Last night Channel 4 aired a very serious documentary about a maximum security jail, HMP Shotts.
It’s Scotland’s only maximum security prison, and the action followed prisoners locked up in solitary confinement for murder.
Lifers: Behind Bars was all very heavy going, and it would have made for an excellent watch – except for one problem.
The thick Scottish accents of the inmates and officers made it almost impossible for viewers to work out what was going on.
Kieron, 28, was at the start of his life sentence for a murder he didn’t deny, but couldn’t remember doing.
And James, 60, was three years into his own sentence. But much of what the two said went over viewers’ heads.
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One wrote: “I’m sure it’s gripping TV. Just waiting for my Scottish mate to pop round and translate.”
While another said: “Couldn’t understand a [bleep]in word they was saying to had to put subtitles on.”
And several more also said they needed to add closed captioning to work out what was going on.
Many of the most gripping moments, as inmates struggled with their emotions and the length of time stretching out before them, were lost due to the language barrier.
Although some commenters – particularly those who were Scots themselves – said they had no issues in understanding what was going on.
After you worked out what everyone was saying, it was a really interesting documentary, and one that showed a human side to the prison system.
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We’ll be tuning in again, but maybe with the subtitles switched on!