Being Gregory: Bill Forsyth, Gregory's Girl, the lot

"I want to be Gregory, walking through the concrete and asphalt of a grey housing estate on a summer's evening. At least once, I want to be in every one of those places from the film: the corrugated underpass on the way to school, the red ash sports pitches, under the clock in the Plaza."In 1980, a 34 year-old Glaswegian got the chance to turn his first screenplay into a feature film. With a small budget and support from a youth theatre in an area of 'multiple social deprivation', Bill Forsyth made a film which still holds a luminous place in the minds of audiences around the world.This is a book about the singular, unappreciated talent of Forsyth - and the impossibility of Gregory's Girl, how it shouldn't really exist. There's much more to the film's unique formula than a story about first love and football: French New Wave cinema; Vladimir Nabokov; Preston Sturges; the Glasgow Youth Theatre; the new town strangeness of Cumbernauld; and most of all, the magic of ordinary life. "This is a fantastic read about one of the most important Scottish films ever made. We all knew we were involved in something special - but no-one knew just how special."Rab Buchanan (Andy) "A fascinating read...a journey over the rainbow to that magical land of youth."Douglas Sannachan (Billy) "Tim's illuminating book delves into the ephemeral and enigmatic universe of Gregory's Girl and its creator. Contextualised within the zeitgeist of the late '70s and early '80s, it's a compelling read for cinephiles, cultural historians, and, perhaps especially, those people of Scotland whose own coming-of-age experiences were echoed by the much-loved film. It grants us a tantalising wee keek into the ordinary magic of being human."Gerry Clark, director/producer, One For The Album: The Story of the Glasgow Youth Theatre