GREYFRIARS BOABBY

Still Game's Gavin Mitchell swaps the bright lights of Craiglang for the capital city as the man behind Scotland's most famous barman performs at the Festival Fringe

- JOHN DINGWALL

HE'S best known as Boabby the Barman in Still Game but Gavin Mitchell is to reveal all about his 30-year career before he was the Clansman landlord.

The Glasgow-born star, 59, is performing at the Edinburgh Fringe in Look Who It Isnae - An Audience with Gavin Mitchell, where he will delve into his life before Craiglang And he will tell fans about his special friendship with American comic great Robin Williams, acting opposite Glenda Jackson and starring alongside a host of big names including Leslie Phillips, Julie Goodyear and Honor Blackman.

Gavin's stint at the festival coincides with the 10th anniversary of Williams' death at the age of 63 and he said he remembers their friendship fondly.

They met on the set of 1994 Bill Forsyth film Being Human. Gavin said: "Robin and I became good pals. He was everything you could expect and more. He was extraordinary.

"Being Human was filming up in Lochinver and about 14 of us were chosen to join the cast. We were glorified extras really but they wanted actors because they were going to have to improvise a bit with Robin.

"From the get go Robin was lovely to us all. He was very funny as you'd expect, but he was also very sensitive, very generous and very giving.

"He threw wee parties for us and quietly did things for people.

When somebody was having problems with a girlfriend, he offered to fly her up.

"He paid for been ca another of us to train at the Lee Strasberg acting school and sent us leather-embossed scripts.