Bbc Week 4, 23

BBC WEEK 4, 23 - 29 January 2016 Programme Information, Television & Radio BBC Scotland Press Office bbc.co.uk/mediacentre bbc.co.uk/iplayer facebook.com/BBCScotland twitter.com/BBCScotland

General / Carol Knight Hilda McLean Jim Gough Julie Whiteside BBC Alba

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS TELEVISION & RADIO / BBC WEEK 4

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MONDAY 25 JANUARY Burns, My Dad and Me  NEW BBC Two Scotland

TUESDAY 26 JANUARY Vets: Gach Creutair Beò, Ep 1/10  NEW BBC Alba

THURSDAY 28 JANUARY Oighreachdan na h-Alba/ Great Estates, Ep 4/4  LAST IN THE SERIES BBC Alba

FRIDAY 29 JANUARY Celtic Connections 2016  NEW BBC Two Scotland

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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 2016 / BBC WEEK 4 ______

Coming Soon on BBC Scotland …

BBC Scotland is brightening up the dark winter nights with a selection of compelling drama, comedy and documentaries from around the country in the first few weeks of 2016.

Ranging from Shetland to Inverurie, Edinburgh, the Highlands, Glasgow and Loch Fyne, the rich mix of programming will keep audiences entertained and engaged during the rest of the winter and into early spring.

The following information below on some of the highlights is for planning purposes. More information will be released as transmission details are finalised.

SHETLAND

Acclaimed murder-mystery series, Shetland, returns for a new thrilling six-part tale with an array of acting talent including Ciara Hinds, Archie Panjabi and Anna Chancellor alongside series regulars Douglas Henshall, Alison O’Donnell, Steven Robertson, Julie Graham and Mark Bonnar. When a young man disappears on a ferry crossing and a small boy ends up in intensive care, DI Jimmy Perez and his team become convinced the two events are connected.

THE MART

The Thainstone Mart, at Inverurie in Aberdeenshire, is one of the biggest markets of its kind in Europe, where deals can run into megabucks and livelihoods can hang in the balance. Drawing farmers and their stock from across Scotland – and indeed the UK – it is alive on auction days with fast bidding, farmers on ‘tenterhooks’ and …livestock, often primped and preened to look their best. This new six-part observational documentary series from BBC Scotland, hitting the screens in January, reveals the characters at the heart of the action - the auctioneers. As narrator Denis Lawson says in the first episode: “Farming is a risky business and when it’s time to make money the stakes are high”. And the onus is on the auctioneers in The Mart to get the best prices they can.

TWO DOORS DOWN

A new six-part series of BBC Two sitcom Two Doors Down arrives in 2016, revisiting the residents of Latimer Crescent. Arabella Weir, Alex Norton, Doon Mackichan, Jonathan Watson and Sharon Rooney are joined by new cast, Elaine C Smith, Jamie Quinn and Harki Bhambra. The new series follows a successful Hogmanay pilot which aired in 2013.

GRIME SCENE QUEENS Marie Fagan was looking for a new niche when she took over the recession-hit cleaning business started by her late dad Johnny. Fascinated by American drama CSI, she got to thinking about who cleaned up the grisly death scenes featured and her new business idea began to take shape. Now trained in dealing with biohazards, she takes care of everything from death scenes to drug dens full of hypodermic needles and even the odd workplace sewage crisis. She and her partner in grime, best friend Lesley, travel all over Scotland dealing with some seriously dirty jobs, training up the company's newest recruit, Marie's daughter Rhiannon, along the way.

LADY LAIRDS

This series follows the lives of three women running Scottish highland estates at Killin, Lochcarron and near Loch Fyne filmed over a year. It will chart the social lives of the Lady Lairds and their families with dinner parties, ceilidhs and also the business side of the estates following the workers; from ghillies getting married to shepherds getting sacked and bulls not ‘doing the business’. We will be there with the Lady Lairds as they desperately hoover for the new guests, shoot the first stag, wade into the burn to rescue lambs, host dinner parties, organise highland games, fall out with locals, hire new staff and deal with all that life throws at them.

ONE OF US

A major new four-drama written by The Missing writers, Jack and Harry Williams, One Of Us is a modern thriller set in Edinburgh and the Highlands. A horrific double murder rocks the lives of two families living side-by-side in isolated rural Scotland. But instead of focusing on the investigation, One Of Us explores the fallout for the grieving relatives, and the dark consequences that threaten to shatter their lives. It is an intense morality tale which will keep the audience guessing until its devastating climax. Starring Juliet Stevenson, Joanna Vanderham, Laura Fraser, John Lynch, Adrian Edmondson, Georgina Campbell, Joe Dempsie, Julie Graham, Gary Lewis and Steve Evets.

RADIO SCOTLAND’S REAL LIFE PARENTING – INSIDE STORIES FROM FAMILIES TODAY

A special season of programmes across Radio Scotland will look at the challenges facing parents today with a variety of presenters including Shelley Joffre, Tam Cowan and Viv Lumsden. The issues covered include - how to survive Parents’ Night and what should you tell your children about the dangers of present-day life. The season also looks at the challenges facing grandparents who play a major role in bringing up their children’s children. And what teenagers really.

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ROBOT WARS REBOOTED FOR BBC TWO

Mentorn Scotland, part of the Tinopolis Group, has been commissioned by BBC Two to produce a new series of the man and machine battle series Robot Wars, it was announced today. The iconic entertainment show will return as a 6 x 60’ series and will feature a new structure with more robots, more battles and more science than ever before. The new series includes a raft of technological advances since the show first aired over a decade ago, and viewers can expect to see more innovative fighting machines as teams of amateur roboteers battle it out to win the coveted Robot Wars title. The show will be recorded in a new purpose built fighting arena in Glasgow, allowing viewers to get even closer to the action, with state of the art cameras capable of capturing every crushing, sawing and scorching moment in incredible detail. The new series of has been commissioned by Channel Controller Kim Shillinglaw, Acting Controller of Entertainment Alan Tyler and Jo Street BBC Commissioning Editor. Produced by Mentorn Media Scotland in association with SJP Media, it will be executive produced by Creative Director Entertainment at Tinopolis, Chris Brogden, Andrew Robertson of Mentorn Scotland and Jo Street for the BBC. Kim Shillinglaw, Controller of BBC Two and BBC Four, said: “Robot Wars is an absolute TV classic and I'm thrilled to be updating it for the next generation of viewers. With new technological advances making for an even more exciting and immersive experience this is a fantastic example of the kind of content-rich factual entertainment that BBC Two excels at.” Chris Brogden, Creative Director Entertainment at Tinopolis, said: “Bringing back Robot Wars to our screens is hugely exciting. Its return will see new and improved robots, with extraordinary innovation and power in these updated machines – it promises to be quite the competition.” Alan Tyler, BBC Acting Controller of Entertainment Commissioning said: “The redeveloped Robot Wars proved compelling, offering a mix of real people, real passion and raw power. It is remarkable to see how much more powerful these robots have become since the series last aired, with battles now staged in an arena that is literally bullet proof. And yet, the show is still fundamentally driven by the eccentricity of the brilliant brains behind the machines. We are excited to bring this clever new incarnation not only to an audience who loved the original but also to those who may be discovering it for the first time." To apply please email [email protected] For further information please contact Louise Plank at Plank PR on 020 8995 3936 [email protected] or Andrew Francis at the BBC on 07834 845545 [email protected]

MONDAY 25 JANUARY TELEVISION & RADIO HIGHLIGHTS /BBC WEEK 4 ______

The Mart, Ep 2/6 Monday 25 January BBC One Scotland, 7.30-8.00pm

The second episode illustrates how much farming is still a family business and looks at how the Mart helps family farms earn their living, providing a helping hand to ensure livestock are in the best condition possible to sell at auction. Many of the mart staff also farm themselves. Auctioneer Colin Slessor and his daughter Rachel sell three of Rachel’s favourite sheep. Ten year old Rachel is fit to burst with joy as the lambs make more than she was expecting. Meanwhile in Huntly, sheep auctioneer Finlay McIntyre visits a farmer who’s selling sheep for the first time. Jacqueline Strathdee runs her family farm which usually breeds Aberdeen Angus cattle but this year she’s been breeding sheep for the first time. Finlay arrives to check out the lambs she has in stock and give her an estimate on how much he reckons they will fetch at sale. He also takes time to pay a visit to his namesake tup, Finlay. Says Finlay: “He is a monster tup, very well bred and very good-looking. I think that is why she called him after me.” Jacqueline, who runs the farm with her father Jock, says: “The auctioneers are willing to help and gie some advice…have a bit of laugh, a lot of banter.” Also in this episode entitled Farming is a Family Business, yardsman Steven Seivwright balances his work on his own home farm and working at Thainstone. Steven runs a tenant farm with help from his wife Jenny and daughters Jane, 7, and Katie, 8. They, like many farmers, struggle to make ends meet and Steven hopes that the sale of some of his young heifers and bullocks will help them along the way. Auctioneer John Angus pays a visit to the farm as Steven and the girls prepare the calves for the sale. Also selling cattle is a farmer from Udny, John Matheson. And trainee Rory Livesey is given the opportunity to sell in the rostrum once again. Rory isn’t initially on form and quickly realises that he better up his game if he wants to get John the prices he needs. Once a month, Thainstone holds a Saturday machinery sale where all kinds of tools and equipment are auctioned. Excavator seller Ian Miller braves the cold and rain to unload his machine. Machinery expert John Roy gives him tips on what to expect at the sale before the digger goes under the hammer. HM

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Burns, My Dad and Me  NEW Monday 25 January BBC Two Scotland, 7.00-7.30pm

Growing up the daughter of a famous Scottish singer and renowned interpreter of Burns wasn’t always easy. As a teenager, Kirsteen McCue felt that Robert Burns was an unwanted intrusion into her life: “Burns was on such a pedestal in our house, it almost put me off.” Now a professor at Glasgow University, a leading expert on Burns, Kirsteen has changed her tune somewhat. In this affectionate documentary, Kirsteen McCue goes in search of the connections that bind her dad, Bill McCue to Burns, and indeed to her. Bill McCue’s powerful bass voice has introduced many a Scot to the songs of Robert Burns in his time. The singer trained as an opera singer at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in the late 50s and with the birth of Scottish Opera in 1962 realised his dream of becoming a professional opera singer. International fame beckoned as an opera star, but McCue didn’t want to leave his home in Scotland. Instead his warm tone, larger than life presence and his understanding of Burns’s lyrics made him a fixture on Scottish TV and Radio With archive footage of Bill’s impressive career, Burns, My Dad and Me – produced by Hopscotch Films - explores how Burns’s work as a composer and lyricist continues to inspire and transform lives and relationships like that of Kirsteen and her father. A screening of Burns’s rarely performed Cantata, dramatised for television by STV and Scottish opera in 1979 proves an emotional moment for Kirsteen. The film which Kirsteen hadn’t ever seen, was for many years thought to be lost. An exciting find, Kirsteen is thrilled: “I still find it quite difficult to watch dad even after all these years especially in something like that when it’s so absolutely him, so it’s quite an emotional experience seeing that. The two things he loved most - Scots songs and opera are married beautifully in that production”. From Bill’s award-winning turn at a Burns competition at the tender age of 14 to his captivating performance with Scottish Opera in The Jolly Beggars, through the tartanry of the 1980s studio shows that sometimes made Kirsteen cringe, In Burns, Dad and Me, Kirsteen discovers that Burns was a lifelong companion to Bill and his gift to her.

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Port, Ep 4/8 Monday 25 January BBC ALBA, 9.55 – 10.25pm

Award winning music documentary series presented by Julie Fowlis and Muireann NicAmhlaoibh. This week, they visit Donegal to discover more about the traditional musical heritage in the area. Port reveals the shared musical heritage of our two presenters and viewers meet their musical friends who have their musical roots in the area. Accompanying Julie and Muireann are two musicians from Scotland who have made a name for themselves, renowned singer, Margaret Stewart and fiddler Coll Macdonald. They discover that Donegal is a hotbed of talent and perform with acclaimed singer Rita Gallagher, musicians Dermot Byrne and Brid Harper and the Campbell brothers amongst others.

GMcQ / LG

TUESDAY 26 JANUARY TELEVISION & RADIO HIGHLIGHTS / BBC WEEK 4 ______

River City Tuesday 26 January BBC One Scotland HD, 8.00 – 9.00pm facebook.com/bbcrivercity twitter.com/bbcrivercity instagram.com/bbcrivercity

This week in Shieldinch…Kelly-Marie lies in an induced coma with a devastated Scarlett keeping a bedside vigil; Patrick’s horrified when false accusations of grooming are made against him; and Eileen and AJ’s modern twist on Burns Night ruffles Alasdair’s feathers. At the hospital, Kelly-Marie lies unconscious as her worried mother, Scarlett, watches on, refusing to leave her bedside. Alex’s arrival only causes further distress as the Mullens make it clear he’s not welcome. Scarlett’s and Jimmy’s anguish deepens when the police take Alex away for questioning in connection to his wife’s accident. Patrick is stunned when he receives a letter from the football club suspending him from coaching. He delves deeper and, to his horror, uncovers the false accusations being levelled at him but doesn’t know who made them. Patrick confides in Robbie about the grooming accusations. Determined to help a deflated Patrick clear his name, Robbie does some digging of his own, resulting in a heated confrontation with Caitlin. However, this leads to further secrets and lies being revealed which shock Drew, with the angry teenager lashing out dangerously. Eileen and AJ embrace the spirit of the season organising a Burns Night at the Tall Ship. However, traditionalist Alasdair is appalled by their modern twist on the celebrations and sets about sabotaging their plans. Elsewhere, Angel and Robbie continue to spar over their hairdressing businesses. However, despite putting on a brave face, Robbie knows he’s freefalling financially and takes drastic action to seal his salon’s fate.

Kelly-Marie is played by Carmen Pieraccini, Scarlett by Sally Howitt, Patrick by Gerard Miller, Robbie by Gary Lamont, Eileen by Deirdre Davis, AJ by Sanjeev Kohli, Alasdair by Michael MacKenzie, Alex by Jordan Young, Jimmy by Billy McElhaney, Caitlin by Gayle Telfer Stevens, Drew by Benjamin Nugent and Angel by Hanna Stanbridge.

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Vets: Gach Creutair Beò, Ep 1/10  NEW Tuesday 26 January BBC ALBA, 8.30 – 9.00pm

A new series following some of Scotland’s vets as they go about their work tending to a wide range of animals from small to large, the tame to the very wild. Stories of joy and stories of sadness as Vets: Gach Creutair Beò meets all creatures great and small. In this first programme of a ten part series, Colin Scott at Blair Drummond Safari Park treats monkeys from Gibraltar, and in Wick, Iain Maclean performs a Caesarian on a cow in the middle of the night.

GMcQ / LG

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Farpaisean Chon-Chaorach/Sheepdogs, Ep 4/6 Tuesday 26 January BBC ALBA, 9.00 – 10.00pm

It's day one of the International sheepdog trial and presenters Catriona MacPhee and Donald MacSween are in the Scottish Borders to bring the highlights. With the Scottish National competition complete, this week's programme turns to the International competition. Hosted in Scotland this year it is being held on a course set over a 146-acre field near Moffat. A challenge for even the most experienced of handlers. The competition kicks off with Englishman Ricky Hutchinson and Sweep who set the standard high very early on. Off the field Farpaisean Chon-Chaorach/Sheepdogs takes some time to meet members of the Scottish International team. The series speaks to Ian McMillan who is making his competitive debut for the Scots. The programme also gets to know the Welsh team better when Evelyn Coull travels to Wales to attend the Welsh National and witness Aled Owen and Cap secure the title of Welsh Captain.

GMcQ / LG

THURSDAY 28 JANUARY TELEVISION & RADIO HIGHLIGHTS / BBC WEEK 4 ______

DIY le Donnie, Ep 3/6 Thursday 28 January BBC ALBA, 9.00 – 9.45pm

Donnie ‘Dotaman’ Macleod travels between Glasgow and Barra tackling a number of interesting projects which showcase his many talents. In tonight's programme, Donnie is in Barra where he meets Chrissie whose porch was built thirty years ago. The weather and the years have left their mark on the porch but Donnie, as usual, has a solution which leaves Chrissie with a warm, dry porch in which to sit and do the crossword.

GMcQ / LG

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Oighreachdan na h-Alba/Great Estates, Ep 4/4  LAST IN THE SERIES Thursday 28 January BBC ALBA, 10.25 – 11.25pm

Great Estates takes an in-depth look at the workings of four country estates through the eyes of the current owners, the ghillies, the gardeners and the housekeepers. The series documents the inner workings of an estate and the complexities of managing such an operation. Rosslyn Estate is the home of Rosslyn Chapel, location for Ron Howard's blockbuster The Di Vinci Code. Art historian and owner Lady Helen Rosslyn, will be the guide as this episode examines the legends that surround this small chapel on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Legend says that Rosslyn is the home of the Holy Grail. It contains the skull of John the Baptist or is the final resting place of Mary Magdalene and some say it's the resting place for the Knights Templar. With Lady Helen and some of the world's foremost Rosslyn experts we will dig deep into the legends.

GMcQ / LG

FRIDAY 29 JANUARY TELEVISION & RADIO HIGHLIGHTS / BBC WEEK 4 ______

Celtic Connections 2016  NEW Friday 29 January BBC Two Scotland, 10.00-10.30pm

This is the second of two weekly programmes showcasing some of the best from this year's Celtic Connections festival, filmed at special BBC sessions at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow. Further performances will be available online over the course of the festival at bbc.co.uk/celticconnections which also includes information about coverage across Radio 2, 3 and Radio Scotland.

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