CHEWIN' THE NET

KAREN Dunbar was once Scotland's queen of comedy and now her star is rising again - thanks to social media.

- BY RICK FULTON

Millions of devoted fans know her from the 90s BBC comedy Chewin' The Fat and from her 2003 spin-off sketch show series The Karen Dunbar Show.

The TV hit shows created some of Karen's best-loved characters including prudish teacher Miss Isabelle Gourlay and Betty the Auld Slapper.

And, of course, the infamous ice cream van scene when two boys get more than they bargained for .

But after the series was canned in 2006, she admits her TV profile suffered.

However that was until 18 months ago when the 55-year-old Glasgow-born, Ayr-raised star, got a grip of social media and saw her career take off again.

Karen said: "I never really did much on social media. Even during lockdown when I had loads of live work cancelled, I didn't go on to social media.

"I had Twitter and posted photos of my dinner but I didn't do opinions, it's not my thing. So it all lay a bit dormant and I was just reposting links to my shows.

"But then a friend said I should do TikTok. I do watch it but at first I had a sinking feeling I'd have to stick a banana up my nose for clicks." Chewin' The Fat ran from 1999 to 2002 and while Ford Kieman and Greg Hemphill went off to do Still Game, Karen created her own show from 2003, giving us Shoeless Josie.

Then came Almost Angelic with musician Tom Urie, aka "Big Bob" O'Hara from River City.

Originally featured in The Karen Dunbar Show, the characters are presented as a pub 'n' club cabaret act with Karen as Angela and Urie playing Ricky who jokingly describe themselves as "Scotland's second favourite musical duo".