This is a list of events in Scottish television from 1981.

Events

January to June

• No events.

July

• 29 July – The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer takes place at St Paul's Cathedral. More than 30,000,000 viewers watch the wedding on television – the second highest television audience of all time in Britain.^[1]

August

• No events.

September

• 1 September - 20th anniversary of Border Television.
• 8 September - BBC One Scotland changes its name to BBC Scotland.
• 30 September - 20th anniversary of Grampian Television.

October

• October - Scottish Television becomes the first ITV station to operate a regional Oracle teletext service, containing over 60 pages of local news, sport and information.^[2]
• 17 October - The first edition of a new Sunday lunchtime current affairs series Agenda is broadcast on BBC1 Scotland.

November

• No events.

December

• No events.

Unknown

• Scottish Television airs The Shepherds of Berneray, a 50-minute television documentary revolving around the people on the island of Berneray, North Uist, and how they lived at that time.
• Alistair Moffat is appointed Head of Arts at Scottish Television.

Debuts

ITV

• 5 January - Now You See It (1981–1986)

Television series

• Scotsport (1957–2008)
• Reporting Scotland (1968–1983; 1984–present)
• Top Club (1971–1998)
• Scotland Today (1972–2009)
• Sportscene (1975–Present)
• The Beechgrove Garden (1978–Present)
• Grampian Today (1980–2009)
• Take the High Road (1980–2003)^[3]

Births

• 10 March - Nicci Jolly, television presenter
• Unknown
  • Shabana Akhtar, actress
  • Cat Cubie, weather presenter
  • Shauna Macdonald, actress
  • Catriona Shearer, news presenter

Deaths

• 6 January - A. J. Cronin, 84, writer (Doctor Finlay's Casebook)