THE creator of cult comedy Restless Natives has thanked “scallies” Martin Compston and Gordon Smart for keeping his movie alive 40 years on from its release.
Writer Ninian Dunnett gave the pair permission to use the title of his crime caper for a podcast, which they launched three years ago.
Restless Natives writer Ninian Dunnett[/caption]
The duo now have over 150,000 subscribers thanks to their mix of banter, wacky showbiz stories and celebrity guests, including Ninian himself.
But now, as a musical version of the 1985 film hits the stage next month, Ninian reveals he was happy to let the pair pay homage to his movie’s main characters, the Clown and the Wolfman.
He says: “Restless Natives has been back in the news for the last few years because of Martin and Gordon.
“Their podcast gets 150,000 listeners — I’m pretty sure Restless Natives was never seen by 150,000 people when it first came out.
“They’re also a couple of scallies, just like the Clown and the Wolfman, so I was delighted to say yes.”
The original film featured unknown actors Vincent Friell and Joe Mullaney, 63, as highway robbers Will and Ronnie, who hold up tourist coaches in the Highlands donning masks of a clown and wolf.
However, the duo soon become tourist attractions themselves, taking on folkhero status for their Robin Hood antics, in the flick which also starred Hollywood actor Ned Beatty.
Ninian, 65, explains: “The story is about two numpties who are a little oppressed by their lives in Edinburgh in the 1980s.
“One of them works in a joke shop, whose coat is on a shaky peg. And the other one works sweeping the streets for the council.
“But they want a wee bit more from life so come up with this caper.
“They dress as a clown and wolfman and get a ridiculous little motorbike and set off into the Highlands to hold up the buses and take the tourists’ money.
“The money ends up getting spread around — a bit like an early version of the tourist tax — and they become heroes, beloved in Scotland, whether they’re numpties or not.”
Now Ninian hopes that the musical version strikes the right notes with a new generation.
He says: “We had to think long and hard about whether we were going to set the musical in the here and now, or keep it in the 80s.
“But there were so many parallels even though so much has changed.
“Yes, holding up tourist buses is a lot more tricky in 2025 as everyone has mobile phones now but there are still the haves and have-nots in society — perhaps even more than ever.”
The film had a terrific soundtrack by Scots rockers Big Country, whose late lead singer Stuart Adamson “fell in love” with the story.
Ninian recalls: “His first wife Sandra said she used to get really annoyed when Stuart was reading the script in bed because he kept chuckling away, keeping her awake.
“Stuart took his music very seriously, as he felt very strongly aboutthe things he wanted to say, but he wasn’t a terribly serious guy.
“Being with him and Bruce (Watson from Big Country) was top-notch banter and the soundtrack was great fun.
“There’s even a little bit of Stuart among the voices of people you don’t see in the film.
“So it’s nice to have a bit of Stuart’s fun in the film because he was so funny in life.”
And that is why Ninian turned to Big Country guitarist Bruce, 63, to work on the stage version of his film.
He says: “Bruce is a pal and totally on board with us, helping with the whole effort.
“There is new material and he has unearthed some gems from the Big Country catalogue as well — along with the music from the original movie too, of course.”
Edinburgh-born Ninian, who still lives in the capital with his wife Susan and their two children, actually won a competition back in the early-Eighties that saw his story make it to the big screen at his first attempt at screenwriting.
But he reveals that Restless Natives was not a massive box office hit at the time.
He says: “When it was re-released for its 30th anniversary it was shown at the Edinburgh Film Festival to a full house and we started getting rave reviews, which we certainly never got at the time.
“So the film seems to have become what they call a classic, much to our surprise.”
Tragically last year Glasgow-born Vincent, who played Will in the movie, died at the age of 64.
Ninian admits the loss of Vincent, who left behind a wife and two kids, has overshadowed the film’s 40th anniversary and the new musical.
He says: “We were blessed to find him for Restless Natives.
“He had a gift for that character, the romantic worrier with the world on his shoulders.
“I’m just sorry that Vince won’t be with us to share in the nostalgia and the celebration. He died far too early.”
Manchester-born Titanic actor Bernard Hill, who played Will’s dad, also passed away in 2024, aged 79.
Ninian adds: “Bernard had just played Yosser Hughes in Boys From The Blackstuff [in 1982], so we were so thrilled to have him as he was something of a hero to us.
“However, he delivered one of the worst Scottish accents you’ll ever hear on screen. I think he may have suspected that himself at the time.”
Leading the cast on stage will be young actors Kyle Gardiner and Finlay McKillop, along with The Crown actress Kirsty MacLaren as love interest Margot, played by Terri Laly in the film version.
Ninian, now a doctor of music at Edinburgh Uni, says: “I’ve lived with Will, Ronnie and Margot for so long they are like my kids now.”
The writer reveals that Restless Natives superfan Gordon, 44, can’t wait for the musical version, but Martin, 40, was never a contender to play the clown on stage.
He says: “Well, Gordon has never been very complimentary about Martin’s singing voice, but I do hope they will come and see the show and they’ve both helped to keep Restless Natives alive.”
*Restless Natives opens at Perth Theatre on April 24 and tours Scotland, finishing at Glasgow’s King’s Theatre on June 28. For tickets see restlessnativesthemusical.com
