Comics condemn BBC's lack of Scottish fare

LONDON, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- "Rab C. Nesbitt" comic Tony Roper is criticizing the BBC, claiming the network fails to represent the comedy of his native Scotland.

While on tour with the play "Rikki and Me," the Scottish comic criticized the network for its apparent inability to look beyond English sources for its comedy programs, said The Scotsman.

"It may be called the BBC, but it's a perception thing. Wales and England still set a precedent, you very rarely hear a Scottish regional accent because there is still a belief that people will not understand it down South," said the "Naked Video" writer.

"If you are a Scottish comedian, you have no real access to England unless you are like Billy Connolly," he said.

The 65-year-old comic offered negative reviews of current BBC hits such as "Little Britain" and "The Catherine Tate Show."

"They are both good shows, but there are just no surprises there," he told the paper. "That very old-fashioned way of repeating a joke over and over is taken to an extreme nowadays that older comics would never have gone near."