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It has been 30 years since the film adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting was released to mass critical acclaim.
Starring Ewan McGregor and directed by Danny Boyle, the black drama comedy follows a group of heroin addicts living in a run down part of Edinburgh as it explores urban poverty and drug addiction in the Scottish capital.
And now Hollywood star James McAvoy has spoken out on Scottish stereotypes in film as he said when it comes to filming anything Scottish on the big screen ‘it’s unemployment, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, all the f***** abuse…’
The Scottish actor, who was raised on a council estate in Drumchapel, a working class area on the outskirts of Glasgow, is using his directorial debut to challenge this stereotype.
His new film California Schemin is about two Dundee rappers pretending to be American to achieve success, as he added he wants ‘to tell stories about working-class people with backgrounds that I recognise and limited horizons’.
But aside from Trainspotting, what other Scottish films and series have reinforced this rough and impoverished stereotype?
Restless Natives (1985)
Restless Natives has earned a reputation as a cult film after its debut in 1985.
The Scottish adventure comedy followed two youths from the Wester Hailes district of Edinburgh who became modern highwaymen.
Having gained substantial amounts of money they then begin giving it out to the poor of their city by scattering it through the streets.
Rab C. Nesbitt (1988-2014)
Airing from 1988 until 2014, Rab C. Nesbitt has been described as ‘Glasgow’s greatest ever sitcom’ attracting five million viewers at its peak.
Starring Gregor Fisher as the series’ titular character, Rab is an alcoholic Glaswegian who seeks unemployment as a lifestyle choice.
The series covered topics including alcoholism, Neo Nazis and STIs and would frequently break the fourth wall as Rab addressed the viewers directly.
Shallow Grave (1994)
Prior to Trainspotting, Danny Boyle made his feature directorial debut in Shallow Grave.
Starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston and Kerry Fox, the black comedy crime film follows a group of flatmates in Edinburgh who discover their new tenant dead alongside a suitcase full of cash.
After finding Hugo (Keith Allen) dead after a drug overdose, the friends conceal his death by chopping up his body and burying the remains in the wood.
It is later revealed that Hugo was being sought by a pair of violent criminals and flatmates David (Chris) and Alex (Ewan) find themselves deep in a world they never imagined.
Sweet Sixteen (2002)
He is best known for playing Steve Arnott in Line Of Duty, but before he took on a role in the police, Martin Compston played Liam, a teenage drawn into drug dealing in Sweet Sixteen.
Set in the Scottish town of Greenock, Liam comes from a troubled background and dreams of a fresh start once his mother returns from prison.
Liam and his friends play truant from school, sell untaxed cigarettes and soon find themselves in the world of drug dealing after Liam is forced to smuggled drugs to his mum.
Neds (2010)
Neds, or Non-Educated Delinquents, saw Conor McCarron star as John McGill, a teenager who descends into gang violence in 1970s Glasgow.
While John is thriving at school, his studious nature causes conflict with his working class family and he is soon embroiled in the gang filled neighbourhood.
His father is an abusive alcoholic and his brother is the leader of a neighbourhood gang called the Young Car-D.
When John is mugged by Young Car-D on the way home for school, they let him go when they realise who his brother is, but on one condition he must join them.
Filth (2013)
Set in Edinburgh, Filth follows Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson, played by James McAvoy, as he investigates a murder case.
However, also an alcoholic, Bruce spends his free time drinking and taking drugs as well as engaging in abusive sexual relationships and vindictive plots.
Also based on a book by Irvine Welsh, the film ended up grossing $9.1 million worldwide.
Two Doors Down (2013 – 2025)
The BBC sitcom follows a group of neighbours living in a suburban street in Scotland.
The neighbours are constantly coming round to Beth and Eric Baird’s house uninvited and are overstaying their welcome.
While the comedy is obviously less dark than other depictions of Scotland, one of the neighbours, Cathy, is known for her constant need for alcohol which fuels her toxic behaviour.
The Outrun (2024)
More recently Saoirse Ronan starred in the addiction recovery drama The Outrun.
Her character, Rona, returns to her home in the Orkney Islands in Scotland after recently attending rehab for alcoholism.
Filmed in flashbacks, we see Rona’s life in London where she fell into drinking and addiction and is eventually attacked while drunk.
She then moves home to the remote island with her bipolar father and religious mother.
