Years before actor Alan Cumming had his breakthrough performance on Broadway playing the M.C. in ‘Cabaret’ and picking up Tony and Drama Desk Awards, he was back in Scotland writing and starring in a very low budget TV situation comedy that became a camp classic. With fellow actor Forbes Masson he created ‘The High Life’ that followed the cabin crew at a fictional airline Air Scotia flying out of Scotland’s Prestwick Airport.
Cummings played Sebastian a sharped-tongue, narcissistic, alcohol-loving rather vindictive flight attendant, whilst Masson played his sex-obsessed colleague Steve. The rest of the crew was made up of Siobhan Redmond as the uptight, man-hungry, bullying Chief Stewardess Shona, and Patrick Ryecart as the mad-as-a-hatter Trekkie pilot Captain Duff.
They only got to make one series before Cumming’s career took off and so the second one they had written never got made. There is a wonderful sense of bonhomie with the cast as they play out the most silliest of plots on a set that screamed low budget that contributed to the faithful following that the ‘The High Life’ racked up for the BBC all chanting out their infamous catchphrase ‘Oh Deary me!’ Now 20 years later, with all 7 episodes available on YouTube, there is a whole new resurgence for Cumming’s high camp performance all over again. Be warned though, the cast all speak in a very heavy Scottish brogue which needs to be ‘translated’ at times!
