The North East of Scotland lost one of its great champions last month with the death of Scotland the What? comedian Steve Robertson. He died after a short illness according to reports, being diagnosed with cancer only recently.

Scotland the What? at their best were brilliant, a genuinely great British comedy act. They - Steve Robertson, Buff Hardie and George Donald - were perhaps known mostly for being a Doric act but this does them something of a disservice and perhaps overlooks the quality of their work. While their most famous material was crafted around city and country accents, they were first and foremost excellent observational writers and performers, drawing from the same well as The Two Ronnies and more recently Peter Kay. Buff and Steve's material went deep into the locality and they drew from what was around them; just watching folk, listening to sayings and words, funny mannies and wifies, would-be slick solicitors or smarter-than-you-think farmers. Their dialogue was strong, appearing effortlessly natural, and they loved a good punchline.

There's now loads of their stuff on YouTube and there are two 'best of' collections on iTunes (What would Sandy Thomson say about that?). Look out in particular for 'Oldmeldrum Sports'; it's Steve Robertson's finest moment, a true comic performance. The tale of the local gala convener phoning up Buckingham Palace would stand comparison with any of those "top 100 comedy moments" selections and you can quite easily imagine it being adapted and performed by Ronnie Barker. Look out also for 'The Will', 'The Sleeper', and "Ballater Toyshop". Their songs were good too - who could ever forget that lyric I've got an Unty / An Unty Bunty / Fa bides in the country / Twa miles oot o' Huntly!. Meanwhile, the melancholy 'Farewell to Achterturra', a subtle, cutting lament to the demise of rural services, is both hilarious and heartbreaking - it's their finest moment as a trio, their masterpiece.

They were always supportive of the Dons, involving them in many of their sketches, and they even came out of retirement to perform at the dinner when Alex Ferguson received the Freedom of the City in 1999.There's a story about the night they played in Inverurie Town Hall, in January 1985, after a certain Dons 5-1 win at Pittodrie. The boys solemnly walked on stage, playing it straight, as if something had gone wrong behind the scenes, and announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen. There will now be a one-minute silence... for Rangers!" Uproar. Magic.

Being outside the establishment centres of London or even central Scotland, they didn't break into the wider UK consciousness in the way other acts did, but I don't think they needed to - they were comfortable in their own skin. They loved the North East and the North East loved them back. They shone a light on everyday humour and they were an influence on what followed, from The Northern Light to The Red Final, on Patrick Wight, the student shows, playwright Mike Gibb and now of course The Flying Pigs.

Thanks Steve, Buff and George. You were truly magic. Sandy Thomson, futret keeper (that's F E R R E T - futret) and bunker at Auchterturra - we salute you.

Rest in peace, Steve.