Academic literature on the topic 'BBC Scotland'

Through a mixed-method approach, we examine the sports programming offered by BBC ALBA between 2008 and 2016 and identify the value that the channel creates in Scotland through its diverse sports portfolio. In an increasingly cluttered and complex scenario where pay-TV giants Sky and BT hold a plethora of top-tier rights and BBC Scotland and STV cannot fit more sport into their schedules, BBC ALBA serves Gaelic-speaking and national audiences with a regular diet of quality sports programming. Beyond being instrumental to filling schedules, sports content has been a gateway for Gaelic, a key driver of BBC ALBA’s investment in the creative sector and a contributor to the development of grassroots sport in Scotland. However, the financial situation under which the channel operates makes it very difficult to sustain and improve its current position. This case study demonstrates that sport broadcasting offers genuine opportunities to maintain linguistic and cultural diversity in small nations, even in a context characterized by escalating competition, dwindling resources, and the proliferation of multiple viewing portals.

This article examines how surveillance is represented as a means of controlling and managing people in the BBC comedy programme Scot Squad (BBC One Scotland 2014–17; BBC Scotland 2019–). Scot Squad parodies the conventions and aesthetics of the docusoap, specifically the reality crime variety, aligning it with generic frameworks such as mockumentary and comedy vérité. Using Hutcheson's definition of parody, namely, a text that imitates an earlier original text with a crucial difference, I argue that Scot Squad questions the legitimacy and efficacy of a range of surveillance mechanisms, from CCTV to the confession to the observational documentary itself. It does so through its comic narratives but also its adoption of a mock docusoap aesthetic. However, despite its critiquing of surveillance culture, Scot Squad's deployment of these representational and aesthetic tropes in a comedic context arguably helps to normalise and domesticate surveillance behaviours.

In early 2021, Rhodri Talfan Davies was appointed Director of Nations, a role which would see him lead all the BBC’s work across Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland, alongside his responsibilities as Director of BBC Wales. Shortly after this appointment, and the announcement of further commitments by the BBC to nations and regions, the authors interviewed Talfan Davies to understand the decisions that flow from translating the often abstract concept of national regions and English regionalism into a coherent set of organisational strategies, commissioning priorities and local production. A second purpose was to explore the value of local programming in an era of global television.

Abstract During the summer of 2012, and to coincide with the Olympics, BBC2 broadcast a series called The Hollow Crown, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s second tetralogy of English history plays. The BBC commission was conceived as part of the Cultural Olympiad which accompanied Britain’s successful hosting of the Games that summer. I discuss the financial, technical, aesthetic, and political choices made by the production team, not only in the context of the Coalition government (and its attacks on the BBC) but also in the light of theatrical and film tradition. I argue that the inclusion or exclusion of two key scenes suggest something more complex and balanced that the usual nationalism of the plays'; rather, the four nations are contextualised to comprehend and acknowledge the regions - apropos not only in the Olympic year, but in 2014's referendum on the Union of the crowns of England/Wales and Scotland.

The importance of documentary filmmaking as a living medium and its historic contribution to recording and preserving Scotland's culture and international viewpoint cannot be overstated. But before the digital age, where was all this film material stored and what has survived? The current debate on film restoration and public access is ongoing and is illustrated through this article with my personal introduction to veteran BBC film producer James (Jim) Wilson whose enterprising career has documented so much of the twentieth century. Reflecting on this unique creative achievement, the historical context and value of his films, and those of others to society, deserve closer scrutiny. Questions need to be raised regarding government policy on film preservation and how Lottery funding can further support film restoration. Clarification is required, in this case, of possible relaxation to certain BBC licensing agreements to stimulate cooperation. Discussions are in progress which highlight the growing demand for more democratisation and further public access to these celluloid assets which can be quickly forgotten or destroyed. It is therefore encouraging that new partnerships are being forged to identify and restore the vast film collections. Building on the very significant activities of Scottish Screen Archive/National Library of Scotland. They deliver services on several levels including online film archive research/restoration facilities and exhibitions. But there is still a great deal of work to be done in this field. The Wilson film legacy is one such area and a meeting with BBC has been arranged to discuss the future potential of celebrating this special film collection.

Scotland does not have any public service radio on a local level, except for a few bulletins or programmes offered by BBC Radio Scotland on an opt-out basis. Scottish commercial radio stations do cover local issues but within brief hourly news bulletins, without any in-depth coverage, while community radio by and large lacks resources for any news coverage of its own. Through a review of the existing literature on the role of media in democracy, and in particular the role of local radio, interviews with stakeholders and experts and history, and focus groups with ordinary people, this study formulates several possible solutions for future local news provision by radio in Scotland.

This doctoral thesis is concerned with the management phenomenon of corporate identity. In brief, the writer's pre-understanding of corporate identity is that it refers to what an organisation 'is', i. e. its innate character. Data for this thesis was collected within a subsidiary of a high profile, internationally known, highly secretive and quintessentially British institution: the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The objectives of this thesis are (a) to explain the nature of the social psychological process involved in corporate identity formation and (b) to explain the basic social structural process involved in acquiring and sustaining a corporate identity. This thesis is felt to be distinctive in three regards in that (a) the doctorate focuses on the identity of a subsidiary and in particular its sub brands, i. e. BBC Scotland (the subsidiary) and its relationship with BBC Radio Orkney and BBC Radio Shetland, (b) the writer appears to be the first management academic to have negotiated access within the BBC in order to undertake an extensive period of research, (c) this is thought to be the first PhD on corporate identity where the researcher has relied exclusively on in-depth qualitative methods of data collection within the research paradigm of naturalism. As such this thesis does not seek to establish universal laws regarding corporate identity but aims to contribute to an understanding of the phenomenon. In the tradition of naturalism the findings are in effect hypotheses since they only refer to the organisation under study. However, such findings potentially have real value in that the writer has to demonstrate connoisseurship of the institution under study and authenticity with regard to the data collected. The writer believes that he has met these requirements through revealing the distinct ideologies present within BBC Radio Orkney, BBC Radio Shetland as well as some of the ideologies within BBC Scotland. The findings of this doctorate revealed that (a) the basic social psychological process underpinning corporate identity was one of affinity. The data revealed that in both stations personnel has an affinity with at least six ideologies based on affection, alliance, closeness, attachment, nostalgia etc. The data not only demonstrated the importance of affinity to the basic social psychological process of corporate identity formation but also revealed that personnel had an affinity with different categories of ideology, i. e. corporate, professional and cultural. Thus the basic social psychological process of corporate identity can be described as being both multi-layered and complex. This has led the writer to give the following definition of corporate identity. "A corporate identity refers to what an organisation "is", e. g. its innate character. It is underpinned by a unique mix of ideologies (e. g. organisational, professional, etc) to which personnel have an affinity. An organisation's identity is experie nced through everything an organisation says, makes or does, e. g. is experienced through total corporate communications. All identity may be good, bad, negative, unwanted etc". With regard to explaining the basic social structural process of corporate identity the synthesis of the data suggests that senior managers should undertake four activities (a) define the corporate mission and philosophy; (b) be sensitive to the multiple ideologies present within the organisation; (c) evaluate the ideologies vis a vis the corporate mission and philosophy and (d) nurture those ideologies which support the mission and philosophy. In light of the findings this doctorate provides policy advice to senior managers of BBC Scotland and the BBC; to the Secretary of State for National Heritage; to senior managers generally and to management academics.

This thesis examines creative industries policy in film and television in Scotland. It explores the impact that different approaches to creative industries policy have on creative practice in two media industries, BBC Scotland and Scottish Screen, and reflects on how each of these bodies articulates its role as a „national‟ institution. BBC Scotland is the Scottish branch of the UK‟s largest public service broadcaster, while Scottish Screen exists on a far smaller scale, to serve the screen industries in Scotland. The thesis examines the role of BBC Scotland in sustaining the creative economy and contributing to the cultural life of Scotland. The study of Scottish Screen examines a key early aim of the agency, that of establishing a national film studio. The work investigates the connections between UK and Scottish levels of creative industries policy in light of the debates over the future of public service broadcasting and the Scottish Executive‟s cultural policy framework. The study outlines how ideas of cultural creativity and its economic significance have developed, charts how these ideas have affected policy debate, and explores the extent to which devolution has affected film and television policy. By mapping the historical, sociological and political terrain, the research analyses the specificity of Scotland within the UK context and explores areas in which ideas of „the national‟ become problematic. In order to investigate how policy has impacted on the production of creative goods, a further three case studies are explored. These are the feature film Red Road (Arnold, 2006), an independent production company called The Comedy Unit, and a BBC Scotland television series, River City (BBC, 2002-date). The work concludes with an examination of the impact of contemporary policy developments, including the establishment of Creative Scotland and the Scottish Broadcasting Commission.

This is a study of the BBC in the post-war period which focuses primarily on the history and development of BBC public service broadcasting in Scotland, and particularly within the period 1952-1980. Scottish developments in broadcasting are placed within the wider U.K. context because of the interrelationship between both, especially as BBC Scotland is only one of the BBC's regions, albeit a national region. This perspective is used in order to highlight how BBC Scottish broadcasting has evolved during this period as part of an essentially centralised broadcasting organisation. Each chapter is subdivided into a number of sections which are separately numbered and titled. The various issues and themes are discussed within a chronological framework. There arc also a number of appendices which contain reference, statistical, and illustrative material which link in with the various chapters. The research draws upon a wide range of source material including BBC written archival material, taped interviews, official publications, BBC reference source material, books, pamphlets, and journal and newspaper articles. Chapter 1 begins by tracing the early history of the BBC from its founding as a Company in 1922 up until the dissolution of that Company in 1926 and its rcconstilution as a public corporation. It also discusses the BBC's local radio stations in Scotland in the 1920s and the development of Scottish regional broadcasting during the 1930s. The chapter concludes by examining the Rcithian public service ethos and the development of national broadcasting through to the restart of national and Scottish regional braodcasting in 1945; it thus provides background material to the main period covered by the research. Chapter 2 focuses on the organisation structure of the BBC in Scotland and its institutional links with the BBC centrally; it discusses the formation, powers, and operation of the Scottish Advisory Council and the Broadcasting Council for Scotland; it examines the financial basis of broadcasting, including the implication of financial policy for the provision of BBC programme services in Scotland; and concludes by analysing the impact of the organisational and resource control changes introduced due to the growth of the BBC as an institution. Chapter 3 examines the various technical, financial, and social aspects governing the geographical extension of BBC broadcasting services in Scotland. It also considers, in some detail, various radio and television engineering developments since the early 1950s. Chapter 4 focuses on the development of the television programme services. Emphasis is placed on programme policy, and to a lesser extent, programme content. Topics covered include the arrival of BBC television in Scotland in 1952, the differing regional structure of BBC and ITV, competition between the BBC and ITV, the introduction of BBC-2, and television development in Scotland up until the late 1970s. Chapter 5 discusses the development of the radio programme services. It focuses on programme policy, and to a lesser extent, programme content. Topics covered include the development of the BBC Scottish Home Service, BBC local radio, network radio, competition between the BBC and ILR, BBC community radio in Scotland, the programme policy and development of BBC Radio Scotland. Chapter 6 focuses on three key themes in BBC broadcasting in Scotland: the BBC's dual programme responsibility (to produce programmes for Scotland and for the network audience) and Scottish images in broadcasting; centralisation; and regional devolution. Chapter 7 concludes by focusing on the immediate financial pressures and longer-term competitive challenges which the BBC faced in 1980.

This thesis examines the production of UK children’s public service broadcasting in the 21st century through extended case study of one significant production facility: BBC Scotland Children’s Department. Starting from the hypothesis that the Department offers a unique inflection of its public service remit through being an alternative producer to the main BBC Children’s production facility in London, it argues that the various contexts and settings of the Department impact on its texts, practices and discourses to articulate a distinctive approach to children’s public service broadcasting befitting the Department’s status as a BBC ‘centre of excellence’. Based on production research at BBC Scotland from 2007 to 2011, the study explores a number of problematic concepts associated with contemporary UK public service broadcasting for children, including the perceived value of UK-originated content; the occupational values of producers as specialists; the construction and representation of the children’s audience; and the specificity of television form in achieving public service for children. These issues are given additional scrutiny with respect to how BBC Scotland Children’s Department negotiates the demands of producing content that is simultaneously national and network, and in light of the difficulties in UK children’s broadcasting as a whole, suggested by the 2007 Ofcom Report on The Future of Children’s Television Programming. Occurring at a critical juncture in the history both of the BBC and of public service broadcasting more generally, the study reveals how the theorised gap between audience and producer, so critical in children’s media, is managed by the Department, and how notions of ‘public service’ to children are articulated in institutional ethos and practice as well as in texts and artefacts. Through analysis of different aspects of the children’s television production process at BBC Scotland, the thesis concludes that the Department embodies and manifests a strong ethos of public service in all its work.

This chapter discusses public service broadcasting in Scotland. The relationship between broadcasting in Scotland and broadcasting on a UK basis is analogous to that between the UK film industry and Hollywood. At the very least, it can be defined as neglect: sometimes benign; sometimes malign but in many cases, and over many decades, a refusal to enable the culture(s) and identities of the nation of Scotland to find full expression. It is argued that the Scottish Parliament should be fully responsible for media policy and media regulation in and for Scotland, including BBC Scotland. BBC Scotland also needs to have control of its own scheduling and to adopt an opt-in rather than an opt-out policy towards programming, thus taking account of the distinct and distinctive nature of the Scottish television and media market and patterns of consumption.

Essential Cases: Public Law provides a bridge between course textbooks and key case judgments. This case document summarizes the facts and decision in A v BBC (Scotland) [2014] UKSC 25, before the UK Supreme Court. This case concerned whether a court order granting anonymity to a convicted and deported foreign national sex offender could remain in place, notwithstanding objections from BBC (Scotland). In answering the question, the Court articulated what it referred to as the common law principle of open justice, which is the focus of this case note. The document also includes supporting commentary from author Thomas Webb.

Essential Cases: Public Law provides a bridge between course textbooks and key case judgments. This case document summarizes the facts and decision in A v BBC (Scotland) [2014] UKSC 25, Supreme Court. This case concerned whether a court order granting anonymity to a convicted and deported foreign national sex offender could remain in place, notwithstanding objections from BBC (Scotland). In answering the question, the Court articulated what it referred to as the common law principle of open justice, which is the focus of this case note. The document also includes supporting commentary and questions from author Thomas Webb.

Essential Cases: Public Law provides a bridge between course textbooks and key case judgments. This case document summarizes the facts and decision in A v BBC (Scotland) [2014] UKSC 25, Supreme Court. This case concerned whether a court order granting anonymity to a convicted and deported foreign national sex offender could remain in place, notwithstanding objections from BBC (Scotland). In answering the question, the Court articulated what it referred to as the common law principle of open justice, which is the focus of this case note. The document also includes supporting commentary from author Thomas Webb.

Essential Cases: Public Law provides a bridge between course textbooks and key case judgments. This case document summarizes the facts and decision in A v BBC (Scotland) [2014] UKSC 25, Supreme Court. This case concerned whether a court order granting anonymity to a convicted and deported foreign national sex offender could remain in place, notwithstanding objections from BBC (Scotland). In answering the question, the Court articulated what it referred to as the common law principle of open justice, which is the focus of this case note. The document also includes supporting commentary and questions from author Thomas Webb.

This chapter considers the development Gaelic policy from 2006 to the present, including a detailed analysis of the implementation of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 and the impact of the Gaelic television service BBC ALBA, which was launched in 2008. It considers the policies of the Scottish National Party government in relation to Gaelic from 2007 onwards, the role of Gaelic in debates concerning Scottish independence, and research concerning public attitudes towards the language. It examines a range of controversies concerning the policies and governance of the lead Gaelic agency Bòrd na Gàidhlig and assesses the ongoing expansion of Gaelic education has brought a range of challenges in financial, political, linguistic and pedagogical terms. Finally, it addresses the the increasingly controversial role of Gaelic in the linguistic landscape (particularly in relation to bilingual signage).

This chapter focuses on the long and ultimately successful campaigns for Gaelic language legislation and a dedicated Gaelic television service between 1997 and 2005. The opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 ushered in a new political era in Scotland, and this brought opportunities for more focused policy-making in relation to Gaelic. The government initially resisted calls for Gaelic language legislation but ultimately relented, so that the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005, was enacted in 2005. Proposals for a Gaelic television service took several years to come to fruition due to political and financial constraints, but agreement was ultimately reached to develop the digital service BBC ALBA. The first dedicated Gaelic school opened in Glasgow in 1999, and the presence of Gaelic in the linguistic landscape expanded, as bilingual signage was authorised for wider use.

As a student undertaking a Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC)1 based in a GP practice in a rural community in the North of Scotland, I have been lucky to be given responsibility and my own clinic lists. Every day I conduct consultations that change my practice: the challenge of clinically applying the theory I have studied, controlling a consultation and efficiently exploring a patient's problems, empathising with and empowering them to play a part in their own care2 – and most difficult I feel – dealing with the vast amount of uncertainty that medicine, and particularly primary care, presents to both clinician and patient. I initially consulted with a lady in her 60s who attended with her husband, complaining of severe lower back pain who was very difficult to assess due to her pain level. Her husband was understandably concerned about the degree of pain she was in. After assessment and discussion with one of the GPs, we agreed some pain relief and a physio assessment in the next few days would be a practical plan. The patient had one red flag, some leg weakness and numbness, which was her ‘normal’ on account of her multiple sclerosis. At the physio assessment a few days later, the physio felt things were worse and some urgent bloods were ordered, unfortunately finding raised cancer and inflammatory markers. A CT scan of the lung found widespread cancer, a later CT of the head after some developing some acute confusion found brain metastases, and a week and a half after presenting to me, the patient sadly died in hospital. While that was all impactful enough on me, it was the follow-up appointment with the husband who attended on the last triage slot of the evening two weeks later that I found completely altered my understanding of grief and the mourning of a loved one. The husband had asked to speak to a Andrew MacFarlane Year 3 ScotGEM Medical Student 2 doctor just to talk about what had happened to his wife. The GP decided that it would be better if he came into the practice - strictly he probably should have been consulted with over the phone due to coronavirus restrictions - but he was asked what he would prefer and he opted to come in. I sat in on the consultation, I had been helping with any examinations the triage doctor needed and I recognised that this was the husband of the lady I had seen a few weeks earlier. He came in and sat down, head lowered, hands fiddling with the zip on his jacket, trying to find what to say. The GP sat, turned so that they were opposite each other with no desk between them - I was seated off to the side, an onlooker, but acknowledged by the patient with a kind nod when he entered the room. The GP asked gently, “How are you doing?” and roughly 30 seconds passed (a long time in a conversation) before the patient spoke. “I just really miss her…” he whispered with great effort, “I don’t understand how this all happened.” Over the next 45 minutes, he spoke about his wife, how much pain she had been in, the rapid deterioration he witnessed, the cancer being found, and cruelly how she had passed away after he had gone home to get some rest after being by her bedside all day in the hospital. He talked about how they had met, how much he missed her, how empty the house felt without her, and asking himself and us how he was meant to move forward with his life. He had a lot of questions for us, and for himself. Had we missed anything – had he missed anything? The GP really just listened for almost the whole consultation, speaking to him gently, reassuring him that this wasn’t his or anyone’s fault. She stated that this was an awful time for him and that what he was feeling was entirely normal and something we will all universally go through. She emphasised that while it wasn’t helpful at the moment, that things would get better over time.3 He was really glad I was there – having shared a consultation with his wife and I – he thanked me emphatically even though I felt like I hadn’t really helped at all. After some tears, frequent moments of silence and a lot of questions, he left having gotten a lot off his chest. “You just have to listen to people, be there for them as they go through things, and answer their questions as best you can” urged my GP as we discussed the case when the patient left. Almost all family caregivers contact their GP with regards to grief and this consultation really made me realise how important an aspect of my practice it will be in the future.4 It has also made me reflect on the emphasis on undergraduate teaching around ‘breaking bad news’ to patients, but nothing taught about when patients are in the process of grieving further down the line.5 The skill Andrew MacFarlane Year 3 ScotGEM Medical Student 3 required to manage a grieving patient is not one limited to general practice. Patients may grieve the loss of function from acute trauma through to chronic illness in all specialties of medicine - in addition to ‘traditional’ grief from loss of family or friends.6 There wasn’t anything ‘medical’ in the consultation, but I came away from it with a real sense of purpose as to why this career is such a privilege. We look after patients so they can spend as much quality time as they are given with their loved ones, and their loved ones are the ones we care for after they are gone. We as doctors are the constant, and we have to meet patients with compassion at their most difficult times – because it is as much a part of the job as the knowledge and the science – and it is the part of us that patients will remember long after they leave our clinic room. Word Count: 993 words References 1. ScotGEM MBChB - Subjects - University of St Andrews [Internet]. [cited 2021 Mar 27]. Available from: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/medicine/scotgem-mbchb/ 2. Shared decision making in realistic medicine: what works - gov.scot [Internet]. [cited 2021 Mar 27]. Available from: https://www.gov.scot/publications/works-support-promote-shared-decisionmaking-synthesis-recent-evidence/pages/1/ 3. Ghesquiere AR, Patel SR, Kaplan DB, Bruce ML. Primary care providers’ bereavement care practices: Recommendations for research directions. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2014 Dec;29(12):1221–9. 4. Nielsen MK, Christensen K, Neergaard MA, Bidstrup PE, Guldin M-B. Grief symptoms and primary care use: a prospective study of family caregivers. BJGP Open [Internet]. 2020 Aug 1 [cited 2021 Mar 27];4(3). Available from: https://bjgpopen.org/content/4/3/bjgpopen20X101063 5. O’Connor M, Breen LJ. General Practitioners’ experiences of bereavement care and their educational support needs: a qualitative study. BMC Medical Education. 2014 Mar 27;14(1):59. 6. Sikstrom L, Saikaly R, Ferguson G, Mosher PJ, Bonato S, Soklaridis S. Being there: A scoping review of grief support training in medical education. PLOS ONE. 2019 Nov 27;14(11):e0224325.