BBC ALBA and BBC Scotland announce an exciting new commitment to work together to fund new digital-first Gaelic-language production in Scotland.

The first-of-its-kind co-commissioning approach commits £800k over two years – funded by MG ALBA and the BBC – and aims to identify and develop projects that resonate with all Scottish audiences whilst developing a pipeline of homegrown talent in the Highlands and Islands.

Producers are encouraged to submit proposals in response to genre-specific briefs with a strong emphasis on creating Gaelic content that reflects the culture, skills and talent of the Highlands and Islands creative sector, both on and off-screen.

The first call for productions seeks digital-first dramas targeting younger viewers. Building on the success of BBC Scotland’s recent acclaimed award-winning short-form dramas, such as Float and Dog Days, these digital dramas will consist of short ten-minute episodes intended primarily for BBC iPlayer and a window on BBC ALBA’s YouTube channel.

Following an initial development phase, the ambition is for successful projects to enter production in 2025 with further opportunities in unscripted content to be announced later this year.

Margaret Cameron, Director of Content at MG ALBA said: “MG ALBA is delighted to partner with the BBC on this exciting initiative for digital-first content across BBC ALBA and BBC Scotland platforms and channels. It’s critical that we make every effort to engage with all sections of our audience while promoting our language and offering opportunities to new or more established talent in or from the Highlands & Islands who may not always have the same access to development and production opportunities.  We look forward to building on, with BBC Scotland, their previous short form, digital-first successes.”

Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning at BBC Scotland said: “I’m proud of BBC Scotland’s strong track record for developing and producing award-winning quality short form content that audiences love and we’re looking forward to building on it through this partnership with MG ALBA.   Backing homegrown storytelling is central to the BBC’s purpose and this initiative is an excellent demonstration of it.   We’re excited to see what ideas come in to us.”

The commissioning round is now open and initial Ideas should be submitted to gaelicdigitalcommissioning@bbc.co.uk before 6 January 2025.

While all Scottish production companies are invited to submit pitches, it is essential to demonstrate how their projects will contribute to talent development and production in the Highlands and Islands. Proposals that include two or more of the following elements—stories, locations, production, or company base—in the Highlands and Islands will be prioritised.

More information about the call-out and criteria can be found at https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/scotland/commissioning/gaelic/