any affair with Kiernan: "Not now, not ever". Kiernan was also fined that year, for assaulting a taxi driver in a road rage incident in the West End of Glasgow. A witness gave a statement saying Ford "army rolled" from his vehicle before ripping the taxi door open.
, a Scottish
comedy show, alongside Greg Hemphill
where they both play various roles. Karen Dunbar
, Paul Riley
and Mark Cox also star in the show, in minor roles.
From 2002 to 2007 Kiernan and Greg Hemphill
starred together in the Scottish
comedy Still Game
. He and Hemphill wrote all episodes of the show. Paul Riley
and Mark Cox also had recurring roles.
He played Archie Henderson in two series of Dear Green Place
broadcast between 2007 and 2008.
In January 2009, he starred in No Holds Bard, a BBC Scotland one-off special comedy shown on Burns Night as part of a line-up of special programming to mark the 250th Birthday of Robert Burns
.
Kiernan plays a caravan park boss in the new Scottish comedy Happy Hollidays
. A pilot episode was shown in early 2009 on BBC 1, with a series broadcast later in the year.
In October 2011 Kiernan played Gordon Brown
in The Hunt for Tony Blair
, a one-off episode of The Comic Strip Presents...
, Alan Cumming
and Miriam Margolyes
. The film was released in 2010 with the theme song performed by Dame Shirley Bassey.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
actor and comedian. Along with his comedy partner, Greg Hemphill
Greg Hemphill
Gregory "Greg" Hemphill is a Scottish actor and comedian. He has also presented on television and radio. Along with his comedy partner, Ford Kiernan, he is best known in the United Kingdom for his appearances in Still Game and Chewin' the Fat.-Personal life:Hemphill was born in Glasgow, Scotland,...
, he is best known in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for his appearances in Still Game
Still Game
Still Game is a Scottish sitcom, produced by The Comedy Unit with the BBC. It was created by Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill, who play the lead characters - two Glaswegian pensioners, named Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade respectively....
and Chewin' The Fat
Chewin' the Fat
Chewin' the Fat is a Scottish comedy sketch show, starring Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill and Karen Dunbar. Comedians Paul Riley and Mark Cox also appeared regularly on the show.Chewin' the Fat first started as a radio series on BBC Radio Scotland...
.
Personal life
Born in Dennistoun, GlasgowDennistoun
Dennistoun is a district of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated north of the River Clyde in the east end of the city. It is made up of a number of smaller districts - Milnbank to the north, 'The Drives' in the centre of the area and Bellgrove below Duke Street to the south. In a 2004...
, Kiernan was educated at Alexandra Parade Primary School and Whitehill Secondary School. He then went on to train as a tailor
Tailor
A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...
and work as a barman at Glasgow University
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
. In 1995, he married his current wife Lesley and they have two children together.
Career
Kiernan has appeared both on televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and on stage
Stage (theatre)
In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...
. His play "Don't Start Me" won an award at the 1995 Edinburgh Fringe
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
. He has also broadcast frequently on BBC Radio Four and BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland is BBC Scotland's national English-language radio network. It broadcasts a wide variety of programming, including news, sport, light entertainment, music, the arts, comedy, drama, history and lifestyle...
. However, it is the sketch show Chewin' The Fat
Chewin' the Fat
Chewin' the Fat is a Scottish comedy sketch show, starring Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill and Karen Dunbar. Comedians Paul Riley and Mark Cox also appeared regularly on the show.Chewin' the Fat first started as a radio series on BBC Radio Scotland...
that he is best known due to his ability to play a number of characters. At first the show was only shown in Scotland
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...
but by the time of the third and fourth series, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
decided to show it nationwide. Likewise, spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
Still Game
Still Game
Still Game is a Scottish sitcom, produced by The Comedy Unit with the BBC. It was created by Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill, who play the lead characters - two Glaswegian pensioners, named Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade respectively....
started in Scotland but branched out to a wider audience. The latter's sixth series broadcast on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
in July 2007, with a repeat on BBC1 Scotland. Also Kiernan, along with Hemphill
Hemphill
Hemphill is a family name originating from Scotland and is synonymous with similar names such as Hempel and Hemmel. As a Scottish clan, the Hemphills were considered a border clan, those clans geographically situated closest to Scotland's border with England. The Hemphill clan identifies itself...
scripted 7 episodes between 1999 and 2000 for the then popular children's TV series Hububb. These episodes were, Lullabubb, Top Of The Bubbs, Conquer Leserest, Casual-Tea, Bubb Goes Boo, 2010 A Space Bubbsy and No Go Pogo. Ford also guest starred alongside Hemphill
Hemphill
Hemphill is a family name originating from Scotland and is synonymous with similar names such as Hempel and Hemmel. As a Scottish clan, the Hemphills were considered a border clan, those clans geographically situated closest to Scotland's border with England. The Hemphill clan identifies itself...
in one episode called Casual-Tea which he and Hemphill
Hemphill
Hemphill is a family name originating from Scotland and is synonymous with similar names such as Hempel and Hemmel. As a Scottish clan, the Hemphills were considered a border clan, those clans geographically situated closest to Scotland's border with England. The Hemphill clan identifies itself...
scripted. He also guest starred in two other episodes, Magnetic Personality and Take Me Your Leader, but these were without Hemphill
Hemphill
Hemphill is a family name originating from Scotland and is synonymous with similar names such as Hempel and Hemmel. As a Scottish clan, the Hemphills were considered a border clan, those clans geographically situated closest to Scotland's border with England. The Hemphill clan identifies itself...
. Kiernan has also had several bit-part roles in films. In 1996, he starred alongside fellow Scot
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
Robert Carlyle
Robert Carlyle
Robert Carlyle, OBE is a Scottish film and television actor. He is known for a variety of roles including those in Trainspotting, Hamish Macbeth, The Full Monty, The World Is Not Enough, Angela's Ashes, The 51st State, and 28 Weeks Later...
in Carla's Song
Carla's Song
Carla's Song is a British movie directed by Ken Loach with screenplay by Paul Laverty.Set in 1987, it tells the story of the relationship between a Scottish bus driver, George Lennox and Carla , a Nicaraguan woman living in exile in Glasgow...
and in 2002, he also played the role of Black Joke Chief in the Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
film Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York is a 2002 historical film set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. It was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan. The film was inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 nonfiction book, The Gangs of New...
.
In 2007 Kiernan starred in Dear Green Place
Dear Green Place
Dear Green Place is a Scottish comedy programme set in a park in central Glasgow. It first aired on 19 October 2007 on BBC One Scotland. The second series has just finished airing on the same channel....
, a BBC One Scotland sitcom series featuring park wardens. In 2008, Kiernan starred in the movie adaptation of Irvine Welsh's
Irvine Welsh
Irvine Welsh is a contemporary Scottish novelist, best known for his novel Trainspotting. His work is characterised by raw Scottish dialect, and brutal depiction of the realities of Edinburgh life...
best-selling novel Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance
Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance
Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance is a collection of three novellas by Irvine Welsh.-Lorraine Goes To Livingston:After suffering a stroke, Rebecca Navarro, a best-selling romance novelist, discovers the truth about her corrupt, pornography-loving husband...
.
Controversy
In November 2005, Kiernan outraged onlookers when he proclaimed to guests in a GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
hotel that he had extramarital relations with newsreader Sarah Heaney
Sarah Heaney
- Life and career :She began her TV career with Live TV as a news reporter, then went on to front S2 Live on the now defunct SMG digital channel S2. The BBC approached Sarah but STV Central offered Sarah presenting work on the news programme, Scotland Today....
. According to the Sunday Mail
Sunday Mail (Scotland)
The Sunday Mail is a Scottish tabloid newspaper published every Sunday. It is the sister paper of the Daily Record and is owned by Trinity Mirror and as such has a left-wing outlook which in turn tends to guide Scottish political debate in that direction.The Sunday Mail is read by over one million...
, Kiernan was drunk and "seemed unconcerned by who heard the claims". Hours earlier, he had sworn several times in front of an audience at the BAFTA Scotland
BAFTA Scotland
BAFTA in Scotland is the Scottish branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Formed in 1997, the branch holds an annual awards ceremony, the British Academy Scotland Awards , to recognise achievement by performers and production staff in Scottish film, television and video games...
ceremony. Kiernan later issued an apology stating that "[he was] really, really sorry" and he admitted that "[he'd] had a few drinks". Sarah Heaney flatly denied any affair with Kiernan: "Not now, not ever". Kiernan was also fined that year, for assaulting a taxi driver in a road rage incident in the West End of Glasgow. A witness gave a statement saying Ford "army rolled" from his vehicle before ripping the taxi door open.
Television
Between 1999 and 2002 Kiernan starred in Chewin' The FatChewin' the Fat
Chewin' the Fat is a Scottish comedy sketch show, starring Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill and Karen Dunbar. Comedians Paul Riley and Mark Cox also appeared regularly on the show.Chewin' the Fat first started as a radio series on BBC Radio Scotland...
, 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 show, alongside Greg Hemphill
Greg Hemphill
Gregory "Greg" Hemphill is a Scottish actor and comedian. He has also presented on television and radio. Along with his comedy partner, Ford Kiernan, he is best known in the United Kingdom for his appearances in Still Game and Chewin' the Fat.-Personal life:Hemphill was born in Glasgow, Scotland,...
where they both play various roles. Karen Dunbar
Karen Dunbar
Karen Dunbar is a Scottish comedienne and entertainer.-Early life:She first came to the attention of mainstream audiences in the BBC Scotland comedy series Chewin' the Fat and subsequently was given her own show by the channel, The Karen Dunbar Show.Prior to mainstream success, Karen, an out...
, Paul Riley
Paul Riley
Paul Riley is a Scottish actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Winston Ingram in the Scottish sitcom, Still Game. He previously worked on the sketch show Chewin' the Fat, the show that Still Game was a spin-off from...
and Mark Cox also star in the show, in minor roles.
From 2002 to 2007 Kiernan and Greg Hemphill
Greg Hemphill
Gregory "Greg" Hemphill is a Scottish actor and comedian. He has also presented on television and radio. Along with his comedy partner, Ford Kiernan, he is best known in the United Kingdom for his appearances in Still Game and Chewin' the Fat.-Personal life:Hemphill was born in Glasgow, Scotland,...
starred together in the 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 Still Game
Still Game
Still Game is a Scottish sitcom, produced by The Comedy Unit with the BBC. It was created by Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill, who play the lead characters - two Glaswegian pensioners, named Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade respectively....
. He and Hemphill wrote all episodes of the show. Paul Riley
Paul Riley
Paul Riley is a Scottish actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Winston Ingram in the Scottish sitcom, Still Game. He previously worked on the sketch show Chewin' the Fat, the show that Still Game was a spin-off from...
and Mark Cox also had recurring roles.
He played Archie Henderson in two series of Dear Green Place
Dear Green Place
Dear Green Place is a Scottish comedy programme set in a park in central Glasgow. It first aired on 19 October 2007 on BBC One Scotland. The second series has just finished airing on the same channel....
broadcast between 2007 and 2008.
In January 2009, he starred in No Holds Bard, a BBC Scotland one-off special comedy shown on Burns Night as part of a line-up of special programming to mark the 250th Birthday of Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
.
Kiernan plays a caravan park boss in the new Scottish comedy Happy Hollidays
Happy Hollidays
Happy Hollidays is a British television situation comedy, created and written by Simon Carlyle and Gregor Sharp, and broadcast by BBC Scotland...
. A pilot episode was shown in early 2009 on BBC 1, with a series broadcast later in the year.
In October 2011 Kiernan played Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
in The Hunt for Tony Blair
The Hunt for Tony Blair
The Hunt for Tony Blair is a one-off episode of The Comic Strip Presents..., a British television comedy, which aired on Channel 4 on 14 October 2011. The 60 minute film was written by Peter Richardson and Pete Richens and presented in the style of a 1950s film noir...
, a one-off episode of The Comic Strip Presents...
The Comic Strip
The Comic Strip is a group of British comedians, known for their television series The Comic Strip Presents.... The core members are Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Peter Richardson and Jennifer Saunders, with frequent appearances by Keith Allen, Robbie Coltrane and...
Film
Kiernan lends his voice to the character of Banjo Barry in the animated film Sir Billi. Starring along side Sean ConnerySean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
, Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming, OBE is a Scottish stage, television and film actor, singer, writer, director, producer and author. His roles have included the Emcee in Cabaret, Boris Grishenko in GoldenEye, Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United, Mr. Elton in Emma, and Fegan Floop in the Spy Kids trilogy...
and Miriam Margolyes
Miriam Margolyes
Miriam Margolyes, OBE is an English actress and voice artist. Her earliest roles were in theatre and after several supporting roles in film and television she won a BAFTA Award for her role in The Age of Innocence .-Early life:...
. The film was released in 2010 with the theme song performed by Dame Shirley Bassey.