Paul Riley makes Winston Ingram’s bluntness funny through timing and the sound of his Scots speech. He is a substantial part of Still Game’s warmth, though familiarity can make the laughter too easy.
Fi1m perspective
Winston Ingram rarely troubles himself with a polite way of putting things. In Still Game (2002), Paul Riley gives the scheming pensioner’s Scots speech a musical rhythm that lets the double meanings register without slowing the conversation. We warmed to Winston because Riley makes his sharp wit seem a reasonable response to his persistent bad luck. The delivery keeps the rudeness conversational, rather than turning every line into an announcement that a joke is coming. It is assured comic acting, and a substantial reason to recommend the programme.
His television comedy took shape in company. Chewin’ the Fat (1999) brought him into the sketch-comedy circle of Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill before Still Game gave him a continuing character. He played Winston across nine series and specials from 2002 to 2019. With Dear Green Place (2007), which he wrote, directed and starred in, Riley also took responsibility for the comedy beyond his own performance. That is a useful reminder that his work extends beyond one pensioner, even if Winston remains the clearest place to judge it.
In Still Game, Riley’s value is easiest to hear alongside Jane McCarry’s Isa Drennan and Sanjeev Kohli’s Navid Harrid. Their different voices give Kiernan and Hemphill’s pensioner comedy a dependable rhythm and stop the central double act having to supply every laugh. Winston is funnier for having other strong personalities around him, and Riley fits into that company without making his character any more agreeable.
The reservation is what happens when the writing grows too comfortable with these people. Some later punchlines lean too heavily on affection for the characters, so the dependable rhythm begins to make the next laugh predictable. Riley has gone on to solo stand-up and variety shows, where audience expectations remain closely tied to Winston. For the clearest account of what we rate in him, start with Still Game and listen to how well he works among the others.
Biography
Paul Riley is a Scottish actor and comedian. He was born on 17 January 1970 in Glasgow and trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama after working as stage crew at the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow. He made an early television appearance in an episode of Taggart.
Riley is best known for playing Winston Ingram in the BBC sitcom Still Game (2002–2019). He previously appeared in the sketch show Chewin' the Fat (1999–2005), from which Still Game originated. He also starred in, wrote and directed the sitcom Dear Green Place (2007–2008).
In 2006 he won BAFTA Scotland awards for his performance in Still Game and for Dear Green Place in the Best Entertainment category. Other credits include a role in Being Human (1994).
