Film makes town a YouTube star

Oct 8 2008 by Graham Mann, East Kilbride News

A BBC Scotland short film set in East Kilbride town centre almost 30 years ago is proving to be a big hit on the internet.

The ten-minute long video was posted on YouTube last week and it’s sure to trigger some happy memories for many residents in the town.

However, for those of a certain age the 1981 drama, entitled The Mad Death may also bring back some childhood nightmares.

It was one of three films produced by the BBC to highlight the threat of rabies and the plot centres around an infected dog on the loose inside the Plaza - the only covered area in the town centre at that time. It begins when a lady lets the rabid dog inside the busy shopping precinct. A sharp-eyed security guard soon recognises the telltale signs when the animal begins snarling and foaming at the mouth.

The alarm is raised and an evacuation of the shopping centre takes place while gun-wielding officers spring into action in an effort to stop the delirious animal.

However, from today’s perspective the film amounts to a nostalgic trip down memory lane rather than the dire warning it was originally intended to be.

Shops like Saxone, John Menzies, Stead & Simpson, and Peter Lord can be seen as the military-style jeep hurtles through the main doors of the Plaza at the foot of the new Olympia Arcade and drives hell for leather down the middle of the precinct in search of the deranged mutt.

As the vehicle roars along, you can see the plastic orange bucket seats which used to be dotted throughout the undercover retail complex and regarded as a cutting edge shopping experience in its day. Many readers will remember the children’s rides that were once a huge attraction at the entrance to Boots, which remains at the same location it has occupied for decades.

When the jeep exits the doors where Centre West now stands, viewers catch a glimpse of the Dollan baths before the speeding vehicle bursts through the barrier leading to the original multi-story car park.

There are other notable landmarks featured that look exactly the same today as they did in 1981 such as the unique whirly-gig runway at the taxi rank. Although the storyline itself has its dated moments, it stands up fairly well. And it would be unfair of us to spoil the dramatic ending.

To view the video, click here