Landmark series on impact of World War One leads BBC Scotland’s commemorative programming in 2016
A documentary series that examines how Scotland was shaped politically and culturally in the aftermath of World War One is a cornerstone of BBC Scotland’s programming in 2016 to commemorate the conflict.
Published: 2 February 2016
We’re bringing our audiences another remarkable range of content over the next 12 months as part of the BBC’s most ambitious season of programmes.
Each of the three hour-long programmes in the BBC Two Scotland documentary series, Scotland: The Promised Land, sheds light on many of the pivotal events that took place in the first ten years of the peace.
The story of this remarkable decade saw the emergence of a generation of extraordinary figures whose competing visions of the future continue to form part of our political and cultural debate and resonate just as strongly today.
Narrated by Ken Stott, the series is scheduled to begin in March with an episode which focuses on how the political landscape changed dramatically as previously marginalised citizens were enfranchised for the first time. It highlights remarkable conflicts - including the electoral contest between Winston Churchill and a prohibitionist in Dundee - as well as the rise of the Red Clydesiders.
Episode 2 looks at how veterans and their families in the Highlands and Islands were promised land for enlisting which didn’t materialise when they returned from the war, and how this fuelled mass emigration to Canada and elsewhere. It features testimonies from migrants and their descendants who felt those in authority had not kept their word about the type of life the exiled Scots would find when they crossed the Atlantic.
The concluding episode follows a cultural revolution, as emerging writers and artists such as poet Hugh MacDiarmid and sculptor William Lamb, who both served in the war, campaigned to revive Scotland’s voice and culture.
Later in the year, BBC Two Scotland will also screen a one-off documentary marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Erskine Hospital for injured soldiers and another documentary which examines how technological assistance for the blind and visually impaired, developed from war-time medical breakthroughs.
On 31 May there will be extensive coverage of the events marking the commemoration of the Battle Of Jutland on television and on BBC Radio Scotland. BBC Scotland will also produce iWonder guides and World War One At Home features on the naval battle.
During the anniversary of the Somme (27 June - 1 July) there will also be episodes of World War One at Home, focussing on how various communities across Scotland were affected. There will also be features on Good Morning Scotland and Newsdrive on Radio Scotland and on social media, tracking the fortunes of Scottish troops who took part in the battle. The anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin and the connections to Scotland will be explored in World War One At Home features.
BBC ALBA’s highlights include Cuimhneachan/Remembrance, a four-part series based on the wealth of Gaelic song and poetry from the recently published first anthology of poems written about the Great War. In the anthology’s foreword Prince Charles described it as an “invaluable legacy in First World War reminiscences for future generations”. This new series will feature specially recorded performances from four of Scotland’s finest Gaelic singers, as well as telling the story behind each composition and composer.
Other highlights on the channel include: Gillean Grinn, a documentary examining effect of the war on Uist; Cairdeas Cogaidh, a look at the contrasting fortunes of two WW1 soldiers; Caileagan a' Chogaidh Mhòir/A Great Adventure, the story of the Scottish Women's Hospitals; Clann a' Chogaidh Mhòir/ Small Hands in a Big War, a series that tells the story of the war-time period through the eyes of the children who were alive at the time; Trusadh - Turas a’ Chogaidh Mhòir, a documentary on the war fields of France; Leabhraichean-latha a' Chogaidh Mhòir/Great War Diaries, a series based on letters and journals written between 1914 and 1918; and HMS Timbertown, a documentary on the Isle of Lewis men who were among a Royal Naval division interned in a Dutch camp after fighting at Antwerp.
Radio nan Gaidheal will have two 30 minute documentaries on the Battle of Jutland and the Battle of the Somme. These supplement the continuing series Seachdain sa Chogadh which each week brings audiences a snapshot of the events of the War from a Highland/Island standpoint.
On BBC Two Scotland, there will also be another chance to view the two-part series, Scotland’s War at Sea, and the one-off documentary, The Supreme Sacrifice, on McCrae’s Battalion, the volunteer footballers’ battalion raised from the East of Scotland.
Donalda MacKinnon, Head of Programmes and Services, BBC Scotland, says: "We’re bringing our audiences another remarkable range of content over the next 12 months as part of the BBC’s most ambitious season of programmes.
"The documentary series Scotland: The Promised Land is a compelling look at the seismic changes that took place in the country and at the many remarkable characters from the worlds of politics and culture who made their mark during this tumultuous time.
"Across radio, television and online, our production teams will deliver a selection of programmes and services that will provide fascinating insights into the major battles of 1916 and into the lasting impact of the war on the civic, cultural and political fronts in Scotland."
JG2
