I’ll be honest — when I heard BBC ALBA was launching a quiz show, my expectations were modest. Gaelic language programming has a reputation (unfair, but persistent) for being worthy rather than entertaining. Then I watched the first episode of Mas Fhìor, and I take it all back.
Mas Fhìor — which is Gaelic slang for “as if” — premiered today, February 17th, and it’s BBC ALBA’s first proper high-energy studio gameshow. Twelve episodes, pairs of Gaelic-speaking contestants, and eight “Pretenders” who join remotely from their living rooms armed with a mix of true facts and outrageous lies. The contestants have to figure out who to trust. It’s less pub quiz, more psychological warfare, and it’s brilliant.
The Format Actually Works
What makes this clever is the trust element. Anyone can Google an answer. But can you tell when someone’s lying to your face through a screen? The Pretenders — or Mas Fhìoraich — sit at home looking innocent while feeding contestants a mix of genuine knowledge and complete nonsense. It’s the kind of format that would work in any language, which is exactly the point.
Niall Iain MacDonald presents, and if you’ve listened to BBC Radio nan Gàidheal, you know the man can carry a show. Glasgow-based BEEZR Studios produced it in partnership with Screen Scotland, and they’ve recorded at Night Sky Studios in Coatbridge. It looks and sounds professional — not like something cobbled together to fill a scheduling gap.
Why This Matters
There are roughly 87,000 Gaelic speakers in Scotland. That’s a small audience by any measure. But language survival isn’t just about textbooks and road signs — it’s about culture being alive, entertaining, and something people actually want to engage with. A quiz show where people are laughing, shouting at the screen, and arguing about whether Big Dave from Stornoway is telling the truth about polar bears? That’s how you keep a language vibrant.
Mas Fhìor airs weekly on BBC ALBA. Even if your Gaelic is rusty (or non-existent), the format is universal enough to follow. Give it a go. You might surprise yourself.