1986 in Scottish television

Events

April

• 4 April – Debut of the children's television series The Campbells on Scottish Television. The series – a joint Scottish-Canadian production – later aired nationally on ITV.
• 20 April – The game between Hearts and Aberdeen is the first football league match in Scotland to be televised live, broadcast by Scottish Television.

May

• 12 May – Debut of the BBC Scotland comedy Naked Video.

July

• 23 July – Television coverage of the marriage of Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York at Westminster Abbey.

September

• 1 September – 25th anniversary of Border Television.
• 3 September – BBC Scotland announce details of their £20m autumn/winter line-up of programmes.
• 30 September – 25th anniversary of Grampian Television.

October

• 20 October – Following considerable criticism, including from the Independent Broadcasting Authority, the 1984 changes made by Scottish Television to Scotland Today are reversed and the programme once again becomes a news broadcast with the feature elements transferred to a new lunchtime programme called Live at One Thirty.
• 27 October – BBC One starts a full daytime television service. Before today, excluding special events coverage, BBC One had closed down at times during weekday mornings and afternoons broadcasting trade test transmissions and, from May 1983, Pages From Ceefax. As part of the new service, changes are made to the timings of the daytime Scottish news bulletins. The lunchtime summary is broadcast prior to the lunchtime news, at 12:55 pm, and the mid-afternoon summary moves from BBC1 to BBC2. Also, the Gaelic children's slot moves to 9.45am.

Debuts

BBC

• 12 May – Naked Video (1986–1991)

ITV

• 10 March – James the Cat (1986–1992)
• 4 April – CAN/SCO The Campbells on Scottish Television (1986–1990)

Television series

• Scotsport (1957–2008)
• Reporting Scotland (1968–1983; 1984–present)
• Top Club (1971–1998)
• Scotland Today (1972–2009)
• Sportscene (1975–present)
• The Beechgrove Garden (1978–present)
• Grampian Today (1980–2009)
• Take the High Road (1980–2003)
• Taggart (1983–2010)
• James the Cat (1984–1992)
• Crossfire on Grampian (1984–2004)
• City Lights (1984–1991)

Ending this year

• 27 July – Now You See It (1981–1986)

Births

• 8 February – Ashley Mulheron, actress and television presenter
• 18 June – Richard Madden, actor
• 18 November – Georgia King, actress

Deaths

• 25 December – Bill Simpson, 55, actor

References

References

1. "Weekender viewing guide". The Glasgow Herald.
2. (21 April 1986). "Such a close call for Hearts". The Glasgow Herald.
3. (15 November 2019). "A 1980s Childhood". Amberley Publishing Limited.
4. (9 August 2018). "The Persuasion Industries: The Making of Modern Britain". Oxford University Press.
5. (23 July 1986). ""1986: Prince Andrew weds Sarah Ferguson", BBC News".
6. Naismith, Albert. (4 September 1986). "BBC Scotland proud of £20m new line-up". [[The Glasgow Herald]].
7. (17 November 2016). "BBC Sport in Black and White". Springer.
8. (6 August 2025). "Sportscene at 50: Famous faces back for anniversary".
9. (13 February 2020). "Performing Scottishness: Enactment and National Identities". Springer Nature.
10. (14 October 2016). "Contemporary British Television Crime Drama: Cops on the Box". Taylor & Francis.
11. (30 April 2020). "A look back at classic Glasgow comedy show City Lights".