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Sportscene turns 50 with special show on BBC Scotland

Sportscene turns 50 with special show on BBC Scotland

Glasgow Times15 hours ago
The programme will air on Saturday, August 9, at 8.15pm and will reunite some of Scottish football's most recognisable voices.
Dougie Donnelly will return to the Sportscene studio as presenter, joined by current host Steven Thompson, with analysis from Gordon Smith.
Dougie said: "It was a great time for Scottish football and the Saturday night sports programme was absolutely required viewing.
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"I did 33 consecutive Scottish Cup finals – what a privilege to have been in the hot seat for so many of the big occasions, including all the World Cups and everything else.
"I was hugely lucky and very much appreciate that.
"I'm looking forward to going back on the show.
"Fortunately, I'm still working in broadcasting, so it's not going to be as intimidating as it might have been.
"It's live TV, what I've done my whole career, and it'll be fantastic to go back again and talk about Scottish football.
"I look forward to seeing the reaction from the Scottish footballing public."
The anniversary edition will feature archive footage dating back to the black and white television era and will include reflections and highlights from broadcasters who have helped shape the programme over the decades.
Rob Maclean, who has worked on Sportscene for more than 25 years, will commentate on the Rangers v Dundee fixture.
Archie Macpherson, who appeared on the inaugural episode in 1975, will provide commentary for St Mirren v Motherwell, while Jock Brown, a regular voice in the 1990s, will cover Livingston v Falkirk.
Archie said: "I started in 1962 with Sportsreel – on Black Saturday, the weekend of the Cuban missile crisis.
"My first report was Hamilton against Stenhousemuir at a time when the world was worried about nuclear warfare.
"Programmes rely on the events they cover – and I was lucky enough to cover a succession of World Cups for Sportscene.
"They gave the programme a great status in the public eye.
"I'm very grateful for this opportunity to go back on the show.
"It's quite a gesture after all this time away from commentating on Sportscene."
Jock said: "I've done a lot of broadcasting since leaving Sportscene and I'm really looking forward to going back on the show.
"It'll be good fun.
"It's an iconic programme that has a big place in the story of sports broadcasting in Scotland."
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