A PAISLEY-based Laurel and Hardy fan club attended the first screening of a new film based on the life of the comedy duo.

The Bonnie Scotland tent attended a screening of Stan and Ollie, starring Steve Coogan as Laurel and John C. Reilly as Hardy, at the town’s Showcase Cinema.

The film has so far received stellar reviews and charts the last tour of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland by Laurel and Hardy in the 1950s.

Members of the Bonnie Scotland tent attended the initial screening on Friday and were delighted the cinema allowed them to leave membership forms for the tent behind for anyone else who enjoyed the film.

Janice Hawton, who leads the group, said: “As soon as we were aware that the Showcase Cinema was screening the Stan and Ollie movie, a number of our members booked tickets and made a full day of it.

“I would recommend the movie to everyone, not just Laurel and Hardy fans. It’s a great story highlighting the relationship between Stan and Ollie.

“It was also good to see former Bonnie Scotland member and current Scotland international boss Alex McLeish making a cameo appearance in the movie.

“Our regular meetings at the Tartan Rose are getting busier and I would encourage anyone who likes Stan and Ollie to pop along to our meetings and join in with the laughter.”

The Sons of the Desert is the official Laurel and Hardy appreciation society, with each local organisation called a ‘tent’ and named after one of the duo’s movies.

The Bonnie Scotland tent is the oldest surviving tent in the UK and meets regularly on the last Wednesday of every month at the Tartan Rose, in Broomlands Street, at 7.30pm, where they screen their favourite Laurel and Hardy movies from down the years.