Ford Kiernan

Ford John Kiernan (born 10 January 1962) is a Scottish actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for his work with Greg Hemphill on the BBC Scotland sketch comedy series Chewin' the Fat (1999–2005) and the sitcom Still Game (2002–2007, 2016–2019). He also starred as Archie Henderson in Dear Green Place (2007–2008) and as Colin Holliday in Happy Hollidays (2009).

Kiernan is one of the executive producers and co–owner of the production company Effingee Productions. The production company has largely created productions in which Kiernan has featured, including Still Game, Chewin' the Fat and Dear Green Place.

Ford John Kiernan was born on 10 January 1962 in Dennistoun, Glasgow. As a child, he attended Alexandra Parade Primary School before attending Whitehill Secondary School.

Kiernan first performed comedy in 1990 at the comedy club in the basement of the Blackfriars pub in Glasgow. He took up performing full-time in 1993. A run of solo gigs led to his being offered a slot in the Edinburgh Comedy Festival in 1994, in a show called The Best Of Scottish Comedy, alongside John Paul "JP" Leach and Alan Taylor. Leach and Kiernan teamed up as a double act during this festival, and had shows at the next two festivals, After Eight Mince and The Full Bhoona, both at the Gilded Balloon.

Kiernan was one of the first performers at The Comedy Cellar, a comedy night started in 1993 by Ed Byrne in Glasgow. He co-wrote a play with JP Leach, Don't Start Me, which won a Fringe First Award at the 1995 Edinburgh Fringe.

Kiernan has also broadcast frequently on BBC Radio Four and BBC Radio Scotland.

Kiernan's career in television began when he started to write various sketches for Pulp Video (BBC Scotland 1995). Between 1999 and 2005, he was a writer for Chewin' the Fat, starring as a regular character alongside Greg Hemphill, both playing various roles. Karen Dunbar, Paul Riley, and Mark Cox also featured in Chewin' the Fat. Hemphill and Kiernan would become comedy partners, and Riley and Cox would later star alongside Kiernan and Hemphill in Still Game. At first, Chewin the Fat was shown only in Scotland, but the BBC broadcast the third and fourth series throughout the UK.

The spin-off series from Chewin' the Fat, Still Game, began broadcast in Scotland only, but later reached a wider audience throughout the United Kingdom. Every episode of Still Game was co-written by Kiernan and Hemphill. In 1999 and 2000 Kiernan and Hemphill also scripted seven episodes for the children's TV series Hububb, with Kiernan guest-starring in three episodes, including two of them written by other writers. Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill and Paul Riley's company Effingee Productions is thought to have split up after Riley walked away to go it alone after being refused more control over the future of the company by Kiernan. Hemphill stated that he didn't want a "boardroom battle". The split ultimately resulted in the indefinite hiatus of the series.