The Broons
Encyclopedia
The Broons is a comic strip
in Scots
published in the weekly Scottish newspaper, The Sunday Post
. It features the Broon family, who live in a tenement
flat at 10 Glebe Street, in (since the late 1990s) the fictional Scottish
town of Auchentogle or Auchenshoogle
(a possible variation of the Auchenshuggle
district of Glasgow). They are also shown as living on Glebe Street. Glasgow's real Glebe Street has no residences and only a church, school playground and small area of parkland on it. However, Dundee's Glebe Street was an area of tenement housing, although it was demolished in the 1960s to create playground space around Glebelands Primary School. The name of the street may be intentionally vague, as "Glebe
" is a relatively common street name in Scotland. Originally created by writer/editor R. D. Low
and artist Dudley D. Watkins
, the strip made its first appearance in the issue dated 8 March 1936.
Since its inception, The Broons have had their own biennial, alternating each year with Oor Wullie
. No annuals were published during 1943 and 1945 due to paper rationing in World War II.
During the 1970s stories drawn by Tom Lavery, another character named Dave MacKay was regularly featured. Dave was Maggie's long-term boyfriend and was often implied to be her fiancé. His parents were upper-class, much to the chagrin of Paw and Maw. (Despite the Broons' perpetual deference to their social 'betters'. Many comical premises were built on the family's attempts to impress members of the landed gentry, or the clergy. Many storylines featured Paw bringing shame on the family by being seen wearing torn trousers or working clothes by the 'meenister' (church of Scotland vicar).) Maggie's character also changed during this time, becoming more posh (and, unlike the rest of the Broons, spoke English instead of Scots
). When Peter Davidson took over from Lavery, the character was dropped.
The family surname is actually "Brown," as indicated by the nameplate that occasionally appears on the front door of their flat. Also, when a family member is addressed by a non-Scot (i.e. an Englishman or an American), he or she is addressed as Mister or Miss Brown.
The Broons is set in the fictional town of Auchentogle, but it depicts the lifestyles of any Scottish industrial town. Most of the humour derives from the timeless themes of the "generation gap," stretching the money as far as possible, and the constant struggle for each family member to live in a very small flat with the other nine Broons. In the end, the family always support one other, getting through life with a gentle good humour as they argue amongst themselves.
Another staple of the series is misunderstanding: inevitably the bairn or the twins mishear something Granpaw or another family member says, and the whole family act on it until the truth is revealed in the final panel. An example is where the twins are told by Daphne that she's bringing her boyfriend up to dinner and that he is half Polish and half French. While Maggie makes a French salad and Paw finds a flag from each country, Hen asks if they know the man's name – Angus MacKay. Hen and Paw go with the twins to see his shop. It turns out he's a French-polisher
– "polish"
being pronounced the same as "Polish"
in Scots.
When Maggie and Daphne ask where their clothes are and Granpaw tells them that "their sister has them," both think he means each other; Maggie and Daphne fight, when in fact the Bairn took them to dress up.
The Broons own a small cottage, called the But 'n Ben, somewhere in the Highlands where they enjoy weekends away, although the younger Broons show some reluctance to go there. The house is often flooded, full of sheep or (due to Paw) inaccessible because he has forgotten the key. Even so, they often find themselves having pleasant times once there.
The annuals alternated years with Oor Wullie
, another D. C. Thomson product. Books pre-1965 were not dated. After that they had a copyright date with annuals normally published in Autumn. The early editions of The Broons annual are highly sought-after collectors' items, fetching in excess of four-figure sums at auction. A facsimile
of the very first Broons annual was released on 25 November 2006.
Watkins drew the strip from his Broughty Ferry
home until his death in 1969. For five years after Watkins' death, D. C. Thomson recycled old strips in the newspaper and annuals, fearing no adequate replacement could be found to match Watkins' unique style. In these repeated strips, some particularly Scots
words were replaced (e.g., 'ahint' became 'behind') and the pre-decimal coinage was updated. Peter Davidson is the current artist, succeeding Ken H. Harrison. This is Davidson's second stint as artist, the first being in the early 1980s. BBC Radio Scotland
presenter Tom Morton
was the scriptwriter until 2006 when Dave Donaldson took over. Morris Heggie, former editor of The Dandy
is the current writer.
comedy sketch show Naked Video
. In the sketches, Tony Roper
was cast as Paw, Gregor Fisher
played Maw, Elaine C. Smith
portrayed the Bairn and Jonathan Watson
appeared as Joe.
In December 2005, the BBC Scotland documentary Happy Birthday Broons celebrated the family's 70th anniversary with celebrity guests including Muriel Gray
, Ford Kiernan
, Sanjeev Kohli
, Eddi Reader
, Elaine C. Smith, Ricky Ross
, Tony Roper
, Tam Cowan
, Grant Morrison
, Frank Quitely
and was narrated by Ewan McGregor
. The programme was made by Angel Eye Media and was nominated for a Best Documentary BAFTA. It was followed by Happy Birthday Oor Wullie.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
in Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
published in the weekly Scottish newspaper, The Sunday Post
The Sunday Post
The Sunday Post is a weekly newspaper published in Dundee, Scotland by DC Thomson, and characterised by a 'folksy' mix of news, sentimental stories and short features...
. It features the Broon family, who live in a tenement
Tenement
A tenement is, in most English-speaking areas, a substandard multi-family dwelling, usually old, occupied by the poor.-History:Originally the term tenement referred to tenancy and therefore to any rented accommodation...
flat at 10 Glebe Street, in (since the late 1990s) the fictional 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...
town of Auchentogle or Auchenshoogle
Auchenshoogle
Auchenshoogle is a fictional Scottish town, an amalgam of Dundee and Glasgow, used since the late 1990s as the setting of the comic strips Oor Wullie and The Broons in The Sunday Post....
(a possible variation of the Auchenshuggle
Auchenshuggle
Auchenshuggle is an area of the city of Glasgow in Scotland.It is the easternmost part of the Braidfauld Ward of the City of Glasgow...
district of Glasgow). They are also shown as living on Glebe Street. Glasgow's real Glebe Street has no residences and only a church, school playground and small area of parkland on it. However, Dundee's Glebe Street was an area of tenement housing, although it was demolished in the 1960s to create playground space around Glebelands Primary School. The name of the street may be intentionally vague, as "Glebe
Glebe
Glebe Glebe Glebe (also known as Church furlong or parson's closes is an area of land within a manor and parish used to support a parish priest.-Medieval origins:...
" is a relatively common street name in Scotland. Originally created by writer/editor R. D. Low
R. D. Low
Robert Duncan Low was a Scottish comics writer and editor. Employed by D. C. Thomson & Co., he was responsible for their line of comics, and, as a writer, co-created Oor Wullie and The Broons with artist Dudley D...
and artist Dudley D. Watkins
Dudley D. Watkins
Dudley Dexter Watkins was a British cartoonist and illustrator. He is best known for his characters Oor Wullie and The Broons; comic strips featuring them have appeared in Scottish newspaper The Sunday Post since 1936, along with annual compilations...
, the strip made its first appearance in the issue dated 8 March 1936.
Since its inception, The Broons have had their own biennial, alternating each year with Oor Wullie
Oor Wullie
Oor Wullie is a Scottish comic strip published in the D.C. Thomson newspaper, The Sunday Post. It features a boy named William, known as Wullie . His trademarks are spiky hair, dungarees and an upturned bucket, which he often uses as a seat...
. No annuals were published during 1943 and 1945 due to paper rationing in World War II.
Characters and story
The family members include:- Paw Broon – the patriarch, a working man who occasionally tries to keep enough back for a bit of "baccy" (tobacco) and a bet on the horses. In a flashback to his youth, Paw was seen with his immediate family before he and Maw were married. His mother, Granmaw, was seen as well as his sister Daphne and brother Joseph. As Granpaw is a widower, and Aunt Daphne and Uncle Joseph are never seen, Paw has named two of his children after his siblings — his oldest daughter, Daphne, and his second son, Joe. With his comb-over hairstyle and walrus moustache, his appearance was supposedly based on A.C. "Archie" Brown, the chief editor of publisher D. C. Thomson & Co. LtdD. C. Thomson & Co. LtdD. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd, is a publishing company based in Dundee, Scotland, best known for producing The Dundee Courier, The Evening Telegraph, The Sunday Post, Oor Wullie, The Broons, The Beano, The Dandy and Commando comics...
at the time The Broons originated. Paw disapproves of most young behaviour. - Maw Broon – the mother of eight. She has to run every aspect of the household and keep her husband, Paw, in line. Her first name was once used when her brother came to visit. He burst into No. 10 addressing her as "Maggie" and looking for money for his taxi fare. The name Maggie was confirmed in Maw Broon's Cookbook, published in 2007.
- Granpaw Broon – Paw's widowed father, lives in his own house and spends most of his time sitting on a park bench with his "cronies" (friends), or tending his allotment. He shares Paw's preoccupation with having an ample supply of tobacco. Granpaw was a slightly later addition, not appearing in the earliest strips. In some of these, the family had a picture of Granpaw on their wall, which could do certain actions, such as wagging its finger at the children. It was revealed in Maw Broon's Cookbook (2007) that his late wife was named Jeannie, a Scottish variation of "Jean" or "Jenny" that was once very popular. Granmaw was only seen twice, once in 1937, during a flashback of Maw and Paw's courting days and in again in 1959, when comparing life to the old days.
- Hen (Henry) Broon – the lanky, awkward son and firstborn child of Maw and Paw. About 30 years old, average and a guy who rarely gets the girl. He is often taken advantage of for his height; for example, being made to act as a clothes stand to keep the washing line up. Early Broons cartoons featured Hen wearing a zoot suitZoot suitA zoot suit is a suit with high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed, pegged trousers, and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. This style of clothing was popularized by African Americans, Mexican-Americans, and Italian Americans during the late 1930s and the 1940s...
. Hen is aspirational, for example every couple of years or so he buys a car. Such purchases, however, always end in failure. - Daphne Broon – The plump, somewhat dowdy daughter who is always playing second fiddle to her beautiful sister Maggie on double dates. Every few years she has a stroke of luck when the double dates get mixed up and she gets Maggie's man. At least once a year Daphne tries to go on a diet but fails to lose any weight. She is often mocked by Hen and Joe about her diets, although their taunts are intentionally harmless. Daphne is a skilled dressmakerDressmakerA dressmaker is a person who makes custom clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Also called a mantua-maker or a modiste.-Notable dressmakers:*Cristobal Balenciaga*Charles Frederick Worth...
but has a penchant for flamboyant hats. - Joe Broon – the epitome of the ordinary working man, usually noted for his strength and love of boxing. Joe is something of a ladies' man, and can sometimes be seen sharing a bitter rivalry with Hen over a beautiful woman, with Joe winning. Hen envies Joe's luck with the girls, and the twins see him as a role modelRole modelThe term role model generally means any "person who serves as an example, whose behaviour is emulated by others".The term first appeared in Robert K. Merton's socialization research of medical students...
. - Maggie (Margaret) Broon – the beautiful, glamorous daughter with blonde hair. She has a steady stream of beaux and is bitterly envied by the plain Daphne. In the later editions, Maggie became a modelModel (person)A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
. Despite their rivalry, Daphne and Maggie share a close bond; Maggie even stands up for Daphne when she is taunted. In earlier times, was called Sadie. - Horace Broon – a bookish schoolboy forever trying to learn poetry by rote amidst the chaos of a do-it-yourself chimney-sweeping mishap or other domestic turmoil. He likes to think of himself as an example to the twins, but recently seems to aspire to be like Joe (for example, purchasing muscle-building equipment).
- The Twins – Although one is called Eck (short for Alexander), they are always referred to collectively, with few exceptions having Granpaw calling them: "ae twin" and "the ither twin") – rambunctious youngsters usually adding to the chaos with a fistfight or a good game of cowboys and Indians.
- The Bairn – The youngest of the family at three or four years of age. She is basically a smaller version of Maw, getting in her share of indignant moral pronouncements and pointing out the foolishness of the male Broons. She and Granpaw are deeply close.
During the 1970s stories drawn by Tom Lavery, another character named Dave MacKay was regularly featured. Dave was Maggie's long-term boyfriend and was often implied to be her fiancé. His parents were upper-class, much to the chagrin of Paw and Maw. (Despite the Broons' perpetual deference to their social 'betters'. Many comical premises were built on the family's attempts to impress members of the landed gentry, or the clergy. Many storylines featured Paw bringing shame on the family by being seen wearing torn trousers or working clothes by the 'meenister' (church of Scotland vicar).) Maggie's character also changed during this time, becoming more posh (and, unlike the rest of the Broons, spoke English instead of Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
). When Peter Davidson took over from Lavery, the character was dropped.
The family surname is actually "Brown," as indicated by the nameplate that occasionally appears on the front door of their flat. Also, when a family member is addressed by a non-Scot (i.e. an Englishman or an American), he or she is addressed as Mister or Miss Brown.
The Broons is set in the fictional town of Auchentogle, but it depicts the lifestyles of any Scottish industrial town. Most of the humour derives from the timeless themes of the "generation gap," stretching the money as far as possible, and the constant struggle for each family member to live in a very small flat with the other nine Broons. In the end, the family always support one other, getting through life with a gentle good humour as they argue amongst themselves.
Another staple of the series is misunderstanding: inevitably the bairn or the twins mishear something Granpaw or another family member says, and the whole family act on it until the truth is revealed in the final panel. An example is where the twins are told by Daphne that she's bringing her boyfriend up to dinner and that he is half Polish and half French. While Maggie makes a French salad and Paw finds a flag from each country, Hen asks if they know the man's name – Angus MacKay. Hen and Paw go with the twins to see his shop. It turns out he's a French-polisher
French polish
French polishing is a wood finishing technique that results in a very high gloss surface, with a deep colour and chatoyancy. French polishing consists of applying many thin coats of shellac dissolved in alcohol using a rubbing pad lubricated with oil...
– "polish"
Polishing
Polishing is the process of creating a smooth and shiny surface by rubbing it or using a chemical action, leaving a surface with a significant specular reflection In some materials polishing is also able to reduce diffuse reflection to...
being pronounced the same as "Polish"
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
in Scots.
When Maggie and Daphne ask where their clothes are and Granpaw tells them that "their sister has them," both think he means each other; Maggie and Daphne fight, when in fact the Bairn took them to dress up.
The Broons own a small cottage, called the But 'n Ben, somewhere in the Highlands where they enjoy weekends away, although the younger Broons show some reluctance to go there. The house is often flooded, full of sheep or (due to Paw) inaccessible because he has forgotten the key. Even so, they often find themselves having pleasant times once there.
Annuals
The annuals alternated years with Oor Wullie
Oor Wullie
Oor Wullie is a Scottish comic strip published in the D.C. Thomson newspaper, The Sunday Post. It features a boy named William, known as Wullie . His trademarks are spiky hair, dungarees and an upturned bucket, which he often uses as a seat...
, another D. C. Thomson product. Books pre-1965 were not dated. After that they had a copyright date with annuals normally published in Autumn. The early editions of The Broons annual are highly sought-after collectors' items, fetching in excess of four-figure sums at auction. A facsimile
Facsimile
A facsimile is a copy or reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, art print, or other item of historical value that is as true to the original source as possible. It differs from other forms of reproduction by attempting to replicate the source as accurately as possible in terms of scale,...
of the very first Broons annual was released on 25 November 2006.
Watkins drew the strip from his Broughty Ferry
Broughty Ferry
Broughty Ferry is a suburb on the eastern side of the City of Dundee, on the shore of the Firth of Tay in eastern Scotland...
home until his death in 1969. For five years after Watkins' death, D. C. Thomson recycled old strips in the newspaper and annuals, fearing no adequate replacement could be found to match Watkins' unique style. In these repeated strips, some particularly Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
words were replaced (e.g., 'ahint' became 'behind') and the pre-decimal coinage was updated. Peter Davidson is the current artist, succeeding Ken H. Harrison. This is Davidson's second stint as artist, the first being in the early 1980s. 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...
presenter Tom Morton
Tom Morton
Tom Morton is a Scottish writer, broadcaster, and musician. He lives and works mainly in the Shetland Islands.Morton currently presents a BBC Radio Scotland show, broadcast each weekday afternoon...
was the scriptwriter until 2006 when Dave Donaldson took over. Morris Heggie, former editor of The Dandy
The Dandy
The Dandy is a long running children's comic published in the United Kingdom by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. The first issue was printed in 1937 and it is the world's third longest running comic, after Detective Comics and Il Giornalino...
is the current writer.
Television
The Broons were portrayed in the BBC ScotlandBBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
comedy sketch show Naked Video
Naked Video
Naked Video was a BBC Scotland comedy series, broadcast between 1986 and 1991 on BBC2, the series was created by Colin Gilbert who also created A Kick Up the Eighties and Naked Radio.-Naked Radio:...
. In the sketches, Tony Roper
Tony Roper (actor)
Tony Roper is a Scottish actor, comedian, playwright and writer.His first major starring role was in Scotch and Wry. He wrote the classic comedy-drama The Steamie in 1988. He achieved even greater fame in Naked Video and in the spin off series Rab C Nesbitt, in which he played Rab's...
was cast as Paw, Gregor Fisher
Gregor Fisher
Gregor Fisher is a Scottish comedian and actor.-Early life:Fisher was born in Glasgow and following the death of his parents was brought up in Edinburgh, Langholm and Neilston and attended Barrhead High School...
played Maw, Elaine C. Smith
Elaine C. Smith
Elaine Constance Smith is a Scottish actress and comedienne. She was born in Baillieston in Glasgow, and she continues to live in the city. She was awarded the honourary degree of Doctor of The University by The University of Glasgow in 2008...
portrayed the Bairn and 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...
appeared as Joe.
In December 2005, the BBC Scotland documentary Happy Birthday Broons celebrated the family's 70th anniversary with celebrity guests including Muriel Gray
Muriel Gray
Muriel Gray is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster.-Personal life:Gray is of partly Jewish ancestry...
, Ford Kiernan
Ford Kiernan
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.-Personal life:...
, Sanjeev Kohli
Sanjeev Kohli
Sanjeev Singh Kohli is a Scottish Asian comedian, writer and actor. He is most famous for his role as Navid Harrid in the sitcom Still Game and as Rajesh Majhu in the radio sitcom Fags, Mags and Bags.- Early life :...
, Eddi Reader
Eddi Reader
Eddi Reader MBE is a Scottish singer-songwriter, known both for her work with Fairground Attraction and for an enduring solo career. She is the recipient of three BRIT Awards and has topped both the album and singles charts...
, Elaine C. Smith, Ricky Ross
Ricky Ross (musician)
Ricky Ross, born Richard Alexander Ross is a Scottish singer-songwriter and broadcaster, most famously for his work with the rock band, Deacon Blue.-Biography:...
, Tony Roper
Tony Roper
Anthony Dean "Tony" Roper was a NASCAR driver. He was born in Springfield, Missouri, to Dean Roper and Shirley Medley. Growing up his family was heavily involved in auto racing. Roper started racing in 1986. For the next six years Tony raced in IMCA Modifieds and late models on Midwest dirt and...
, 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...
, Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
, Frank Quitely
Frank Quitely
Vincent Deighan, better known by the pen name Frank Quitely, is a Scottish comic book artist. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with Grant Morrison on titles such as New X-Men, We3, All-Star Superman, and Batman and Robin, as well as his work with Mark Millar on The...
and was narrated by Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
. The programme was made by Angel Eye Media and was nominated for a Best Documentary BAFTA. It was followed by Happy Birthday Oor Wullie.
External links
- Peter Davidson
- The Broons and Oor Wullie website (dead link)