Tony Roper made a living as a miner, shipbuilder and brickie’s labourer, before studying at the Glasgow College of Music and Drama. Recently, he was made an honorary doctor of letters by the University of Abertay and had a Lifetime Achievement Award presented at the 2010 Great Scot Awards.

Acting credits include: everything from Ayckbourn to Shakespeare onstage and, on television, numerous plays and comedy series, including Scotch and Wry, Naked Video, Only an Excuse and as Jamesie Cotter in BBC’s Rab C Nesbitt.Tony was last seen onstage in two sell-out tours of Rikki and Me, in which he played the iconic Rikki Fulton. This was subsequently released on DVD, produced by the Comedy Unit. For Christmas 2016, he appeared as an ugly sister in Cinderella at the King’s Theatre, Glasgow.

Writing credits include: a request to write a play resulted in The Steamie, originally produced by Wildcat Stage Productions, which since its original six-month run in 1987 is now Scotland’s most popular play and has been seen in various countries, including England, Northern Ireland, USA, Finland, Newfoundland and Canada. The play won the Glasgow Mayfest Award and a Scottish BAFTA for the Channel 4 adaptation. Tony went on to write Paddie’s Market for the Tron Theatre, which resulted in two sell-out tours of Scotland’s major theatres; The Steamie’s being Being Dead Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry (Tron One Acts); pantomime Babes in the Wood (Motherwell Civic Centre) and Rikki and Me, co-written with Philip Differ (touring Scotland).

Television credits include: The Steamie (Channel 4 – Scottish BAFTA winner).

Radio includes: The Conversation Seat (BBC’s Short Story).

Books include: Ricky Fulton’s Rev I M Jolly journal in two volumes: Rev I M Jolly Volume 1: How I Found God and Why He Was Hiding From Me and Rev I M Jolly Volume 2: One Deity at a Time, Sweet Jesus (Black and White Publishing); I’ll No Tell You Again (Black and White Publishing) and also The Steamie – a Novel.