1989: When Scotland Rocked the World

Ashley Jensen tells the story of how, in 1989, Scottish bands skyrocketed to global acclaim - from Simple Minds’ chart dominance to Texas playing at the collapse of the Berlin Wall, from the Proclaimers selling out North America to WetWetWet selling out Tokyo - 1989 was the year that Scotland summited the decade. Who could have predicted that such a tiny wee nation would dominate the charts and produce billions in worldwide music sales?

Ahead of Radio 2 in the Park coming to Stirling this September, almost 40 years on, this hour-long programme explores the multifaceted reasons behind this phenomenon, focusing on the bands who made it big. Jim Kerr (Simple Minds), Marti Pellow (Wet Wet Wet), Sharleen Spiteri (Texas), Ricky Ross and Dougie Vipond (Deacon Blue), Charlie and Craig Reid (The Proclaimers), and music journalist Craig McLean help unpick what it was about Scotland in 1989 that led to this boom - was it something in the water or something in the blood?

Produced by The Big Light in Glasgow for BBC Radio 2.