BBC Trust

The BBC’s Annual Report published today shows that it has been a year of strong performance for BBC Scotland, with high quality drama, news, comedy and documentaries. 

In addition there was a record spend on BBC programmes made in Scotland for the whole UK, with 1,000 hours of programmes produced in the 2013 calendar year - double the hours produced five years ago. 

Audiences flocked to the BBC for live coverage of Andy Murray’s victory in the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, with an 85% share of viewing in Scotland.   Hebrides: Islands on the Edge reached almost one in three of the Scottish population, almost 6 million viewers across the UK followed BBC Scotland primetime drama Shetland, and Mrs Brown’s Boys was the most watched programme across the UK on Christmas Day.  Documentaries Clydebuilt: Ships That Made The Commonwealth, first shown on BBC Scotland then across the UK, and Piper Alpha: Fire in the Night, also performed well. 

In news and current affairs, Reporting Scotland remained the most watched daily news programme in Scotland.  Audiences in Scotland continued to turn to the BBC for accurate, impartial coverage of major breaking news, with 8 million visitors to the BBC Scotland news website when the Clutha Bar helicopter crash tragedy took place.  A range of programmes contributed to the BBC’s comprehensive coverage of the independence referendum in September, with a number of televised debates, documentaries and the introduction of the new Scotland 2014 weeknight news programme. 

BBC Radio Scotland reached one in five of the Scottish population every week over the past year, and introduced new weekend and arts programming.  BBC ALBA was watched by more people than ever, although there was a slight fall in the number of Gaelic speakers watching.  Radio nan Gaidheal reached almost two thirds of Gaelic speakers, although this was slightly down on the previous year. 

The Audience Council Scotland, the BBC Trust’s advisory body, has welcomed the strong performance of the BBC in Scotland this year in its Annual Review, and commended the BBC news teams in Scotland for their coverage of the Clutha helicopter crash and the independence debate.  This year the Trust consulted the public on editorial guidelines for coverage of the independence referendum. 

However, in 2013/14 47 per cent of people in Scotland thought the BBC is good at representing their life in news and current affairs content, and the Audience Council has reiterated concerns about the level of coverage of devolved issues in Scotland by the BBC’s UK-wide network news.  It has also called for a thorough reassessment of BBC news provision in Scotland, which it says has not changed significantly since the introduction of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.

BBC Trustee for Scotland Bill Matthews said:

"This year BBC Scotland delivered outstanding, high-quality programmes for Scottish audiences, many of which also resonated across the UK, coupled with a record amount of UK network production in Scotland.  Our Audience Council has reiterated some concerns about news coverage in and of Scotland and Scottish issues, and we will continue to work with the BBC to address these. 

"Looking ahead, in the coming days BBC Scotland will bring all the drama and excitement of the Commonwealth Games to audiences across the country, and the comprehensive coverage of the independence referendum will continue to ramp up ahead of the vote in September.  The Trust’s and the BBC’s priority in this is to ensure that the BBC delivers accurate, impartial information so that audiences have the information they need to make an informed decision."

The Audience Council for Scotland has also suggested that there should be a single service licence for BBC services in Scotland, to help them work more efficiently together.

Notes to Editors 

1. The Audience Council Scotland’s Annual Review for 2013/14 can be found here
2. The BBC Annual Report and Accounts for 2013/14 can be found here
3. The BBC management annual review for Scotland can be found here.