Edinburgh actor Greg McHugh tells of life on lockdown and shares Gary Tank Commander's message for the nation

LIKE parents across the land, Greg McHugh, star of  Fresh Meat and The A Word, but still best known north of the border as Gary Tank Commander, is discovering the joys of home-schooling.

The Edinburgh born actor, himself educated at St Thomas of Aquins, is chatting on the phone from his home in Brighton, and he laughs as he reports, “My son said the other day, when I tried to teach him some Spanish, ‘That is the worst Spanish class I have ever had.’

“That’s a leveller.”

Like most people in the entertainment world, Greg has watched as his diary for the next few months has been wiped out.

Greg McHugh as Gary Tank Commander

“Things are kind of bonkers just now, trying to home school the kids with projects just disappearing or being postponed,” he admits.

“I just don’t know what will be happening five or six months from now. Everything has been turned upside down, but then I’m lucky, I can create stuff and have jumped at the chance to be part of the government’s scheme to try and get people to stay in the house. So, there’s bits and bobs, but the mainstay of my work, along with that of much of the population, has just stopped.”

The government scheme he refers to has seen a group of actors, producers and PRs come together to help get the ‘Stay Home, Save Lives’ message across. When Greg was asked if his most famous character would like to be part of it, he didn’t hesitate, recording a short video of the famous Tank Commander urging folk to #StayInTheHoose.

“It came about when a number of people came together feeling a bit lost with all that was going on, and asked, ‘Is there anything we can do to try and get the message out there?’ They had contacted the government who were frustrated by the lack of response and wanted to try a different approach by getting get their message out in wider comedic terms.

Greg McHugh

“I was asked if Gary would do something and said, ‘Of course’.” He laughs, revealing, “It does get quite bizarre though when I’m dressed as Gary in the house doing videos and stuff.”

So what is Gary’s take on the current pandemic and accompanying lockdown?

“Gary’s outlook on all this is...” Greg effortlessly slips into the Midlothian camp of Gary McClintock, Tank Commander. “ ...Thus is amazing. I’ve a joab again, the Army’s got stuff tae dae. We’ve no hud any wars and we’ve been that quiet at the work.”

Back as himself, Greg adds, “It’s lovely to get to do a little bit of Gary and the response to the video has been really good. Not that it’s about the response to video in numbers or even to Gary, it’s about getting the message out because it would seem that while the vast majority of the country is adhering to it, there are still people who aren’t.”

A young Greg McHugh performs at The Stand Comedy Club

His alter-ego would know how to handle anyone caught flouting the rules, of course. “I was just thinking, Gary would love to get out there and if he spotted anyone congregating he would be like...

Suddenly Gary’s back on the line, "‘Just get the water hoses on them, ken whit ah mean? Get the trucks out, how much fun would it be to hose down one o’ they joggers who’s jogging up your arse, it would be brilliant'.”

They do say that laughter is the best medicine, but humour is also a powerful tool for getting more serious points across, reflects the 40-year-old.

“I genuinely believe comedy is what we need right now, in the darkest times you need a giggle. You know, Gary was born out of a satire on the Iraq and Afghanistan war, which is not really an area for comedy, of course it’s not, but there is always room for laughter.

Greg McHugh in Fresh Meat

“Comedy is a voice. You can get a message across through satire, for example, more effectively than through a scathing remark. In the visual medium, where people can see someone making jokes that almost don’t sit that comfortably, that’s where you get reaction, discussion and where you can make people question themselves through the laughter of others. That’s a good thing.”

While Gary’s hopefully causing some to readdress their attitudes to the Covid-19 pandemic, Greg reveals that at first, the seriousness of the current crisis “snuck up on him.”

“As things started to escalate from East to West, I thought, ‘Oh, things are creeping forward.’ Then around three weeks ago, I was invited to the press night of a show in London, that I really wanted to see. I was all set to go with a mate of mine but I phoned him on the day and said, ‘I don’t know what it is, but I just don’t feel comfortable going when I don’t really need to go out.'

“There was just something... and then, after that day, things started to gather pace at an enormous rate. So, there was a point where I thought, ‘I don’t have to put myself into the mix, this is unnecessary travel’.”

With the lockdown decimating the entertainment industry, the irony is that as creatives find themselves out of work, that work has never been in greater demand. That everyone is now relying on television and films to keep them occupied has been highlighted by many in the world of showbiz. It’s something Greg has been thinking about.

He says, “The role of entertainment is in no way comparable to the work of the NHS frontline or to that of key workers, but we still have a role in society. We still get messages across, we are still communicating and people are still watching TV.

Greg McHugh with the cast of The A Word

“I’m very fortunate because I’ve worked a lot and I can keep going for a little while, not for ages, but for a little while, but there are many actors and creatives who are suffering hugely. That’s worth remember, although not the principal drive at the moment, our sympathies right now should be with the people who are risking their lives in the background to save ours.”

Last week, Greg donned his uniform once again when Gary was booked to appear in The Stand Comedy Club’s new weekly streamed show.

It was a booking that brought the performer full circle as it was at The Stand, many years ago, that he introduced the world to his creation.

He explains, “I filmed my clip on the Friday morning, working up to the deadline, which was lunchtime, to keep it as topical as possible and they put it online on the Saturday.

“It was really bizarre actually, because only a couple of months ago I was in The Stand - I was in town and went down as I still love watching live comedy.

“It was bizarre because I can’t remember the last time I played there and it made me think a lot about playing the back room there, which is now the Green Room.

“Then it was a 30-seater venue and where I started. So it was really lovely to work with them again and maybe, I will go back after all this, maybe I’ll start gigging again. Who knows?”

Right now though, Greg is preparing for the broadcast of the new series of The A Word and reflects that, although he will forever be known as Gary in Scotland, down south, it’s as another character that people know him best.

“People do identify me as Gary in Scotland but down south, the majority of people still see me as Howard from Fresh Meat," he says, “I’ve really have been very lucky to get to play so many great characters."