Friends to pay tribute to much-loved Andy Gray by staging play he was plotting when he died

Whether it was in comedy classics Naked Video and City Lights, in pantomime or on River City, Andy Gray never failed to bring a smile to viewers’ faces.

The affection with which he was held by the Scottish public was mirrored in those he worked alongside, and now a group of his friends and colleagues are paying tribute to him by staging the play Andy was devising when he died three years ago.

The Perth actor was working on Chemo Savvy – inspired by his journey through leukaemia and a bone marrow transplant – with longtime pals Grant Stott and Alan McHugh when he died from Covid in January 2021. The pair were determined to put the show on in Andy’s honour, and the hard work will pay off at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer.

Both agree it is one of the most important projects they have ever done.

‘I owe Andy Gray so much’

Grant, who worked alongside Andy in Edinburgh’s pantos and in plays at the Fringe, said: “I owe Andy so much. My life would not be where it is had it not been for my friendship with him.

“The Fringe journey started because he invited me to do a play with him. I’d wanted to act all my life but I didn’t get a chance; my life took a different path. I was doing panto, but I harboured a desire to see if I could act. That’s what I wanted to do when I was at school, but I didn’t get into drama college. He helped me realise my dream.

“Ultimately, after he died, I got a part in River City and he cleared the path to that. I owe him this. Alan and I spoke about it shortly after Andy’s death, and we decided this should see the light of day.

“We want to make it an excuse to talk about Andy again in a different light, to give a fresh way to remember and talk about him. We want to do him proud.”

Alan, who is an actor as well as a prolific writer, agreed: “Had it not been for our love and responsibility for Andy, this could have fallen by the wayside several times.

“Originally, it was supposed to be going ahead before Covid, with Andy and Grant doing a two-hander. It had to take on a new life, because no one could step into Andy’s shoes.

“It could have lain in a drawer, but all of us – including his family – agreed we had to preserve this.”

The pair have memories of first working on the play in Andy’s house in Scone, Perthshire, in 2019. He had been taking notes from his hospital trips and knew there was a story to be told.

Alan said: “Going to see him at Ninewells Hospital, wired up to machines – this is before and after his transplant – he would be the one making everyone else laugh. He told the nurses and doctors about his plan and they said they would come and see it, but please make it funny. They said they dealt with this every day and didn’t want it to be doom and gloom.

“That has been another responsibility, to be faithful to their wants and needs, because Andy felt he owed them so much. Everything that happens to the character of Rab and is said to him are things said and done to Andy. It’s faithful and true to life. Ultimately, Chemo Savvy is a story about a broken family being reunited and finding redemption and forgiveness. It’s a story about hope. When Andy came through his transplant, he talked about having hope and making the most of every moment.”

Chemo Savvy

Alongside Grant, the play also features Jordan Young and Gail Watson. It’s directed by ex-Scot Squad star Sally Reid, produced by Ryan Dewar and hosted by Karen Koren’s Gilded Balloon venue.

“Everyone involved has a connection to Andy,” Grant said. “Everyone knows why we’re here and what this is about. It’s about making Andy the talk of the steamie again.”

Both have fond memories of becoming Andy’s friend.

Alan said: “I’d known him for 30 years but I became close to him when we were doing the Susan Boyle musical around 12 or 13 years ago. That’s when I really bonded with him. One of the highlights of my life is that Andy Gray wanted to be my pal. I held him in such high esteem.”

© Alastair Muir/Shutterstock

Grant added: “I was a fan first and foremost. I met him at a post-panto party in the late-90s. I’d just come off kids’ TV and he said I needed to do Aberdeen’s panto with him. That didn’t happen but the stars aligned and we started together at the King’s in Edinburgh.

“We clicked and he became a huge part of my life. We were like brothers, which is lovely since the play has become about brothers. He didn’t have a brother, so I think he liked the closeness we had.

“It was a wonderful friendship and I still have this massive hole in my life. He would message me every day. There’s been so many times I’ve wanted to pick up the phone and ask for his advice in the last couple of years.

“He’s a huge part of my life and, going back to the play, it’s why we feel we have to do this. I’m really excited to see how people react to it.”

Chemo Savvy, Gilded Balloon at the Museum, Auditorium at the National Museum of Scotland, Aug 15-24