All four original cast members reunite 30 years later for Scottish tour landing in Aberdeen
Thirty years is a long time to spend in a departure lounge. The High Life, the BBC sitcom about an incompetent cabin crew of a Scotting airline, is finally taking off again as a stage musical with all four original cast members back in their nylon slacks.
It runs at His Majesty’s Theatre from Tuesday 14 April to Saturday 18 April 2026.
Alan Cumming, Forbes Masson, Siobhan Redmond and Patrick Ryecart are reprising their roles as the Air Scotia staff who pushed drinks trolleys with such gleeful uselessness that the show became a cult favourite. The six episodes aired in 1995 and, honestly, never really left.
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New cast along with old(er) favourites
Joining the original four are Louise McCarthy, Kyle Gardiner and Rachael Kendall Brown, along with Ross Baxter, Lauren Ellis-Steele, Ciara Flynn and Grant McIntyre. Andrew Panton directs.
The musical picks up where the series left off, but everyone’s older now. Air Scotia has been sold, and the crew needs to prove they’re fit for purpose or face the scrap heap. It’s about ageing, obsolescence, and whether you can still do the job when the world has moved on without you.
Cumming and Masson met at drama school in 1982 and formed the comedy double act Victor and Barry before creating The High Life. They’ve written the story, script and lyrics for the musical with Johnny McKnight, who’s built a reputation overhauling pantomime in Scotland. Masson composed the music with additional contributions from Cumming.
Early signs are good
A first listen of the show dropped earlier this year and has picked up 276,000 views across National Theatre of Scotland’s social platforms. People remember this show fondly and want to see what happens when you take a cult sitcom about terrible air stewards and turn it into a musical three decades later.
The answer arrives in Aberdeen next April. Tickets available from Aberdeen Performing Arts and the Box Office.
