On Friday 28 February 1975, an article was published in "A Scotman's Log" - a highly popular and long-running column in The Scotsman newspaper. Written by celebrated Scottish journalist and doyen of columnists Wilfred Taylor, the daily diary piece featured whimsical, witty, and observant commentary on Scottish life, local culture, and everyday eccentricities. Taylor wrote the five-day-a-week column from 1939 until 1986.

On this day, Taylor used the column to present a light-hearted but complimentary description of a trip to EUSOG's 1975 production of H.M.S. Pinafore. He playfully holds up EUSOG against the legendary 7:84 Theatre Company. This was deliberately ridiculous - 7:84 was formed in 1971 and was renowned as a revolutionary left-wing touring company which staged pieces with strong social and political messages. It's most influential piece "The Cheviot, the Stag, and the Black Black Oil " toured Scotland in 1973. However, Taylor cannily recognises that both shows use satire and popular musical entertainment to critique the elite class, challenge the misuse of unchecked authority, and advocate for the working class. 

As a footnote, while this article appears in the British Newspaper Archive, the scan of the original article is damaged and incomplete, with some words missing. We have used various AI enhancement techniques to attempt to restore and improve the accessibility of the article. As you will see, it is not perfect, but it has openened a window on this fascinating piece, and we invite you to speculate on the missing words.