BBC Scotland wants more of Robert Florence and Iain Connell's comedy

BBC Scotland has ordered a full series of its sitcom The Scotts, from Burnistoun creators Robert Florence and Iain Connell.

The commission follows a pilot episode of the family mockumentary which aired earlier this year with the strapline: ‘Blood is thicker than water and no one is thicker than the Scotts.’

The duo play two brothers who have a love-hate relationship, with Scot Squad’s Louise McCarthy as their estranged sister and Shauna Macdonald and Sharon Young as their wives.

However, the pilot was not received especially warmly.

In a two-star review, The Herald criticised the characters for being ‘quarrelsome, foul-mouthed, walking cliches who veer from being unbelievably thick to implausibly eloquent, sometimes in the same sentence’.

And on Twitter, viewers called it ‘a new low for Scottish comedy’; ‘absolutely woeful’. ’predictable, formulaic and unfunny’ and ’absolutely embarrassing, parochial, garbage. Was it written by five-year-olds?’ – although a minority of posters did like the show

BBC Scotland chief Steve Carson, said: ‘We felt The Scotts was very innovative in its approach and you could already see the strong family dynamic at the heart of it.’

Here's a clip from the pilot:

Published: 24 Feb 2020