There are several types ofmass media in Scotland:television,cinema,radio,newspapers,magazines,game design andwebsites. The majority of Scotland's media is located in Glasgow, the countries largest city, which serves as the HQ for much of the countries major media employers such as broadcastersBBC Scotland andSTV, radio services includingBBC Radio Scotland,Clyde 1 andPure Radio Scotland. Game design and production company,Rockstar North, has its international offices in the countries capital city,Edinburgh.
Scotland has a number of production companies which produce films and television programmes for Scottish, British and international audiences. Production companies are mostly located in Scotland's cities including Glasgow, Edinburgh andAberdeen, as well as production facilities in areas such asNorth Lanarkshire,Fife andDumfrieshire. Wardpark Studios inCumbernauld is one of Scotland's television and film production studios where the television programmeOutlander is produced.[1] Dumbarton Studios, located inDumbarton is largely used forBBC Scotland programming, used for the filming and production of television programmes such asStill Game,River City,Two Doors Down, andShetland.[2]
Popular films associated with Scotland through Scottish production or being filmed in Scotland includeBraveheart (1995),[3]Highlander (1986),[3]Trainspotting (1996),[3]Red Road (2006),Neds (2010),[3]The Angel's Share (2012),Brave (2012)[4] andOutlaw King (2018).[5] Popular television programmes associated with Scotland include the long runningBBC Scotland soap operaRiver City which has been broadcast since 2002,[6]Still Game, a popular Scottish sitcom broadcast throughout the United Kingdom (2002–2007, revived in 2016),[7]Rab C. Nesbitt,Two Doors Down[8] andTake the High Road.[9]The Rig (2023) was the firstAmazon Prime Video production to be filmed and produced entirely in Scotland.[10]
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BBC Scotland runs two nationaltelevision stations. Much of the output of BBC Scotland Television, such as local news, current affairs and sport programmes are intended for broadcast within Scotland, whilst others, for example many drama and comedy programmes, aim at audiences throughout the United Kingdom and worldwide markets.
ThreeITV stations also broadcast in Scotland.STV broadcasts to the majority of the Scottish population. Although branded as one channel, it is composed of two stations:STV Central andSTV North, both of which are both owned bySTV Group plc.ITV Border broadcasts in the South of Scotland.
BBC Alba is the only Gaelic language television service available in Scotland, broadcasting digital terrestrial platformFreeview, as well asSky,Virgin Media andFreesat.
In 2014, STV Group plc launched twosuper-local TV services,STV Glasgow in 2014 andSTV Edinburgh in 2015. Following the awarding of local broadcasting licences for Aberdeen, Ayr and Dundee in 2015 to STV Group, it combined its two existing stations with the new licences and relaunched the new stations as a single network, brandedSTV2 in April 2017. This channel was closed down the following year.
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A number of programmes are broadcast in Scotland focusing on all aspects of Scottish life; news and current affairs, sports and entertainment. The majority of television programming is produced and broadcast by the two main broadcasters in Scotland – BBC Scotland and STV. Distinct programming of BBC Scotland includeReporting Scotland,Newsnight Scotland,Sportscene,BBC Scotland Investigates,BBC Scotland's Hogmanay,The Nine,A View from the Terrace,The Sunday Show andSport Nation.
The BBC is required to spend at least 8% of its budget on programming and production in Scotland. A review in 2021 found that the BBC had failed to comply with this target, withOFCOM claiming that the cooperation only had spent 6.5% of its budget in Scotland during 2020–2021.[11]
STV programming includes a variety of current affairs, news, entertainment and drama productions;Scotland Tonight,STV News,Scotsport,The Five Thirty Show,The Hour,The Late Show with Ewen Cameron,The Nightshift,Live at Five,Debate Night,Talking Scotland andSTV Children's Appeal.
Both BBC Scotland and STV (as part ofSTV Studios) also produce a number of television programming and series for broadcast both across the United Kingdom and internationally such asMrs. Brown's Boys,The Link,This Is Your Life,Antiques Road Trip,Art Attack,Beechgrove,A Question of Genius,The National Lottery: In It to Win It,The Weakest Link andWho Dares Wins.
Scotland has its ownBBC services which include the national radio stations,BBC Radio Scotland and Scottish Gaelic language service,BBC Radio nan Gaidheal, which is available in the North of Scotland. There are also a number of BBC and independent local radio stations throughout the country. Other major radio stations specific to Scotland and feature Scottish broadcasting content includeCapital Scotland,Heart Scotland,Smooth Scotland,Nation Radio Scotland,Go Radio,Clyde 1 (Glasgow) andClyde 1 (Ayrshire).
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There are fournational daily newspapers in Scotland:
Sunday newspapers include the tabloidSunday Mail (published by theDaily Record's parent company, Trinity Mirror) and theSunday Post (D.C. Thomson & Co.), while theSunday Herald andScotland on Sunday have associations withThe Herald andThe Scotsman respectively.
National UK-wide newspapers such asThe Times,The Daily Telegraph,Daily Express,Daily Mail,Daily Star,Daily Mirror &The Sun publish Scottish editions of their paper.
Regional dailies includeThe Courier and Advertiser inDundee and the east, andThe Press and Journal servingAberdeen and the north.
There are over 700 magazines published in Scotland, by nearly 200 organisations, with an estimated totalturnover of £157m per annum.[14]
Print publications and journalists in Scotland are recognised for their quality at theScottish Press Awards. Additionally, film and television production is celebrated during the annualBAFTA Scotland ceremony. Individuals within the media industry may also be recognised at events such as theSpirit of Scotland Awards, with distinct categories relating to Scottish media including Music, Screen and Writing awards. Past recipients in these categories at the Spirit of Scotland Awards includeJames McAvoy (screen),Paolo Nutini (music) andSally Magnusson (writing).[15]
Scottish music is typically celebrated at ceremonies such as theScottish Music Awards,Scots Trad Music Awards,Scottish Album of the Year Award and theScottish Alternative Music Awards. Other distinct awards celebrated in Scotland to honour work within the field of media includeBBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician,BAFTA Scotland New Talent Awards andScotland's National Book Awards.
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Scotland has produced many award winning and high-grossing films produced and filmed in the country, such asTrainspotting,Shallow Grave,Braveheart,Local Hero,Gregory's Girl,Outlaw King, andRed Road. It has also produced many award winning actors, directors and producers, such asBilly Connolly,Craig Ferguson,David Tennant,Ewan McGregor,Kelly Macdonald,Kate Dickie,Martin Compston,Sean Connery,Karen Gillan,Peter Capaldi,Robert Carlyle andLewis MacDougall to name a few.
Scotland has played set to a number of high grossing movies and film franchises, with a number ofJames Bond films being set there including;Casino Royale (1967),The World Is Not Enough (1999) andSkyfall (2012). The majority of theHarry Potter films were set in Scotland, withHogwarts said to be based on theUniversity of Glasgow.[16] Other major and notable films set in Scotland includeThe Water Horse: Legend of the Deep,Sweet Sixteen,Victoria & Abdul,The Young Victoria,The Wicker Man,Brave,A Castle for Christmas,The Da Vinci Code,The Day After Tomorrow,Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,The King's Speech,The Last King of Scotland,Highlander andThe Queen.
BAFTA Scotland recognises and awards Scottish talent in film annually.
Scotland produces a number of television shows and series, mostlysoap operas andsitcoms. Notable soap operas includeTake the High Road (1980–2003) andRiver City (2002–present). Popular sitcoms to have been filmed, set and produced in Scotland includeStill Game (2002–2007; 2016–2019),Rab C. Nesbitt (1988–1999, 2008–2014),Burnistoun (2009–2019),Two Doors Down (2013–present),Chewin' the Fat (1999–2005),Gary: Tank Commander (2009–2012) andScot Squad (2014–2023). The 2024 BBC dramaNightsleeper was filmed and set primarily in Scotland.[17][18]
Other notable television series filmed in Scotland includeDinosaur (2024–present),Life of Riley (2009–2011),City Lights (1984–1991) andMonarch of the Glen (2000–2005). Although not set in Scotland, the BBC comedy seriesMrs Brown's Boys (2011–present) is filmed atBBC Pacific Quay studios in Glasgow, as was its spin–off seriesAll Round to Mrs. Brown's (2017–2020).[19] A variety of critically acclaimed television series have been filmed and set in Scotland includingOutlander,Katie Morag,Shetland,Taggart,Vigil andWaterloo Road.
As well as recognising and celebrating achievement in Scottish film and video games, BAFTA Scotland also recognises Scottish talent in television and broadcasting annually.
Television broadcastersBBC Scotland,STV,ITV and most newspapers in Scotland (likeThe Herald andThe Scotsman) also provide online content and blogs.
Other notable Scottish online news and commentary sites include:Bella Caledonia, andThe Ferret.
Dàna is the only Scottish Gaelic news source independent of the BBC at present; it is an online magazine.
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