It's not all Shrek' Black Scots are a TikTok hit with African Americans

It began with a good-natured rant about the Scottish summer weather and has developed into a global conversation about history, diaspora and diversity on both sides of the Atlantic.

- Libby Brooks

Last week, Torgi Squire uploaded a TikTok post that any Scottish parent could relate to: why is it, he asked, that without fail the washout summer weather always improves the week that the kids go back to school?

The 43-year-old high school teacher from Glasgow ended with his usual signoff, wishing everyone "a belter of a day", and thought nothing more of it.

The internet had other ideas.

The post was picked up by a US weather reporter and Squire's comments suddenly started filling up with African Americans expressing their amazement and delight at discovering a black man with a strong Scottish accent.

But it didn't stop there: black Scots on TikTok found themselves flooded with questions from their American cousins and seized the opportunity to respond with high calibre banter, as #blackscottishtiktok generated thousands more posts.

"It's been a whirlwind," said Squire, who teaches design and technology. His original post has racked up nearly 4m views, and he has since welcomed more than 200,000 new followers.

"Americans are kept in a bit of an echo chamber by their media, and their only point of reference for Scotland is either Braveheart, Brave or Shrek. They don't seem to have much awareness of the diaspora, particularly when it comes to the UK, which is maybe why they've reacted with so much curiosity.