Islelanders (2022– ) User Reviews

A refreshing bit of Scottish comedy

[TimhorDUI · 9/10 · 24 August 2022]

So many little contrasts I appreciated. I liked how the show struck a nice balance of surrealism mixed with grounding emotional elements. It's got a lot of heart but it also has two guys trying to fix a car engine with a pair of hammers. The locations are gorgeous yet grimly set in winter.

I think Scotland has been lacking in the comedy department for sometime and I definitely see this show having a lot of potential given the chance for more.

At the very least, it's not another mockumentary.

Fresh and fun

[jamiemmmaccoll · 9/10 · 13 September 2022]

This new Scottish island comedy is a refreshing and much needed change from the status quo you typically see from BBC comedy. The show does not rely on the mockumentary format for driving it's narrative and instead adopts a more traditional approach. That's not to say Islelanders isn't original feeling, however. The characters feel original and authentic, the pacing is just right for it's short run-time and the backdrop is absolutely beautiful. Seriously, a comedy has no right looking this good. I can't remember the last time I saw a Scottish comedy that wasn't based in the central belt, so that's another thing!

Very enjoyable 15 minutes of viewing. Hopefully this isn't a one off and we get to see more of the Islelanders!

Funky and Fresh

[seansealsmith · 10/10 · 20 September 2022]

I really enjoyed the show and thought it was fun to highlight the quirkiness of Scottish humor out with the typical setting of a city such as Glasgow and Edinburgh which as someone from the highlands is very refreshing as we are often forgotten about.

The style was really enjoyable and how the show played out it felt like it all flowed together nicely. You got a feel for who the characters were and left you wanting more (I especially enjoyed the performance of the mullet fellow).

I hope to see more of this in the future as it has a lot of potential to be one of the next big Scottish comedy's.

Scotland in miniature

[makatakj · 5/10 · 3 August 2022]

I watched Islelanders because it is set on the Isle of Arran and I was looking forward to seeing some familiar territory. Indeed that happened although I'm sure greater use of the beautiful landscape would be possible in future episodes. As for the comedy - I wasn't expecting much from a BBC production and it was pretty lame. Watchable enough for 20 minutes but it would surprise me if there's an opportunity to write further reviews......