A HOST of Scottish stars are to feature in a new episode of the Simpsons.
The upcoming episode from season 35 of the smash-hit American animated sitcom will see Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie cross the Atlantic to visit Scotland.
Called “AE Bonny Romance”, the show will feature a storyline with Groundskeeper Willie – the Scottish character who came out in support of independence in a 2014 video.
The Simpson family follows Willie to Scotland amid concerns that he has been “kidnapped”, but finds that it was all a ruse to have them attend his wedding to a girl named Maisie.
Maisie is voiced by the first of the major Scottish stars in the show – the Inverness-born Karen Gillan.
The Avengers actress is joined by Dr Who star David Tennant and Paul Higgins, known for his appearances in hit shows including The Thick of It and Line of Duty.
And the Scottish band Belle and Sebastian have also been immortalised as Simpsons characters for the episode.
Sharing an image of the band from the show on social media, Belle and Sebastian founding member Stuart Murdoch wrote: “I think they did us pretty well, what do you think?
“Beans [keyboardist Chris Geddes] and Stevie [Jackson, guitarist] are particularly well represented.”
Asked if the band knew they were to feature, Murdoch responded: “Yes, we worked on a new song to the specifications of the writers.”
Other users labelled the appearance “brilliant” and “career topping”, as Labour MSP Paul Sweeney commented: “This is amazing!”
Another user wrote: “Unbelievable coup ... I'm curious how long it was in the works because it's a full circle moment from this!!!”
They shared an image of the cover of Belle and Sebastian’s debut album Tigermilk alongside a shot of Homer holding a lobster called Mr Pinchy (from the 1998 episode “Lisa Gets an ‘A’”) in a style that appears to be a homage to the Scots band.
The episode AE Bonny Romance is the eighth in the 35th series of the Simpsons. It aired in the US on December 3 and is due to be shown in the UK in the new year.
