httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHE7UzAV-Wk
Much of what we know about Buckfast is little more than conjecture. The numbering system on the bottles is rumoured to go up to 36, but when’s the last time you saw anything higher than a 24? In some parts of Scotland, peeling the label off in one go is believed to signify you’re getting lucky that night, but when was the last time you tanned a bottle of breach and then remembered anything about that night?
The same could be said of Delboy. The man with more nicknames than there are numbers on his beloved tonic is back in A Weegie Abroad 2, and he’s on a mission to clear up some misconceptions.
Charge # 1: Delboy is a one-trick pony whose only skill is playing a caricature of himself.
Verdict: Not proven.
On this showing, Derek “Aye” McKay is as comfortable riffing earnestly about nationalism and US history as he is at playing up to his Scumbag persona.
Charge #2: Delboy’s “parochial Glaswegian meets bemused foreigners” routine has a limited lifespan.
Verdict: Not proven.
There’s something strangely endearing about watching a Scotsman export Buckfast tonic wine and the concept of ‘square sassage’ to America. Repeated endlessly for 70 minutes, the trick would inevitably tire. Thankfully, AWA2 has more depth and variety than its predecessor.
Charge #3: Delboy lacks the intellectual authority to dissect Scottish culture and international affairs in anything other than the simplest terms.
Verdict: Not proven.
His vocabulary may be limited and his global knowledge finite (albeit increasing with every excursion), yet Delboy possesses a refreshing honesty that’s as disarming as it is endearing. The greatest improvement in AWA2, aside from the superior camera-work, is Delboy’s growing confidence as a presenter. His down-to-earth persona enables the Glaswegian to elicit revealing answers from his subjects.
Scumming Stateside
Is A Weegie Abroad 2 a comedy documentary with a smattering of serious moments or a serious documentary with a smattering of comedy? Much like the Buckfast that courses through Delboy’s veins, AWA2 can be many things to many people: a bit of fun; a means to forget; a chance to learn; an excuse to laugh.
As the self-styled Scumbag likens priceless animal fossils to Barras knock-offs (“They sell stuff like that for aboot a fiver, did we import this to yous, aye?”), and collects debts from Shrek (“I gave him a bit on tick, I’m gonnae need to see him” he instructs Donkey), it’s all about laughter.
When he unscrews his first tonic bottle, 21 minutes in, it’s all about the envy. Don’t be surprised if you catch yourself glancing at the clock and lamenting the fact you’re in a nation where a cerry-oot is unavailable past 10pm.
And when “Aye” McKay ponders his reasons for voting Aye to an independent Scotland, it’s hard, regardless of one’s political leanings, not to be impressed by the sincerity in the heartfelt response he proffers.
If A Weegie Abroad 2 doesn’t leave you nursing a thirst for the tonic, a hunger for square sausage and a strange affinity for the man with many nicknames, you’re not Scottish and, by the sounds of it, you don’t want to be either.
For everyone else, AWA2 will leave a warm glow in the space normally reserved for the commotion lotion.
—★★★—
A Weegie Abroad 2, produced by TDSLR, will be released in Summer 2015
WTF is a Weegie?
A ‘Weegie’ is a person from Glasgow.