Backlash as BBC announces River City to come to an end in 2026

EQUITY LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO SAVE SCOTTISH SOAP

Sign our petition now to reverse the cut and save jobs.

BBC Scotland will be saying a fond farewell to long-running drama series, River City and the residents of Shieldinch next year after more than 20 years on screen. The drama, which has entertained audiences since 2002, will air its final series in Autumn 2026.

Reflecting a ‘significant change in audience behaviour away from long-running series and towards shorter runs’, the BBC will make a considerable boost in major drama productions set across Scotland, moving the River City investment, starting with three new series – Counsels, Grams and The Young Team.

As well as these new titles, popular drama Granite Harbour will return for a third series, filming in Aberdeen and Glasgow in the coming months. Also making a return is Shetland for its tenth series and Vigil for a third series, while the previously announced eight-part drama, Mint, is filming in Scotland. Combined, these dramas will bring a greater range of stories written by Scots, about Scotland and made in Scotland for a UK-wide audience. 

Forming part of the single biggest investment in drama from Scotland in the past decade, these new dramas – along with existing commissions – will create new opportunities across the independent sector. Total investment in BBC drama from Scotland over the next three years is expected to rise to over £95m cumulatively (2026-28).

Counsels, Grams and The Young Team were ordered by Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning for BBC Scotland and Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama. 

The BBC will also work with industry partners on a new talent training plan in Scotland. A new framework for training will build on River City’s successful training academy and the ongoing work on other series to elevate individuals in to senior creative roles as well as supporting and developing production crews. Further details will be announced in the autumn.

Sign our petition now to reverse the cut and save jobs.

Hayley Valentine, Director, BBC Scotland says: “River City has been a wonderful adventure and of course we’ll all be sad to see it go. The team have done a brilliant job and I know they have some big plans for the finale next year.

!But as viewing patterns change and competition intensifies, this is the right time to invest in the next generation of high-impact drama series from across Scotland showcasing storytelling across the UK.

“Our goal is to grow Scotland further on the global drama map – with a slate of world-class productions that set the standard not just here but internationally too.”

Louise Thornton Head of Commissioning at BBC Scotland: “We are incredibly proud of River City and it is with great sadness that we have come to this difficult decision. 

“I want to thank the River City team in front of and behind the cameras for their dedication to the show over the years, past and present.

“For more than two decades, River City has brought drama to life on screen as well as offering industry training at grassroots level, and we know that fans of the programme will be really sad to see it go.

“The show leaves a tremendous legacy behind and the new productions we’ve announced will offer further opportunities. However, the media landscape is changing at pace and, as audience viewing habits change, it’s vital we respond to this.

“Our three new dramas, alongside the returning drama favourites, reflect the increasing shift in audience demand for series rooted in Scotland which play to audiences across the UK … and beyond.

“We’re delighted to be working with such great production teams and remain steadfast in our commitment to invest in Scotland’s creative industry.”

The new Scottish drama titles are:

Counsels (Balloon Entertainment)

8×60’ – BBC iPlayer / BBC One / BBC Scotland

Counsels is an original high-stakes legal drama co-created by Scottish writers Bryan Elsley (The Crow Road, Skins) and BBC Writers’ Drama Room graduate Gillian McCormack.

Set and filmed in and around Glasgow, Counsels follows five young lawyers who once trained together at one of Scotland’s elite law schools but are now scattered across the profession and find themselves facing each other in the courts of Glasgow.

Some will rise to the top, while others risk losing everything as their careers teeter on the edge when they lock horns in their biggest cases yet.

The ambitious lawyers must navigate a legal battlefield where their friendships begin to fracture, love affairs crumble, and the fight for justice threatens to tear them all apart.

Grams (World Productions)

6×60’ – BBC iPlayer / BBC One / BBC Scotland

Grams is a darkly comic thriller created, written and directed by the RTS award-winning James Price (Dog Days, Boys Night), Grams is set in Springburn, Glasgow, where James was born and still lives.

Following the death of her beloved grandson Michael, widowed Glaswegian Thana becomes the target of a violent local gang, who Michael apparently crossed.

Thana finds salvation in the form of Connor, a volatile friend of Michael’s with serious anger issues. Grams will see Thana and Connor form an unlikely partnership, as they seek the truth of what really happened to Michael.

The Young Team (Synchronicity Films)

6×60’ – BBC iPlayer / BBC Three/ BBC Scotland

The Young Team is the scripted debut from one of Scotland’s most exciting voices in literature, Graeme Armstrong.

The series is adapted from Graeme’s best-selling and award-winning debut novel of the same name and is set and filmed in North Lanarkshire.

Fifteen-year-old Azzy Williams and his pals roam the streets of Airdrie on a Friday night, bottles of Buckfast in hand and techno playing from tinny speakers. Azzy is ready. Ready to smoke, pop pills, drink wine and fight.

He longs to become fully initiated into local gang the Young Team Posse (YTP). But when Azzy, determined to prove himself, makes a bold move, a brutal gang conflict ensues with Azzy very firmly at its heart. 

The Young Team will follow Azzy on his journey from boyhood to manhood as he and his mates become postcode warriors in a toxic cycle that threatens to consume them. An unflinching look at the realities of addiction and gang violence, this ambitious series will tell a powerful, visceral story about the realities of life for young, disenfranchised people and the fight for a different future. 

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama says: “Audience habits are changing and we are responding to that with these plans for three brilliant new dramas made in Scotland.

“BBC viewers love truly authentic stories and we are committed to creating high-impact content from across the UK, so that we can better reflect and represent every part of the country.

“The success of the long running Shetland, coupled with the return of Vigil and Granite Harbour, is a testament to the strength of talent we have in Scotland and we look forward to seeing our three new shows come to life alongside these hugely popular returners.”

The BBC says these new commissions ‘will build on the BBC’s strong track record in drama production in Scotland including award-winning series Guilt and Mayflies, and ratings hits Rebus and Nightsleeper’. 

Richard Gadd’s new series Half Man has also started shooting in Scotland while the psychological thriller The Ridge starring Lauren Lyle will hit screens later this year. Filming on the new titles is expected from later this year and into 2026, with casting to be announced in due course.

Plans are underway to ensure River City goes out on a high next year, celebrating the show’s legacy. River City is a BBC Studios Drama Production.

Sign our petition now to reverse the cut and save jobs.

Equity, the UK performing arts & entertainment trade union, is urging the BBC to think again and has launched a petition to save the Scottish soap:

The BBC has shockingly announced they plan to cancel River City, one of Scotland’s most viewed and best loved TV shows.

River City attracts half a million viewers per episode and has an iconic status in Scottish TV culture. This decision is an attack on Scottish-made TV drama, Scottish TV workers, and the soap’s 500,000 loyal viewers.

Sign our petition to reverse the cut and Save River City!

Sign our petition now to reverse the cut and save jobs.

Paul W Fleming, Equity General Secretary, called the move “short-sighted” and a “disaster for Scottish television”, saying the move would have a disproportionately negative impact on Scottish performers – many of whom get their first TV job on River City – and the wider Scottish to production landscape.

‘The £9 million annual budget is excellent value for money given the hours of programming produced throughout the year for a successful show pulling in a regular audience of 500,000 per episode. 

‘The Glasgow-based show is well-loved by Scottish audiences, enjoys strong ratings, and won ‘Best Drama’ at the RTS Scotland 2023 awards. It is the only domestic Scottish soap running on TV and outperforms other TV series by more than 2.5 times. It provides work for dozens of Scottish actors every year. River City is thriving and successful in its current format.

‘There is no way that the BBC can replace the level of investment and job creation that River City provides to the Scottish economy and Scottish culture sector. Any alternative proposals the BBC offers will inevitably hurt Scottish culture workers and and TV production. 

Sign our petition now to reverse the cut and save jobs.

Sign our petition now to reverse the cut and save jobs.

BBC Scotland commissions new documentary series – The Hunt for Peter Tobin

The two-part documentary series highlights how three missing persons cases led to the capture of a serial killer

BBC Scotland has commissioned Firecrest Films to produce a new two-part series examining the brutal crimes of Scottish serial killer Peter Tobin.

The Hunt for Peter Tobin is the third in the series of the award-winning true crime strand ‘The Hunt for…’ and follows the success of The Hunt for Bible John and The Hunt for the World’s End Killers.

It follows the three separate investigations into young women who had seemingly vanished, and how they eventually revealed the existence of a serial killer targeting young women across the UK for more than three decades.

Vicky Hamilton was waiting for a bus on a snowy winter night in 1991 when the 15-year-old teenager disappeared. Her case became one of Scotland’s biggest missing persons investigations. That summer 18-year-old Dinah McNicol vanished after hitchhiking home from a music festival in Kent. Then, 15 years later, 23-year-old Angelika Kluk went missing in Glasgow in 2006.

The series explores the ripple effects and the strain of their sudden disappearances on their families and friends of having a loved-one suddenly go missing. It includes interviews with family members, detectives, forensic scientists and journalists.

Like the two previous Hunt For… series, The Hunt for Peter Tobin is produced and directed by the multi-award winning team of film-maker Matt Pinder, and editors Audrey McColligan and Dave Clark.  The Hunt for Bible John was described by The Guardian as “the best true-crime documentary of the year” and by The Times “as a “chillingly brilliant piece of film-making.”

David Harron, Commissioning Executive, Factual at BBC Scotland says: “This new series has the same distinguishing features to those that have gone before.

“It examines the Police investigations and the relentless pursuit of justice whilst at the same time telling the very real human stories which exist behind the headlines.

“It is this powerful combination, carefully crafted by the team, that makes for compelling viewing.”

Mick McAvoy, Head of Documentaries at Firecrest Films said, “Matt Pinder has once again produced a sensitively crafted series that reveals the brutal impact of a loved one suddenly going missing, while also paying tribute to the strength and compassion of those who devoted their lives to finding the truth about the disappearances.

“In the shadow of the brutal crimes of Peter Tobin, this series will inspire viewers as they see the tireless police work, the efforts of the Missing People charity and the strength of the families of the victims over three decades.”

  • The Hunt for Peter Tobin will be broadcast on BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer in March 2025.

BBC Scotland to ‘reshape’ broadcast news and grow digital impact in election year

END OF THE LINE FOR THE NINE

The changes are designed to grow the impact of broadcast news services in Scotland whilst offering audiences more ways to watch and listen to news and current affairs output across all our services’

BBC Scotland has announced changes to its News and Current Affairs services in preparation for a busy year of major news events, including the UK general election and the summer’s Euros. 

The changes are designed to grow the impact of broadcast news services in Scotland whilst offering audiences more ways to watch and listen to news and current affairs output across all our services.

The plans will see a reshaped news service for the BBC Scotland Channel, an extension of Reporting Scotland, a new current affairs series available on BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer as well as TV, and investment in our online News services.

The changes include:

  • Launching a new 30 minute news programme at 7pm on the BBC Scotland Channel. This will replace The Nine. The new programme, following Reporting Scotland at 6.30pm on BBC One Scotland, will have coverage from across Scotland, the UK and the world. This change will be subject to consultation by and approval of Ofcom*
  • Launching a new topical current affairs series which will be published as a podcast on BBC Sounds and also be available to audiences on BBC iPlayer, BBC Scotland channel and BBC One Scotland. We’re planning to run this four times a week in this election year.
  • Regularly extending Reporting Scotland on BBC One for a number of hour-long special editions across the year 
  • Extending the series run of Debate Night this year, increasing from 24 episodes to 30 episodes
  • Increasing the frequency of ‘live’ online reporting and explanatory articles on the News website and News App, as part of our overall strategy to strengthen our strong online news offer

The new 30-minute TV news programme, which is subject to regulatory approval, and the new topical current affairs series will launch later this year.

These plans also involve bringing The Edit (an entertainment news programme) and Seven Days (a weekly news review programme) on the BBC Scotland Channel to a close. These changes maintain our investment in news and there will be no staff job losses associated with the plans. 

BBC Scotland News will maintain the six and a half hours of weekday radio news programmes, bolstered by Martin Geissler joining the Drivetime presentation team; build on the success of The Sunday Show, setting the week’s political agenda when it’s simulcast each weekend on BBC One and Radio Scotland; and invest in the work of our award-winning Disclosure investigations team, who have recently dug into how the post office scandal has impacted Scotland, shone a light on the state of our prisons, and exposed shocking weight loss scams.

Gary Smith, Head of News & Current affairs says:  “It’s going to be a busy year for news with a UK election, an American election, and Scotland’s trip to Germany for the Euros.

“We need to make sure we keep changing our output as audience habits change, so that we provide the best possible service for our audiences in the formats and on the platforms they want.

“I’m very proud that The Nine has produced such great journalism and developed such great talent over the past five years, and I’m confident that our new offer to audiences will continue to meet those high standards.”

Steve Carson, Director BBC Scotland says: “In launching new shows and developing our digital services, these changes play to our strengths as an innovative broadcaster that delivers high quality journalism to audiences across all our platforms – from TV and Radio to online news, iPlayer and Sounds.”

BBC Scotland is seeking nominations for ‘Scotland’s People 2023’

BBC Scotland is seeking nominations for ‘Scotland’s People 2023’ with Jackie Bird.

Do you know an incredible person who’s gone that extra mile to help others?  Someone who has an inspirational story of kindness and caring? An unsung hero who deserves recognition and thanks for the amazing work they do?

Then please get in touch now to nominate them for Scotland’s People 2023.

All you have to do is click on the link below:

http://bbc.co.uk/scotlandspeople  

  FB VIDEO : https://fb.watch/mL1lvLWEkH/

Scottish TV explorer turns the key on history

Paul Murton opens Douglas Mausoleum at Historic Kilmun

Broadcaster, writer and Scottish adventurer Paul Murton was on hand recently to officially launch the new tourist season at Historic Kilmun.

Paul, who currently has his “Grand Tours of Scottish Rivers” airing on BBC Scotland, also performed an opening ceremony for the Douglas Mausoleum using a recently discovered key at the ancient venue, dubbed the ‘Rosslyn of the West’, on the banks of Holy Loch.

The Douglas Mausoleum is dedicated to the memory of General Sir John Douglas who saw action in the Crimean War including the Battle of Balaclava and the Siege of Sebastopol in 1854. Born in 1817, he inherited the Glenfinart estate in 1871 and died in 1888.

Jennifer Bryson, a Trustee at Historic Kilmun, explained: “It was great to see Paul, a Patron of Historic Kilmun, open the mausoleum for the first time in front of so many friends.

“Historic Kilmun will be open from Thursday to Monday, 11am to 3pm, until the end of October. Expert guided tours will be available for visitors and we also have a busy programme of events including live music, book sales and recitals using our famous water driven organ.”

For more information visit www.historickilmun.org.

Secret singers wanted for BBC’s Scotland Sings

BBC Scotland are on a mission to create a unique choir led by vocal coach to the stars, Yvie Burnett, for her new series, ‘Scotland Sings’.

For the past 20 years, Yvie has worked with a range of stars from Katy Perry to Susan Boyle, Lewis Capaldi to Leona Lewis, and has appeared on The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent along the way.

Now, Yvie is taking on her biggest challenge yet – to form and coach a choir from some of Scotland’s hidden talents, those who have kept their vocal talents a secret, until now …

We need you to help us find our country’s finest ‘secret’ singers – those who’ve kept their talents hidden away, who lack the confidence to ever sing in public but would benefit both physically and mentally from coaching and singing in a group led by Yvie, even if this is the first time they’ve let their vocals be heard outside of the shower!

So if that sounds like you or even someone you know – a family member or friend – now is the time the act!

To be considered, all you have to do is record a video or send us the email address of your nominee by heading to this address: bbc.co.uk/scotlandsings and follow the instructions.

We can’t wait to hear all the unheard voices from across Scotland!

The closing date for applications is the 31st of October 2022 at midnight and all applicants must be 18 +.

NOMINATIONS LINK: https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u121359722

PROGRAMME PAGE: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0cxrhc2

BBC SCOTLAND TWEET : https://twitter.com/BBCScotComms/status/1577240863494635521

BBC SCOTLAND FACEBOOK REEL : https://www.facebook.com/reel/5166495953462049

Behind the scenes with the UK’s largest regional airline

What really happens when the wheels are down

If you’ve ever wondered what really happens in an airline beyond take-offs and landings, a new ten-part BBC series launching next Monday will offer an exclusive insight into the lives of the younger members of the team at Loganair, the UK’s largest regional airline.

Loganair provided all-areas access to camera crews from Mentorn Scotland over several months – filming from as far afield as Shetland and the Outer Hebrides to London Heathrow, as 11 of the airline’s team, ranging from Captain to Aircraft Engineer, balanced their personal lives with the busiest summer at work they’ve faced to date.

It’s far reaching, with the UK’s first commercial pilot living with HIV attempting to update aviation legislation to achieve his dream, while one cabin crew member seeks advice from her best friend as she strives to become a pilot.

The show also follows the UK’s youngest captain from Edinburgh as he juggles life in the air with his love of street performing and his long-distance relationship in Shetland, and an engineer who faces her biggest challenge yet as she converts a plane into an air ambulance in time for a patient to be transported the following morning.

The series also captures the close friendships of those at Loganair as it shows best mates from Manchester and Mauritius settling into their new lives as pilots in Aberdeen, and a special family moment as one pilot surprises his mum with a flight to an island to thank her for her support throughout his career – the first time she’s ever been on a commercial flight with her son flying the plane.

The first episode of Sky High Club lines up for take-off on BBC Scotland at 22:00 on Monday 15 August, with a second instalment on Thursday 18 August.    BBC Three launches the series nationally from 20:00 on Thursday 18 August with two back-to-back episodes.  

A “series drop” of the entire ten episodes will be available through the BBC iPlayer from Monday 15 August.

Jonathan Hinkles, CEO of Loganair, said: “We are all incredibly proud of those who participated in Sky High Club and everyone in the wider team who made it possible.

“During a busy summer, when the entire aviation industry was faced with changing covid restrictions and huge challenges, it was a daunting prospect to invite a TV crew behind the scenes of our airline.  For this to work in the best possible way, we gave the camera crews full access to behind-the-scenes life at Loganair, and I’m truly grateful to the stars of the show for volunteering to share their personal and truly inspiring stories as part of the journey.

“It is our hope that it provides  fantastic encouragement and insight for those contemplating a career in aviation – whether in the air or on the ground – and that we are able to continue welcoming a diverse range of new recruits into the Loganair family.”

Sky High Club, produced by Mentorn Scotland, is the result of a commission from a creative partnership of BBC Three, BBC Scotland and Screen Scotland.

The scheme invited local Scottish Independent production companies to pitch innovative, factual entertainment format ideas that reflect the life experiences young people, with the promise of a guaranteed series commission.

Significant waste crime sites targeted by SEPA as BBC Disclosure focuses on serious and organised crime

Scottish Environment Protection Agency staff and their work tackling waste crime will be featured as part of investigative journalism programme BBC Disclosure tonight (Monday 31 January) at 7pm.

The programme titled ‘Dirty Business’ will delve into criminal waste activities – ranging from ‘man with a van’ flytipping and waste being burnt in a drum to large scale illegal activities with links to serious organised crime such as abandoned lorry trailers bursting with up to 41 tonnes of waste and illegal landfills.

The documentary sees BBC presenter Sam Poling shadowing staff on complex investigations including a site visit to an unidentified location, where a criminal gang has buried large amounts of waste underground resulting in environmental impact from the release of harmful gases and liquids as the illegal deposit degrades.

Sam also accompanies SEPA staff to a non-compliant site and on a site visit to a legitimate waste operator to see how businesses should be operating to stay within the law and discovers how criminals undercutting these types of businesses can impact on the industry.

Waste crime has a serious and detrimental impact on the environment, communities and compliant businesses, costing Scottish taxpayers tens of millions a year in clean-up costs, avoided tax and lost revenue.

Dedicated enforcement

As part of its ongoing commitment to tackle environmental crime and as an environment protection agency ready to tackle the challenges of the 21st Century, SEPA launched a dedicated intelligence and enforcement function in October 2019 to deal with those types of growing activities.

SEPA’S investigative waste enforcement work includes the monitoring of over 234 active cases including 31 high priority sites, some linked to serious and organised crime activities.

We work closely with partners such as Police Scotland, the Joint Unit for Waste Crime, Serious Organised Crime Task Force and cross border agencies to share information and work together to use powers that partners have to tackle this behaviour, using the latest technologies to help ensure we detect criminal activity and have the most accurate picture possible.

Working together in this way means that we can make it harder for criminals to get a foot in legitimate waste businesses, and where these sites have appeared it will become easier to require those responsible to clean them up.

Waste crime stifles legitimate businesses’ opportunities to innovate and improve our environment and there is a need to continue attracting the right businesses to Scotland that will contribute to our economic growth while protecting and enhancing our environment.

Members of the public and businesses must start thinking of ways to do things differently to limit opportunities for criminals to operate and gain a greater awareness of what happens to their waste.

SEPA works with businesses to help them achieve compliance and understand their obligations and Digital Waste Tracking is one of the innovations which could help make compliance easier and help individuals and businesses to track what happens to their waste.

Jennifer Shearer, Head of Enforcement at SEPA, said: “We are warning criminals – your activities are firmly in the spotlight and compliance with Scotland’s environmental laws is non-negotiable. Our dedicated enforcement unit is focussing our efforts on tackling the most serious non-compliance and illegal activity.

“Waste crime is best tackled on a preventative level and this involves a ‘Team Scotland’ partner led approach. By taking part in this programme we aim to highlight the extensive work that SEPA does and make everyone aware of duties they have in assisting in the disruption of these types of activity.

“For us deterring waste crime will take more than issuing fines and taking prosecutions where possible. It requires Scotland to realise the potential in developing vacant and derelict land for better use, engage in multi-agency partnerships and nurture urban and rural communities.

“In Scotland, businesses committed to doing the right thing by our environment will find a regulator that supports innovation and excellence. For those who do the wrong thing they’ll find a regulator that won’t hesitate to act. It is vital that businesses and individuals realise their duty of care, as the best way to stop waste criminals is to cut off their routes to make money.

“Criminals are resourceful, inventive and will find new ways to break the law – especially when money is involved, but Scotland’s enforcement agencies are working together to make sure we find them and stop them.”

Cabinet Secretary for Justice Keith Brown said: “The Scottish Government and partners on the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce are fully committed to disrupting those who see waste disposal as a money-making enterprise that sits alongside other crime types such as violence, drugs, weapons and money laundering.

“These criminals will do anything to increase their wealth through undermining legitimate waste businesses and tricking unsuspecting customers. Partners on the taskforce will use every means at their disposal to ensure these illegal practices stop and that those who dump waste illegally are held accountable.”

Phil Davies, Joint Unit for Waste Crime Manager, said: “The Joint Unit for Waste Crime works to disrupt serious and organised waste crime to reduce the impact on the economy, the environment and local communities.

“Our strength lies in bringing together agencies from across the UK, including the Environment Agency; Natural Resources Wales; the Scottish Environment Protection Agency; the Northern Ireland EA; the police; HMRC; the National Fire Chiefs Council; the British Transport Police and the National Crime Agency.

“Working together as the Joint Unit, we share intelligence and enforcement to more quickly identify, disrupt and deter criminals and make them pay for the damage they inflict on communities and the environment.”

Executive Director of the Environmental Services Association, Jacob Hayler, said: “Waste crime threatens the natural environment, costs the public purse millions of pounds a year and severely undermines investment in responsible, legitimate, recycling and waste treatment operations.

“The Environmental Services Association is highly supportive of robust enforcement action, greater deterrents and tougher penalties on these criminals, who unfortunately all too often view our sector as a soft target.”

Allan MacGregor a member of the Resource Management Association Scotland (RMAS) Management Committee and Chief Executive of the Binn Group, said: “Unscrupulous operators undermine legitimate businesses, stifle investment, and create an uneven playing field.

“We therefore fully support any efforts to crack down on illegal waste dumping activities and stop waste criminals from operating within our industry.”

How you can help

Everyone can help tackle waste crime by refusing to engage waste service providers who are not licenced by, or registered with SEPA, and by checking that the person offering to pick up their waste is a registered waste carrier. You should ask for evidence of this and then ask where they will dispose of the waste and ensure this is a legitimate licensed site. Failing to make these checks is illegal.

Services that sound too good to be true often are – and could lead to waste being illegally fly-tipped or disposed of by other illegitimate means. For criminals carrying out these activities, illegal waste disposal and fly tipping is a serious offence with significant consequences and those caught risk a criminal conviction and a fine and/or imprisonment. SEPA can also issue Variable Monetary Penalties of up to £40,000 as an enforcement tool.

Everyone can assist by being vigilant and reporting any suspicious activity such as:

  • Trailers left by the roadside or in isolated areas
  • Increased activity at previously unused sites
  • Movements of vehicles late at night or very early in the morning
  • Unusual odours or increased fly activity
  • SEPA also advises that landowners must be alert to the risk of their land or premises being used for illegal waste deposits and trailer or vehicle owners should also be aware of the risk of theft for use in illegal waste disposal activities.

Members of the public can report suspicious sites and behaviours to SEPA 24 hours a day, seven days a week through our pollution hotline online, sepa.org.uk/report, or call 0800 80 70 60. 

Two people from Edinburgh feature in tonight’s Eòrpa about Assisted Dying

Two people from Edinburgh feature in the next episode of European Current Affairs programme, Eòrpa, which is about the proposed Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill and will air on BBC ALBA tonight (Thursday, November 18) at 8.30pm.

Dr Donald MacDonald – from Edinburgh – practiced as a doctor, and as a minister, for many years, both in the UK and in India and he’s had MS for almost 40 years. He is against the assisted dying Scotland Bill because it goes against the age old medical ethic of not ending a life deliberately. He’s concerned that people would feel like a burden on their family, friends or caregivers and due to this they might opt for ending their life via assisted suicide or euthanasia.

And Leighanne Baird-Sangster from Edinburgh. In May 2020, her wife Gill was terminally ill with melanoma cancer and when she reached the end-of-life stage they had a very difficult 10 days before she died when she suffered a lot of pain. Leighanne supports the Assisted Dying Scotland Bill, so that no one else goes through what her wife did.

Assisted dying has always been a divisive, and deeply controversial topic. Those in favour may see it as a compassionate way to end suffering. Many people come to support it due to their own personal experience. But on the other hand, many of those against changing the law see it as gravely immoral, and as something which could be used to undermine the rights of the most vulnerable in society.

Any new change in the law in Scotland would not make it easy for someone to go through the assisted dying process. Anyone who wishes to go through with it must have a terminal, incurable illness, and must be deemed to be near the end of their lives. Although the proposed bill currently contains no recommendation on exactly how long someone might naturally have left to live.

Spain is the latest country to pass an assisted dying bill, giving people the option to end their lives when they choose. From March this year, those living in Spain who suffer from incurable illnesses can begin the process to end their own lives.  

In Spain, a doctor can administer the final drug – something which would not be allowed were the law to change in Scotland.

Other Contributors include: 

Dr Gordon MacDonald, Chief Executive Care not Killing, believes it would put people who are vulnerable in a very dangerous situation, that they would come under pressure to end their lives prematurely and rather than that we should be investing in proper palliative care.  

Ally Thompson, Director – Dignity in Dying – says the current blanket ban is unfair and unjust, and causes so many dying people and their families to suffer needlessly. He believes legalising assisted dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults, would be better.

Liam MacArthur MSP for Orkney Islands – he thinks people have increasingly come to the conclusion that having this choice of an assisted death is compassionate, it’s what a progressive country ought to aspire to,

Rev Domhnall Michael Macinnes – he believes that passing this Bill would open Pandora’s Box and we should be encouraging life for people because it’s a precious gift from God. Mr MacInnes, who is minister of Gairbraid Church in Maryhill, Glasgow, is originally from Lewis. He is also a former minister at St Columba’s Church in St Vincent Street, Glasgow.

Javier Serrano Martin from Spain – was the first person in Madrid to die under the new assisted dying legislation. He suffered from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and spoke to Eorpa shortly before his death.

BBC’s commitment to Scotland to be discussed with MPs

BBC spend in Scotland has fluctuated in recent years and, despite Ofcom praising the BBC’s ability to support Scotland’s creative economy, the BBC missed its spend quota in Scotland last year.

 In addition, recent reports have suggested that control of two BBC Scotland studios could be taken over by BBC Studioworks in Elstree, Hertfordshire.  

The Scottish Affairs Committee held a previous session with BBC Scotland in 2018.

MPs will use Monday’s session to explore topics including: 

  • The BBC’s commitment to Scotland;
  • The BBC’s performance in Scotland;
  • UK Government support for public service broadcasting;
  • The impact of the rise of streaming services and social media;
  • How an increasingly digital world could impact the ease at which non-English content – such as BBC Alba and BBC  Radio nan Gàidheal – can be found.

Ofcom has found that people in Scotland watch the most broadcast television of any UK nation, with BBC One productions being the top three most-viewed shows in Scotland in 2019.  

Witnesses:

Tuesday 20 July, from 10am

  • Steve Carson, Director, BBC Scotland
  • Louise Thornton, Head of Multiplatform Commissioning, BBC Scotland
  • Gary Smith, Head of News and Current Affairs, BBC Scotland