BBC Scotland facts for kids
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BBC Scotland's area within the UK
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| Country | |
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| Headquarters | BBC Pacific Quay, Glasgow, Scotland |
| Area | Scotland |
| Language | English and Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) |
BBC Scotland (also known as BBC Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is a part of the BBC. It is the main public TV and radio broadcaster in Scotland.
It is one of the four main BBC regions in the UK. The others are for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. BBC Scotland's main office is in Glasgow. In 2017, about 1,250 people worked there. They create 15,000 hours of TV and radio shows each year.
BBC Scotland runs several TV channels. These include BBC One Scotland, the BBC Scotland channel, and the Gaelic language channel BBC Alba. It also has radio stations like BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio nan Gàidheal.
Contents
History
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The first radio service in Scotland started on 6 March 1923. It was called 5SC and was in Glasgow. More stations opened in Aberdeen, Dundee, and Edinburgh. Around 1927, these local stations joined together. They became part of the BBC Regional Programme for Scotland.
In 1939, these regional shows became part of the BBC Home Service. National programs for Scotland continued on this station. Later, in November 1978, a separate radio station called BBC Radio Scotland was created.
Television in Scotland officially began on 14 March 1952. At first, most shows came from London. But some Scottish content was made using special outside broadcast equipment. By 1962, there were plans for TV news studios in Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Over time, BBC Scotland gained the right to show more of its own programs.
BBC Two started in Scotland in 1966. It began broadcasting in black and white. In 1967, BBC Two started showing programs in colour. By 1971, BBC Scotland's Studio "A" in Glasgow was one of the first regional studios in Britain to use colour.
In September 1998, BBC Choice Scotland was launched. This was BBC Scotland's first digital TV service.
BBC Scotland has worked to make more shows for the main UK networks. This goal was helped in 2007. That year, BBC Scotland moved its main office to BBC Pacific Quay. New, modern digital studios were built there. The BBC also decided to move some departments, like Children's TV, out of London.
Current services
Television
BBC Scotland broadcasts three TV services for people in Scotland. BBC One Scotland is a special version of BBC One. It can switch away from the main UK channel to show its own Scottish programs. Its main news show is BBC Reporting Scotland.
BBC Scotland also runs BBC Alba. This channel broadcasts programs in Scottish Gaelic for several hours a day. It is a partnership between BBC Scotland and MG Alba. You can watch it across the UK on satellite and cable. In Scotland, it is also on Freeview.
The BBC Scotland channel started broadcasting on 24 February 2019. It was announced in 2017 by Tony Hall, the BBC director general. This channel replaced the BBC Two Scotland opt-out. It broadcasts from 7:00 p.m. to midnight every night. It shows only new and old Scottish programs. This includes a new hour-long news show at 9:00 p.m. that is made in Scotland. The channel gets £32 million in funding each year.
Radio
BBC Scotland also runs two radio stations for Scotland. These are BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio nan Gàidheal. BBC Radio Scotland broadcasts in English 24 hours a day. It has special programs for Orkney and Shetland. It also has local news for four other areas.
BBC Radio nan Gàidheal is a Gaelic-language station. It broadcasts for most of the day. At other times, it plays programs from Radio Scotland's MW service.
Online and interactive
BBC Scotland has a special section on BBC Online. This part of the website offers Scottish news, sports, and cultural content. The department also provides content for the BBC Red Button interactive TV service.
BBC Scotland used to offer podcasts of news and online streaming of some shows. But these services stopped when BBC iPlayer became widely available. BBC iPlayer lets people stream and download almost all BBC programs.
BBC The Social is a digital content stream from BBC Scotland. It is made for young adults aged 18-34. The Social works with new talent. It creates daily content on topics like comedy, music, and gaming. It won awards for "Best Digital Innovation" in 2016 and 2018.
In June 2018, the BBC announced a new "digital hub" in Glasgow. This hub will help design and build BBC digital platforms.
Studios – past and present
When BBC Television first came to Scotland, there were no dedicated studios. Scotland shared an outside broadcast unit with BBC North in Manchester. Most programs about Scotland had to be sent from London. They also had to appeal to a UK-wide audience.
In the early 1960s, the BBC bought land next to its Queen Margaret Drive base. Three colour studios were built there. There were also many radio facilities and a Film Unit.
BBC Scotland's main office is now at BBC Pacific Quay. It is located on the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow. The studio centre was planned in 1999. It was built between 2004 and 2006 and opened in 2007. It cost about £188 million. The studio has three TV studios and five radio studios. It also has the BBC's first HD newsroom.
When the BBC started in Scotland in 1923, its first office was in Bath Street, Glasgow. It moved several times before settling at Queen Margaret College in Glasgow in 1936. BBC Scotland stayed there until moving to Pacific Quay in 2007. The Edinburgh office moved to The Tun building in 2002. This building is near the Scottish Parliament. It has TV and radio studios and a newsroom.
Besides Glasgow and Edinburgh, BBC Scotland also has offices and studios. These are in Aberdeen, Dundee, Portree, Stornoway, Inverness, Selkirk, Dumfries, Kirkwall and Lerwick. Kirkwall and Lerwick have special radio programs for Orkney and Shetland. Other locations produce local radio news.
BBC Scotland also has a drama studio in Dumbarton. It is on the site of an old whisky factory. Popular shows like Still Game and River City are filmed there. The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is based at Glasgow City Halls.
Programming
BBC Scotland makes many local programs for Scottish audiences. Its main news and current affairs shows are Reporting Scotland and Scotland 2016. These provide over an hour of content each weekday. Drama shows include River City.
Sports programs on Radio Scotland, like Sportscene, cover many local sports. These include football, rugby, and bowls. BBC Scotland also produces over 20 hours of comedy shows for radio and TV. Features and documentaries are a big part of its output. Shows like The Beechgrove Garden, Landward, and BBC Scotland Investigates cover Scottish life.
BBC Scotland has also produced shows for the main UK networks. These include dramas like Shetland and Waterloo Road. It also produces game shows like The National Lottery Draws. BBC Scotland also makes the Scottish parts of UK-wide shows. Examples are Sunday Politics and Children in Need.
Until 2010, many Gaelic programs were on BBC One and Two Scotland. They then moved to BBC Alba. Key Gaelic programs include Dè a-nis? and Eòrpa, both started in 1993. Eòrpa was praised in a 2008 report. People who didn't speak Gaelic still found it to be a positive and respected show. It was the only Gaelic program on BBC Two Scotland until 2019.
Past programming
Over the years, BBC Scotland made many popular radio and TV shows. Some were for the whole UK, and some were only for Scotland.
In the past, popular current affairs series included Compass and Current Account. Many comedy series have been made by BBC Scotland. These include Scotch and Wry, Rab C. Nesbitt, and Still Game. Dramas included Hamish Macbeth and Monarch of the Glen.
Controllers and heads
Here are the people who have led BBC Scotland over the years:
- 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
In Spanish: BBC Scotland para niños
- Scottish Broadcasting Commission
- Audience Council Scotland
- Saorview
- Public Account
- Reporting Scotland
