There is a wealth of original content this Christmas on BBC ALBA, from heart-wrenching documentaries, to fantastic children’s drama with music and celebrations in between.
Kicking off festivities is Ceathrar air Chuairt, with four teenagers braving the wilds of the Scottish Highlands bereft of mod-cons. Over three consecutive days starting on Christmas Eve, wild swimming social media sensation Calum Maclean joins Lachlan, Megan, Clare Frances and Angus as they try and become self-sufficient in inhospitable conditions. There is laughter, tears and clashing personalities, on the very rocky road.
Calum Maclean, star of BBC ALBA’s Dhan Uisge and BBC’s The Social says: “Our expedition was a great challenge, which never exactly went to plan! Viewers will see how four normal young Scots deal with some of the harshest weather, relentless hard walking and maybe toughest of all – each other!”
An emotional search for a long-lost brother and son, A’ Sireadh Sascha, follows popular Gaelic singer Mischa Macpherson, a BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award winner, as she travels to Germany with her father Lachie to find the son he last saw 34 years ago.
A real Christmas Day treat is in store for BBC ALBA’s young viewers with a new drama A-null ’s a-nall: Buidheagain the story of a young traveller girl’s fight to call a farm her home. The drama, created as part of a scheme by the European Broadcasting Union was written by Patsi MacKenzie and directed by former River City star Tony Kearney.
Tony Kearney comments, “It’s a great script and a fantastic cast of young budding stars and so it feels like just the thing for families on Christmas Day.”
After a hugely popular debut this Autumn, FUNC delivers a cheeky Christmas comedy special with guest appearances from well-known personalities in the world of politics and entertainment. FUNC is produced and directed by Michael Hines, one of the creators of Still Game.
2018 marked 30 years since the Piper Alpha tragedy. Piper Alpha: An Sgàil is a moving personal documentary following journalist Iona Ballantyne as she meets families whose loved ones were lost as well survivors of the disaster.
On Boxing Day, Colin MacLeod – When it Kicks In follows the singer-songwriter from Lewis as he starts to make a real impact in the music industry. When he’s not playing music, writing songs or surfing, Colin fishes and works with his Dad at home on their croft on the Isle of Lewis. This is in sharp contrast to the heady world of international music he has just entered. Colin signed a new deal with a major record label in the US which took him to guesting on the The Late Late Show with James Corden and supporting his boyhood hero Robert Plant at the O2 in London. BBC ALBA has had unique access to Colin across 2018 to create a personal portrait of this not so regular rock star.
Playing with the nostalgia related to Christmas, Bho Chaorain gu Consoles will round-up the Christmas traditions across the generations, from when peat and coal were accepted gifts to the computer-based gaming traditions of recent years.
Other festive favourites on BBC ALBA will be a lively music performance from Mànran aig Barrowland and Christmas Eve reflections from Edinburgh’s historic Greyfriars Church, Nollaig Chridheil à Dùn Èideann 2018.
Cèilidh Na Bliadhn’ Ùire will round off BBC ALBA’s 10th anniversary year in traditional style. This year’s live event takes place in Govan Old Town Hall on the banks of the River Clyde. The show is hosted by Cathy Macdonald and Niall Iain Macdonald. More information and a full line up will follow.
Finally, the centenary of the Iolaire disaster will be commemorated with an extensive schedule of programmes including documentaries, dramatic monologues, animation and special music and arts commissions. A full schedule of broadcast events will be released separately.
Mànran aig Barrowland airs on Saturday 22 December at 9pm
Ceathrar Air Chuairt airs on Monday 24, Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 December at 8.30pm
A’ Sireadh Sascha airs on Christmas Eve at 9pm
Nollaig Chridheil à Dùn Èideann 2018 airs on Christmas Eve at 11pm
A-null ’s a-nall: Buidheagain airs on Christmas Day at 6.05pm
Bho Chaorain gu Consoles airs on Christmas Day at
FUNC airs on Christmas Day at 10pm
Colin MacLeod – When it Kicks In airs on Boxing Day at 9pm
Piper Alpha: An Sgàil airs on Hogmanay at 9pm
Cèilidh Na Bliadhn’ Ùire airs on Hogmanay from 11:30pm
Today (Monday 15th) at MIPCOM, to mark their new strategic alliance, the partners in the ‘Celtic International Fund’ are launching ‘The Wall’, a six-part documentary series for Welsh broadcaster S4C, Irish broadcaster TG4 and Korean broadcaster JTV. The series, due for broadcast in early 2019, is co-produced by Rondo from Wales and Rosg from Ireland.
The ‘Celtic International Fund’ runs an annual joint-commissioning round between the indigenous Celtic language television broadcasters and funders of Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland.
It has been set up by BBC ALBA (with funding from MG ALBA), S4C, TG4 and Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund (ILBF).
The aim of the Celtic International Fund is to promote co-development and then co-production through Scottish Gaelic, Welsh and Irish, and to encourage a broader European and worldwide internationalisation of productions which are originally conceived in those Celtic languages.
The Celtic International Fund will provide film-makers with an opportunity to co-develop and co-produce distinctive, ambitious works to enrich primetime programme schedules, to have a national impact with audiences in the territories of Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland and seek to reach audiences worldwide.
The initial call-out encompasses three genres – Factual, Drama and Animation. All successful projects will undergo a development phase where funding will be provided to both develop ideas and the co-production framework, which must ha’ve a production element in Scotland, Wales and either Ireland, or Northern Ireland.
The Celtic International Fund will be administered by a joint commissioning team drawn from the Celtic language broadcasters and funders who are partners in the scheme.
TG4 Director General, Alan Esslemont, welcomed the new co-production initiative:
“In a media landscape dominated by high production values, driven by international giants with deep pockets, it is more and more important that TG4 works with partners in order to create an environment allowing our own independent companies to bring quality ideas into the international market.”
This new Celtic partnership, combined with recent EBU initiatives on European co-production, means that TG4 will become an important partner in European and worldwide programme markets allowing us to bring higher quality programmes to our viewers.”
Head of the ILBF, Áine Walsh, welcomed the new co-production initiative:
“We are delighted to be part of this initiative, which will enable Irish speaking producers in Northern Ireland to work alongside their Celtic neighbours to develop content that can be enjoyed by a global audience. This new partnership will lead to a stronger and more developed production sector and we are excited to see new factual, drama and animated content with high production values and that has originated in the Celtic territories, make its mark in the global market.”
Amanda Rees, S4C Creative Content Director, said: “The Celtic International Fund has given us the opportunity to build invaluable partnerships with our fellow Celtic broadcasters and help pool the substantial creative talent that we have in our midst.
“The Wall is a series which looks at both sides of the world’s most contentious divides, narrated by stories of families and communities split apart. This series is timely and relevant to audiences worldwide, and is a shining example of what we can produce through co-operating with other broadcasters.”
Iseabail MacTaggart, Director of Strategy & Partnership at MG ALBA added:
“We are ambitious for our production sector and see this initiative as an opportunity to both allow production companies to compete on a global stage and to create new and enhanced content for BBC ALBA audiences. By collaborating internationally we increase the quality and reach of our content.”
BBC ALBA today (13 September) announces a landmark partnership with the corporation’s cherished children’s brands, CBeebies and CBBC.
CBeebies and CBBC will launch on ALBA on Monday, 17th September from stunning new sets.
Stars of CBeebies and CBBC, Ben Cajee and Karim Zeroual, visited Sgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu (Glasgow Gaelic School) to celebrate the exciting new collaboration.
They were joined by Carrie MacNeil, Ruairidh Cormack, Hannah McKirdy and Calum MacDonald who, along with a team of fresh new talent, will present BBC ALBA’s new-look Gaelic children’s zones.
As a result of this daily, year-round production, original children’s content will quadruple on BBC ALBA.
CBeebies, for pre-schoolers, will run on ALBA from 5pm for an hour, ending with Stòiridh – a nightly bedtime story. The Gaelic-language version of CBBC will air from 6pm to 7pm.
The two Gaelic services will look and feel similar to their English-language cousins with sing-a-longs, birthday shout-outs, makes and bakes.
This major initiative marks the 10th anniversary of BBC ALBA, and celebrates 40 years of Gaelic language children’s programming on the BBC.
Bill Macleod, executive producer for BBC ALBA and leading the initiative, says:
“This is a bold new commitment to inclusion and diversity, giving Gaelic-speaking children and parents their own unique versions of the BBC’s much-loved children’s strands. It’s been a fantastic collaborative effort with our colleagues at BBC Children’s in Salford. We know the kids will love what is in store for them.”
Margaret Mary Murray, Head of the BBC’s Gaelic Services says:
“Children’s programmes lie at the heart of BBC ALBA’s daily schedule and we are delighted to be able to offer such an exciting and substantial development which will bring real value and impact to our young audience through a unique BBC partnership.”
Ian France, Head of Presentation, BBC Children’s says:
“The Presentation department for CBBC and CBeebies is the beating heart of both channels and is expert at engaging with children all over the UK so I’m thrilled that this new partnership means even more children will be able to enjoy our wonderful content.”
Scottish Rugby has reached a ground-breaking deal with BBC ALBA to televise an unprecedented number of women’s matches over the next year.
The deal includes not only the broadcast of the elite sport with women’s Six Nations coverage, but also coverage of the final of Scotland’s leading domestic competition, the Sarah Beaney Cup – a huge show of support to reflect the growth of the women’s game.
The announcement comes just months after a major new deal for Scottish women’s football on BBC ALBA was announced, along with the first live broadcast of women’s shinty, strengthening the channel’s position as the home of Scottish women’s sport.
The first Scotland Women rugby match to be shown under the new deal will be when Scotland host Canada at Scotstoun on Tuesday 27 November. The game will be available live across the UK on the channel and via the BBC iPlayer.
Scottish Rugby is currently promoting women’s rugby with the aim to qualify for the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2021, and has recently restructured the playing season to encourage wider participation. Both MG ALBA and Scottish Rugby are committed to increasing the profile of the women’s game together in the run up to the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Dominic McKay, Chief Operating Officer at Scottish Rugby said:
“We are working hard to ensure women’s rugby has the strongest possible platform to help develop players and broaden the appeal of the game and this partnership with BBC ALBA is an exciting addition to that. We have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with BBC ALBA through its coverage of the Premiership and PRO14 and so we are very excited to work with them to broadcast women’s rugby in Scotland.”
Gemma Fay, Head of Girl’s and Women’s Rugby at Scottish Rugby said:
“I am delighted BBC ALBA have announced they will be covering the Scottish Women’s Rugby matches on their channel. The commitment they are showing to Scottish women’s sport is really positive and we hope this will in turn help to inspire the next generation of rugby players.”
Iseabail Mactaggart, Director of Strategy and Partnership at MG ALBA said:
“We are delighted to be able to showcase the growing women’s game in Scotland with both Six Nations coverage and the Sarah Beaney Cup Final. We’ve demonstrated with our previous coverage of the PRO14 competition how we can usefully partner to catalyse the growth of a sport, and engage new audiences – sometimes for the first time – with Gaelic. I am proud that BBC ALBA is able to showcase these sportswomen’s efforts both in the national team but also the Sarah Beaney Cup teams. We’re excited too to kick off with making the Canada game available there by livestreaming it at the end of the month.”
Sport Minister Joe FitzPatrick said:
“This partnership is a key step in celebrating and raising awareness of women’s rugby in Scotland. Not only will elite female fixtures be broadcast, including the Women’s Six Nations, but the grassroots game will gain exposure with people able to view the final of the key domestic competition, the Sarah Beaney Cup.
“Scottish Rugby and their partners have worked hard to increase the number of women and girls participating in rugby, and the commitment of BBC and MG ALBA to showcasing the sport is another step forward.”
The 2018 Scottish Women’s Football (SWF) Annual Awards Dinner will be sponsored by MG ALBA. After agreeing a deal with SWF to broadcast more games than ever before on BBC ALBA earlier this year until 2020, this is another sign of the dedication of channel partner, MG ALBA, to the girl’s and women’s game.
Vivienne MacLaren, Chair of Scottish Women’s Football, said: “This is a huge moment for us as an organisation. MG ALBA have been terrific supporters of our game for a long time, so we’re delighted to have them involved in this event.
“Bringing these awards back was a very big target for us. It’s about creating a night for all our members so that the people involved in the game can come together and celebrate the successes across the country and throughout the various levels of girls’ and women’s football.”
Iseabail Mactaggart, Director of Strategy and Partnership for MG ALBA, said: “We are delighted to become the sponsors of the Scottish Women’s Football Annual Awards Dinner. We’ve worked very positively with SWF on building a platform for the game on BBC ALBA and knew this was a project that would allow us to continue to champion women’s football in Scotland.”
The MG ALBA Scottish Women’s Football Annual Awards Dinner 2018 will see 14 awards presented on the night, with four nominees for the majority of categories.
“We received an extremely high number of nominations” said Vivienne. “The awards panel had a very difficult time narrowing it down, which shows how exciting and competitive the game has become. I certainly don’t envy their position when it comes to picking the winners.
“Ticket and table sales have been really high, with interest from various teams, clubs, and parts of the country. That’s exactly what we want. While not everyone can be a nominee or a winner on the night these awards are a celebration of the hard-work that so many people, the majority of who are volunteers, put into the game.”
The MG ALBA Scottish Women’s Football Annual Awards Dinner 2018 is on Saturday 17th November at The Hilton, Glasgow. For more information and tickets, which are now limited, visit https://scotwomensfootball.com/swf-annual-awards/.
Organizing body, Hands Up for Trad have announced the artists shortlisted for this year’s MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards.
The prestigious MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards is a staple in the traditional music calendar with an astounding seventeen categories this year. Winners will be revealed exclusively to a live audience of music fans and industry at Perth Concert Hall on Saturday 1st December. The event will be broadcast live on BBC ALBA, BBC Radio Scotland and globally through the BBC ALBA website and will be presented by Mary Ann Kennedy and Kim Carnie.
The full shortlist is below; among them Neo-trad quintet Elephant Sessions who are in the running for Live Act of The Year. Their history with the awards stretches back to 2014 when they won Up and Coming Artist of the Year in 2014, Best Live Act in 2016 and the astonishing Belhaven Bursary for Innovation in Music Award last year. Also competing for the crown are BBC Radio 2 Folk Award Winners Talisk and Isle of Skye’s, Niteworks.
Elephant Session’s band member Alasdair Taylor has received his first solo nomination for Composer of the Year sponsored by PRS for Music.
Nominees for the prestigious Trad Album of the Year features a handful of works including Alterum by Julie Fowlis, EVO by Skerryvore & The Seer by Lauren MacColl. This year marks the second Trad Album of The Year nomination for Ross Ainslie and Ali Hutton for their second album ‘Symbiosis II’.
Names for the most sought-after Gaelic Singer of the Year include Josie Duncan and Maeve Mackinnon. Màrtainn Skene Highland Dance Band are vying for Scottish Dance Band of the Year whilst The Arc Sessions, who bring some of Scotland’s best live music acts to Fochabers, Moray are up for Club of The Year.
Folk Band of the Year sees a nomination for Glasgow-based five-piece Ímar, who’s accolades include several BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, the BBC Radio 2 Horizon Award and were shortlisted for MG ALBA Album of The Year back in 2017.
The Belhaven Bursary for Innovation in Music returns this year, with the shortlist of ten released later this week.
Murdo MacSween, Communications Manager for the event’s title sponsor, MG ALBA, said: “We at MG ALBA are immensely proud to support Scotland’s world-class musical talent and we’re delighted to give the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards a global platform on BBC ALBA, through our online stream on the BBC iPlayer.”
Alan Morrison, Head of Music, Creative Scotland, said: “From the standard bearers who keep our traditions alive to the grassroots organisations who inspire communities across all of Scotland, from the international stars of today to the emerging stars of tomorrow, there’s nothing quite like Na Trads when it comes to celebrating the sheer depth and breadth of our folk heritage. Scotland’s music flows through the heart of our culture, and the very best of it is on display in every one of these categories.
Congratulations to all of the nominees and also to sector champions Hands Up for Trad, whom Creative Scotland is proud to support as a Regularly Funded Organisation.”
Provost of Perth and Kinross Dennis Melloy said: “As someone who has enjoyed and supported Scottish Traditional music most of my adult life, I am very much looking forward to welcoming the finalists of the 2018 MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards. The shortlist for this event is fantastic and I am sure we are all in for a treat!
These Awards feature leading Scottish musicians and singers. Known as the Folk Oscars, they are returning to Perth once again to put traditional Scottish music including Gaelic Song, Folk, Scottish Dance music, to Pipe Bands into the spotlight.”
Stuart Fleming, PRS for Music Senior Manager, Scotland & Northern Ireland, said: “From the folk clubs bringing some of Scotland’s best live music acts to the stage, to the composers writing the music we all love to hear, it is great to see so much talent recognised by the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards. Congratulations to all of those nominated – these shortlists showcase the truly excellent culture of Scotland’s traditional music scene, which continues to go from strength to strength.”
The shortlists are as follows:
Album of the Year sponsored by Birnam CD
Club of the Year Sponsored by Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland (Tracs)
Composer of the Year Sponsored by PRS for Music
Community Project of the Year Sponsored by Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust
Event of the Year Sponsored by VisitScotland
Gaelic Singer of the Year Sponsored by Macmeanmna
Instrumentalist of the Year Sponsored by Royal Scottish Country Dance Society
Live Act of the Year Sponsored by Greentrax Recordings
Citty Finlayson Scots Singer of the Year Sponsored by Traditional Music and Song Association
Scottish Dance Band of the Year Sponsored by National Association of Accordion and Fiddle Clubs
Scottish Folk Band of the Year Sponsored by Threads of Sound
Scottish Pipe Band of the Year
Trad Music in the Media Sponsored by Skipinnish
Music Tutor of the Year Sponsored by Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative
Up and Coming Artist of the Year Sponsored by Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Venue of the Year Award Sponsored by Musicians’ Union
On the day the Scottish national squad prepare for the critical Albania game in their Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign, BBC ALBA today announces a set of new deals that will see the channel become the home of Scottish women’s football.
This move signals a huge boost to the profile of the sport in Scotland. The deals include the live broadcast of any Scotland squad World Cup games in 2019.
The three-year deal with the Scottish Football Association will see all of the national squad’s home competitive games shown live on BBC ALBA, and available on the BBC iPlayer. In an innovative addition, the Scottish FA and the channel will share unprecedented levels of content across social media to ensure the profile of the game is raised, driving growth in spectators, participation and viewers.
This news comes as the channel also announces a significant expansion of its coverage of the women’s domestic league in Scotland, with coverage of at least six games, including the SSE Scottish Women’s Cup Final and the SWPL Cup Final. Glasgow City FC’s 2018 UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign will also be covered.
Chris Rawlings, Scottish FA Commercial Director said: “This is a partnership we are extremely excited about as the women’s and girls’ game in Scotland continues to develop.
“Having a guaranteed broadcast partner allows us to show all the women’s national team home matches which have proven to be an exciting entity.
“The record crowd of 4,098 at The Simple Digital Arena in Paisley proves the appetite is there to watch the women’s national team and this deal enables the nation to watch our games, when they can’t make it along to the stadium.
“We will work closely with BBC ALBA to ensure the partnership continues to grow year on year and continues to deliver a high quality broadcast of the matches.”
Iseabail Mactaggart, MG ALBA Director of Strategy and Partnership said: “This is an exciting moment for the channel. In the 10 years of BBC ALBA we have demonstrated in other sports how a national free-to-air platform can showcase a growing sport, and at the same time introduce audiences – sometimes for the first time – to Gaelic.
“Scottish women’s football is at an extraordinarily exciting junction, and we are delighted to be working with the Scottish FA and SWF to create transformative partnerships which will be good for BBC ALBA’s audiences, but also fantastic for Scottish women’s football at domestic league and national level.
“We are also very pleased that with the BBC we will be able to broadcast live all of the Scottish national team’s Women’s World Cup games, should they qualify.”
Vivienne MacLaren, Chair of Scottish Women’s Football said: “This agreement is a huge sign of progress within Scottish women’s football. Making the game more visible is of vital importance to us as an organisation and this deal is another positive step forward. Having worked with BBC ALBA previously, we know the passion they have for our game and we’re delighted to be part of this agreement.
“It’s such an exciting time for the domestic game. To have matches being broadcast on a national platform is a testament to all those involved in the game, past and present, and secures a bright future for the next generation of girls’ and women’s footballers.”
BBC ALBA today (6 September) unveiled its programme slate for the 2018 Autumn season including an eyebrow-raising satirical sketch show, marking a bold start to the channel’s second decade.
FUNC is created by comedy genius Michael Hines, best known for ratings-busting Scottish comedy Still Game. A bubbling brew of razor-sharp satire, surreal silliness and more than a few spoonfuls of sauce, the fast-paced show features a whirlwind of new acting and writing talent – many of whom were mentored through a partnership with BBC Writer’s Room Scotland.
Producer Michael Hines said, “I’m absolutely delighted to have this opportunity to create a brand new sketch show for BBC ALBA. There aren’t many channels that would show so much trust in programme-makers – and so much commitment to up-and-coming talent. We have a wonderful young cast and some brilliant writing, and I’m extremely proud of all the hard work everyone has put in across the four episodes.
“There has been a terrific creative collaboration between BBC ALBA, the Woven Thread and the BBC Writer’s Room to find fresh and exciting new Gaelic writers, and I know – finger’s crossed – that everyone will find it as funny as we have.”
BBC ALBA’s 2018 Autumn schedule also marks the start of a seven-day news service, bringing An Là to weekends for the first time. The boost to the news service has created six new jobs in the Inverness area.
This week, BBC ALBA also announced partnerships with the Scottish FA and SWF on Scottish Women’s Football. This includes a new three-year deal securing coverage of the national squad’s competitive home games along with a significant expansion in TV coverage of domestic league games.
Shelley Kerr, head coach of the Women’s National Team said “This new partnership is fantastic for the Scottish women’s game and another step in the right direction as it continues to go from strength to strength.
“BBC ALBA have been incredibly loyal supporters of the national team as well as the club game and we are all delighted to continue this partnership for the next three years.
“Having matches shown on television and online through BBC ALBA increases exposure of the national team and with attendances on the up, I’m sure the TV audiences will also continue to increase as well.”
Iseabail Mactaggart, MG ALBA Director of Strategy and Partnership said: “As BBC ALBA enters its second decade, we are excited to be strengthening partnerships with the SFA and SWF, creating great content for BBC ALBA audiences, attracting new audiences and creating an amazing showcase for Scottish women’s football.”
Also announced today is a quadrupling of original children’s content on BBC ALBA. Further details of the extensive changes and another exciting partnership will be announced at a separate event next Thursday.
Margaret Mary Murray, Head of Gaelic Services at the BBC says, “We are delighted to be marking BBC ALBA’s 10th birthday with a fabulously rich package of programmes and digital content. Autumn 2018 will bring with it some fantastic television: laugh-out-loud comedy, a new-look children’s zone, moving and inspiring documentaries, and the latest dramatic twists and turns in Bannan. In addition to the jeopardy of the football leagues with our extensive coverage of women’s and men’s football, music continues to be at the heart of our schedule and new international co-productions such as Iùl a’ Chiùil join acclaimed series including Port. All in all BBC ALBA will be the place to be this Autumn as we bring the best television to audiences in Scotland and beyond.”
Amongst the highlights for the autumn season are:
FACTUAL
Sgoil Lionacleit to NY (MacTV): In May 2017 Eilidh MacLeod from Barra became one of 22 victims of the Manchester Arena bombing. This April, Eilidh’s fellow musicians in the Sgoil Lionacleit Pipe Band embarked on a journey to New York to pay their own very personal tribute to their friend.
Trusadh: The Pakistan Islanders (MacTV): This documentary tells the remarkable story of a small Muslim community coming together to establish the Western Isles’ first mosque.
Tommy Burns (purpleTV): Ten years on from his untimely death from cancer, Tommy Burns’ daughters and sons look back on the life and career of their beloved father, the legendary player and manager of both Celtic and Kilmarnock.
MUSIC
Port (Bees Nees Media) Acclaimed musicians Julie Fowlis and Muireann NicAmhlaoibh head to Brittany to discover more about traditional music in the islands.
Doolin Festival (Bees Nees Media) A flavour of the Doolin Folk Festival in Ireland, an event famous for presenting powerful music in an intimate setting.
The Musical Path (MacTV): A major new series charting the shifting sands between tradition and innovation in Irish and Scottish music over the past half century.
DRAMA
Bannan (Young Films) Camus is still reeling from the shock of seeing two of its own taken away in handcuffs, under suspicion of murder. But how do the community react when only one returns?
Trapped (RKV Studios): Continuing its season of world drama, BBC ALBA travels to Iceland as a remote town is rocked by a gruesome crime.
CHILDREN
Gudrun (MaraKids): Explore the wild with Gudrun the Viking Princess, an innovative format for young children combining live-action drama and the best of wildlife filmmaking.
My Life as a Courgette (Solus): After losing his mother, a young boy is sent to a foster home with other orphans his age where he begins to learn the meaning of true love in this multi-award-winning animated feature.
A host of broadcasters from the Celtic regions have joined forces to set up an exciting new media production fund to develop new drama, animation and factual programmes in the Celtic languages.
The ‘Celtic International Fund’ will run an annual joint-commissioning round between the indigenous Celtic language television broadcasters and funders of Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland.
It has been set up by BBC ALBA (with funding from MG ALBA), S4C, TG4 and Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund (ILBF).
The aim of the Celtic International Fund is to promote co-development and then co-production through Scottish Gaelic, Welsh and Irish, and to encourage a broader European and worldwide internationalisation of productions which are originally conceived in those Celtic languages.
The Celtic International Fund will provide film-makers with an opportunity to co-develop and co-produce distinctive, ambitious works to enrich primetime programme schedules, to have a national impact with audiences in the territories of Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland and seek to reach audiences worldwide.
The initial call-out encompasses three genres – Factual, Drama and Animation. All successful projects will undergo a development phase where funding will be provided to both develop ideas and the co-production framework, which must have a production element in Scotland, Wales and either Ireland, or Northern Ireland.
The Celtic International Fund will be administered by a joint commissioning team drawn from the Celtic language broadcasters and funders who are partners in the scheme.
Iseabail Mactaggart, MG ALBA Director of Strategy and Development said “This is an important move which will strengthen the strategic approach to co-production for BBC ALBA – an area in which MG ALBA initiatives have already created substantial gains for BBC ALBA audiences and increased opportunities for our suppliers. By partnering with other Celtic broadcasters, we will also be able to take advantage of further European and worldwide opportunities. We expect this initiative to enable us to deliver higher quality programming by pooling resources on development and production. The prospect of doing that in areas such as Factual, Drama and Animation is hugely exciting. BBC ALBA operates in an increasingly competitive world. Working together with Celtic broadcasters and developing new production models will create more opportunities for rich, distinctive programming and will further increase the economic benefits from investment in Gaelic broadcasting.”
Matt Baker and Alex Jones last night hailed an amazing team effort after The One Show was broadcast live from the Isle of Harris.
This was the first of two programmes, with a focus on Gaelic culture and life in the Outer Hebrides.
The programme’s first live outside transmission from the Western Isles followed a unique partnership between Scotland’s Gaelic Media Service (Seirbheis nam Meadhanan Gàidhlig), MG ALBA & the BBC.
MG ALBA provided over half of the 50+ crew, as well as some of its world class sound, camera, lighting, editing and outside broadcast facilities.
Amongst the features, Ben Fogle returned to Taransay to reminisce about his time on reality TV show Castaway and Marty Jopson recreated an ambitious experiment from the 1930s to deliver mail between the islands.
Photographer and former punk rocker John Maher also appeared on the show alongside Iain MacLeod, one of his photo subjects.
Matt Baker, who bought a new Harris Tweed cap to wear on the programme, said:
“We received a fantastic welcome, and the stunning location made it extra special. The crew, including dozens of staff from MG ALBA, put in a herculean Hebridean effort to be able to make the show really special, so a big thank you to them.”
Co-presenter Alex Jones added:
“We still have a fair bit of work to do on our Gaelic – albeit Matt and I have been trying – but the reception that we have received has been absolutely brilliant!”
Tonight’s (Friday) programme comes live from the Heb Celt Festive in Stornoway. The programme will feature the face of BBC ALBA, Fiona McKenzie who will present a feature on a decade of Scotland’s Gaelic channel.
