Every time I see that name I smile as many years ago I was working outside Inveraray doing an upgrade to a substation to encompass a new windfarm and the Vital Spark was moored there. I smile because, at the time, I worked for a company called Vital Resources and I was doing electrical work, so, I was the Vital Sparky!

Dan McPhail: "I'm what's known as dangerously handsome. Aye, good looks is a curse, you should count yourself fortunate, Captain".

Fkn AWESOME….. when I was a wee laddie this was on just before Sportscene on a Sat night, perhaps with The Black and White Minstrels in between . 😂🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

The metre of the language and the way it is spoken are beautiful. And yes, Russell Hunter was a great actor.

Wow it brought back memories seeing Russell Hunter, I loved it when he worked with Edward Woodward in Callan

To see the genius Russell Hunter pop up, as the replacement engineer, cheered me. He who was Lonely, in 'Callan.' Peerless actor!

What a tragedy that only four episodes now exist

i loved the original stories set just before and during ww1.paras account of his incredible voyage to belfast is a classic! no lights and dougie at the stern striking matches in case we hit the lusitania!

So Eric you got a piece of more valuable historical classic in this episode than what you might know.

I wonder if it was co-incidence that at the time this was being transmitted John Grieve would also appear in another seafaring comedy Doctor at Sea as the purser! I only recently discovered this classic gem of Scottish comedy and glad I did - I had only previously been familiar with the 90s comedy drama with Gregor Fisher as Para Handy. Such a shame only a handful of the episodes now exist.

Classic Scottish television.

Priceless ❤ thanks for the upload

Thanks for uploading this one Eric, I’ve never seen this one. Aye I’ve got the VHS tape of Drop of the Real Stuff, Bad Luck Cargo and The Wedding but I thought no other episodes survived the STV studios fire which cost the fire crews lives including the River Clyde Fire

A Clyde Puffer, visiting them isles...

I found another great show!! Thanks

one of the best

Vital spark very funny

One of my favourites 😂🚢

That was pretty good. I laughed quite a bit and enjoyed it.

Ov my god. The Pink Floyd the Wall's Teacher is here. Well. That's something i didn't expect.

the new whistle is too powerful for the boiler to supply with steam

I wonder why they didn't actually use the whistle. Not enough steam? Too loud?

pretty sure the liners back then made steam by burning oil not coal

Watching this show 60 years back I thought it was the funniest thing on television. much better than the BBC stuff. The working class humour resonated with me and I wanted to be the captain of a tugboat on the river..

MORE STEAM DAN !!

Blimey!! Take me back please? Did a tell you one aboot?

Interesting story/ comedy based around the 1930s _sailing_ era and being replaced by *steam* . For ship afficianados- Also Reccomend reading *twilight for the gods* by ernest gann. Thank you

😁👍👏👏👏

The boat is docked at Inverarey

An inspiration for Still Game 😂

does any one know where this tv series is set as it looks to be the 1960s? from what i understand the original stories where set just before WW1

Teacher 4:23

One day I will ask for a translation .

not getting down to Glsska.

Kk

I've just read the tales and thought I'd try this. It comes across too much as a stage play, especially with the canned laughter. I can smell the Clyde when I read the book, but sadly this just seems manufactured.

This stuff is pish compared to modern Scottish comedy such as Stll Game. Not one mention of jobbies. In fact they should have a whole Vital Spark episode about jobbies THEN we can talk comedy. I was at the posh Glenalmond College private school with Robbie Coltrane who writes mostly about jobbies and he could do the job. And do the jobbies.