With a fantastic line-up of live sport and entertainment programmes, more than ever before, there’s something for everyone on BBC ALBA.
Presenters Joy Dunlop, Fiona MacKenzie and Mary Ann Kennedy come together to celebrate the best in music and entertainment programming over the coming weeks.
Music fans are in for a real treat this weekend with the talented Joy Dunlop co-hosting the ‘BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year Final 2020’ with Bruce MacGregor, live from Glasgow’s City Halls. Six of Scotland’s best young musicians will perform live in the final of this prestigious competition on the final night of Celtic Connections 2020 and the winner will be announced on the night.
Competing for the title this year are singers Josie Duncan from the Isle of Lewis, Cameron Nixon from Aberdeen, along with accordionist Pàdruig Morrison from Uist, whistle and pipes player Ali Levack from Dingwall, Perthshire fiddle player Mhairi Mackinnon and Aberdeenshire musician Calum McIlroy who sings, plays mandolin and guitar.
BBC Radio Scotland and BBC ALBA will broadcast the event simultaneously at 5.05pm on Sunday, February 2.
Fiona MacKenzie brought the best of the Celtic Connections festival to BBC ALBA in her live chat-show ‘Nochd’. The final episode airs on Saturday, February 1 and the whole series is available to view on BBC iPlayer.
The established Celtic Connections music series, ‘Seirm‘, starts on Saturday, February 8. Presented by Mary Ann Kennedy, this is filmed before an audience at the Arches in Glasgow and features lively performances from the best of the festival.
Look out for more live sport on BBC ALBA with the eagerly anticipated Women’s Six Nations Rugby, presented by Iona Whyte, starting on Sunday, February 2 with Ireland v Scotland.
Scotland v England takes place on Saturday, February 9 at Scotstoun in Glasgow and Italy v Scotland on Sunday, February 23, Scotland v France on Saturday, March 4 and Wales v Scotland on Sunday, March 15.
BBC ALBA will also broadcast the SPFL Challenge Cup games – Partick Thistle v Raith Rovers on Friday, February 14 and Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Rangers Colts on Sunday, February 16, followed by the final at the end of March.
Iseabail Mactaggart, Director of Multiplatform Content at MG ALBA, which operates BBC ALBA in partnership with the BBC, said:
“BBC ALBA has been so successful with regards to live programming.
“For example, our hugely popular Hogmanay Ceilidh each year and our coverage of major sporting events such as the Women’s World Cup last year and the Women’s Six Nations for two years now and, of course, our fantastic music content. People watch BBC ALBA to see things they can’t watch anywhere else.”
