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Back in 2004, a church at the top of Glasgow’s Byres Road reopened as a bar, restaurant and arts venue.

Oran Mor, as founder Colin Beattie named it, had murals by Alasdair Gray on the walls and ceilings.

Another of his off-the-wall ideas was to put on short plays at lunchtime. The entry price, £10, included a light lunch and a drink.

He called that one A Play, A Pie and A Pint, PPP for short. It’s still going strong and this year, put on its 500th play.

The BBC is now getting in on the act. They have turned six of the best ever PPPs into TV dramas, to be screened this autumn.

Other theatres have joined in, with PPP productions going to Edinburgh’s Traverse, the Beacon in Greenock and Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree. Dundee Rep renamed it A Play, a Peh and a Pint.

The idea of lunchtime theatre was not a new one. Beattie’s masterstroke was making it a regular event with a catchy title.

By putting on a new play every week, audiences got into the habit of turning up with an open mind. With a running time of just 45 minutes, even a slow production would be over quickly.

(Image: Daily Record)

The theatrical brains behind PPP was David MacLennan, who died in 2016. Having spent years touring Scotland with 7:84 and then Wildcat, he activated his contacts to write, direct and star in the early days.

But Scotland’s theatre community did not need much encouragement and it was a success from the start.

April Chamberlain, one of two artistic directors who took over after MacLennan, said: “There’s a freshness to PPP. We put on 35 new plays a year.

“Our audience comes really regularly. They see more theatre than any other audience in Scotland. There’s a real connection. They soon tell us if it’s not to their liking.”

Big stars have appeared on that small stage and some of Scotland’s most important authors have written their words.

Robbie Coltrane appeared in a play by his friend Peter McDougall.

Elaine C Smith starred in Ida Tamson, written by Denise Mina.

Karen Dunbar’s first play #71, was written for PPP and she also took one of the main roles.

John Michie, of Taggart and Coronation Street, won an award for his turn in a play about the fire at Glasgow School of Art last year.

His Taggart colleague Blythe Duff is another regular. The cast of River City, past and present, have got PPP on their CVs.

And when one of them is on the stage, there are often several of them in the audience.

When crime writer Val McDermid’s play Margaret Saves Scotland was on tour at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, the First Minister popped along.

Liz Lochhead has written and adapted several plays for PPP. Other weeks, she can be found in the audience.

Bill Patterson fits PPP appearances in between Fleabag and Outlander. Ian Pattison, who created Rab C Nesbitt, is another regular.

(Image: A Play, A Pie and A Pint)

Irish playwright David Ireland got his first big break at Oran Mor in 2009 with his work What The Animals Say.

TV presenter Mel Giedroyc has appeared on the PPP stage as well as writing a play, Slice.

The BBC is not the only one to pick up the best PPP shows. Lots go on to have another life at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Casablanca, starring Gavin Mitchell, aka Still Game’s Boaby the Barman, has toured to New York and Paris. Janis Joplin Full Tilt, a musical biography of the troubled star, was a London hit.

April said: “We have given so many people their first chances. Most theatres that put on new writing will only put on six shows a year. We do it week after week.”