The cult BBC comedy The High Life is returning to Scottish stages as a brand new musical, reuniting its original cast and touring the country in spring 2026.
The stage production, titled The High Life. The Musical. Still Living It!, brings together creators Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson, alongside writer Johnny McKnight and director Andrew Panton, marking a major revival of one of Scotland’s most beloved television comedies.
After a 30 year delay in the departure lounge, all four original cast members will reprise their roles on stage, with Alan Cumming returning as Sebastian Flight, Forbes Masson as Steve McCracken, Siobhan Redmond as Shona Spurtle and Patrick Ryecart as Captain Hilary Duff.
They are joined by a full musical theatre cast including Louise McCarthy, Kyle Gardiner, Rachael Kendall Brown, Ross Baxter, Lauren Ellis Steele, Ciara Flynn and Grant McIntyre.
The musical is presented by National Theatre of Scotland and Dundee Rep Theatre, in association with Aberdeen Performing Arts and Capital Theatres.
Set years after the original series, the story finds the Air Scotia crew older, no wiser, and facing the sale of their airline, with their future hanging in the balance unless they can prove they are still fit for purpose.
What follows is a final flight packed with old rivalries, enduring friendships, camp silliness, and new music, as the characters navigate a changing world while clinging proudly to their crimpelene past.
Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson said returning to the characters had been both surreal and joyful, describing the process as reconnecting with their inner trolley dollies after decades away.
Johnny McKnight said joining the project was a lifelong ambition, while Andrew Panton described the development process as a riot of creative energy that blends nostalgia with something entirely new.
The tour will run from Friday 27 March until Saturday 23 May 2026, opening at Dundee Rep Theatre before travelling to Festival Theatre Edinburgh and His Majesty’s Theatre Aberdeen.
The production will arrive at Eden Court Theatre in Inverness from 29 April to 2 May 2026, bringing Air Scotia to the Highlands for four performances.
The tour then returns to Dundee Rep Theatre before concluding at King’s Theatre Glasgow.
First broadcast in the 1990s, The High Life became a cult classic for its farcical humour, sharp writing, and unforgettable characters, centred around the most useless cabin crew ever to push a drinks trolley while asking “U fur coffee”.
This new stage version promises original music, familiar madness, and a warm reunion with characters who have aged just enough to reflect the audience watching them.
For long time fans and newcomers alike, Air Scotia is once again cleared for take off.
