Last year, when it premiered on BBC Scotland, it sparked considerable controversy. Now, viewers throughout the UK have the opportunity to discover the source of all the commotion as the fly-on-the-wall documentary series The Scheme made its debut on BBC One last week.
Originally aired in Scotland in 2010, this four-part series documents the lives of six families residing in Kilmarnock’s Onthank and Knockinlaw estates.
The series instantly gained popularity on Scottish television, attracting over 900,000 viewers, and when it debuted on the network on June 14, it garnered more than 1 million viewers.
However, local residents have expressed their outrage regarding the decision to broadcast the series nationwide, arguing that its vivid characters and depictions of drug use, alcoholism, and violence do not accurately represent the community or its inhabitants.
The first episode, which included subtitles for viewers who might struggle with Scottish accents, introduced characters such as the Cunningham family and ‘recovering’ drug addict Marvin Baird.
This character, who has gained unexpected celebrity status since the series first aired, was depicted in the episode overdosing and being arrested following a dispute with his pregnant girlfriend, Dayna, who had just been released from prison.
Gordon and Annie, the parents of the Cunningham family, faced their own challenges when one son, Brian, was arrested for disturbing the peace, while their other son, Chris, became entangled with drug dealers.
The first episode also presented single mother Kay and her daughters, Candice and Kendal.
Within the second episode, the Cree family was featured, struggling to gather funds to reopen the community center.
However, viewers in Scotland were unable to watch episodes three and four during the original airing due to delays related to a court case involving one character in the show.
Now, these episodes are being aired for the first time during the BBC One run, drawing inevitable comparisons to Channel 4’s hit show Shameless.
It’s not merely a lightweight reality show like The Only Way is Essex or Geordie Shore; This is Shameless…but grounded in reality. The Scheme understands its genre, adheres to its conventions, and executes everything strictly by the well-thumbed book.’
Simultaneously, residents and MPs in Kilmarnock have denounced the airing of The Scheme, particularly criticizing its portrayal of Onthank and referring to the show as ‘a snapshot of life in modern-day Scotland.’
Local politicians have claimed that residents were ‘deceived’ regarding their appearance and how they would be represented on screen, allegations that the BBC has refuted.
Councillors are beginning initiatives to counter the community’s negative portrayal.
Douglas Reid, an East Ayrshire council member, stated, ‘Broadcasting it in England will reinforce biases. The BBC is trying to present this as a representative sample of the Onthank community, but it doesn’t resemble the Onthank I know.’
Many young people are deeply appalled by the way they and their community have been depicted.’
SNP politician Willie Coffey further remarked, ‘Significant efforts are underway to regenerate north-west Kilmarnock, and there is a robust community spirit addressing the issues highlighted by The Scheme, yet the BBC continually opts not to showcase the community’s successes in favor of sensationalizing the tumultuous lives of a select few and belittling the people of Kilmarnock.’
The surrounding controversy may be fleeting, however, as it seems unlikely the show will return once its initial run concludes.
‘A follow-up is not in the plans,’ a BBC Scotland representative told the News Of the World, with a source adding, ‘The creators have already moved on to a new project. Additionally, people are now aware of it. It simply wouldn’t succeed again.’
by Sasha Dubronitz
