Dingwall private investigator Barry Crombie takes social media by storm with rib-tickling new TikTok detective series

A DINGWALL PI is taking social media by storm with a quirky crime-busting creation who has a become a firm favourite with scores of new fans within days.

Private investigator Barry Crombie is the creation of Dingwall-based Gary Crombie, who has already unleashed three well-received episodes via TikTok.

Barry's entertaining escapades include tracking down a missing cat – and husband – checking on potential cases of infidelity and trying his hand on Tinder after his partner, Angela, leaves him. "It's like fishing with dynamite" he observes after sharing his profile. Scrolling through a list of potentials – rejecting only his cousins and observing along the way that "girls from Tain are hot!" – Barry is also called upon to outline the area he covers.

"Yes, that's right Dingwall area, yes your Conons, your Maryburghs, your Contin Strath...Alness at a push...north side of the Black Isle..."

"I think that one of the main reasons it’s taken off is that the people of Dingwall, and those who know Dingwall well are really getting a kick out of seeing their town on screen. Most Scottish comedy is very Glasgow centric so I think people enjoy it because they feel represented, maybe?"

Asked about the strong positive reaction to his venture, he said: "I live in Dingwall where I grew up. I currently work in recruitment in Inverness, but three months ago I was made redundant, mainly due to the downturn in the construction industry, which is the sector I worked in.

"I’d had an idea for a little TikTok video based in my car about a private investigator, but after a flurry of ideas and note writing, it soon became too much for one little 60-second clip; and with time on my hands in-between job hunting, I planned out three short episodes, wrote some dialogue, bought a phone holder for my car, and started filming.

"The first two were knocked out over a week. Then I started a new job, so filming episode three got pushed back for a month and looks much more wintery than the first two. The plot is about a man called Barry Crombie who was both made redundant and dumped by his partner, so becomes a private investigator in Dingwall and films his experiences. The detective work seems to be a secondary plot to Barry’s personal life."

Gary moved to London in 2003 where he started performing stand-up comedy. He recalled: "It was something that I was always keen on trying out. My intention was to do it a few times and hopefully meet comedians that I could write for. Performing wasn’t really something I felt very natural doing. I was kicked out of drama school in Edinburgh for falling asleep on stage during a performance of The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Brecht.

"But I was bitten by the stand up bug early on. My first gig was in a room above a pub in Soho, and on the bill were relatively unknowns Russell Kane, Issy Suttie, Gary Delaney, along with another man who a month later would break into Windsor Castle and get on stage with Prince William while dressed as Osama Bin Laden (the comedian was, not William) and he was on every front page of the papers the next day. His Edinburgh show sold out that year and he was the worst comedian I’d ever seen. So that taught me a lot about the importance of marketing.

"I performed about 70 gigs in two years and the highlight was performing at the Edinburgh Festival as a semi-finalist of the 2004 So You Think You’re Funny Awards. But I always preferred the writing side more, so stopped performing and focused on that. After that I carried on a with a variety of creative projects, but nothing that set the world on fire at all.

"I moved home from London in 2015 and pretty much gave up on writing or producing anything, despite remaining a constant note taker of ideas.

"I released Detective Diaries on Saturday, December 2, and the response since it went out has been incredible, and hugely overwhelming. I hoped my friends would enjoy it, but never in a million years did I think it would get watched and shared to the extent it has. I’ve had the most genuinely lovely comments, and messages too, including one guy and his parents watching them together over Facetime in Australia and Dingwall, and even a friend sitting getting his hair cut and the barbers talking about the videos. It's really bonkers, and I’m having a blast."

Asked about its local success, he said: "I think that one of the main reasons it’s taken off is that the people of Dingwall, and those who know Dingwall well are really getting a kick out of seeing their town on screen. Most Scottish comedy is very Glasgow centric so I think people enjoy it because they feel represented, maybe?"

What's next? "Preparations for the next episode or two have begun so I will hopefully have more videos to share very soon, providing the weather is kind for filming."

It's available on Tiktok at @dingwalldetectivediaries and Detective Diaries on Facebook.

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