Leading the pack on BBC Scotland are The Vital Spark and Life Support, with their initial broadcasts in 1965 and 1999. As of August 2026, we’ve curated over 20 of BBC Scotland’s premier shows for your viewing pleasure. Across the timeline from 1965 to 2026, BBC Scotland has presented audiences with over 20 captivating shows.

Inside Scotland's most complex and shocking murder investigations, with unprecedented access. Police and prosecutors reveal the extraordinary efforts needed to deliver justice.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

In the western isles of 1930s Scotland, Peter 'Para Handy' MacFarlane, captain of the puffer Vital Spark, treks around the coastal waters of west Scotland and variously schemes himself and his crew into mischief.

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.

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.

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.

Modern dating is a world filled with white lies, false pretences and confusing games. It's a world that Nina, an undiagnosed autistic woman, is about to shake up.

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

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

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.

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.

Documentary following the life-saving work of Scotland's paramedics.

Scotland's biggest music festival - with the greatest names in pop and rock playing to hyped crowds in the heart of Glasgow.