BBC WEEK 4, 15 - 31 January 2014 Programme Information, Television & Radio BBC Scotland Press Office bbc.co.uk/mediacentre bbc.co.uk/iplayer facebook.com/BBCScotland twitter.com/BBCScotland
THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS TELEVISION & RADIO / BBC WEEK 4
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SATURDAY 25 JANUARY The Commonwealth of Burns NEW BBC Two Scotland A Celtic Connections Special: BBC Two Scotland Burns and the Commonwealth Concert NEW
SUNDAY 26 JANUARY The Fabulous Alexander Brothers NEW BBC One Scotland
MONDAY 27 JANUARY Trusadh-An Island Practice/Slainte na Sgire NEW BBC ALBA
TUESDAY 28 JANUARY Scotland’s Smoking Gun NEW BBC Two Scotland WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY Rathad an Referendum NEW BBC ALBA
THURSDAY 30 JANUARY The Stuarts NEW BBC Two Scotland
FRIDAY 31 JANUARY Commonwealth Connections, Ep 1/26 NEW BBC Radio 3
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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 2014 / BBC WEEK 4 ______
BBC RADIO 3 EXPLORES MUSIC OF THE COMMONWEALTH COMMONWEALTH CONNECTIONS: January – July 2014 As part of the BBC’s Commonwealth Games programming, BBC Radio 3 presents Commonwealth Connections, a series of weekly features reflecting the range of music and culture across the 53 countries of the Commonwealth. Broadcast on BBC Radio 3 as part of World on 3 (11pm-1am), presented by Lopa Kothari and Mary Ann Kennedy, the series begins on Friday 31 January and runs until the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July. Commonwealth Connections includes 26 weekly music features, featuring musicians and musical events from across the globe, reflecting the traditional cultures of each country. From Antigua to Zambia, the series reflects the Commonwealth’s vibrant sounds, as the countries come together for their festival of sport. Each music feature will be broadcast alongside a ‘Heritage Track’ introduced by sports people and cultural figures from the Commonwealth countries, including the fastest man in Lesotho, Mosito Lehata, marathon runner Gideon Mthembu, and Bahamian sprinter Chris Brown. Roger Wright, Controller, BBC Radio 3 and Director, BBC Proms, says: ‘Radio 3 is proud of its commitment to music from across the globe and it’s an appropriate year to be exploring the musical story of the Commonwealth. We hope our millions of listeners will enjoy joining Radio 3 on this wide-reaching journey of traditional cultures and music from across the world.’ Commonwealth Connections will culminate in two live concerts from Glasgow, one on the eve of the Games (Friday 18 July) and the other just before the close of the Games (Friday 1 August) from BBC@theQuay, the BBC’s cultural hub on the banks of the Clyde. All of the Commonwealth Connections features will be available online permanently and for download, building up a rich audio archive alongside a wealth of images and video. Radio 3 will share its Commonwealth journey online and on social media throughout 2014, using the hashtag #R3Commonwealth. To listen to programmes 1 and 2 visit the BBC Previews Site: www.bbcpreviews.co.uk. For further information or help accessing the BBC Previews site contact: [email protected] Programme Information available under Friday 31 January.
EDITORIAL 2014 / BBC WEEK 4 ______
BBC Scotland boosts referendum coverage with a range of new programming including documentaries and debates across the country
A documentary series and a run of debates in front of audiences across the country are among the latest tranche of referendum programming from BBC Scotland for the early part of 2014.
The broadcaster, which last year approved a £5m investment for new content relating to the referendum, has been producing a wide range of programming to inform and engage with audiences. Its announcement today of a new raft of programming including a documentary series and a run of nine televised debates marks the latest stage of specific programming for audiences as the countdown to September’s referendum continues.
The first of the hour-long debates, which will be produced by Mentorn Scotland, the independent company which produces Question Time, airs at 9 pm on Tuesday, 21 January, BBC Two Scotland, from the Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock, and will be presented by James Cook. Panellists will be confirmed nearer the date of transmission. Applications for tickets can be made through this email address - [email protected]
The televised debate series will also include the following locations in the coming weeks: Borders, Fife, Kirkwall, Portree, Grantown, Edinburgh, Stirling and Glasgow.
The new documentary series on BBC Two Scotland includes a historical overview, looking at the story of the Union through to the post-war period and the events leading up to the decision to hold the referendum. Stuart Cosgrove will also present a programme which looks at the question of identity in the referendum story and another documentary in the series examines the main issues that will shape voters’ views and will include opinion poll research.
Meanwhile on BBC Radio Scotland, a series of referendum documentaries begins on Wednesday, 12 March, with Generation 2014: Life Swap, presented by Catriona Shearer, in which two teenagers with different backgrounds and political opinions trade places for a week.
Other programmes in the series will focus on humour – or lack of it – as the country warms up for the big event, the views of English people living in Scotland and the role of the Asian community in the referendum debate.
On BBC ALBA, the first documentary in the Rathad an Referendum series airs on Wednesday 29 January at 9 pm. Presented by BBC Alba political correspondent Niall O'Gallagher, the programme explores how Scotland has reached the point of having a referendum on independence, using archive, personal testimony and expert analysis.
The second documentary in the series is scheduled for Wednesday, 26, February at 9.00 pm. Presenter Iain MacInnes explores the place the Scottish economy has in the independence debate. This month BBC ALBA is also launching Rathad an Referendum, part of the BBC Naidheachdan site. It will contain the latest referendum news, information and audio and video reports as well as blogs and analysis.
John Mullin, BBC Scotland’s Referendum Editor, said: 'We're beginning this historic year with a significant increase in our coverage of the referendum. BBC Scotland has been delivering a wide range of content on this momentous story over many months. The programming we are announcing today further underlines our commitment to ensure audiences across the country are fully informed and engaged as we move closer to the vote.'
Further information: Jim Gough, BBC Scotland Press Office
SATURDAY 25 JANUARY TELEVISION & RADIO HIGHLIGHTS / BBC WEEK 4 ______
The Commonwealth of Burns NEW Saturday 25 January BBC Two Scotland, 9.30 – 10.30pm
For over 200 years, Scots have been celebrating the life and work of our national Bard, Robert Burns, every January – but Burns Suppers are not a phenomenon unique to Scotland. In the year that Glasgow will welcome 70 nations and territories to Scottish soil for Glasgow 2014, BBC Two Scotland’s The Commonwealth of Burns will reveal how and why this night is still celebrated in some of the furthest-flung corners of the Commonwealth. From the villages of Sri Lanka, where only three Scots remain in an ancient society that is still going strong; to Singapore, where only ‘pure blood’ Scots are eligible to join the club; to Ghana where the marriage of Scots and African culture has generated new ‘traditions’; to the remote island paradise of Bermuda, where every Scot on the island, including the new Governor, has to speak for their supper. The documentary follows the trials and tribulations of these far-flung St Andrews and Caledonian Societies as they prepare for their big day – which includes challenges such as sourcing the traditional haggis and bagpipes. In the course of the film the story of the Scots characters, who have settled in these countries, reveal why the celebration of Burns Night still has such meaning around the Commonwealth, and discover the importance of a shared identity when we are furthest from home.
Karen Higgins
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A Celtic Connections Special: Burns and the Commonwealth Concert NEW Saturday 25 January BBC Two Scotland, 10.30 – 11.30pm
BBC Two Scotland brings A Celtic Connections Special: Burns and the Commonwealth Concert, as musicians explore Robert Burns’ influence throughout the Commonwealth and beyond. A host of world class musicians come together on Burns Night at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow to celebrate the life and work of Scotland's most famous poet and songwriter.
Karen Higgins
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Scottish Premiership – Motherwell v Aberdeen Saturday 25 January BBC ALBA, 5.30 – 7.30pm
The latest full-match coverage from the Scottish Premiership as Motherwell host Aberdeen at Fir Park, Motherwell.
Lorna Gardner / Gary McQueen
SUNDAY 26 JANUARY TELEVISION & RADIO HIGHLIGHTS / BBC WEEK 4 ______
The Fabulous Alexander Brothers, Ep 1/1 NEW Sunday 26 January BBC One Scotland, 6.00-6.30pm
Tom and Jack, The Alexander Brothers, enthralled audiences all over the world with their unique brand of Scottish musical variety entertainment. Originally painters and decorators, the brothers went onto become stars of stage and screen. In the 1960s, at the height of their fame, they outsold the Beatles in Scotland, had their own TV series and toured the World’s most prestigious concert venues including Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House. Tom Alexander tells the incredible story of one of Scotland’s most successful variety entertainment acts, alongside interviews with Andy Cameron, Dorothy Paul, Johnny Beattie and clips of classic archive performances. Born and brought up in Lanarkshire, the brothers were both classically trained musicians, Tom on accordion and Jack on piano. In the 1950s they were spotted at local talent contests and, over the next 50 years, became one of Scotland’s most successful musical acts. The Fabulous Alexander Brothers begins with Tom in his home-town of Cambusnethan, as he remembers the early days, returning to the local Miners Social Club, the venue for the brothers’ earliest performances, where they honed their craft in front of a demanding audience. It wasn’t long before they were booked for variety shows across Scotland, the most significant of which being the show held at the Glasgow Metropole Theatre, owned by none other than Jimmy Logan. From there the Alexander Brothers went from strength to strength – recording contracts, their own TV series and tours around the World. Despite their success, the brothers never lost touch with their roots. Dorothy Paul recounts a tale of Tom and Jack meeting a very important lady from high society. She had heard that they were painters, and when she met them she asked :“What is your medium…what do you paint in?”’ Jack Alexander said: ‘’Well, eh, emulsion, sometimes gloss!!’' They received the MBE in 2005 for services to entertainment and continued to perform right up until 2013, when Jack Alexander sadly passed away.
Hilda McLean
MONDAY 27 JANUARY TELEVISION & RADIO HIGHLIGHTS /BBC WEEK 4 ______
Trusadh - An Island Practice/Slainte na Sgire NEW Monday 27 January BBC ALBA, 9.00 – 10.00pm
In his smart suit and shining shoes he cuts a striking image against the Hebridean moor. Medical bag in hand, negotiating the rough path of a croft, it could be a scene lifted straight out of Dr Finlay's Casebook. But Dr Andrew Naylor, one of Scotland's last single handed doctors, is as much a part of the Isle of Harris landscape as the local crofters, fishermen and families. With a patient roll of just over 500, Leverburgh Surgery, tucked between the South Harris mountains and the sea, is among Scotland's tiniest practices. But it’s a round the clock job for the gentle mannered physician, and his gregarious half-doctor half-crofter colleague, Dr Donald John Murray, who covers once a month. Humorous, touching and nostalgic, Trusadh - An Island Practice spends a season with these contrasting medical men, their assistant Kathleen, and the colourful surrounding community
Lorna Gardner / Gary McQueen
TUESDAY 28 JANUARY TELEVISION & RADIO HIGHLIGHTS / BBC WEEK 4 ______
River City Tuesday 28 January BBC One Scotland HD, 8.00 – 9.00pm
This week in Shieldinch…Dan’s unsettled when a blast from his past arrives in Shieldinch; cash-strapped Scarlett takes the edge off her worries with a little medication; and a loved-up Gabriel and Mandy ignore reality and fantasise about their future together. Delighted to have Doctor Dan back, Tatiana organises ‘welcome home’ drinks at the Tall Ship. As Dan tells heroic tales of his time in Somalia, an unexpected guest arrives in the pub – Doctor Joe Dearnon. Although he welcomes his friend into the fold, there’s a hidden tension between the pair. Later, Joe tells Dan he came to Shieldinch to persuade him to return to Somalia but Dan’s far from comfortable about revisiting his past. Clocking a closeness between Tatiana and Dan, Joe confronts Tattiana accusing her of luring Dan away from Somalia. Convinced Joe is ill, Tatiana urges Dan to help his friend. And when Dan discovers psychiatric drugs in Joe’s rucksack he’s forced to take drastic action. Elsewhere, a stressed out and tired Scarlett turns to painkillers to calm her nerves. With her finances dwindling and the pay day loan company chasing her for repayment, Scarlett asks Stella for work at the Oyster Café - to no avail. Worried about Nicole’s talk of adoption, Leyla urges Gabriel to help more with baby Grace. However. Gabriel’s distracted by Mandy and their talk of starting a new life together but when he brings up the issue of Mandy’s husband, Billy, reality bites the adulterous duo.
Dan is played by Adam Robertson, Scarlett by Sally Howitt, Gabriel by Garry Sweeney, Mandy by Julie Austin, Tatiana by Magdalena Kaleta, Joe Dearnon by Jamie MacLachlan, Stella by Keira Lucchesi, Nicole by Holly Jack and Leyla by Maryam Hamidi.
Julie Whiteside
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Scotland’s Smoking Gun NEW Tuesday 28 January BBC Two Scotland, 9.00-10.00pm
The first in a series of documentaries focussing on the referendum examines how Scotland reached the point where its citizens will soon be holding a vote deciding the fate of the United Kingdom. It looks at the factors which are thought to be responsible and asks whether there is a “Smoking Gun” to explain it all. The programme traces the global and national events of the last 60 years that may have all contributed to us going to the voting booths later this year. From the ‘theft’ of the Stone of Destiny to the discovery of oil to even Elvis Presley and the Cold War. No stone is left unturned as the documentary examines both the fun and serious “Smoking Guns” that are responsible for making the 18 September 2014 one of the most important dates in Scotland’s history.
Jim Gough ______
Farpaisean Chon-Chaorach/Sheepdogs, Ep 4/9 Tuesday 28 January BBC ALBA, 9.00 – 10.00pm
Donald MacSween and Catriona MacPhee present the first day of the 2013 Scottish National Sheepdog Trials in Kintore, Aberdeenshire.
Lorna Gardner / Gary McQueen
WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY TELEVISION & RADIO HIGHLIGHTS / BBC WEEK 4 ______
Waterloo Road, Episode 14/30 Wednesday 29 January 2014 BBC One, 8.00-9.00pm
Lenny gets carried away with the Resilience Programme and causes widespread panic when he accuses the local shop of shady dealings. George and Carol’s flush of new love is marred by the arrival of his very opinionated mother. A vindictive Barry Barry visits Waterloo Road. Simon and Hector’s Resilience programme is in full swing. This week, the students learn the importance of vigilance or ‘no guts, no glory’ as George describes it. With George’s words echoing in his head and no Lisa to rein him in, Lenny lets his imagination run wild and is certain the local shop is just a cover for some criminal activity. He enlists Darren to hold a stake-out but their meddling only highlights the dangers of prejudice and wannabe heroism. George’s mother comes to visit and sets about insulting everyone with her superior attitude and sharp tongue. But she gets a shock when she meets Carol Barry, queen of the one liners and her son’s new girlfriend. Barry is back and this time he won’t leave so easily. All he wants is to come home and he’s prepared to play dirty to get there.
Lenny is played by Joe Slater, George by Angus Deayton, Carol by Zoe Lucker, Barry by Carl Au, Simon by Richard Mylan, Hector by Leon Ockenden, Lisa by Caitlin Gillespie, Darren by Mark Beswick and Mrs Windsor by Wendy Craig. Waterloo Road is a Shed Production for BBC One through BBC Scotland.
Lee Beattie & Eva Cook, Wire Media (National Publicity) Julie Whiteside (Scottish Publicity)
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Grand Slam '84, Ep 1/1 NEW Wednesday 29 January BBC Two Scotland, 10.00- 10.30pm
Grand Slam '84 takes viewers back to one of Scotland's most remarkable sporting achievements on the rugby field - winning a Grand Slam in the Five Nations for the first time since 1925. The canny squad of players and head coach Jim Telfer didn't waste time looking for the key to success, electing instead to simply smash down the door. John Beattie, himself a hero of the winning squad, narrates this epic tale of the season, which included the 100th match against the auld enemy and winning the triple crown in Dublin before the campaign concluded with a pulsating 'winner takes all' decider against the French at Murrayfield. Thirty years on the passion from both players and supporters is infectious, harking back to a golden era of Scottish rugby. Grand Slam '84 is a Webster Ltd production for BBC Scotland
Jim Gough
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Rathad an Referendum NEW Wednesday 29 January BBC ALBA, 9.00 – 9.30pm
Rathad an Referendum takes an in depth look at the referendum story so far. It looks back at how the fight for an independent Scotland has developed over the years and explores the current relationship between the Holyrood and Westminster parliaments. Rathad an Referendum hears from Gaels on both sides of the most important debate in Scotland for many generations.
Lorna Gardner / Gary McQueen
THURSDAY 30 JANUARY TELEVISION & RADIO HIGHLIGHTS / BBC WEEK 4 ______
The Stuarts, Ep 1/3 NEW Thursday 30 January BBC Two Scotland, 9.00-10.00pm
As the year of Scotland’s crucial referendum opens, this new three part series takes a timely look at the origins of the United Kingdom and the dynastic family under whose rule it was forged. Presented by Dr Clare Jackson of Cambridge University, The Stuarts charts the 17th century rule of Great Britain's first Royal family and how for the first time, they pushed the idea of a single United Kingdom. Says Dr Clare Jackson: “In today’s constitutionally-shifting Great Britain, there can be few historical subjects worth understanding better, than the previous successes and failures of the dynasty that, for good or ill, built Britain.” She also argues that the Stuarts, more than any other, were Britain’s defining royal family: “More than any other the Stuart century was the one in which the foundations of modern Britain were laid. So how did this happen...and what role did this remarkable family play? “During the 17th century, The Stuarts grappled with the chaos of three separate Kingdoms, multiple religions and civil war…Britain has not known a century like it…and yet, some of the questions this dynasty faced, have not gone away.” In the first episode, Clare Jackson looks back at their rise in Scotland and how through dynastic roulette, they won the jackpot - Scotland, Ireland and England (and with it Wales) and so became the crucible through which the political shape of modern Britain would be forged. In 1603, the three kingdoms were still very different historically and culturally, more accustomed to fighting one another than co-operating. Dr Jackson looks at how James VI and I attempted to change this by uniting them under the umbrella of his crowns. In this new Britain, anyone could be a loyal subject of the Stuarts, despite ethnic and religious differences. In the second episode the story is taken on from James to his son Charles I’s disastrous attempt to impose by military power a political and religious uniformity throughout his kingdoms, whereby both the Stuart dynasty and its three kingdoms fell into an abyss. Driven by religious hatred and religious violence, they tore themselves and each other’s people apart. Charles lost his head and his family fled into exile. The final, dramatic act of the Stuart Century – as outlined in the third and final part of the series - saw the royal family, reinstated in power but fatally divided by religion. Charles II was Protestant, but with no legitimate children, his heir presumptive was his brother James, a Catholic. When James took the throne, he was in his fifties, with no male heirs but with his brother’s oldest – but illegitimate – son, the Duke of Monmouth agitating in the wings. And latterly, it was his own two daughters, Mary and then Anne – brought up as Protestants – who would support the overthrow of their father. By the early 18th century these bitter conflicts would lead to the end of Stuart rule and extraordinarily, the almost incidental creation of Great Britain. After Charles II’s brother, the Catholic James VII & II, was deposed in 1688 by Mary’s husband the protestant William of Orange, Britain became a constitutional monarchy. But the so-called 1688 ‘Glorious Revolution’ came at a price. Scotland lost her sovereignty and became part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. And by the time Queen Anne, the last Stuart monarch, died in 1714, Ireland had been reduced from a kingdom to a colony, seeded with the politics of resentment. As Dr Jackson says: “It was a century of struggle marked by religious division, revolution and conflicting visions of what Britain would be…a struggle which has echoes today.”
Hilda McLean
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DIY le Donnie, Ep4/5 Thursday 30 January BBC ALBA, 9.00 – 9.45pm
Well loved TV personality Donnie ‘Dotaman’ MacLeod shows a different side in this new series - his love of DIY. Armed with a hammer and saw, Donnie fearlessly undertakes work on his own home. In a cost-conscious refit of a "granny-flat" kitchen, Donnie shows viewers how the likes of kitchen units and worktops can be reused to give a great new look- and save some cash. Whether it's ideas, tips-of-the-trade, or inspiration to get started, DIY le Donnie has something for every budding DIYer.
Lorna Gardner / Gary McQueen
FRIDAY 31 JANUARY TELEVISION & RADIO HIGHLIGHTS / BBC WEEK 4 ______
Commonwealth Connections, Ep 1/26 NEW Friday 31 January BBC Radio 3, 11.00pm – 1.00am
Mary Ann Kennedy is live from the BBC’s Pacific Quay studios in Glasgow as she launches the 26-part series Commonwealth Connections, featuring musicians from across the Commonwealth. MUSIC FEATURE: Jamaica – the route to Reggae In Port Antonio over on the north side of the Island, the Jolly Boys, a mento band formed in 1945 to entertain at Errol Flynn's parties live a quiet life entertaining the visiting stars singing songs of social comment of Mento. This is Jamaica's Calypso complete with banjo, percussion and rumba box accompaniment, an acoustic forerunner to the ubiquitous Reggae music heard all over the Caribbean. HERITAGE TRACK: Swaziland Gideon Mthembu made his name as a marathon runner for Swaziland, representing his country at the Seoul Olympics in 1988.He went on to play an important role in the administration of athletics in Swaziland, becoming General Secretary of the Athletics Federation, and today continues his work promoting track and field in the whole Southern Africa Region. He chose the artist Bholoja, with a song called “Indzawo Yami” from his album “Swazi Soul”, a beautiful song explaining Swazi’s deep attachment to the land they call home
Madeleine Castell
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Bean a' Mhinisteir / The Minister’s Wife, Ep4/6 Friday 31 January BBC ALBA, 8.30 – 9.00pm
This series follow the lives of three quite different ministers' wives. Mairi MacAulay is starting out in her role as a minister's wife in Tain. A new challenge for her, husband Alasdair and their three young children as they embark on a new life in the manse. Jo Moir is a minister's wife in the Salvation Army in Cumbernauld - but she is also married to a minister, Stephen. For Jo it's a busy life balancing the responsibilities of a demanding parish with those of a young family. Ruth Rankin is an arts and drama officer in the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh. Bean a' Mhinisteir / The Minister’s Wife follows Ruth as she juggles organising plays with her Christian youth group and looking after her baby daughter with supporting her husband, David, in his pastoral work.
Lorna Gardner / Gary McQueen
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