Only An Excuse? star Jonathan Watson hopes North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un likes a laugh

IT might be a long shot but Jonathan Watson is hoping Kim Jong-un has a sense of humour.

Jonathan is back for the annual Hogmanay highlight Only An Excuse? and the North Korean dictator is in his mickey-taking firing line.

“It took an hour-and-a-half in make-up to get the look with a bald cap and then the black wig,” said Jonathan. “I sincerely hope there’s no backlash from the North Koreans.

“A year or two ago I did Andre Rieu playing Rangers and Celtic songs on his violin and we heard he absolutely loved it. In fact, he invited my wife and I along to his concert in Glasgow.

“So hopefully Kim will take it in the same spirit as Andre Rieu.”

Brendan Rodgers, Pedro Caixinha, Leigh Griffiths, Gordon Strachan and Kenny Dalglish are a few of the footballing names who will be getting an outing this evening.

And Jonathan says he’s sure Sunday Post columnist Kenny will enjoy the screen appearance, in which he’s interviewed by Muriel Gray.

“We know he likes the programme and it’s a few years since he featured,” said Jonathan. “It’s a take on a documentary he did and it was easy to get back into doing him again.”

Tonight’s show on BBC Scotland will be the 25th Only an Excuse? but Jonathan says it was only after filming the sketches at the start of this month they realised this year’s anniversary.

“Last year’s show was watched by 1.3 million, that’s more people in Scotland than saw Andy Murray in the Wimbledon final.

“We still approach it with a freshness but, at the end of the day, the decision isn’t in our hands.

“We have no plans at the moment to stop but everything comes to an end eventually. It’s like being a football manager – you can guarantee you’ll get the sack at some point.”

Jonathan will be watching – nervously as he doesn’t like seeing himself on screen – at his Glasgow home tonight with wife Celine.

It’s the second Watson festive highlight as he was in a Christmas special of BBC Scotland’s sitcom, Two Doors Down.

It has become a big hit across the UK and returns to BBC2 in January.

“It was originally a one-off special all done at the last minute because the BBC had an hour-long slot to fill on Hogmanay four years ago,” adds Jonathan, who’s awaiting confirmation this week on two big projects for 2018.

“So I look at it as being a happy accident. We were amazed at the response it got and it’s brilliant that this is now our third series.”