The Best TV Shows on BBC Scotland

Every BBC Scotland Show Ranked From Best To Worst

Showcasing over 20 shows from 1999 up until 2025, BBC Scotland stands as a beacon of television excellence. Some of the best tv shows from BBC Scotland include Life Support and Still Game, airing in 1999 and 2002 respectively. Stay up-to-date with over 20 of BBC Scotland’s elite series, with our list refreshed for February 2026.

  • Murder Trial
    Murder Trial (2020)10.0

    Guilty or not guilty? Haunting cold cases and gripping investigations unfold as Murder suspects stand trial and victim’s families seek justice in Scotland’s High Courts.

  • Still Game
    Still Game (2002)8.3

    Cult Scottish comedy about the lives of two OAP's (Old Age Pensioners) Jack and Victor and their views on how it used to be in the old days and how bad it is now in the fictional town of Craiglang.

  • Burnistoun
    Burnistoun (2010)8.0

    Comedy sketch show set in the fictional Scottish town of Burnistoun near Glasgow. The show follows the exploits of characters such as an aspiring girl band and a serial killer who is unhappy at his portrayal in the local media.

  • Scot Squad
    Scot Squad (2014)7.0

    Mockumentary comedy series following the life of scottish police officers from different areas of the force in a fly on the wall style.

  • Scotland's Home of the Year
    Scotland's Home of the Year (2019)7.0

    Take a peek inside some of the country's most stunning properties, as three judges travel the length and breadth of the nation in search of Scotland's Home of the Year. Architect Michael Angus, interior designer Anna Campbell-Jones, and lifestyle blogger Kate Spiers will visit some truly unique homes over the course of the series, looking for stand-out design and impressive interiors. From Arran to Aberdeen and Boat of Garten to Coupar Angus, there's a vast array of property styles to consider, from renovated period farmhouses to innovative contemporary builds. The regional heats take place over seven 30-minute episodes, building to the one-hour final in which Scotland's Home of the Year is decided.

  • Highland Cops
    Highland Cops (2023)7.0

    Welcome to Britain's biggest beat. Covering 12,000 square miles of loch, glens, islands and mountains, cutting-edge crime fighting meets traditional ways of life.

  • Guilt
    Guilt (2019)6.6

    Two brothers seem to get away with a crime - but soon discover they can trust no-one, including each other, in a pitch-black, contemporary thriller.

  • Rebus
    Rebus (2024)6.3

    Iconic character John Rebus is reimagined as a younger Detective Sergeant, drawn into a violent criminal conflict that turns personal when his brother Michael, a former soldier, crosses the line into criminality.

  • Float
    Float (2021)6.0

    Over a summer two women begin an unexpected romance.

  • River City
    River City (2002)5.9

    River City is a television soap opera, first broadcast in Scotland on BBC Scotland on 24 September 2002. River City storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional district of Shieldinch in Glasgow. The series primarily centres around the residents of Shieldinch, their houses, flats and apartments and its neighbouring streets, namely Montego Street and which encompasses a pub, bistro, community centre, café and various small businesses, in addition to a subway station and basketball court. The series was originally screened as two half-hour episodes per week. Today, one hour-long episode is broadcast each week - usually Tuesday evenings on BBC One Scotland, repeated Sunday afternoons on either BBC One Scotland or BBC Two Scotland. In Australia, River City is screened 11:00am weekdays on Seven's British-oriented multichannel 7TWO.

  • The Ridge
    The Ridge (2025)5.3

    Mia is fleeing addiction and leaving behind a professional life in tatters in Scotland. She accepts a wedding invitation from her estranged sister in New Zealand – only to find the would-be-bride dead upon arrival. Caught up in grief and pulled by a dark attraction to her late-sister's fiancé Ewan, Mia soon finds that familiarity among a small community breeds secrets and tensions, endangering the brittle fabric of the town itself.

  • Mayflies
    Mayflies (2022)5.1

    A friendship forged between James and Tully in a small Scottish town in 1986. One weekend, they make a vow to each other to go at life differently. But then, 30 years on, half a life away, the phone rings. Tully has the worst kind of news.

  • Granite Harbour
    Granite Harbour (2022)4.9

    Lance Corporal Davis Lindo arrives in Aberdeen Scotland as a new detective trainee. Having completed his final tour with the Royal Military Police, Lindo dreams of being a detective at New Scotland Yard. However, he finds himself being sent to train as a Detective Constable in the North East of Scotland, he must quickly adapt to his new life in Aberdeen, a world away from anything the soldier has known before.

  • Life Support
    Life Support (1999)N/A

    Life Support is a 1999 British medical drama series aired across six episodes on BBC Scotland. Katherine Doone works as a clinical ethicist at Glasgow's Caledonian hospital. Her job is to make the big decisions about what's best for the patient's long-term treatment.

  • Landward
    Landward (2006)N/A

    Landward is a long-running Scottish television programme focusing on agricultural and rural issues, produced and broadcast by BBC Scotland.

  • The Adventure Show
    The Adventure Show (2007)N/A

    Scotland's thriving adventure sports scene - from mountain biking and kayaking, to adventure racing, surfing and mountain marathons.

  • Radio 1's Big Weekend
    Radio 1's Big Weekend (2010)N/A

    BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend (R1BW) is a British music festival run by BBC Radio 1. It is held once a year, in a different location within the United Kingdom each time. It was the biggest free-ticketed music event in Europe, until a fee for tickets was introduced in 2018, and always includes a host of new artists.

  • A View from the Terrace
    A View from the Terrace (2019)N/A

    An irreverent, sideways look at the world of Scottish Football, hosted by Craig G Telfer, Joel Sked, Shaughan Mcguigan, Craig Fowler and Robert Borthwick, as well as real fans who explore the beautiful game and all its quirks and qualities.

  • Music Vault
    Music Vault (2021)N/A

    Edith Bowman delves deep into the BBC Scotland music archives.

  • Half Man
    Half Man (N/A)N/A

    When Niall's estranged 'brother' Ruben shows up at his wedding, it leads to an explosion of violence that catapults us back through their lives.