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 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 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 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 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 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 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