A cut above the rest

Craig Ferguson stars in The Big Tease, which he wrote

By BBC Scotland Arts Correspondent Pauline McLean

There's nothing stand-up comedian Craig Ferguson can't tell you about the Festival Fringe. But it's a different sort of fringe which could at last ensure him a cut of success in his native country.

Ferguson, who has lived in Los Angeles for the past few years, stars in the film The Big Tease, a gentle comedy about a camp Glasgow hairdresser who goes to America to compete in the World Freestyle Hairdressing Championship.

In the cut-throat world of international styling, Crawford MacKenzie doesn't exactly have a head start, particularly since he hasn't even got a place in the championship but in true Hollywood style, he achieves his greatest ambitions.

The same could be said for Ferguson himself. He made the move to America as a stand-up comic. Several years later, he's a well respected actor and comedian with a regular role in The Drew Carey Show.

The Big Tease shows a different side of Scotland than Trainspotting

But he wanted to make his own film. "I wanted to make a film that was different from the other films that have recently come out of Scotland - Braveheart, Trainspotting, Shallow Grave," he says.

"None of them really dealt with the soft, gentle but sometimes outrageous Scottish sense of humour, nor the regions of the country that I knew."

He and co-writer Sacha Gervasi dreamed up Crawford, the film's gentle hero. Their script was snapped up by Warner Brothers, who agreed not to change the Scottish elements and to give Craig time off from the Drew Carey Show.

"There were amazing 'no notes' from companies saying things like, "Could this guy be Swedish and from Chicago?" says Craig.

Warner's little experiment

A genuine Scottish story was also what attracted director Kevin Allen to the film. Allen directed the film Twin Town, set in his native Swansea, and is also an actor. He felt the time was right to push another Celtic comedy to the American film executives.

Ferguson partied into the wee small hours after the premiere

"The Full Monty opened doors for British films and ever since then all the big studios have been looking for their small, offbeat British comedies," he says.

"We're Warner's little experiment really. Our film probably cost about the same as Kevin Costner's sushi budget but that's ok. We get the chance to do our film in Hollywood."

The premiere on Thursday night in Edinburgh marked the film's British release. Early audience screenings in the USA suggest it could also tickle the American market. Ferguson's established role in a popular American sitcom could also pave his way.

But for Ferguson - who describes the film as his valentine to Scotland and who partied with his relatives into the wee small hours - success on his own home turf is the real fringe benefit.