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The Herald Scotland
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
River City row: Here's one way to save BBC Scotland soap
There was much shock and disappointment when the announcement was made in March. A petition to save the soap was organised, a debate was held in the Scottish Parliament, and that was about it. Oh, and my description of the move as cultural vandalism was called 'somewhat hyberbolic' by a BBC heid yin. Apart from keeping an eye on the petition's progress, my work there was done, or so it seemed. But no. On Tuesday, in a report by The Herald's arts correspondent Brian Ferguson, BBC Scotland accused Equity of punting misleading claims about River City viewing figures. The actors' union said half a million people watched each episode on average, but the figure is in fact 200,000. The corporation was also reported to be upset at suggestions River City's £9 million budget would be 'funnelled into cheap reality or factual TV', and used to make new drama series that would import cast and crew from England. A BBC spokesperson said: 'This is about value for money for the audience. We are not cutting our drama spend in Scotland – in fact, we will increase it to around £95m over the next three years.' Now, at the risk of adding hyperbole to the mix again, may I just sidle into this latest twist to have a look around? Equity did indeed use the 500,000 figure, as did Scottish Labour's culture spokesman Neil Bibby when he led the Holyrood debate on River City. Equity has since corrected – or as it says 'updated' – the figure on its website to 200,000. Read more The mistake was unfortunate, but in a strange way it might have done River City a favour. An audience of 200,000 an episode is still a pretty decent figure. Moreover, one assumes River City is cheaper to make. Here is something else to consider. As a Herald reader pointed out on our letters page, if BBC Scotland had to find money for new programmes it could look instead at its current affairs shows. As he said, does anyone watch News at Seven and Debate Night? So I asked BBC Scotland for the numbers and this was the reply: 'Since launch Reporting Scotland: News at Seven has a weekly reach of 80,000 and over the past 12 months Debate Night's weekly reach has been 121,000. Measuring news consumption by reach is a Barb standard and the definition of reach for news is watching for at least three minutes.' In short, they reach fewer people than River City. Now, you can argue, and the BBC does, that the audiences for news and drama are completely different, and comparing the two is not so much the stuff of apples and oranges as apples and trains. But I still think our reader had a point. If you can choose one drama over another, why not apply the same rule to current affairs? Keep the flagship, question the rest. It happened to The Nine after all. The BBC says Reporting Scotland: News at Seven has a weekly reach of 80,000 (Image: free) The row over River City was never just about numbers, though. Much more is going on here. There is unfairness, for a start. River City was hammered by the decision to show blocks of episodes with long gaps between. Fans of the soap, many of them elderly, could not keep up. One week Bob and Angus were there, doing their odd couple thing, the next they had slipped into some Bermuda triangle near Shieldinch. Can you imagine if that happened with Coronation Street or EastEnders? River City is important in other ways. As actor-writer Tom Urie told BBC Scotland's Scotcast: 'It feels like part of Scotland's story.' He's right. Like any long-running drama, River City has had its good weeks and bad, stories that worked and some that didn't. But like the country it came from, River City kept on going. It has tackled difficult subjects, most recently domestic violence, and helped more than a few people along the way. So no, it's not just about gangsters, though I'll admit there has been too much of that. Where River City has been truly invaluable is in bringing working-class voices on to our screens. They've been present in other soaps, but usually the character is there for comedy value, or to play a gangster. It is rare to have so many authentically working-class voices in a drama, far less attach them to ordinary, everyday characters, but River City does that. Read more Working-class voices are not heard nearly enough on television (and radio) and it matters that they are. As the saying has it, if you can see it, you can be it. What goes for actors goes for writers, directors, camera operators, sound technicians, and every other job you can think of on a set. If there's no River City there's no way into these professions for a lot of very bright youngsters from less than privileged backgrounds. With dramas taking years to get from page to screen, commissioning editors need to think ahead, anticipate the next big thing. I get that, and I understand why BBC Scotland is backing the new trio of dramas by Scottish writers. Short series are in demand, particularly after the success of Adolescence, but fashions change. What is never going to be out of favour is authenticity, particularly now AI is knocking on the door, and River City opens the door to more of that. For authenticity, for the training opportunities it offers, for laughs and tears, for just being there and giving enjoyment to so many, River City matters. And as every soap actor knows, once you get in that cab and leave, it is near impossible to come back. Please, BBC Scotland, think again. Alison Rowat is a senior politics and features writer on The Herald. Contact
BBC News
30-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Laura Goodwin named as new Reporting Scotland presenter
BBC Scotland's innovation correspondent Laura Goodwin has been named as a new lead presenter on Reporting appointment follows the departure of Sally Magnusson after 27 years in the Goodwin will start presenting the news programme alongside Laura Miller in South African-born journalist joined the BBC in 2018 and has covered stories from Scotland's business and academic community. Laura, who moved to Scotland at the age of 12, said she was "delighted" to start presenting the programme. "To take over from Sally Magnusson, someone I hold in such high regard, is an incredible honour," she said."On a personal note, this is an opportunity that, as a once very shy little girl, I could only have dreamt of and I am looking forward to getting started."Gary Smith, head of news and current affairs at BBC Scotland, said: "Laura is a brilliant addition to the Reporting Scotland team. "She is a consummate professional who presents with authority, flair and grace. A great journalist and interviewer too, who gets straight to the heart of a story." Laura studied at Madras College in St Andrews before pursuing a degree in sociology at the University of starting her broadcast career at Moray Firth Radio in Inverness, she moved to STV in Aberdeen as a presenter and will take up her new role on Reporting Scotland presenting on Thursdays and Fridays from appointment comes after BBC Scotland recently launched two new titles: News at Seven presented by Laura Maciver and Amy Irons, and podcast series Scotcast with Martin Geissler.
BBC News
30-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Laura Goodwin joins Reporting Scotland's lead presenting team
BBC Scotland's Innovation Correspondent Laura Goodwin will join Reporting Scotland as a lead news presenter alongside Laura Miller, following Sally Magnusson's recent departure after 27 years in the role. The South African born broadcast journalist - who moved to Scotland at the age of 12 - joined the BBC in 2018 as Innovation Correspondent. Since then, Laura has reported on the creativity and ingenuity of Scotland's business and academic community, most recently covering the approval of a spaceport in Shetland. Laura says: 'I am delighted to be officially joining the Reporting Scotland presentation team after six years working as a correspondent for the BBC. To take over from Sally Magnusson, someone I hold in such high regard, is an incredible honour. I look forward to sharing the week, and the Reporting Scotland desk, with the wonderful Laura Miller, delivering the stories that matter to our audience. 'On a personal note, this is an opportunity that as a once very shy little girl, I could only have dreamt of and I am looking forward to getting started.' Gary Smith, Head of News and Current Affairs at BBC Scotland, says: 'Laura is a brilliant addition to the Reporting Scotland team. She is a consummate professional who presents with authority, flair and grace. A great journalist and interviewer too, who gets straight to the heart of a story.' A former student of Madras College in St Andrews, Laura went on to study Sociology at the University of Edinburgh. Having started her broadcast career at Moray Firth Radio in Inverness, Laura then moved to STV in Aberdeen as a presenter and reporter covering key new stories including the opening of the Queensferry crossing, the new V&A museum and the Scottish independence referendum Laura will take up her new role on Reporting Scotland, presenting on Thursdays and Fridays from next month (May 2025). Laura's appointment is the latest to come from BBC Scotland's news and current affairs portfolio which recently launched two new titles, News at Seven (presented by Laura Mciver and Amy Irons) and podcast series, Scotcast with Martin Geissler. JM2
The Herald Scotland
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
River City was axed because viewers want shorter formats like Shetland
The new BBC Scotland dramas will all be written by Scottish writers, they will employ a wide range of Scotland-based talent, will have training opportunities attached to them and will be made by producers with bases in Scotland – just like River City has been. We believe they will qualify on all three of our regulator Ofcom's made-in-Scotland criteria – on which Ms Rowat, with regard to The Traitors, is also incorrect. The BBC doesn't 'claim' Scottish spend with regard to The Traitors, which as viewers can see is clearly filmed in the Highlands. The BBC publishes its spend, allocated in line with how Ofcom states the BBC should publish its spend. We're not making claims about anything. Luke McCullough, Corporate Affairs Director, BBC Scotland, Edinburgh. Ditch current affairs shows Alison Rowat's article reinforces the problems which exist within the whole of the BBC. If BBC Scotland needs money for new programmes surely it can do better than axe River City, which I suspect has significantly more viewers that the current affairs programmes which serve no real purpose other than to pad out stories already covered on Reporting Scotland and the national news? Do we really need (and does anyone actually watch) News at Seven, Debate Night, or Scotcast? News at Nine was closed down because no one watched it. Surely it's time to ditch the rest and save some money for programmes that viewers want to see? Alan McGibbon, Paisley. Read more letters Who exactly is leaving uni? You report that the University of Edinburgh is losing staff ("University of Edinburgh: 350 staff take voluntary severance", heraldscotland, April 24). "Staff", however, covers a multitude of functions. We cannot know how far the nature of Schools and the availability of academic courses will be affected unless we are told which categories of staff are involved – and who will be involved in any compulsory redundancies. Over the last 25 years, the proportion of academic staff to "support staff" has diminished dramatically, as all kinds of bureaucratic structures have mushroomed. This is an all-UK phenomenon. It would be interesting to know what proportion of those leaving are academics close to retirement (who will not be replaced), and what proportion is among the kinds of support staff whose absence will have little or no effect on the academic activity that should be at the centre of university life. Or, to put it another way, are any of those leaving in the sector of DEI – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – and other more marginal activities? As they used to say in Private Eye, I think we should be told. Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh. Scotland's autocracy Last October, Highland Council objected to yet another wind farm in the Kyle of Sutherland – a National Scenic Area. Today (April 23), without any further input from the developers, councillors changed their minds and voted to approve it. Why? Because a previous wind farm application (Garvary) in the same area which they had objected to had been steamrollered through by the Scottish Government after a public inquiry. Another nearby, Strathoykel, was also railroaded through recently. These inquiries cost councils time and money they don't have, so to avoid a repeat, Highland Council has effectively been forced to change its position. We are all being beaten into submission up here in the Highlands by the relentless march of infrastructure. A National Scenic Area and a nationally important viewpoint on the NC500 have been further degraded, for no benefit to anyone in the Highlands. So all of us have lost enjoyment of some of the natural beauty that Scotland has to offer. Scotland produces more renewable energy than it needs and the profits are going to foreign multinationals at great cost to its natural heritage. Why? We are heading towards our own autocracy. Peter Dunn, Beauly. Are too many wind farms being approved? (Image: PA) Window of opportunity Having been away in Millport for a few days, only on returning have I had a chance to read Dani Garavelli's excellent article last Saturday ("Glasgow is failing to protect its stained glass. Can it be saved?", Herald Magazine, April 19). This has given me the opportunity to tell everyone about a recent amazing reuse of original stained glass. St Gabriel's RC Church in Merrylee Road discovered that some beautiful stained glass from Our Lady & St Margaret's Church in Kinning Park had been in storage for 50 years after demolition of St Margaret's to allow construction of the M8 and Kingston Bridge. Catherine Dillon-Ruddy, a parishioner of St Gabriel's, arranged the gift of the glass from the Archdiocese of Glasgow to St Gabriel's. Several members of the congregation were involved in the cleaning, including Andy Harris who arranged having the stained glass inserted into new double-glazed units. The impetus of this promoted the redecoration and recarpeting of the church to compliment the glass installation. The results are beautiful and are available to be viewed internally or externally. Brendan Keenan, Glasgow. The cheek of it P Davidson's letter (April 24) re "a petted lip" took me back to my own childhood when I was told "to straighten my face, or I would get a "skelpit you know what!". Amy Kinnaird, Ochiltree.
BBC News
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Home of the Year: 'We can tell people's homes by looking at them'
Scotland's Home of the Year judge Anna Campbell-Jones has become so adept at her job, she can tell which homes belong to which owners - just by looking at interior designer returns for a new series of the hit show where she gets to look inside strangers' homes and judge them for their inspiration and Campbell-Jones and her fellow judges, designer Banjo Beale and architect Danny Campbell, step into the competing houses, they have no idea who lives there - something she says shocks people."People are always quite surprised that we don't meet the homeowners," she told Reporting Scotland's News at Seven programme, "because we appear to know so much about them. "But it is incredible how much you can divine about a person or a couple or a family from the place they live. And that's exactly what we are looking for - something that really shows us who they are." It's only when they get to the final that they meet the people who live said: "When we are visiting the homes we are focusing on the homes and trying to work out what is going on and look at all the exciting ideas that people have been trying out."And when we meet the finalists it's a bit like how people look like their dogs - we are looking at everyone and saying I wonder if they are the people from that house - and we usually get it right."The seventh series of the BBC Scotland show begins on Monday. The competition has become a firm favourite with audiences who can't get enough of seeing where people believes it's human nature that makes it a success."It's a fundamental part of human nature, to snoop about other people's homes and see how they live," she said. Although the judging line-up has varied over the years, Campbell-Jones has remained constant, and she says the current three complement each other."The three of us get on really well - we think about homing in different ways, but we share a philosophy about the bigger picture - that it is about what a home means."Monday sees the team visit three very different homes in the west of for viewings are a colourful family flat in Saltcoats, a Victorian villa in Helensburgh and a 1930s sandstone bungalow in up is Seaside Conversion in Saltcoats, home to Tracey, Scott and their children Alfie, Blossom and Marley. Deceptively traditional from the outside, it's an upper four-bed beachfront flat packed full of colour and creativity. Next up is Victorian Villa in Helensburgh, a sandstone property which became home to Shereen, William and their family in 2017 after years of living huge seven-bedroomed Victorian home is full of items they've collected on their travels over the years, and each has a story of someone they know or somewhere they've been. The final contender in the west is Sandstone Bungalow in Giffnock, home to Pamela and Gordon, their son Caleb and Rosa the Irish Setter. The couple say they have blended old with new, retaining the beautiful original 1930s details whilst bringing the house up-to-date with a bright and modern kitchen, dining and living spaces. Campbell-Jones is clear on what she is looking for in a winner: "It should be inspirational, atmospheric and accessible but have that most important ingredient…love."Scoring them on architectural merit, distinctive design and personal style, the judges will choose which home will represent the west in the grand final held at House for an Art Lover in Glasgow.
