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Dundee pals are Still Game as Jack and Victor for World Book Day

Claypotts Castle pupils Arthur and Reuben had their teachers in stitches as the Craiglang pensioners.

Reuben Fleming, 8, and Arthur McKenzie, 7, as Jack and Victor. Image: Megan McKenzie.
Reuben Fleming, 8, and Arthur McKenzie, 7, as Jack and Victor. Image: Megan McKenzie.

Dundee friends Arthur McKenzie, 7, and Reuben Fleming, 8, had their teachers hooting with laughter at their World Book Day costumes.

The inseparable pair portrayed Still Game double act Jack and Victor on Thursday for the annual celebration of literature during which kids dress up as their favourite book characters.

With walking sticks, pipes and even bushy eyebrows, their hilarious costumes made the Claypotts Castle Primary School pupils look uncannily like the characters of the hit BBC One Scotland comedy.

And while many of their young classmates were unfamiliar with Arthur and Reuben’s subjects, their teachers knew right away and had a good giggle.

Arthur (left) and Reuben were the image of the Craiglang pensioners. Image: Megan McKenzie.

Friends since nursery, Arthur and Reuben are known at school as something of a duo just like fictional Craiglang residents Jack and Victor.

Arthur has watched Still Game at his gran’s house, and came up with the idea of dressing up as them.

His gran, who is a big fan of the series, also has a Still Game book which Arthur argued qualified their guise for World Book Day.

In a scenario familiar to many parents, it was only at the last minute that the boys hit upon the ruse.

Charity shop trawl

But their mums Megan McKenzie and Sam Gowans rose to the challenge to pull together their outfits.

Arthur’s mum Megan said: “It was only the day before that they decided they wanted to be Jack and Victor so we were running about crazy round all the charity shops trying to find loads of random things.”

On the morning of World Book Day the boys’ friend and neighbour Maya Ingles, 7, decided to join in as fellow Craiglang resident Isa, so an outfit was hastily rustled up for her too.

Maya Ingles as Isa, with Reuben (centre) and Arthur as Jack and Victor. Image: Megan McKenzie.

Megan was delighted with the result of their efforts.

She said: “It was brilliant. When we were walking to school people were staring at them and laughing. It was really funny.”

Arthur said they got “big laughs” when they arrived. He said: “The teachers were saying ‘oh, you’re so cute!”

He really enjoyed their day as Jack and Victor but said: “The only thing I didn’t like was I put hairspray in my hair and it was making my head really itchy.”

‘Funnier than the real thing’

The boys took their roles seriously and spent the day cracking jokes and repeating famous lines from the show.

Megan said: “They thought they were hilarious!”

Arthur told her “we’re funnier than Jack and Victor because we’re small ones”.

Actors and comedians Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill played the Glaswegian pensioners in Still Game, which first aired in 2002.

Arthur, Reuben and Maya also appear in our gallery of World Book Day photographs.

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