List of fictional Scots

*Disbanded*byJohn Pettiewas used to illustrate the 1893 edition ofWaverleybySir Walter Scott.The novel is set in theJacobite uprisingof 1745 and the picture shows a returningHighlandwarrior.^[1]

This is alist of Scottish characters from fiction.

Authors of romantic fiction have been influential in creating the popular image of Scots as kilted Highlanders, noted for their military prowess,bagpipes,rustickailyardand doomedJacobitism.Sir Walter Scott'sWaverley novelswere especially influential as they were widely read and highly praised in the 19th century. The author organised the pageantry for thevisit of King George IV to Scotlandwhich started the vogue fortartanryand VictorianBalmoralismwhich did much to create the modernScottish national identity.^[2]^[3]

Fictional Scottish characters

Amy Pondis acompanionofDoctor Who.The character was originally conceived as English but was changed to use the naturalInvernessaccent of theactressplaying the part.^[4]

Bella Caledonia(Scotland as a woman) invokes Scots iconography, includingplaid,thistles,and theForth Railway Bridge.She is an artificial woman, Bella Baxter, inAlasdair Gray's 1992 novelPoor Things.^[5]

Jean Brodie,the titular character inThe Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,exemplifies aspects of bothCalvinistandRoman Catholicinfluence in Scotland.^[6]

The Broonsare a large,tenement-dwelling,extended familyin theDC Thomsoncartoon strip of the same name. The publisher's similar strips about the young lad,Oor Wullie,are set in the same fictional town of Auchenshoogle.^[7]

ConnorandDuncan MacLeodwere immortalHighlandersin film and television.^[8]

Donald Farfraesuccessfully romances theMayor of Casterbridge's lover and daughter. Simultaneously "sentimental and astute", he is one of the earliest exemplars ofKailyardism.^[9]

David Balfouris the central character ofKidnappedbyRobert Louis Stevenson.This was based upon theAppin Murderand so many of the other characters, such asAlan Breck Stewart,were real people. The sequel,Catriona,is also known asDavid Balfour: Being Memoirs of His Adventures at Home and Abroad.^[10]

Davy Jonesis a villain in Disney’sPirates of the Caribbeanfranchise. Initially asked to do a Dutch accent for the character, actorBill Nighyinstead decided to do a Scottish accent.^[11]

Desmond Humeis a character from theABCtelevision showLost.^[12]Henry Ian Cusick,the actor who portrays him, is of Peruvian and Scottish descent and was raised in Scotland.^[13]

Donald and Douglasare twin engines from theCaledonian RailwayinThe Railway SeriesbyRev. Wilbert Awdry^[14]

Dr. Finlayis the central character of stories byA.J.Cronin,set in the fictional village ofTannochbrae.Other characters included partner Dr Cameron, housekeeper Janet and rival Dr Snoddie.^[15]The television productions have been seen as an example of modernKailyardism.^[16]

Fat Bastardis a grotesquely fat Scotsman in theAustin Powerscomedies.^[17]

Fingalis the hero ofThe Poems of OssianbyJames Macpherson.^[18]Notable features such asFingal's Caveare named after him.^[19]

Groundskeeper Willieis a well-loved character inThe Simpsons.He has flamingred hairand a powerful, muscular body.^[20]A 2007 study conducted in the US concluded that Willie was the character that US residents "...most believe personifies the Scottish temperament."^[21]

Jack Parlabaneis the journalist hero of the novels byChristopher Brookmyresuch asQuite Ugly One Morning.^[22]^[23]

James Bond- following the success ofSean Conneryin the role, authorIan Fleminggave Bond a mixed parentage - a Scottish father and Swiss mother. This background gave the character a colonial perspective, being an outsider in England.^[24]

Jamie Fraseris theLairdofBroch Tuarachin theOutlanderstories.^[25]

Jamie McCrimmonis an earlycompanionofDoctor Who.He was apiperand wore akilt.^[26]

Lobey Dosseris the Sheriff of Calton Creek – an Arizona town loosely based on theCaltondistrict of Glasgow and populated by Glaswegians. The cartoon strip byBud Neillwas a popular feature in theGlasgow Evening Timesfrom 1949 to 1956 and is now commemorated by statues.^[27]

Mr. Mackayis the stern prison officer inPorridgewhich also featuredMcClarenas ablack Scottishinmate and hard man.^[28]

Malcolm Tuckeris the aggressive, profane and feared Director of Communications in the BBC ComedyThe Thick of It.He was played byPeter Capaldi,who is aGlaswegian,but who actually based the character on the behaviour of Hollywood agents and producers such asHarvey Weinstein.^[29]

Minerva McGonagallis the head of Gryffindor house in theHarry Potterstories. She was named after the notorious Scottish poetWilliam McGonagall.^[30]

Minnie the Minxis a mischievoustomboywith red hair,tam o' shanterand striped jersey. She is one of the longest-running characters inThe Beanoand there is a statue of her inDundee.^[27]^[31]

Moira MacTaggertis the colleague and sometime fiancée ofProfessor Xin theX-Mencomic.^[32]

John Rebusis the protagonist of theInspector Rebusstories byIan Rankin.^[33]

Montgomery Scottis the chief engineer inStar Trek,famous for the alleged catchphrase, "Beam me up, Scotty".^[34]The actor,James Doohan,was Canadian and auditioned with a variety of accents but suggested that Scottish would be best for the character, following the long tradition of Scottish nautical engineering. ProducerGene Roddenberryliked the accent and so it was settled.^[35]

Para Handyis the captain of apufferon theClydein stories byNeil Munro,which have been filmed many times.^[36]His crew included Dan Macphail, Dougie, Hurricane Jack, Sunny Jim and The Tar.^[37]

Private Frazeris the miserlyundertakerinDad's Army^[38]who comes from the bleakIsle of Barrain theOuter Hebrides.^[39]

Rab C. Nesbittis a dissoluteGlaswegianin the eponymous comedy.^[40]

Redgauntletis a novel bySir Walter Scottwhich contains numerous Scottish characters including the Laird of Redgauntlet, hero Darsie Latimer and musicianWandering Willie.^[41]

Richard Hannayis a stalwart of theBritish Empirein the stories byJohn Buchan.He was born inEdinburghlike his real-life inspiration, the spy and generalEdmund Ironside.^[42]

Scrooge McDuckis the uncle ofDisney'sDonald Duckin a comics, film and TV where he is a billionaire businessman and treasure hunter.^[43]He was honoured by Glasgow council as a famous Glaswegian.^[44]He was inspired by real lifeAndrew Carnegieand fictionalEbenezer Scrooge.His arch-enemy isFlintheart Glomgold,akilt-wearing corrupt businessman.

Shrek,although possessing a German name and being anogre(thought to be a medieval stereotype ofHungarians), was portrayed as Scottish byMike Myersin theShrekfilm series.^[45]

Super Granis a grandmother with super powers in books written by Forrest Wilson. In the television adaption, she was played by actressGudrun Ure.^[46]

Jim Taggartis the title character of the successfultelevision dramaabout a Glaswegian detective, played byMark McManus.The title persisted even after the lead character was killed off following McManus' death.^[47]

Tam Linis a knight in thrall to the Queen of Faerie in the ballad of that name.^[48]

Tam O'Shanteris the title character of the celebrated poem byRobert Burns- a drunken rustic.^[49]
Tavish Finnegan DeGrootakaThe DemomanfromTeam Fortress 2,one of the 9 playable classes from the game, a demolitions expert originating from Ullapool, Scotland.^[50]
Several Scotsstock charactersare present inBrigadoon,first staged on Broadway in 1947. They are variously warriors, drunkards, overly thrifty as a result ofCalvinism,or capable of unusual insights stemming from a close relationship to the natural world.^[51]

Real and apocryphal Scots who have been extensively fictionalised or mythologised

The Execution of Mary Stuartwas the first movie to use a special effect.(click ▶ to play)

Bonnie Prince Charlie,theJacobiteyoung Pretender who appears in novels such asRedgauntlet.

TheLoch Ness Monsterwas sighted in 1933. Its existence has not been proven but it has since appeared in numerous fictional forms.^[52]

Macbethas in Shakespeare's play.

Mary, Queen of Scots,commonly portrayed as a romantic and tragic heroine.^[53]

Rob Roy MacGregoras inRob Roy.

Sir Patrick Spens,heroic captain of a doomed voyage for the King of Scotland.^[54]

Thomas the Rhymer,a 13th-century prophet and poet who, in ballad, is led by the Queen of Faerie toElfland.^[55]

William Wallaceas inBraveheart.

References

^Disbanded,McManus Gallery
^Walter H. Conser, Rodger Milton Payne (12 September 2010),Southern crossroads,ISBN 978-0813129280
^"Scotland and Sir Walter Scott",The Economist,Jul 29, 2010
^Rick Fulton (Mar 22, 2010),"It's great to be a Scots redhead in the Tardis",Daily Record,archived fromthe originalon 2011-06-09
^Kirsten Stirling (2008).Bella Caledonia: woman, nation, text.Rodopi.p. 88.ISBN 978-90-420-2510-3.
^Gerard Carruthers (2009).Scottish literature.Edinburgh University Press.p. 128.ISBN 978-0-7486-3309-8.
^Andrew Nash (2007),Kailyard and Scottish literature,p. 225,ISBN 978-9042022034
^Shawn Shimpach (5 February 2010),Television in Transition: The Life and Afterlife of the Narrative Action Hero,ISBN 9781444320688
^Christopher Harvie (2004).Scotland and nationalism: Scottish society and politics, 1707 to the present.Routledge.p. 99.ISBN 978-0-415-32725-1.
^Robert Kiely (1964),Robert Louis Stevenson and the fiction of adventure,ISBN 9780674775954
^McKittrick, Chris (2012-05-15)."Bill Nighy on his 'Pirates' Accent:" I wanted something that didn't repeat anything anyone else had done "".Daily Actor.Retrieved2022-09-29.
^Mark Dykeman (2010),Desmond Hume from Lost,archived fromthe originalon 2014-02-02,retrieved2014-01-19
^Wanda Leibowitz (2007),Ten Facts About Henry Ian Cusick, Aka Desmond Hume on TV's Lost,archived fromthe originalon 2014-07-28,retrieved2014-01-19
^Julia March; Rona Skene (2018),Thomas & Friends Character Encyclopedia,Dorling Kindersley,ISBN 9781465466624
^Robert Crawford (30 January 2009),Scotland's books: a history of Scottish literature,ISBN 9780199727674
^Andrew Nash (2007),Kailyard and Scottish literature,p. 234,ISBN 978-9042022034
^Neil Blain, David Hutchison (2008),The media in Scotland,ISBN 9780748627998
^G. Gregory Smith (February 2008),Scottish Literature, Character & Influence,ISBN 9781408649459
^Charles Frederick Partington(1836),The British Cyclopædia of Literature, History, Geography, Law, and Politics
^Cort Cass (2003),The Redhead Handbook,ISBN 9781587860119
^Groundskeeper Willie is the classic Scot for Americans,The Scotsman,2007-09-19
^Ronald Carter, John McRae (2001),The Routledge history of literature in English: Britain and Ireland,ISBN 9780415243186
^Fiona MacGregor (12 February 2008),"The greatest work of fiction?",The Scotsman
^Vivian Halloran (2005),Ian Fleming & James Bond: the cultural politics of 007,ISBN 0253217431
^Diana Gabaldon (2015),The Outlandish Companion,vol. 1, Random House, p. 263,ISBN 9781473535916
^Berthold Schoene-Harwood (2007),The Edinburgh companion to contemporary Scottish literature,ISBN 9780748623969
^^a ^bSam Booth (25 January 2019),"10 of the best Scottish cartoon characters",Scottish Field
^"TV Timewarp",The Journal,April 21, 2005
^Tom Cole (31 January 2012),"Peter Capaldi reveals true inspiration for Malcolm Tucker's character",Radio Times
^J.K. Rowling (July 2002),Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Sparknotes,ISBN 9781586635183
^Leo Baxendale: Bash Street Kids and Minnie the Minx comic legend dies,BBC, 27 April 2017
^Frank Northen Magill (1983),Survey of modern fantasy literature,ISBN 9780893564506
^Ray Dexter; Nadine Carr (2015),Dirty Work,Spinderella,ISBN 9781326415211
^Stacey Endres, Robert Cushman (1992),Hollywood at your feet,p. 330,ISBN 9780938817086
^James Van Hise (1992),The Man Who Created Star Trek,p. 26,ISBN 9781556983184
^Neil Wilson, Alan Murphy (2004),"Essential Scottish Reads",Scotland,ISBN 9781741041569
^Alan Norman Bold (January 1989),Scotland: a literary guide,ISBN 9780415007313
^Jeffrey Richards (15 September 1997),Films and British national identity: from Dickens to Dad's army,ISBN 9780719047435
^Richard Webber (2001),The complete A-Z of Dad's Army,p. 228,ISBN 9780752846378
^John Corbett (1997),Language and Scottish literature,ISBN 9780748608263
^Maureen M. Martin (2009), "Redgauntlet,the Lowlands, and the Historicity of Scottish Nationhood ",The mighty Scot,ISBN 9780791477304
^Douglas S. Mack (2006),Scottish fiction and the British Empire,ISBN 9780748618149
^InDuckTalesepisode 26: "The Curse of Castle McDuck", Scrooge, the nephews, and Webby visit Scrooge's ancestral home in Scotland, only to be embroiled in a mystery surrounding Castle McDuck. Available on volume 1 DVD set.
^Glasgow claims McDuck as its own,BBC, 1 October 2007
^Lucy Hewitt (24 December 2008)."Best fictional Scots character".The Scotsman.
^Hayley Dodwell,"Super Gran! The Childhood Show We All Loved?",80's kids
^Adrienne Scullion (2003), "Scottish identity and representation in television drama",Group identities on French and British television,ISBN 9781571817938
^Graham Seal (2001),Encyclopedia of folk heroes,ISBN 9781576072165
^Hugh Walker (August 2008),Three Centuries of Scottish Literature,ISBN 9780554740966
^"The Demoman from Team Fortress 2 is a Black Scottish cyclops!".Destructoid.2007-10-09.Retrieved2023-07-08.
^Colin McArthur (2003).Brigadoon, Braveheart and the Scots: distortions of Scotland in Hollywood cinema.I.B.TaurisPublishers. p. 107.ISBN 978-1-86064-927-1.
^Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock (2016), "Loch Ness Monster",The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters,Taylor & Francis, pp. 383–387,ISBN 9781317044260
^Ingibjörg Ágústsdóttir (2012),"Mary Queen of Scots as Feminine and National Icon: Depictions in Film and Fiction",Études écossaises(15): 75–93,doi:10.4000/etudesecossaises.603
^Francis James Child (1866),English and Scottish ballads,vol. 3
^Graham Seal (2001),Encyclopedia of folk heroes,ISBN 9781576072165

[1] Disbanded,McManus Gallery

[2] Walter H. Conser, Rodger Milton Payne (12 September 2010),Southern crossroads,ISBN 978-0813129280

[3] "Scotland and Sir Walter Scott",The Economist,Jul 29, 2010

[4] Rick Fulton (Mar 22, 2010),"It's great to be a Scots redhead in the Tardis",Daily Record,archived fromthe originalon 2011-06-09

[5] Kirsten Stirling (2008).Bella Caledonia: woman, nation, text.Rodopi.p. 88.ISBN 978-90-420-2510-3.

[6] Gerard Carruthers (2009).Scottish literature.Edinburgh University Press.p. 128.ISBN 978-0-7486-3309-8.

[7] Andrew Nash (2007),Kailyard and Scottish literature,p. 225,ISBN 978-9042022034

[8] Shawn Shimpach (5 February 2010),Television in Transition: The Life and Afterlife of the Narrative Action Hero,ISBN 9781444320688

[9] Christopher Harvie (2004).Scotland and nationalism: Scottish society and politics, 1707 to the present.Routledge.p. 99.ISBN 978-0-415-32725-1.

[10] Robert Kiely (1964),Robert Louis Stevenson and the fiction of adventure,ISBN 9780674775954

[11] McKittrick, Chris (2012-05-15)."Bill Nighy on his 'Pirates' Accent:" I wanted something that didn't repeat anything anyone else had done "".Daily Actor.Retrieved2022-09-29.

[12] Mark Dykeman (2010),Desmond Hume from Lost,archived fromthe originalon 2014-02-02,retrieved2014-01-19

[13] Wanda Leibowitz (2007),Ten Facts About Henry Ian Cusick, Aka Desmond Hume on TV's Lost,archived fromthe originalon 2014-07-28,retrieved2014-01-19

[14] Julia March; Rona Skene (2018),Thomas & Friends Character Encyclopedia,Dorling Kindersley,ISBN 9781465466624

[15] Robert Crawford (30 January 2009),Scotland's books: a history of Scottish literature,ISBN 9780199727674

[16] Andrew Nash (2007),Kailyard and Scottish literature,p. 234,ISBN 978-9042022034

[17] Neil Blain, David Hutchison (2008),The media in Scotland,ISBN 9780748627998

[18] G. Gregory Smith (February 2008),Scottish Literature, Character & Influence,ISBN 9781408649459

[19] Charles Frederick Partington(1836),The British Cyclopædia of Literature, History, Geography, Law, and Politics

[20] Cort Cass (2003),The Redhead Handbook,ISBN 9781587860119

[21] Groundskeeper Willie is the classic Scot for Americans,The Scotsman,2007-09-19

[22] Ronald Carter, John McRae (2001),The Routledge history of literature in English: Britain and Ireland,ISBN 9780415243186

[23] Fiona MacGregor (12 February 2008),"The greatest work of fiction?",The Scotsman

[24] Vivian Halloran (2005),Ian Fleming & James Bond: the cultural politics of 007,ISBN 0253217431

[25] Diana Gabaldon (2015),The Outlandish Companion,vol. 1, Random House, p. 263,ISBN 9781473535916

[26] Berthold Schoene-Harwood (2007),The Edinburgh companion to contemporary Scottish literature,ISBN 9780748623969

[SF-27] Sam Booth (25 January 2019),"10 of the best Scottish cartoon characters",Scottish Field

[28] "TV Timewarp",The Journal,April 21, 2005

[RT-29] Tom Cole (31 January 2012),"Peter Capaldi reveals true inspiration for Malcolm Tucker's character",Radio Times

[30] J.K. Rowling (July 2002),Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Sparknotes,ISBN 9781586635183

[31] Leo Baxendale: Bash Street Kids and Minnie the Minx comic legend dies,BBC, 27 April 2017

[32] Frank Northen Magill (1983),Survey of modern fantasy literature,ISBN 9780893564506

[33] Ray Dexter; Nadine Carr (2015),Dirty Work,Spinderella,ISBN 9781326415211

[34] Stacey Endres, Robert Cushman (1992),Hollywood at your feet,p. 330,ISBN 9780938817086

[35] James Van Hise (1992),The Man Who Created Star Trek,p. 26,ISBN 9781556983184

[ESR-36] Neil Wilson, Alan Murphy (2004),"Essential Scottish Reads",Scotland,ISBN 9781741041569

[Slg-37] Alan Norman Bold (January 1989),Scotland: a literary guide,ISBN 9780415007313

[Bni-38] Jeffrey Richards (15 September 1997),Films and British national identity: from Dickens to Dad's army,ISBN 9780719047435

[39] Richard Webber (2001),The complete A-Z of Dad's Army,p. 228,ISBN 9780752846378

[40] John Corbett (1997),Language and Scottish literature,ISBN 9780748608263

[41] Maureen M. Martin (2009), "Redgauntlet,the Lowlands, and the Historicity of Scottish Nationhood ",The mighty Scot,ISBN 9780791477304

[42] Douglas S. Mack (2006),Scottish fiction and the British Empire,ISBN 9780748618149

[43] InDuckTalesepisode 26: "The Curse of Castle McDuck", Scrooge, the nephews, and Webby visit Scrooge's ancestral home in Scotland, only to be embroiled in a mystery surrounding Castle McDuck. Available on volume 1 DVD set.

[44] Glasgow claims McDuck as its own,BBC, 1 October 2007

[45] Lucy Hewitt (24 December 2008)."Best fictional Scots character".The Scotsman.

[46] Hayley Dodwell,"Super Gran! The Childhood Show We All Loved?",80's kids

[47] Adrienne Scullion (2003), "Scottish identity and representation in television drama",Group identities on French and British television,ISBN 9781571817938

[48] Graham Seal (2001),Encyclopedia of folk heroes,ISBN 9781576072165

[49] Hugh Walker (August 2008),Three Centuries of Scottish Literature,ISBN 9780554740966

[50] "The Demoman from Team Fortress 2 is a Black Scottish cyclops!".Destructoid.2007-10-09.Retrieved2023-07-08.

[51] Colin McArthur (2003).Brigadoon, Braveheart and the Scots: distortions of Scotland in Hollywood cinema.I.B.TaurisPublishers. p. 107.ISBN 978-1-86064-927-1.

[52] Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock (2016), "Loch Ness Monster",The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters,Taylor & Francis, pp. 383–387,ISBN 9781317044260

[53] Ingibjörg Ágústsdóttir (2012),"Mary Queen of Scots as Feminine and National Icon: Depictions in Film and Fiction",Études écossaises(15): 75–93,doi:10.4000/etudesecossaises.603

[54] Francis James Child (1866),English and Scottish ballads,vol. 3

[55] Graham Seal (2001),Encyclopedia of folk heroes,ISBN 9781576072165

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Fictional Scottish characters

Real and apocryphal Scots who have been extensively fictionalised or mythologised

See also

References