BBC Scotland

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Scottish division of the British Broadcasting CorporationTemplate:SHORTDESC:Scottish division of the British Broadcasting Corporation
This article is about the BBC in Scotland. For the television channel, see BBC Scotland (TV channel). For the radio station, see BBC Radio Scotland. For the BBC's Scottish Gaelic-language television channel, see BBC Alba.

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**BBC Scotland** (Scottish Gaelic: *BBC Alba*) is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland.

It is one of the four BBC national regions, together with the BBC English Regions, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Ireland. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, it employs approximately 1,250 staff as of 2017, to produce 15,000 hours of television and radio programming per year. Some £320 million of licence fee revenue is raised in Scotland, with expenditure on purely local content set to stand at £86 million by 2016–2017. The remainder of licence fee revenue raised in the country is spent on networked programmes shown throughout the UK.

BBC Scotland operates television channels such as the Scottish variant of BBC One, the BBC Scotland channel and the Gaelic-language channel BBC Alba, and radio stations BBC Radio Scotland and Gaelic-language BBC Radio nan Gaidheal.

## History

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The first radio service in Scotland was launched by the British Broadcasting Company on 6 March 1923. Named 5SC and located in Glasgow, the services gradually expanded to include the new stations 2BD, 2DE and 2EH, based at Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh respectively. Around 1927, the new Corporation, as the BBC now was, decided to combine these local stations into regions under the generic banner of the BBC Regional Programme. When this was merged to form the BBC Home Service in 1939, national opt outs remained on the station and its successor BBC Radio 4 until the full separation of this opt out to become BBC Radio Scotland in November 1978.

Television in Scotland began on 14 March 1952 using the 405-line television system broadcast from the Kirk o'Shotts transmitter. Television upgraded to colour in 1967 with regular national colour broadcasts starting from 1971 when BBC Scotland's studios were upgraded.

BBC Scotland has increased the number of network programmes shown on the network services, timed in part with the move of BBC Scotland's headquarters to BBC Pacific Quay.

## Services

### Television

BBC Scotland broadcasts three television services to Scottish audiences. BBC One Scotland and BBC Two Scotland are separate channels able to opt out of the network feed of BBC One and Two to broadcast their own schedule of regional programming in addition to networked productions. The latter of these services adheres to network scheduling more frequently than the former, as the majority of regional programming is broadcast on BBC One Scotland. The flagship news programme *Reporting Scotland* is presented by Jackie Bird and Sally Magnusson.

In addition to these two channels BBC Scotland also operates the digital channel BBC Alba, broadcasting programming in Gaelic for up to seven hours a day. The channel is a joint partnership between BBC Scotland and MG Alba and is available across the UK on satellite services. Prior to digital switchover, some Gaelic programming was carried on BBC Two Scotland, however this ceased following the switchover.

On 22 February 2017, director general Tony Hall announced plans to launch a dedicated television channel for Scotland in 2018 to replace the current BBC Two Scotland opt-out; it would broadcast from 7:00 p.m. to midnight nightly, and feature a lineup comprised entirely of Scottish programming, including a new hour-long 9:00 p.m. newscast that will be produced from Scotland (which has been considered a response to the perennial proposals for a local opt-out of the *BBC News at Six*). The channel will be allocated £30 million in annual funding. Hall also announced that the BBC would increase its spending on factual and drama productions in Scotland by £20 million annually.

### Radio

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BBC Scotland also operates two radio stations covering Scotland: BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio nan Gàidheal. The former broadcasts English programming 24 hours a day on the frequencies 92-95 FM and 810 MW. The station has specific programming opt outs for Orkney and Shetland in addition to regional news opt outs for four additional sub regions - North East, Highlands & Islands, South West and Borders. BBC Radio nan Gàidheal in contrast is a Gaelic-language station broadcasting for the majority of the day on 103.5-105 FM and simulcasting Radio Scotland's MW service at other times.

### Online and Interactive

BBC Scotland operates a mini site on BBC Online consisting of a portal to Scottish news, sport, programmes and items of cultural interest through BBC Online. The department also provides content from Scotland on these subjects to the website and for the BBC Red Button interactive TV service.

BBC Scotland previously offered a podcast download of the top news items of the week and the online streaming of several key sections of output. However following the widespread introduction of the BBC iPlayer service, which allowed the streaming and download of nearly all BBC programmes including news, these services were discontinued as defunct.

## Studios

See also: BBC Pacific Quay
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BBC Scotland's headquarters are currently located at BBC Pacific Quay on the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow. The studio centre was constructed between 2004 and 2006 and was opened in 2007. Designed by David Chipperfield and reportedly costing £188 million, the studio contains three television studios and five radio studios as well as the first HD newsroom used by the BBC.

Upon the launch of the BBC in Scotland in 1923, the service originally occupied Rex House at 202 Bath Street, Glasgow, before moving to properties in Blythswood Square and subsequently in West George Street. In 1929, the decision was made to move the headquarters operation to Queen Street, Edinburgh, where the Edinburgh station had been based since 1924 following a move from the original 79 George Street premises. However, in 1935 the headquarters operation moved back to Glasgow as it accompanied the Glasgow station at North Park House, Queen Margaret Drive, Glasgow, near to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens. BBC Scotland remained based at these premises until the move to Pacific Quay in 2007. The Edinburgh operation remained on Queen Street until the move to The Tun in April 2002. The Tun building is near to the Scottish Parliament building and contains television and radio studios in addition to a newsroom.

In addition to the Glasgow and Edinburgh bases of the broadcaster, BBC Scotland also has offices and studios located in Aberdeen, Dundee, Portree, Stornoway, Inverness, Selkirk, Dumfries, Kirkwall and Lerwick. Of these, the latter two locations operate radio opt-outs from BBC Radio Scotland while the Aberdeen, Inverness, Selkirk and Dumfries newsrooms produce local radio bulletins for the North East, Highlands & Islands, Borders and South West respectively.

In addition to these premises, BBC Scotland operates a drama productions studio at Dumbarton on the site of a disused whisky distillery. It is the main Scottish drama facilities where programmes such as *Still Game* and *River City* are recorded. Also, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is resident at Glasgow City Halls having been based at Queen Margaret Drive until 2006.

## Programming

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See also: List of television programmes produced by BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland continues to produce a high number of local programme for the Scottish audiences. Its flagship news & current affair programmes are *Reporting Scotland* and Scotland 2016 which provides over an hour of content each weekday. In Drama in the form of *River City*. With sport Radio Scotland along with *Sportscene* cover a large number of local sports including Football, Rugby and Bowls. BBC Scotland also produces over 20 hours of comedy programmers for Radio and Television. With Features and documentaries is BBC Scotland biggest input, with The Beechgrove Garden, Landward, *Sport Monthly*, *The Adventure Show*, The Mountain, BBC Scotland investigates and many other covering all aspect of Scottish life.

Output for the British network has included such recent high-profile dramas as *Shetland*, *Hope Springs*, *Waterloo Road* and *Single Father*. BBC Scotland also produces a high number of Gamesshows which feature the National lottery draws. BBC Scotland also produces the Scottish opt-out sections of British-wide programmes such as *Sunday Politics* and *Children in Need*.

Until 2010 a high number of Gaelic programme were broadcast on BBC1 and 2 Scotland before transferring over to BBC Alba. Its flagship programmes which both started in 1993 are Dè a-nis? and *Eòrpa*. *Eòrpa* hit the headlines in May 2008, specially mentioned in the Scottish Broadcasting Commission's report. 'It was intriguing to note that without fail at every one of our public events BBC2 Scotland's Eòrpa programme was raised, unsolicited, and by non-Gaelic speakers, as an example of a positive, well-respected programme' - Blair Jenkins, Chair - Scottish Broadcasting Commission. and continues to be given a broadcast on BBC2 Scotland as the only Gaelic programme to do.

### Past programming

Over the years BBC Scotland made a number of well known and much loved radio and television programmes both for the BBC networks and for transmission in Scotland only. In television these were known within the BBC as "opt out" programmes.

At teatime in the beginning there was *A Quick Look Round* with Leonard Maguire. Then, as well as the flagship evening news programme *Reporting Scotland* presented by Mary Marquis and Douglas Kynoch with contributions from Renton Laidlaw in Edinburgh and Donny B MacLeod in Aberdeen, there were popular current affairs series like, *Compass*, *Checkpoint* with Esmond Wright and Magnus Magnusson, *Person to Person* with Mary Marquis, *Current Account*, *Public Account* and *Agenda*.

Many comedy series have been made including Scotch and Wry, Rab C. Nesbitt, Naked Video and Still Game, while with dramas included Hamish Macbeth, *Monarch of the Glen*, and Sutherland's Law. In recent years, BBC Scotland comedy shows such as *Mrs. Brown's Boys*, *Two Doors Down* and *Mountain Goats* have been lambasted by critics.

BBC Scotland as produced two highly controversial programmers *Scotch on the Rocks* and Secret Society, with the latter resulting in BBC Scotland being raided by the police.

## Continuity announcers

BBC Scotland started using their own continuity announcers for all evening and weekend afternoon junctions around 1977; before this period, announcers only covered opt-outs, which resulted in the London announcer being heard most of the time. From 1979, their duties were expanded to cover the lunchtime news bulletin at 12:40, just before the network *Midday News* at 12:45. There was one announcer who was never seen: Robert Logan, who was also a Conservative councillor. Consequently, he never read the news summaries, nor did he ever give his name at closedown. From 1985, the announcing team started doing a news summary just before children's programmes at around 15:53, and within a few weeks, additional news summaries at 21:25 were introduced. From 31 October 1988, newsroom staff started to read the news summaries instead of the announcers.

Inevitably, though, viewers started to spot their little idiosyncrasies. Mark Stephen often came perilously close to sending up programmes with his good-natured humour; links of his included:

## Controllers and heads

Directors and Controllers of BBC Scotland:

* Herbert A. Carruthers (1923), Glasgow 5SC Station Director
* David Cleghorn Thomson (1926–33), Northern Area Director (incl N. Ireland), then from 1928 Scottish Regional Director
* Moray McLaren (1933)
* Melville D. Dinwiddie (1933–57), Controller, Scotland from 1948
* Andrew Stewart (1957–68)
* Alasdair Milne (1968–73), later BBC Director General
* Robert Coulter (1973–75)
* Alastair Hetherington (1975–78), former editor of *The Guardian* newspaper
* Patrick Ramsey (1978–82)
* Patrick Chalmers (1982 – December 1991)
* John McCormick (January 1992 – April 2004)
* Ken MacQuarrie (April 2004 – 2016), Director, Scotland from 2009
* Donalda MacKinnon (December 2016 – October 2020)
* Steve Carson (October 2020 – present)

## See also

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* Scottish Broadcasting Commission
* Audience Council Scotland
* Saorview
* Public Account
* Reporting Scotland

## References

1. ↑ "Ken MacQuarrie, Director, BBC Scotland". *About the BBC*. BBC. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
2. ↑ "Scottish Government Response to the Third PSB Review consultation" (PDF). *Ofcom*. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 "History". *The Wireless to the Web*. BBC. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
4. ↑ "New TV channel for BBC in Scotland". *BBC News*. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
5. ↑ "BBC to launch Scottish TV channel with hour-long news programme". *The Guardian*. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
6. ↑ "BBC Scotland News Weekly - video podcast". BBC News. 2 August 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2007.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "BBC Buildings - Pacific Quay". *The BBC Story*. BBC. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "BBC Scotland headquarters". Clyde Waterfront. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
9. ↑ Plunkett, John (25 February 2010). "NAO findings on BBC development schemes – project by project". *Guardian*. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
10. ↑ "Welcome to BBC Scotland Production Facilities". BBC. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Edinburgh, 4, 5, 6 Queen Street". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "3 March 2010: Queen Margaret Drive". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
13. ↑ New BBC drama set to be built at Dumbarton distillery Lennox Herald, 19 September 2008
14. ↑ "Production Facilities - Dumbarton". BBC. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
15. ↑ "BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra - City Halls". BBC. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
16. ↑ "BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra". BBC Scotland. Archived from the original on 15 October 2006. Retrieved 20 August 2007. Unknown parameter `|deadurl=` ignored (`|url-status=` suggested) (help)
17. ↑ Viewers verdict: TV news is too shallow Herald Scotland, 31 May 2008
18. ↑ Brian Logan (29 January 2013). "Mrs Brown's Boys: how the 'worst comedy ever made' became a smash hit". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
19. ↑ Finn, Melanie (22 March 2011). "Critics hate us but they never say how the audience is screaming with laughter". Herald.ie. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
20. ↑ "Friday's best TV: Easter 1916: The Enemy Files, Billy Connolly's Tracks Across America and Boomers". *The Guardian*. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
21. ↑ "Monday's best TV: The Last Miners; Back in Time for Brixton; Our Guy in China". *The Guardian*. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
22. ↑ "Mountain Goats review – 'Who are these people, who'll laugh at anything?'". *The Guardian*. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
23. ↑ "Friday's best TV". *The Guardian*. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
24. ↑ "Miller's Mountain, Comedy Playhouse - BBC, TV review: The return of Comedy Playhouse is no laughing matter". *Independent*. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
25. ↑ "Matt on the Box: New Tricks, Who Do You Think You Are, Mountain Goats and Young Free and Single". *The Custard TV*. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
26. ↑ "Mountain Goats (BBC1) Review". *UK TV Reviewer*. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
27. ↑ http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/505361
28. ↑ http://www.duncancampbell.org/content/secret-society-and-zircon
29. ↑ "scottish-surnames". *50megs.com*. Archived from the original on 12 March 2003. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
30. ↑ Mullen, Stacey (31 July 2020). "Steve Carson named as new director of BBC Scotland". *Glasgow Times*. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
31. ↑ Boal, Daniel (16 October 2020). "BBC Scotland newsroom talent lead mass exodus amid cost-cutting measures". *The Press and Journal*. Retrieved 1 January 2021.

## External links

* **No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.**
* Wireless to Web - BBC Scotland history at BBC Online

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