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.

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!

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 to Glasgow in time for Christmas.

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.

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 events of the past.

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 determined to protect the cargo at all costs. In the news we finally catch up with a African Tribe staking their claim on Scottish land and tempt them with some Spuds that are Nae Bad. Also, we have an update on the new Highlander film and we get a shock whilst shopping in Aldi and are not amused! So join us for a Swally, on The Culture Swally! Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cultureswallypod/ Twitter https://twitter.com/SwallyPod Or get in touch at cultureswally@gmail.com   Music from Darry 2 Vance: Royalty Free Music from https://darry2vance.com

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 unfolding around their new home.

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 the news we Dine and Dash with Ant and Dec, try to travel to Thailand on a cancelled passport and fire up our Delorian to travel to Peru and drink some Scottish Cola, made purely from spite. So join us for a Swally, on The Culture Swally! Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cultureswallypod/ Twitter https://twitter.com/SwallyPod Or get in touch at cultureswally@gmail.com   Music from Darry 2 Vance: Royalty Free Music from https://darry2vance.com

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 YouTube here: https://youtu.be/kqnnuls02H4?si=NyC7A5iwaTjgbgYt In the news we join the Free Plasticine movement and get into a spot of bother, rate food reviews in unexpected places, attend a bareknuckle boxing match at the ice rink and make a surprising discovery in our Stone Island jackets. So join us for a Swally, on The Culture Swally! Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cultureswallypod/ Twitter https://twitter.com/SwallyPod Or get in touch at cultureswally@gmail.com   Music from Darry 2 Vance: Royalty Free Music from https://darry2vance.com

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.

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.

We’re back in Maryhill again to visit DCI Jim Taggart as he has a rather interesting case to investigate. When a mother and son are found dead, Taggart hunts after a maniac who’s putting rat poison into food products made by a company called “Wonderland”. Yes, that’s right, it’s the episode starring Patron Saint of The Culture Swally, James Cosmo and his partner in crime, Matt Costello!

On this episode, we’re travelling to Glasgow in the 1970’s as we look at the directorial debut from Lynne Ramsay and essential Scottish viewing, Ratcatcher. 12-year-old James Gillespie lives on a Glasgow housing estate during the 1973 refuse collectors’ strike. After James’ friend falls into a canal and drowns, James becomes increasingly withdrawn and racked with guilt.

We’re off to Craiglang on this episode of the Swally as we catch up with Jack and Victor, Winston, Tam and Isa as we look at the first series of the classic Scottish comedy, Still Game. Originally aired in 2002, the series follows two Glasgow pensioners, Jack and Victor and the patter merchants may be long in the tooth but they’re Still Game for all kinds of carry-on.

Today we are talking about the first series of Limmy’s Show! Created by and starring Brian Limmond - Limmy’s Show! is a Scottish surreal comedy sketch show broadcast on BBC Two Scotland.

Ah Ken Loach, it’s been a while. 2004’s Ae Fond Kiss is the focus of this episode as we get all romantic about forbidden love. In Glasgow, the parents of Casim Khan have decided that he is going to marry his cousin Jasmine. Unfortunately, Casim has just fallen in love with his younger sister's music teacher Roisin. In the news we ponder how a wheelie bin from North Ayrshire ended up in rural Germany, put on our best suits for pleasure, meet a man who got into a spot of bother for getting his bum out and hear about a gig that will feature in a upcoming film. So join us for a Swally, on The Culture Swally! Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cultureswallypod/ Twitter https://twitter.com/SwallyPod Or get in touch at cultureswally@gmail.com   Music from Darry 2 Vance: Royalty Free Music from https://darry2vance.com

Budapest is the destination on this episode of The Swally for a Simple Minds concert as we look at the 1990 Michael Winterbottom film, Forget About Me. Starring Ewen Bremner and Brian McCardie, it tells the story of two Scottish squaddies stationed in Germany who, granted leave for Hogmanay, set off not for home, but for Budapest and a Simple Minds concert.

We’re off to The Highlands on this episode of The Swally, but this isn’t a pleasant trip as we look at the 2016 TV mini-series, One of Us. Starring Swally favourite Joanna Vanderham, Juliet Stevenson, Gary Lewis, Laura Fraser and John Lynch, a horrific murder rocks the lives of two families living side-by-side in isolated rural Scotland.

Rave to the grave! This week on the Swally, we’re getting our dance on as we look at the 2019 film Beats. Starring Cristian Ortega, Lorn Macdonald, Laura Fraser and Brian Ferguson, the film is set in Summer 1994. Johnno and Spanner are best mates, but Johnno’s family are moving to a new town and a better life, leaving Spanner behind. In pursuit of adventure and escape they head out on one last night to an illegal rave to have a night to remember.