Scottish election results 2021: BBC Scotland's results coverage

  • Published
Election presenters

BBC Scotland will bring you comprehensive results coverage across online, social media, TV and radio.

We will be broadcasting from 25 live locations once the counts get under way at 09:00 on Friday.

As well as reporting every declaration, we will bring you analysis, background, reaction and debate.

Unlike previous elections, there was no overnight counting. The winners of the 129 Holyrood seats will emerge throughout Friday and Saturday.

Digital

  • The BBC's news website will be the key place to read, watch and listen to the latest news. You will be able to keep in touch with the emerging picture on your phone, tablet, laptop, internet-enabled television and desktop

  • To find out what is happening in every constituency and region of Scotland go to our live election page. Coverage will run throughout the day and resume on Saturday and Sunday

  • There will be video clips, picture galleries, blogs, analysis and news stories - from your area

  • Find out the key moments and reaction to the results on social media by following @BBCScotlandNews, external on Twitter and BBC Scotland news, external on Facebook

Television

Media caption,

Scottish election 2021: Behind the scenes at BBC Scotland

  • BBC One Scotland will broadcast Election 2021 Scotland from 12 noon until 20:00 on Friday. It will be presented by Rebecca Curran and have expert analysis from BBC Scotland's political editor Glenn Campbell

  • As the story unfolds a panel of politicians and political commentators will be quizzed by broadcaster Gary Robertson

  • Laura Miller and Laura Goodwin will be on hand to bring the latest news

  • Rajdeep Sandhu and Sally Magnusson will report live from outside the Scottish Parliament. And David Wallace Lockhart will outline what the results mean with the assistance of a state-of-the-art graphic explainer

  • On results "day two" Election 2021 Scotland will be back on air at 12 noon with presenter Martin Geissler. The programme will run until 19:15 as the final counts come in

  • Martin Geissler and Fiona Stalker present The Sunday Show from 10:15 until 11:15 on BBC One Scotland. The programme will analyse the outcome and look at what is likely to happen when the new Holyrood term begins

Radio

  • BBC Radio Scotland will simulcast the TV election programme from lunchtime on Friday. Coverage on radio will also include a separate half hour digest at 13:00 presented by Hayley Millar. There will be a further one hour of news at 18:00 presented by Andrew Black and Hayley Millar

  • On Saturday morning, Laura Maxwell and Andrew Black will be on Radio Scotland from 08:00 until 10:00 with the latest news and analysis. The radio station will broadcast the live TV show until 1800 when Mhairi Stuart and Hayley Millar will host a one hour election special

  • The Sunday Show will run from 10:15 to 12 noon with Martin Geissler and Fiona Stalker

Gaelic

  • BBC Radio nan Gaidheal will include results coverage on Friday and Saturday, presented by Donald Morrison and D.A. Morrison

  • The BBC Naidheachdan team will be live from Inverness with an hour long special of An Taghadh on BBC Alba between 19:00 and 20:00 on Friday

  • On Sunday, Anne Lundon and the An Taghadh team will look back at the results

When might you find out your result?

This Holyrood election is like no other - when polls close at 10pm on Thursday, an overnight count will not happen. The results centres will only begin operating at 9am on Friday - nearly 12 hours after voting ends. The Covid pandemic has prompted a new way of working and because we have never had a day-time count before there can only be a rough guess on declaration times.

Friday declarations

There are 73 first-past-the-post seats and 48 expect to declare on the first counting day. They include;

  • Aberdeen Central

  • Aberdeen Donside

  • Aberdeenshire East

  • Airdrie and Shotts

  • Angus North & Mearns

  • Argyll & Bute

  • Ayr

  • Banffshire & Buchan Coast

  • Caithness, Sutherland & Ross

  • Clackmannanshire & Dunblane

  • Clydebank & Milngavie

  • Coatbridge & Chryston

  • Cowdenbeath

  • Cunninghame North

  • Cunninghame South

  • Dumfriesshire

  • Dumbarton

  • Dundee City West

  • East Lothian

  • Eastwood

  • Edinburgh Central

  • Edinburgh Southern

  • Edinburgh Western

  • Ettrick, Roxburgh & Berwickshire

  • Falkirk East

  • Glasgow Anniesland

  • Glasgow Maryhill & Springburn

  • Glasgow Pollok

  • Glasgow Southside

  • Greenock & Inverclyde

  • Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse

  • Inverness & Nairn

  • Kilmarnock & Irvine Valley

  • Kirkcaldy

  • Linlithgow

  • Midlothian North & Musselburgh

  • Moray

  • Motherwell & Wishaw

  • Na h-Eileanan an Iar

  • North East Fife

  • Orkney

  • Paisley

  • Perthshire North

  • Renfrewshire North & West

  • Rutherglen

  • Shetland

  • Stirling

  • Strathkelvin & Bearsden

Saturday declarations

There are 73 first-past-the-post seats and 25 are expected to declare on the second counting day. They include;

  • Aberdeen South & North Kincardine

  • Aberdeenshire West

  • Almond Valley

  • Angus South

  • Carrick, Cumnock & Doon Valley

  • Clydesdale

  • Cumbernauld & Kilsyth

  • Dundee City East

  • Dunfermline

  • East Kilbride

  • Edinburgh Eastern

  • Edinburgh Northern & Leith

  • Edinburgh Pentlands

  • Falkirk West

  • Galloway & West Dumfries

  • Glasgow Cathcart

  • Glasgow Kelvin

  • Glasgow Provan

  • Glasgow Shettleston

  • Mid Fife & Glenrothes

  • Midlothian South, Tweeddale & Lauderdale

  • Perthshire South & Kinross-shire

  • Renfrewshire South

  • Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch

  • Uddingston & Bellshill

There are eight regional areas which will produce 56 MSPs. The winners of this contest will be declared after constituency results are known.

  • Central Scotland

  • Glasgow

  • Highlands and Islands

  • Lothian

  • Mid Scotland and Fife

  • North East Scotland

  • South of Scotland

  • West of Scotland