Those of us who have seen Still Game (is there anyone in Glasgow who hasn’t seen at least one episode?) will recognise most of the locations used, from the Maryhill flats to a bingo hall in Possilpark.

But fewer of us will remember one of the most iconic settings in the series, as it is no longer standing.

In 1965, Beechwood Taverns opened a pub on Ruchill Street in the north of the city. It was a typical Glasgow pub of the era, with a lounge bar and off-sales area, and it was run by husband-and-wife duo Joseph and Netta Robb.

The bar was named the Gimlet, after a cocktail consisting of gin, lime cordial and soda that was popular in the 1960s, and it later became known as the Ruchill Tavern. But its most famous name – which wasn’t even its real name – was the Clansman.

Glasgow Times:

For the first three series of Still Game, The Gimlet was used as the exterior of the Clansman pub. Even more iconic than Osprey Heights, Navid’s Convenience Store and Stevie’s bookmakers, the Clansman was the true centre of Craiglang.

Some of the show’s funniest ever moments happened in the Clansman, from the gang trying to get a slot on Blighty’s Hardest Boozers to the pub quiz where hapless barman Boaby went from having a date to being punched in the face in seconds.

One of the comedy series’ more serious storylines centred around the potential demolition of the Clansman, and thus the destruction of the communal watering hole for Jack, Victor, Winston, Isa and the livelihood of its loyal servant, Boaby the Barman.

When a property developer came to tell the gang that the pub would be flattened to make way for cottages, everyone rallied to save their beloved local.

The Clansman was saved and renamed when the property developer discovered his father was fan favourite ‘Pete the Jakey’ - but in reality, it was the end for the Ruchill Tavern.

Glasgow Times:

The building was demolished in 2004, between the filming of series three and four, to make way for flats. After that, a replica exterior of the pub was built in the Glasgow North media park in Maryhill to be used for the rest of the series.

The ‘real’ Clansman may be gone, but a little piece of its legacy and influence lives on – in England!

In 2021, pub owner Cliff Morton decided to model his bar in Corby based on the Clansman, with Still Game memorabilia, signed scripts and even a bottle of Midori – reserved only for Big Innes of course.

Cliff said: “It’s become quite a big thing in the town. The whole of Corby has a massive, massive Still Game fanbase.”

Glasgow Times:

For so many of us, the Clansman is reminiscent of a by-gone era, a reminder of the days when going to the pub in Glasgow was about patiently staking out the fruit machine for a payout, watching the horses on a tiny TV in the corner rather than Sky Sports, cigarette machines, jukeboxes rather than Spotify playlists – and drinking pints that were a lot cheaper than they are today.

It was the kind of gem that used to be around for years with completely unchanged décor and the same regulars, and this is even touched upon in the final scene of the series.

After it is implied that all of the main characters have sadly passed away, a much older Boaby the Barman is seen still working behind the bar of the Clansman.

In a nod to this usual line towards Jack and Victor (“Look who it is”) he tells the viewer: “Look who it isn’t.”

What’s your favourite old historical pub in Glasgow?