Scottish TV Shows to Help English Learners

Scottish TV Shows to Help Your Listening Skills

Understanding regional British accents isn’t always easy. With so many diverse pronunciations and localised phrases, even some UK natives find it difficult to understand everything that is being said, especially when the regional accent is so thick. Hence why I made this list for you about Scottish TV shows.

If you’re struggling to understand the different types of dialects and accents found across the UK and English speaking countries, watching TV shows with characters and storylines set in those locations is a great place to start!

Our list collects 7 of the best shows, each hosting a cast of Scottish actors speaking in different regional British & Scottish accents. Not only can these shows help you to become comfortable in understanding different local dialects spoken across Scotland and the UK, but they will set you on the right path towards using the correct pronunciation and local phrasing yourself, helping your confidence when listening and communicating with strong-accented natives!

Two Doors Down

Premiering in 2013, this modern Scottish sitcom follows the colourful lives of close-knit families and neighbours living on the same street.

Set in the city of Glasgow, this multi-award winning British comedy series deals with hilarious themes of trying to live a normal life in a normal house whilst raising a normal family, despite being surrounded by wacky neighbours.

Two Doors Down gives a hilarious take on social attitudes towards different personality types found across Britain, comedically highlighting to non-native speakers the nuances of British social etiquette between neighbours and Scottish banter.

Doctor Who (Series 2, Episode 3: ‘Tooth & Claw’)

Doctor Who is a classic British TV show set across countless locations throughout time and space, including Scotland, UK! This series 2 episode, entitled ‘Tooth And Claw’, takes place in Balmoral Castle – a historic royal residence in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

This episode stands out for the lead actor, David Tennant’s astounding demonstrations of both Scottish and English accents.

Being a born-and-raised Scotsman with a strong Glaswegian accent, Tennant adopts a standard Southern or London accent for his role as The Doctor. However, in this episode of Doctor Who, Tennant switches seamlessly from The Doctor’s usual English accent to his own native Scottish dialect, in an attempt to convince Queen Victoria that he’s a Scotsman, not an illegal (time) traveller!

If you’re learning British English without a tutor, or are learning mostly through subtitled TV and film, Doctor Who’s vast range of plot settings and guest actors makes it ideal for anyone struggling to comprehend the many localised accents or the quirks of British culture.

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Guilt

Guilt is a mystery / thriller series set in the capital city of Scotland. With an initial plot following two brothers covering up an accidental hit-and-run crime they committed on the streets of Edinburgh, this famed Scottish drama series soon unravels into several sub-storylines, each centred around the titling theme of ‘guilt’.

Dubbed by The Scotsman as “one of Scotland’s most acclaimed television dramas,” Guilt continues over three series, the first airing in 2019 and the final released this year, in 2023.

This Scottish crime drama trilogy is perfect for those seeking something a little bit darker to watch as they’re learning the Scottish accent.

Still Game

An iconic British comedy series set and filmed in Glasgow, Still Game has achieved cult status for its quirky British humour, obscene jokes and outrageously domestic storylines.

This multi-award winning Scottish comedy follows the antics of two senior citizens who’ve known each other and their local area for a lifetime, yet fail to change with the world around them. If you’ve never heard of the British term ‘old git’ (crude slang for ‘a cranky old man’), this show could be a great introduction to the native phenomenon!

Taggart

Ranking amongst the longest-running UK TV dramas ever made, Taggart is a Scottish crime show which aired from 1983 up to 2010, with a whopping 27 series to its name.

Set predominantly in Glasgow, whilst featuring the odd episode set elsewhere in Scotland, Taggart follows a string of fictional murder investigations through the eyes of the detectives at Maryhill CID, complete with gritty undertones and a compelling blend of tension and charisma.

Scot Squad

Scot Squad is a British mockumentary (fictional documentary) comedy show parodying the fly-on-the-wall crime shows which are hugely popular on UK daytime television. First airing in 2014, this Scottish BBC One programme is now in its eighth series and shows no signs of slowing down!

What makes this TV programme interesting for English learners is the difference between English and Scottish accents throughout each episode. While most of Scot Squad’s on-screen actors demonstrate localised Scottish accents, the mockumentary’s off-screen narrator speaks in a Southern English accent instead.

Rebus

Based on the book series by Scottish author Ian Rankin, Rebus is another great place to start if you’re learning the British English dialect, as you can read the books as well as watch the TV show.

This ITV detective drama series is set in Edinburgh and features an interesting cast of Scottish actors. Across its four series aired between 2000 – 2007, the show’s main detective, Rebus, takes to a different crime case each week, from homicides to suspicious suicides.