Francie and Josie
Scottish comedy double act from stage to television.
Francie and Josie were a Scottish comedy double act performed by Jack Milroy and Rikki Fulton, originating in 1958 and continuing into the 1990s. The duo became a staple of Scottish entertainment, first appearing in theatre before transitioning to their own television series.
Quick Facts
- Runtime
- 25 minutes
- Creator
- Rikki Fulton and Jack Milroy
- Starring
- Rikki Fulton
- Jack Milroy
- Clement Ashby
- Glen Michael
- Ethel Scott
- Country
- Scotland
- Network
- Scottish Television
- First aired
- 26 October 1962
- Last aired
- 15 August 1965
- Episodes
- 32
Facts from the source article.
History
The double act Francie and Josie first appeared during the 1958 season of The Five Past Eight Show at Glasgow’s Alhambra Theatre. It was the idea of Stanley Baxter, Stan Mars, and Rikki Fulton. Over that season, they developed the concept, which usually included separate solo sketches for each character and a joint sketch to finish. In 1962, Scottish Television gave them their own series, The Adventures of Francie and Josie, with Clement Ashby, Glen Michael, and Ethel Scott. The show was a hit, airing on several regional stations, and the duo began opening British Relay TV rental shops. Their first such event, in Airdrie, caused such chaos that the crowd broke the shop’s windows. The final television series aired in 1965, and the pair returned to The Five Past Eight Show the next year. Both Milroy and Fulton later got their own shows on Scottish Television. They toured Scotland, inspired a pantomime, and in 1970 toured Northern Ireland successfully. That same year, they released an LP, Francie & Josie, on Pye’s Golden Guinea label, recorded at Glasgow’s Ashfield Club and produced by Cyril Stapleton, with several songs written by Fulton.
Episodes
Thirty-two episodes of The Adventures of Francie and Josie were made between 1962 and 1965, with no series produced in 1964 due to a technicians' strike. The first series reworked original stage scripts. Episodes included titles such as "The Errant Knights" (26 October 1962), "The TV Fans" (2 November 1962), "The Souvenir Hunters" (9 November 1962), "The Penpal" (16 November 1962), "The Donors" (23 November 1962), "The Patriots" (30 November 1962), "The Guinea Pigs" (18 September 1963), "The Princess" (25 September 1963), "The So'jers" (2 October 1963), "The Holiday" (9 October 1963), "The Rivals" (16 October 1963), "The Nightclub" (23 October 1963), "The Banditos" (30 October 1963), "The Stamp Collectors" (6 November 1963), "The Housewarming" (13 November 1963), "The Matchmakers" (20 November 1963), "The Wallet" (27 November 1963), "The Glesca Gallants" (11 December 1963), "The Odd Job" (31 December 1963, with Francie absent), "The Good Deed" (2 February 1965), "The Decoy" (9 February 1965), "The Birds" (16 February 1965), "The Stowaways" (23 February 1965), "The Volunteers" (2 March 1965), "The Legacy" (9 March 1965), "The Toff" (16 March 1965), "The Luck o' the ...?" (11 July 1965), "The Meat in the Sandwich" (18 July 1965), "The Lovebirds" (25 July 1965), "Licence to Kill" (1 August 1965), "The Arty Crafty Brigade" (8 August 1965), and "Song Makers" (15 August 1965). No episodes are known to have survived, as much of Scottish Television's early output was wiped and recorded over.
Characters
Francie McKenzie, the less intelligent of the pair, often overrules Josie by telling jokes and is more interested in "birds". He frequently bursts into laughter during Josie's stories, typically at things that are not funny, such as a pun on "walk" and "wok". Josie Tierney, the more intelligent one, prefers discussing culture and politics, which prompts Francie's laughter, and he often muddles his words, as in "There's no wonder that Glasgow has been decimated the city of architecture." Auntie Jessie, a simple-minded woman who looked after Francie and Josie after their families left home, was frequently referenced in stage shows and played by Jack Milroy's wife, Mary Lee. Glen Michael played many roles, including Josie's cousin when Milroy was ill. An unnamed American pen-pal, called "Teenager" in scripts, appeared in original sketches, referring to the duo as "Francis and Joseph" and puzzling over Glaswegian slang; she was played by Fulton's wife, Ethel Scott.
Revivals
After the TV show ended, the pair went back to live performance. Fulton took over writing the scripts from Stan Mars, who had left for the United States. Two reunion shows were taped at Glasgow’s King’s Theatre: a 1989 special for BBC Scotland and a 1996 direct-to-video release. A 2015 touring production, Francie & Josie: The Return, featured Liam Dolan and Johnny Mac in the title roles, credited as playing Milroy and Fulton.
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