A HOST of Scottish celebrities are set to feature on the new BBC Scotland television channel launching next month.
Singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé, award-winning actor Mark Bonnar, comedy legends Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill are among a few of the famous names lined up.
The channel goes on air on Sunday February 24, and will feature a range of newly-commissioned programmes.
They span the genres from factual, entertainment and arts to comedy, drama, news and sport, meaning hundreds of more hours of additional content for audiences in Scotland.
One of the most anticipated commissions is Guilt, a twisting and unpredictable four-part drama series, from the award-winning Scottish writer of Eric, Ernie and Me, Neil Forsyth.
Directed by Robbie McKillop (Cleaning Up, Clique), it stars Mark Bonnar (Shetland, Line of Duty,Catastrophe) and Jamie Sives (Game of Thrones, The Victim, In The Dark) as two brothers whose lives are thrown into disarray after they accidentally run over and kill an old man while driving home from a wedding.
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It is the first drama commission for the new BBC Scotland channel, where it will premiere before its network transmission on BBC Two.
Speaking about the drama, Mark Bonnar said: "I am hugely excited to be a part of Guilt and to be working with Neil again.
"The moment I read the first scene I was totally hooked."
Emeli Sandé will travel across Scotland to find the nation's finest untapped musical talent in a new arts show Emeli Sandé’s Street Symphony.
She'll be visiting Inverness, Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh to hand-pick her five favourite street performers and orchestrate a concert with them.
Emeli said: “I’m so excited about getting out onto the streets of Scotland to hear first-hand the talent that’s out there.
"Plucking the talent found on street corners and putting it into a big melting pot with a full-on symphony orchestra is going to be mind-blowing.”
Other titles released today include an eight-part documentary series The Children’s Hospital, about The Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital and Children of the Devolution which sees journalist and broadcaster Allan Little embark on a journey across Scotland meeting families who include people in their 20s, 40s and 60s to look at how their lives have been shaped by the creation of the Scottish Parliament over the last 20 years.
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Inside Central Station, a six-part series about the people behind the busiest railway station in Scotland, Getting Hitched Asian Style, a behind-the-scenes look at Scotland’s biggest Asian wedding planners and A View From The Terrace, a weekly sideways glance at Scottish football adapted from the cult fan-led podcast, The Terrace were also included in a raft of programme announcements.
The channel will showcase much-loved established comedy talent, (Still Game, Scot Squad) alongside new faces and voices of the comedy circuit (Comedy Underground, The State of It).
Nightly news hour The Nine and a Question Time-style debate series from Scotland head up the current affairs offering.
Steve Carson, BBC Scotland’s Head of Multi-Platform Commissioning, said: “We’ve been working with more than 70 suppliers across the creative sector to help fulfil our vision for the new BBC Scotland channel – a channel for modern Scotland with quality, compelling content.
"Across the genres – from documentaries, drama, news, sport, comedy and entertainment programmes – BBC Scotland will reflect the lives and interests of Scottish audiences on screen.”
Donalda MacKinnon, Director of BBC Scotland, said: “The excitement over the new channel has been building and by unveiling some of our key programmes today, viewers will get a more detailed idea of what they can expect to see.
"Our commissioning team has curated an ambitious and engaging schedule aimed at reflecting Scotland in the 21st century, while satisfying our appetite to see the best of what’s on offer from around the rest of the world.”
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