[1] Following National Service with the Royal Scots, Watson joined the Rutherglen Repertory, a semi-professional theatre company.
During his long career Watson appeared in numerous television series, including Dixon of Dock Green, Dr Finlay's Casebook, Taggart, Prime Suspect, Hamish Macbeth, Heartbeat (British TV series), The Main Chance, Two Thousand Acres of Sky, Inspector Rebus and Peak Practice.
[2] Following his return to Scotland in 1970 Watson worked regularly for the BBC and Granada Television, including appearances as Mobilis in Cedric Messina's production of The Physicist and the Miller in The Canterbury Tales for the BBC, for which he also appeared in such series and dramas as The Standard, Hunting Tower, The Camerons, The Nightmare Man, A Wholly Healthy Glasgow and Govan Ghost Story.
[2] From 1994 to 1996 Watson played the consultant surgeon Mr Ernest Docherty in the BBC series Cardiac Arrest.
[2] Watson’s film work included Silent Scream, The Big Man (1990) and Alan Rickman's The Winter Guest.