BBC WEEKS 52 & 1, 23 December 2017 – 5 January 2018 Programme Information, Television & Radio BBC Scotland Press Office BBC Media Centre (Scotland) BBC iPlayer (Scotland) BBC Scotland BBC Scotland on Facebook @BBCScotland on Twitter General 0141 422 6381 Hilda McLean 0141 422 6377 Jim Gough 0141 422 6376 Julie Whiteside 0141 422 6378 BBC Alba – Isabelle Salter 07967 763650 THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS TV & RADIO / BBC WEEKS 52 & 1 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ SUNDAY 24 DECEMBER – CHRISTMAS EVE Christmas Classics NEW BBC Radio Scotland Christmas Celebration NEW BBC One Scotland MONDAY 25 DECEMBER – CHRISTMAS DAY Four on the Cuillin NEW BBC ALBA I Will Tell You This! My Life With Rab C Nesbitt NEW BBC Radio Scotland Alistair MacLean – Master Storyteller NEW BBC Radio Scotland The Fountainbridge Spy NEW BBC Radio Scotland Picking Up The Pieces – The Average BBC Radio Scotland White Band Story NEW Christmas at the Movies BBC Radio Scotland Stan Laurel’s Glasgow NEW BBC Radio Scotland TUESDAY 26 DECEMBER – BOXING DAY Two Doors Down NEW BBC Two The Mystical Mutt NEW BBC Radio Scotland Truinnsearan ar Sinnsrean NEW BBC ALBA SATURDAY 30 DECEMBER Proms in the Park NEW BBC Two Scotland SUNDAY 31 DECEMBER – HOGMANAY Scotland’s Big Night Out NEW BBC One Scotland Only An Excuse? NEW BBC One Scotland Hogmanay Live 2017 TV HIGHLIGHT BBC One Scotland The Proclaimers:This Is The Story TV HIGHLIGHT BBC One Scotland Frances: A Stri ri MS NEW BBC ALBA Ceilidh na Bliadhn' Uire TV HIGHLIGHT BBC ALBA The Hogmanay Show RADIO HIGHLIGHT BBC Radio Scotland MONDAY 1 JANUARY – NEW YEAR’S DAY Kerry is Kirsty: A'Chomraich TV HIGHLIGHT BBC ALBA Sùlaisgeir: an t-Sealg (Sùlaisgeir: The Hunt) NEW BBC ALBA Rocky Ros Muc NEW BBC ALBA Harry Potter’s Edinburgh NEW BBC Radio Scotland Sheena Easton in Conversation NEW BBC Radio Scotland TUESDAY 2 JANUARY Rab Noakes’ Power of Music NEW BBC Radio Scotland WEDNESDAY 3 JANUARY The Story of Scotdisc NEW BBC One Scotland The Associates NEW BBC Radio Scotland _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Viewers outside Scotland can access BBC One Scotland on Sky 141 (HD) & 951, Freesat 108 (HD) & 960, Virgin Media 108 (HD) & 862. BBC Two Scotland can be viewed on Sky 142 (HD) & 970, Freesat 970. BBC ALBA is on Sky 143, Freesat 110, Virgin Media 188, Freeview 8 (Scotland only). BBC Radio Scotland can be accessed on Sky 0116, Freesat 712, Freeview 719 (Scotland only). BBC One Scotland, BBC Two Scotland and BBC ALBA are also available on the BBC iPlayer bbc.co.uk/iplayer & BBC Radio Scotland on bbc.co.uk/radioscotland EDITORIAL 2017 & 2018/ BBC WEEKS 52 & 1 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ BBC Scotland unwraps its selection box of festive treats for audiences A package of programming full of comedy, drama, documentaries and music will bring festive cheer to BBC Scotland audiences this yuletide. The broadcaster today (Wednesday 6 December) released its Christmas and Hogmanay TV and radio schedules that are packed with a choice of goodies to suit all tastes. On Christmas Eve, Sally Magnusson sets the festive tone with Christmas Celebration on BBC One Scotland, featuring carols and reflections from Crichton Memorial Church, Dumfries. The laughs are in abundance down Latimer Crescent when Beth (Arabella Weir) finds her plan for a quiet Christmas dinner go awry in Two Doors Down. This festive special on Boxing Day on BBC Two Scotland comes ahead of a new six part series which will start in early 2018. Cameron McNeish explores hidden gems of rural Scotland with a new two-part Roads Less Travelled series on BBC Two Scotland on Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 December when he journeys through the Heart of Scotland, beginning at Ben Rinnes and finishing in the wild Cromdale hills. The Hogmanay line-up on BBC One Scotland includes Scotland’s Big Night Out in which stand-up comedian and presenter Iain Stirling explores the history of Saturday nights out across the country since the 1950s. And the tough-tackling Only An Excuse? team, with Jonathan Watson leading the line, is back for its traditional fixture, casting a satirical look at the last 12 months on and off the pitch. Jackie Bird waves goodbye to the old year on Hogmanay Live 2017 from the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow where her guests include KT Tunstall. In Edinburgh, Roddy Hart will be joining thousands of revellers and the programme will also feature Rag’n’Bone Man who is headlining the capital’s Concert in the Gardens. In River City on BBC One Scotland on 2 January Lenny (Frank Gallagher) is shocked when a plot comes to light. Meanwhile he steps in to save the day for Lydia (Jacqueline Leonard) after her Hogmanay entertainment pulls out, giving her an unforgettable start to the New Year with a special cameo appearance from singer songwriter Eddi Reader. Among the Christmas Day highlights on BBC Radio Scotland is one-off drama, The Fountainbridge Spy. Writer David Ashton imagines how a young Sean Connery might have been tried and tested to show he was the man for the 007 role. Emun Elliot, who was in the recent BBC One drama, Trust Me, takes the lead as Sean. In I Will Tell You This! My Life with Rab C Nesbitt, writer Ian Pattison goes back to Rab’s spiritual heartland in Govan to rediscover the inspiration behind his iconic comedy creation. Greg Hemphill profiles one of Scotland’s most famous and successful writers in Alistair MacLean – Master Storyteller and in Picking up the Pieces – The Average White Band Story, the group’s long- time associate and former manager of Simple Minds, Bruce Findlay, charts how they became Scotland’s most successful soul music export. In Stan Laurel’s Glasgow, actor Alex Norton goes on a tour of 1900s Glasgow as seen through the eyes of the comic legend who would leave the city an unknown and return as a global star. On Boxing Day, Julia Sutherland presents The Mystical Mutt, the story of how new authors Lyn McNicol and Laura Jackson decided to go it alone and created a successful children’s book series. Bryan Burnett will see in the bells in style on The Hogmanay Show which features live music from the Cask Strength Ceilidh Band with Fiona Hunter. The New Year’s Day schedule includes Harry Potter’s Edinburgh in which presenter Sean Biggerstaff - AKA Quidditch captain, Oliver Wood – travels through the capital exploring why people feel the need to experience a bit of magic in the real world. Billy Differ sits down with a pop legend for Sheena Easton in Conversation and hears about how she spends her time between West End appearances, family life and how her singing ambitions began. BBC Alba’s Ceilidh na Bliadhn' Uire (Hogmanay Ceilidh) this year comes from the Misty Isle. Artists and musicians joining presenters Cathy Macdonald and Niall Iain Macdonald for a lively musical session in the run up to the bells and into the wee small hours include Art Cormack, Mànran and The Glenfinnan Ceilidh Band. Donalda MacKinnon, Director, BBC Scotland, said: ‘There’s something for everyone in this fantastic selection of programming. Our audiences traditionally come to us in big numbers for the festivities and we hope they’ll enjoy our Christmas and Hogmanay offerings as much this year. There’s a great mix of comedy, drama, documentaries and music to keep the festive season fizzing.’ JG SUNDAY 24 DECEMBER–CHRISTMAS EVE TV & RADIO HIGHLIGHTS / BBC WEEK 52 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Christmas Classics NEW Sunday 24 December – Christmas Eve BBC Radio Scotland, 10.00 – 11.30pm Gather family and friends and join the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra for a concert packed with seasonal songs and orchestral favourites that’s guaranteed to warm the parts other concerts can’t reach. There’s wintry music by famous composers such as Prokofiev and Korngold, all wrapped up with orchestral versions of carols and popular Christmas songs. Tenor and BBC Radio Scotland presenter Jamie MacDougall is the host, spreading good cheer with London West End performer Anita Louise Combe and conductor Stephen Bell. JG _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Christmas Celebration NEW Sunday 24 December – Christmas Eve BBC One Scotland, 11.45pm-12.35am Sally Magnusson presents Christmas Celebration which features music and readings, from Crichton Memorial Church, Dumfries. Traditional Christmas carols, from Once in Royal David’s City to O Come All Ye Faithful are sung by a congregation gathered from all over Dumfries and Galloway accompanied by Alba Brass. As well as the stories of the birth of Jesus from the Bible, there are modern reflections on what Christmas means today. The congregation is joined by the Junior Choir of the Royal Conservatoire, Scotland, and by singer Emily Smith who is a native of Dumfriesshire. HM MONDAY 25 DECEMBER–CHRISTMAS DAY TV & RADIO HIGHLIGHTS/BBC WEEK 52 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Four on the Cuillin NEW Monday 25 December – Christmas Day BBC ALBA, 8.30 – 9.00pm The first of three programmes, as four school leavers from Glasgow tackle the hardest mountain climb in the UK: the Cuillin Ridge on the Isle of Skye. Rosie, Zach, Mairead and Siobhan all went to school together, and are heading to university. But before they do, there's time for one last adventure. Together they take an epic journey that will test them to the limit. The gang will be supervised by world class safety guides. But they will have to face down vertigo, fatigue, hunger and the cold. IS _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Alistair MacLean – Master Storyteller NEW Monday 25 December – Christmas Day BBC Radio Scotland, 7.30 - 8.00am Greg Hemphill profiles the author and screenwriter Alistair MacLean who was famous for blockbusters like Where Eagles Dare, The Guns of Navarone and HMS Ulysses.