The Culture Swally

Flamboyant Glasgow hairdresser, Crawford Mackinzie, gets a letter from the World Hairdresser International Federation inviting him to its prestigious annual contest in L.A. Yes, that’s right, it’s Craig Ferguson, it’s Drew Carey, it’s The Hoff, it’s The Big Tease! In the news we catch up on some Tartan Army news in America, which sees a Miami Influencer try to keep up the pace with our boys and we...

Scotland are still in the World Cup! Well, at least when this episode drops. It might be a different story when you start listening! But this episode, we are going back to 1985 and attending An Audience With Billy Connolly. Airing on ITV in 1985, the show features Billy, delivering his special brand of stand-up comedy in front of a celebrity audience. In the news, we find out how Jonathan Watson b...

We’re off to the World Cup! Yes, Scotland are off to the 2026 World Cup, but in 1990, a few familiar faces jetted off to watch Scotland at Italia 90. In the 1991 Rab C. Nesbitt special, ‘Fitba’, Rab, Burney and Jamesie go to Italy, taking frail and elderly ex-soccer star Matt Fernie with them. We have a news item about half and half abominations in Berwick, but before that, Nicky and Greg discuss...

Yeah, that’s right. 2026. We can be current too! On this episode we look at the 2026 BBC drama Mint. Starring Sam Riley, Laura Fraser and Emma Laird, Mint is a darkly comic and unconventional drama about a crime family's inner life, told through the eyes of its daughter, who is searching for love. In the news we delve into the history of the Original Hampden and then get our best ladders out to at...

We’re not sure who is Dancin’ here, but it’s a Man and his name is Trevor. Yes, this week on the podcast we are looking at the 2003 film Man Dancin’ also known as Kerrigan’s Passion in some places. After serving a jail term, tough Jimmy Kerrigan returns to his derelict Glasgow quarter, wanting a better, legal life for himself and his loved-ones. Starring Alex Fearns, James Cosmo, Ron Donnachie and...

Expect lots of bad language in this episode as Nicky and Greg look at the 2025 smash hit, I Swear. Starring Robert Aramayo, Maxine Peake and Peter Mullan and directed by Kirk Jones, the film is based on the true life story of John Davidson, a Scottish man with severe Tourette syndrome and his battles in life. In the news we try and dodge some Angel Delight after it gets thrown at us, attend a scre...

It can’t possibly be 30 years since 1996 can it? Can it? On this episode we look back at the 1996 classic Trainspotting, but we’re not so much discussing the film, but the impact it had on the both of us, on society, on music, on film, and how that legacy lives on 30 years later. In the news, we travel to Orkney to load up on free bananas and then try to fly from Aberdeen to Glasgow, before travel...

We’re getting up to no good whilst our husbands are away on this episode of the podcast as we look at the 1981 Play For Today, The Good Time Girls. Starring Phyllis Logan, Anne Kristen, Alexander Morton and Derek Anders, it tells the tale of Nancy and Ella who are two bored housewives starved of affection when their husbands are away on the oil rigs.  In the news we visit the pop up Irn Bru tattoo...

Ah the 90’s were mental weren’t they? Yes, on this episode we are looking at the short lived, six part drama from Channel 4, Psychos. Starring Douglas Henshall, Neve McIntosh and Alastair Mackenzie among a whole host of Swally favourites, it’s a  challenging drama set in the psychiatric ward of a Glasgow hospital and not for the faint hearted. In the news we discuss Brewdog making an arse of thing...

We’re getting our Jurassic Park on in this episode as we look at the first series of the 2024 smash hit Dinosaur! Starring Ashley Storrie as Nina, who’s world is shaken when her sister Evie, also her best friend, hastily decides to get engaged, threatening to upend the dynamics of their close relationship. Also starring Kat Ronney, David Carlyle, Greg Hemphill, Sally Howitt and Lorn Macdonald, the...

Get your cowboy boots on and do some moseying as we’re looking at the wonderful John Byrne penned show from 1990, Your Cheatin’ Heart. Starring the incredible Tilda Swinton and a host of Swally favourites in John Gordon Sinclair, Tom Watson, Ken Stott, Tom Watson, Katy Murphy, Tom Watson, Eddi Reader, Tom Watson, Peter Mullan and Tom Watson (see what we did there?)…it tells the tale of Country and...

We’re off to Loch Ness this week on The Swally as we look at the 1996 film…Loch Ness. Yes, that one starring Ted Danson and basically nobody Scottish. Discredited American anthropologist Jonathan Dempsey (Danson) arrives in Scotland to debunk the legend of the Loch Ness Monster, but his trip soon turns into so much more! In the news we take a trip down memory lane as we head to the various restaur...

It’s our first proper episode of 2026! Have you missed us? This week we are heading to the sleepy town of Coldwater to join Andrew Lincoln, Ewen Bremner, Eve Myles and a whole host of Swally Favourites. John moves his family to a rural town and befriends neighbour Tommy, who is hiding dark secrets. John's fascination with Tommy grows as wife Fiona becomes suspicious, leading to dangerous unravelin...

It’s our Best of the News 2025 special! Yes, that’s right, Nicky and Greg are being lazy and having an extra week off for the festive season, so have put together a clip show of our favourite news stories from 2025. Join us as we reminisce about Prince William and his love for Boat Trip, have a karaoke session with Road Stewart at Kwik-Fit, have onions thrown at us, visit a clinic to check on our...

Merry Christmas! It’s technically our Hogmanay episode, even though it’s a week early…just go with it! On this episode, we go back to 1987 to look at the Billy Connolly special filmed at the Royal Albert Hall…Billy and Albert! In the news we get banned from the Orange Order, visit a porn hotel in Scotland, hear about a Scottish football fan who hit the World Cup jackpot and discover the happiest p...

It’s Christmas! So for our Christmas episode we are looking at the 2020 Scottish romantic comedy film, Lost at Christmas. Written and directed by Ryan Hendrick and starring Kenny Boyle, Natalie Clark, Sylvester McCoy, Sanjeev Kohli, Clare Grogan and Frazer Hines. Lost at Christmas tells the tale of two strangers, stranded in the Scottish Highlands on Christmas Eve who team up to try and get home t...

We’re back in Latimer Crescent in this episode of The Swally as we look at series three of the classic, Two Doors Down. We find out what Beth, Eric, Colin, Cathy and Christine have been up to and meet Ian’s new partner, Gordon. Starring Alex Norton, Arabella Weir, Elaine C Smith, Jonathan Watson and Doon Mackican, the show started with a one off special in 2013 and developed into a series in 2016....

We’re off to 1790 in the latest episode of The Swally as we look at the 2025 film, Tornado. Starring Tim Roth, Jack Lowden and Kôki, the film follows a Japanese puppeteer's daughter, who gets caught up with criminals when their show crosses paths with a crime gang. In the news we get our kilts on and have a swally of Buckfast with Jimmy Fallon, drive a blood soaked car to Hobbycraft and kick out s...

It’s time for The Swally Spooktacular! And this year we are off to Loch Henry to join Davis and Pia making a nice film about an egg man. Not really. Loch Henry is the second episode of the sixth series of Black Mirror and follows a young couple who travel to a sleepy Scottish town to start work on a genteel nature documentary - but find themselves drawn to a juicy local story involving shocking ev...

Break out the drams as we cover the oldest piece of Scottish media we’ve ever looked at on The Culture Swally, it’s time for Whisky Galore! When a Scottish island falls prey to a whisky shortage, the islanders are desolate. But when by chance a ship is sunk with a cargo of 50,000 cases of whisky, they see their salvation. But first they must outwit the English Home Guard commander who is determine...

Neighbours….everybody needs good Neighbours….just not this one. We’re bang up to date in 2025 as we look at the three part Amazon Prime thriller, Fear! Staring Martin Compston, Anjli Mohindra, Solly McLeod and James Cosmo it tells the tale of Martyn and Rebecca, who move to Glasgow with their two young children. However, their neighbour Jan's unsettling remarks hint at a sinister situation unfoldi...

It’s time for some Peter McDougall again on The Culture Swally as we look at his first Play For Today, from 1972, Just Your Luck. Starring David Hayman, Leslie Mackie, Mary Riggans, Gerry Slevin and Eileen McCallum, it tells the tale of Alison and Alec, who due to an unplanned pregnancy, decide to get married. But will the religious differences of their families get in the way of their big day? In...

We’re back in Play for Today territory on this episode of The Swally as we travel back to 1982 and look at the episode titled ‘The Silly Season’. Starring Derek Anders, Mary Riggans, Jake D’Arcy, Tony Roper, Frances Low and Pierce Brosnan, it tells the tale of factory worker Malcolm, who’s unhappy in his work and how life, until four students join the workforce. The Silly Season is available on Yo...

Pack your bucket and spade as The Swally is off on our holidays this episode as we look at the 2014 film starring David Tennant, Rosamund Pike and Billy Connolly, What We Did on Our Holiday. A family head to Granddad's big 75th-birthday party in rural Scotland. The parents are separated and hope their three kids won't mention it to the family. In the news we meet the latest Scottish grappler who’s...

The football season has started! So in honour of this, we have picked the other Scottish football film, 1999’s The Match. In the Scottish village of Inverdoune, teams representing the village's two pubs - Benny’s Bar and Le Bistro - have played an annual football game for 99 consecutive years. Under the terms of the original bet, the loser of the 100th match must forfeit their bar to the winner. I...