Only An Excuse? is an annual Scottish football comedy sketch show that airs each Hogmanay. Starring actor and comedian Jonathan Watson, the show features impressions of some of Scottish football's great characters such as Denis Law, Tommy Burns, Barry Ferguson, Sir Alex Ferguson, Frank McAvennie, Walter Smith and Graeme Souness, as well as caricatures of the "typical" Celtic and Rangers fan.
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Specials
1993
No overview available.
01. 1993 Hogmanay Special
1993-12-31
Jonathan Watson impersonates Scottish football's main characters of 1993, and the major talking points that occurred.
02. 1994 World Cup Special
1994-06-13
Jonathan Watson pokes fun at the Home Nations football teams - Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales - for failing to qualify for that year's World Cup tournament in the USA.
03. The Director's Cut
1994-12-31
A special episode where the best of the Only An Excuse? sketches are aired once more.
04. 1995 Hogmanay Special
1995-12-31
Jonathan Watson and co look back on the major talking points of Scottish football of 1995 in their own special way.
05. 1996 Hogmanay Special
1996-12-31
Jonathan Watson impersonates some of Scottish football's important figures from the year, and takes a look back at Scotland's performance during Euro 1996.
06. 1997 Hogmanay Special
1997-12-31
Jonathan Watson and co take their own look back at events of Scottish football's 1997.
07. 1998 World Cup Special
1998-06-08
Jonathan Watson and Alistair McGowan take a look forward to the events that took Scotland to the 1998 World Cup tournament in France.
08. 1998 Hogmanay Special
1998-12-31
Jonathan Watson takes his own look back at the major talking points of Scottish footballing in 1998, especially the World Cup tournament held in France.
09. 1999 Hogmanay Special
1999-12-31
Jonathan Watson looks back at the year's Scottish footballing events, and looks forward to see what Scottish football will look like in the new millennium.
10. 2000 Hogmanay Special
2000-12-31
Jonathan Watson takes a look back at the Scottish footballing major events of the new millenium.
11. 2001 Hogmanay Special
2001-12-31
Jonathan Watson and co. take their own look at what happened in Scottish football in 2001.
12. 2002 Hogmanay Special
2002-12-31
Jonathan Watson takes his own personal look at the major talking points and figures from Scottish football from the year.
13. 2003 Hogmanay Special
2003-12-31
Jonathan Watson takes a look back at what happened in Scottish football from 2003, especially Celtic's UEFA cup run.
14. 2004 Hogmanay Special
2004-12-31
Jonathan Watson takes a look back at Scottish football's main talking points, mainly Henrik Larsson leaving Celtic.
15. 2005 Hogmanay Special
2005-12-31
Jonathan Watson and co. take a look back at what happened in Scottish football for this year, including the last day SPL title drama.
18. 2008 Hogmanay Special
2008-12-31
Scotland's premier football comedy team take their annual shot at the national obsession.
19. 2009 Hogmanay Special
2009-12-31
Scotland's premier football comedy team prepare to slide tackle the national obsession.
20. 1998 -75 Years Of BBC Scotland
1998-05-07
Scotland comedy team take at look back at BBC Scotland's football coverage of the last 75 years.
21. 2006 World Cup Special
2006-06-07
World Cup 2006 Special.
22. 2010 Hogmanay Special
2010-12-31
Football, football, wherefore art thou football? Scotland's premier comedy team provides the answer as they return to take another flying header at the beautiful game.
23. Only An Excuse Live 1993
Air date TBA
No overview available.
24. Only An Excuse Live 1994
Air date TBA
No overview available.
25. Only An Excuse Live 1995
Air date TBA
No overview available.
26. Only An Excuse Live 1996
Air date TBA
No overview available.
27. Only An Excuse Live 1997
Air date TBA
No overview available.
28. 1994 Hogmanay Special
Air date TBA
No overview available.
29. 2011 Hogmany Special
2011-12-31
Another year, another opportunity for Jonathan Watson and his handpicked squad to look back at the events that shaped football in 2011 and have a right good kick at them in the process.
30. 2012 Hogmanay Special
2012-12-31
Only an Excuse? starring Jonathan Watson. A half-hour selection of sketches gleefully putting the boot into the events of 2012. The team look back on a year of golden moments, dire predictions and the fickle fortunes of Scottish football. Featuring new faces, favourite characters and spot-on take-offs.
31. 2013 Hogmanay Special
2013-12-31
Scotland's premier comedy team take their annual flying header at events that have made the headlines both on and off the pitch.
36. 2014 Hogmanay Special
2014-12-31
Scotland's premier comedy team take a humorous look at the highs and lows of 2014.
37. 2015 Hogmanay Special
2015-12-31
An irreverent Hogmanay homage to the highs and lows of 2015, starring Jonathan Watson. The team take a humorous look at the biggest stories and characters in Scottish football and beyond. Packed with sketches, take-offs, wind-ups, gags, spoofs, quickies and a familiar face or two.
38. 2016 Hogmanay Special
2016-12-31
Jonathan Watson and the team take in the highs and lows of 2016. Featuring the biggest stories in Scottish football, popular culture, news, showbiz and the wider world.
39. 2017 Hogmanay Special
2017-12-31
What a year it's been! So sit back and let Jonathan Watson and the team take 2017 apart. A hilarious Hogmanay look back at the past 12 months from a distinctively Scottish point of view. Mixing sketches, spoofs, quickies, one-liners and takeoffs. Featuring celebrated comic creations and brand new characters. Putting the spotlight on contemporary Scottish life and cheering everyone up, following the latest let-down from the national football team. A traditional Hogmanay tonic for the nation.
40. 2018 Hogmanay Special
2018-12-31
Starring Jonathan Watson. With the final whistle about to blow on 2018, Scotland's premier comedy team get together for one last kick of the ball. Featuring sketches, spoofs, gags and comic characters putting the boot into the headlines that have dominated Scottish football and Scottish life over the past 12 months
41. 2019 Hogmanay Special
2019-12-31
As 2019 rapidly approaches the final whistle, Scotland's premier comedy team line up for their annual kick of the ball. New signings join Jonathan in sketches, spoofs and comic characters that target not just the highs and lows of Scottish football but Scottish life too over the past 12 months. Starring Jonathan Watson with Alex Norton, Joy McAvoy and Louise McCarthy.
42. 2020 Hogmanay Special
2020-12-31
Jonathan Watson leads a hilarious mix of classic sketches, popular characters, famous faces and up-to-date skits tackling 2020 from a footballing perspective. Featuring nostalgic recollections from guest stars, plus fresh material covering Scottish football and the world in general.
43. Best Of - Compilations: Episode 1
2021-02-11
Discover just why they are bouncing so high in the Celtic dugout and see how the Rangers gaffer chooses his team. Frankie Boy rocks up at the petrol station, King Kenny dispenses managerial advice on the golf course and Sir Fergie lectures on leadership at Harvard. Find out the secrets of a Brechin pie and what the Thunbergs really get up to when Greta is away.
44. Best Of - Compilations: Episode 2
2021-02-11
Andre Rieu fiddles away to showcase his Scottish football collection, Line of Duty meets Taggart in the same police station, and Macca dons his whites for a tennis lesson from a national treasure. And, at the end of the day, Jim and Charlie discover you can never use too many cliches.
45. Best Of - Compilations: Episode 3
2021-02-11
Sir Fergie loses his cool with his goalie, Jim Spencey Spence quizzes a Scottish Olympic champion, and The Frankie Boy props up the bar to share memories that are so good he can barely remember them. Meanwhile, a top TV dating show comes to Glasgow to see if opposites really do attract.
46. Best Of - Compilations: Episode 4
2021-02-11
Scotland boss Stevie Clarke comes to terms with actually qualifying for something, King Kenny appears in a biopic and deconstructs cinema and ace-pundit Charlie Nick compares the Scotland team to a selection of puddings. Elsewhere a respected TV travelogue veteran discovers the joys of a rail-replacement bus service in Ayrshire, the Professor answers the people’s questions and a gonk washes-up on the beach in TV crime spoof Millport.