Category Archives: TV

Mother of Scottish ark raider still holds out hope

Posted on September 30, 2013 | Leave a comment

Mother of Scottish ark raider still holds out hope

Family picture of Donald Mackenzie taken in Iraq. He has not been seen since 2010 Picture: Contributed

Family picture of Donald Mackenzie taken in Iraq. He has not been seen since 2010 Picture: Contributed

  • by ANGUS HOWARTH
 Published on the 30 September 2013

The mother of a Scottish man, who disappeared three years ago in Turkey while searching for Noah’s ark, says she still rings his mobile phone in the hope of finding him.

Maggie Jean Mackenzie said she continues to hope her son Donald might be alive, despite hearing nothing from him since he vanished in September 2010.

Speaking ahead of the screening of a new documentary telling the story of the search for her son, Ms Mackenzie, from Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, said: “How on earth can he just disappear? I still ring his phone sometimes and I just get a message saying he’s unavailable.”

Her younger son, Derick, 49, travelled to Dogubayazit in eastern Turkey last year in an attempt to find out more about his brother’s disappearance.

Donald, a Christian evangelist, was 47 when he vanished. He was last seen in September 2010, on Mount Ararat, the Turkish peak where, according to the Bible, Noah’s ark came to rest after the flood waters subsided.

The mountain is a magnet for archaeologists and climbers, as well as Christians such as Donald who go in search of proof of the Bible’s stories.

He was on the mountainside alone, without a climbing permit, as the winter weather began to close in.

It has been suggested he could have become lost and fallen in bad weather or could have run into the Turkish army or Kurdish separatists who operate in the area.

He could also have been attacked by bandits or targeted for his Christian beliefs.

Two searches were carried out after he was reported missing but neither found any trace of him.

Mr Mackenzie travelled to Dogubayazit in the hope that he could achieve more as a brother than the authorities had managed to do themselves.

While he was there he found several people who had been close to his brother, including the last man to see him alive. He also found various items of his brother’s kit, which a shepherd claimed to have discovered in an abandoned campsite high up on Mount Ararat.

Mr Mackenzie hopes the new film will renew interest in his brother’s disappearance.

“If someone has done something and someone concerned sees the film, you don’t know what someone might be prompted to say,” he said. “It could be a golden bullet.”

Mr Mackenzie, a widowed father of five who returned to his family home in Stornoway after his wife Margaret died, said he hoped the film would put pressure on the Turkish authorities to take up a new search for his brother.

“I have every intention of making sure that the Turkish authorities see the film,” he said. “There will be a lot of interest in Turkey. It could kick start some response from the authorities to look again for him.”

He also suggested he may yet return to Turkey to continue the search.

• My Brother the Ark Raider will be broadcast on BBC ALBA at 9pm on Thursday.

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Posted in Gaelic, religion, TV, Western Isles

Gaelic TV channel unveils autumn schedules

Posted on September 3, 2013 | 1 Comment

Gaelic channel BBC Alba has unveiled its autumn package.  As it marks five years on screen, the channel announced details of the first-ever Gaelic pilot drama for a long-running TV series.

Still in its initial stages of production, the three-part drama titled ‘Bannan / The Ties That Bind’ is a collaboration with Creative Scotland. It is being produced by Christopher Young of Young Films, the man behind the hugely successful TV comedy and film, The Inbetweeners.

Joining Chris on the drama project is new Gaelic screenwriter Chrisella Ross as well as actor turned director Tony Kearney.

Bannan follows the story of Mairi Macdonald’s return to the island she left eight years ago aged 18. Mairi left to escape both her family and the place – its claustrophobia and its customs. She initially comes back just to attend a funeral but realises she had forgotten about the ‘bannan’ – the family and emotional ties that bind her to the island.

Head of service Margaret Mary Murray said: “We are very proud to be delivering another very strong package of programmes for our autumn schedule. Our documentaries, music and sport programmes and series, will continue to provide high quality entertainment for our viewers and we are also delighted to be announcing a new pilot drama series for BBC Alba.

“This new drama series, Bannan, which will screen in 2014, is a fantastic step forward for BBC Alba, helping us in our ambition to establish drama within our schedule, and it is something which has been much anticipated by our viewers.

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Creative Scotland on this project and are privileged to have acclaimed producer Chris Young overseeing the production. The drama offers a platform to enhance existing and emerging talent and provides opportunities for employment and training across a wide range of disciplines in the creative sector in Scotland.”

Janet Archer, chief executive of Creative Scotland said: “This is an exciting time for people who are passionate about Gaelic drama. There are increasing opportunities for established and emerging actors, directors, writers, and producers to create new work, and a growing momentum for audiences in Scotland, the UK and internationally to have chances to see Gaelic drama. I’m looking forward to Bannan, not only because it is shaping up to be a great show, but because it also has fantastic potential to act as a catalyst for the continued development of Gaelic drama across this country, and Creative Scotland is pleased to be working with BBC Alba to help bring the pilot series to the small screen.”

The channel is committed to promoting women’s sport and this season will be showcasing live international matches from the 2015 Women’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers as Scotland competes against countries including Bosnia and Northern Ireland on their quest to reach the finals in Canada.

Speaking at the event, Shelley Alexander, editorial lead for women’s sport at the BBC, said: “It’s great that BBC Alba is offering comprehensive coverage of Scotland’s World Cup qualifier matches, the programming greatly complements both the women’s football output on BBC Sport, and the coverage of many other women’s sports. This summer’s Women’s Euro’s coverage proved very popular with audiences and we are keen to build on this appetite across the UK as the teams start their World Cup campaign.”

An original documentary, ‘Honeyballers’, authored by Purple TV producer, Margot McCuaig, has been commissioned and will celebrate the remarkable female pioneers who made this World Cup campaign possible. ‘Honeyballers’ will air just after the first live home Scotland World Cup qualifier on September 26th.

The channel aims to build on the success it has generated over the last five years establishing itself at the heart of Scottish broadcasting and now attracts an average weekly audience of over 600,000 viewers, with 4.1 million watching content via the BBC iPlayer in the past year, (April`12 – March`13).

Some of the highlights from the schedule over the autumn include:

DOCUMENTARIES
From Harris with Love – ten years ago, the people of North Harris took ownership of the land on which they live and the North Harris Trust was formed to run the estate on behalf of the community. It is sparsely populated with around 700 residents who live in villages dotted around the area. Throughout the series we follow the stories of some of the most engaging characters who live in this unique island community.
My Brother the Ark Raider – Scotsman Donald Mackenzie was hunting for the remains of Noah’s Ark on Mount Ararat in Turkey when he vanished three years ago. His family has heard nothing since and several searches by Turkish authorities failed to discover any trace of him. This documentary follows Donald’s brother Derick as he travels across Europe to Dogubayazit, a Kurdish town on the border with Iran at the foot of Mount Ararat. Here, somewhere, Donald’s remains most likely lie. Derick goes in search of answers but who can he trust and how close will he come to the truth?
Trusadh – The Private Disease – the poignant and moving stories of those living with Crohn’s disease – young and old, featuring one woman who’s going through a ground breaking (hematopoietic) stem cell transplant.
Trusadh – Donald and the Cargo Boats – The story of the cargo-ships which served the Inner and Outer Hebrides in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s – direct descendants of the famous puffers. The documentary is nostalgic story narrated by maritime enthusiast Donald Meek as we follow him in his boat-building hobby, and hear some of the engaging and funny tales from former crewmen as they recount their time on board.
Honeyballers – the Scotland national Women’s football team is striving to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015. Honeyballers celebrates the remarkable female pioneers who made this campaign possible, battling for recognition against a backdrop of discrimination and negativity.
Bethesda – for many, the idea of a hospice is a place to approach with trepidation but the first thing that strikes you when you walk in the door of Bethesda in Stornoway, is how homely and welcoming it feels. Bethesda sees itself very much as a place to live. This moving documentary gives a rare and special insight into day to day life at Bethesda and its relationship with the community it serves and which supports it.

SPORT
Live sport continues to be a popular strand on the channel and this autumn viewers will be treated to a package of live and as-live action from the Scottish Premiership; live coverage of select Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby matches from this year’s RaboDirect PRO12 competition including exclusive coverage of the 1872 Cup; exclusive live action from the SPFL Ramsdens Challenge Cup; live action from Scotland’s 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers; live International shinty/hurling when Scotland take on Ireland.

MUSIC
Buskers – following the success of the first series, Buskers returns to our screens and delves into the lives of current and former street artists with input from recording artists and the public. From the young to, well, the not so young, you can find every form of street artist, whether solo artists to full bands, fire jugglers to dancers.
Celtic Music Sessions – The popular music series continues to offer an eclectic mix of music from bluegrass to folk and Celtic as many of the world class musicians performing at Celtic Connections and take time out to head for the Hòro Gheallaidh ceilidh sessions.
Ceòl Country – this series delivers highlights from the very best of local, national and international country music, filmed at this year’s Northern Nashville Country Music Festival in Caithness. Featuring top performers from Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands and America, Ceòl Country also presents an insight into some of the acts performing at this year’s festival with magazine style features that include in-depth interviews with musicians and country music artists in various locations.
Opry an Iuir – Ireland’s very own Grand Ole Opry – the old Town Hall in Newry opens its doors for a unique series of hour long concerts, each featuring a star of country music including Hugo Duncan, Mike Denver, Sandy Kelly, Nathan Carter, Dominic Kirwan and Mick Flavin.
Coverage of musical events will complement these popular series and will feature highlights from this year’s Blas festival, Na Trads, The Royal National MOD, The Worlds 2013 and Gradam Ceol.

CHILDREN
Dè a-nis? – the ever popular children’s series returns with a new series as the team bring younger viewers the latest music and news, fun and laughter as new presenter Megan MacLellan, from Morar, joins the team for more fun and mayhem.
The Ranch – a new animated series exclusive to BBC ALBA featuring a group of horse-crazy teens who run a refuge for horses and other animals.

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Posted in drama, Media, TV

Could my friends’ friend Sam Bailey win X Factor?

Posted on August 31, 2013 | 2 Comments

A few years since friends in the Midlands told me what a great performer prison officer Sam Bailey was. Her range is amazing. Now I hear she has been persuaded to enter X Factor. Rumours she may be on the first show. Go girl. Here she is with a selection from her repertoire at a charity do a couple of years ago. Not many girls can do Queen like she does at the end.

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Posted in Showbiz, Talent, TV

A preview of ‘Hebrides – Islands on the Edge’

Posted on May 5, 2013 | 2 Comments

by Iain Maciver

Even though he is only reading words written for him, there was always bound to be loads of silly hype when a Hollywood star best known for losing his underpants in his movies is signed up to do what seemed to be a fairly run-of-the-mill Scottish islands nature programme.

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McGregor at work narrating Hebrides

Yet Hebrides – Islands on the Edge, which begins tomorrow (Monday) is, in fact, in another league to most of the recent tight-budgeted efforts but the star of the first show is not the horny boy from Crieff.

It’s the horny boy on the island of Rum; a stag known as The Master.

Okay, so this is just another nature programme but the three years it took Maramedia of Glasgow to put together using some of the talent which made the jaw-dropper series Frozen Planet with Sir David Attenborough is evident, welcome and worth it.

Sir David got into a bit of bother for allegedly faking scenes in the frozen wastes but I was a bit incredulous when I saw the high quality of the action-catching shots of swallows in the roof of an Islay distillery, the Kleenex-moistening Cecil B de Mille-type close-ups of a lonely young otter shunned when his mum got a mate, the poor bedraggled seal pups learning to swim and the bloody, lethal gouging of those two rutting stags, The Master and The Older Challenger, on Rum. All absolutely genuine and obviously painstakingly done.

Of necessity, McGregor’s commentary may have been penned afterwards to fit the pictures but the stories he tells are crystal clear to all. No faking here – not even McGregor’s accent which is more solidly Perthshire than in recent years. There’s blood, sex and a lucky someone comes close to bagging a venison dinner. It’s got it all.

Oh, and I forgot to mention pathos. It’s got that too. You may never have felt any emotion for a rutting stag before but watch this and you just might.

The programme I watched, which goes out tomorrow, is also red in teeth and claws when white-tailed eagles lunch on a barnacle goose – but not enough to give you nightmares. You have to watch the news for that.

The three Hebrides shows are part of a wider series entitled Wild Scotland, said to provide intimate but also inspiring images of Scottish wildlife and landscape. Four-part Wild Cameramen At Work, made by BBC Scotland itself, shows how the Scottish landscape has inspired a generation of world class cameramen to capture wildlife across the globe. They have wheeled out Sir David himself to narrate that one.

Then Midsummer Live, on June 21, comes live from the Callanish Stones here on Lewis. Dougie Vipond presents a long show about a long day tracking the sun going down behind the submarine communications mast at Aird, Uig. Long-haired New Age types usually turn up for a spot of lovemaking al fresco at the Summer Solstice, though the sight of Dougie and his long lens may put a brake on that this year.

The BBC statement has failed to make it clear whether Dougie will present the show naked, as is traditional at all such midsummer rituals on Lewis. Even that shrinking violet Billy Connolly danced in the scuddy around the Stones one chilly solstice of yore.

When I was young, we each got our willy out at the Callanish Stones on late-night summer visits. Not for New Age lovemaking, you understand; it was more to do with the cheap Co-op lager we always took as an offering to Seonag, Cailleach na Mointich – or the Old Woman of the Moors, the distant mystical hill formation in the shape of a reclining lady with big boobies.

While we may be mostly Free Church on this island, we have always been just a little bit pagan when it comes to having a good time.

Hebrides – Islands on the Edge - BBC 1 Scotland 9pm. Monday 6 May 

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Posted in Media, TV, Western Isles

Will my wife divorce me if she goes to the shed and has not read this column first?

Posted on February 8, 2013 | 7 Comments

Update – I’m still married but looking – for suggestions what to do with the box.

An ad in the paper a couple of weeks ago said that bids were invited for surplus office equipment and furniture and other “miscellaneous equipment within the studio prop store”. It was the sell-off of the stuff in the Studio Alba complex in Stornoway which is to be gutted ahead of it being taken over by the council. Aha, I thought. These chairs in my office are a bit rickety and I might get a wig and a mask for the next Halloween party.

I went along for a wee gander. Great desks were there, too large for my modest working space, and lovely swivel chairs and some sturdier well-padded ones which would be ideal for the well-padded bottom of a well-padded writer. What about those TV props? There was a set of beer pumps, plant pots, doors and stuff. Look, there’s a coffin over there. Eek. That’s weird.

Bids had to be made within two days so I put some chairs on my list. Fiver each? Yeah. Then someone mentioned the fine pine casket. They’ll want £100 for that, he thought. Nope, tenner max. Could be a coffin table for someone. Sorry, I meant coffee table. OK, put down £11. SimpleCoffin3
It was thought to have featured in the Gaelic soap Machair which was on till about 15 years ago. That series began in 1993, and also ended in 1999, with a funeral.

It may have been the same box in Billy Mac a’ Noonoo’s one-off comedy Lostbost four years ago when Janet Marshall, playing A’ Chailleach (The Old Lady), forgot to let go and was dragged through the curtains in the Lostbost Crematorium, which was so sensitively played on the day by the masonic lodge in Kenneth Street. This was soap opera history and they should have explained all that with a notice. Mind you, maybe it may have scared people off if they’d put: “Pine coffin for sale. Used only three times.”

Peter May, the well-known author who was the creator of Machair and its producer for the first few years, tells me that the series began with the funeral of estate owner Sir Ranald Spencer, who was also founder of the Gaelic college, Bradan Mor. Peter thought the coffin then was hired for “single use”. Not 100 per cent sure though.

I contacted Derek ‘Pluto’ Murray, the teatime star of Gaelic radio, whose on-screen life was so cruelly cut short by a careering Volkswagen Polo in 1998. Hanky out, I told him how moving his funeral was. He said he wasn’t even there. Er? By the time the final tear-stained scenes were shot, Derek was off training to be a plod in Tulliallan cop college.

So the whole of Gaeldom wailed into the night for a box containing the TV crews’ carry-out being carried shoulder-high through Garrabost? Sadly, yes. A local bodach was an extra on the very cold day in question. There were lots of retakes as the director tried to get the pall-bearers to frown in true Hebridean fashion. The pensioner was freezing and getting ratty and asked who was in the box anyway. Derek Pluto, he was told. He snapped: “I wish he’d been cremated instead.”

After sending in my silly bid, we were watching telly and there was someone on who’d bought a hearse. Mrs X was outraged. She’d never have anything like that near her home. She was freaking out. Good job I only bid £11 on that coffin. She’d go spare if I took that home. Then last week the call came from the council. I’d won not just a vanful of chairs but, yes, the ruddy casket too. For £11? Yep, no one else wanted it. Really? Yippee. Oh wait, where am I going to put it? My so-called friends were less than helpful.

“Yes, we have a loft. Can you put a coffin in it until you decide what to do with it? Get lost, Maciver.”
“Sober up.”
“Yes, we have a byre but we use it for hay and potatoes, not funeral caskets. Cheerie.”
“You’re mad. Don’t phone here ever again.”

Nothing else for it. While my beloved was out, me and a neighbour who is also shedsworn to secrecy, performed the poignant ceremony of transferring the coffin from the van to the shed. And there it rests in peace – until my wife reads this. Honestly, she has absolutely no idea. I’ll phone her this afternoon from the other side of town. Maybe.

My wife aside, the sight of coffins usually makes everyone so solemn and they gush about the departed. A while back, I heard of a drunk who passed away and the service was held in his local church. Despite his actual reputation, the minister went on and on about what a wonderful fellow he was. He said he was honest, a loving husband and a good father to his sons. Finally, the widow leaned over and whispered to her eldest lad: “Go up and take a look in that coffin. See if that’s your old man in there.”

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Posted in P&J column, TV, Western Isles

David Cameron on Letterman

Posted on September 28, 2012 | 4 Comments

I have been asked to post David Cameron’s interview on The Letterman Show. Good history lesson and an embarrassing moment or two, apparently. No probs.

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Posted in politics, Popular culture, TV

Who is Britain’s brightest?

Posted on September 20, 2012 | 4 Comments

BBC One is searching for Britain’s Brightest

It’s not about your IQ. It’s not about your general knowledge
Can you remember all your friends’ phone numbers?
Finish any puzzle in 10 seconds flat? Know when someone is telling the truth?
We are scouring the nation for the Smartest and Brightest in Britain.
Outsmart the whole country and you could win THOUSANDS.

IT COULD BE YOU AND YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW

Email [email protected] for more details.

Note: All applicants must be over 18

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Posted in Appeal, TV

Secrets of TV news

Posted on February 16, 2012 | Leave a comment

If you are offended by the occasional ripe word, please do not watch this.

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Posted in Media, TV

Council leader publicly calls for TV host to be sacked

Posted on December 7, 2011 | 4 Comments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRGZwHLRVsA&feature=youtu.be&t=46m

This is what council leader Angus Campbell had to say to me about TV host Matthew Wright this evening. (Click the arrow if it doesn’t start)

“I am ashamed”

A panellist on the Channel 5 talk show The Wright Stuff says she is
“ashamed” that she did not speak out when host Matthew Wright and
comedian Charlie Baker started making fun of the murder of Western Isles
teenager Liam Aitchison on Tuesday.

Wright did an unfunny parody of the TV series Taggart by shouting “There
has been another murder” in a mock-Glasgow accent. Baker then called the
time since the last Hebridean murder in 1968 as “the longest episode of
Taggart”.

After complaints, Wright on Wednesday responded by firstly
apologising and then telling those who had called for him to be
investigated by Ofcom to “grow up”.

However, another panellist on Tuesday’s Wright Stuff said she was
“ashamed” that she didn’t point out that their comments were
inappropriate. Independent columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown was asked by
Isle of Lewis-born teacher and author Donald S Murray, who now lives in
Shetland, why she and a fellow panellist, explorer Jeremy Wade, “failed
to utter any protest when these antics occurred”.

Ms Alibhai-Brown wrote back: “Yes, I should have and you are right to
pull me up. I am ashamed.”

There have also been complaints about the fun poked at the murder by
Western Isles Council, Angus Macneil MP and Alasdair
Allan MSP.

A Channel 5 statement said: “Channel 5 and the producers of
The Wright Stuff have reviewed the comments made in yesterday’s
programme. Matthew has apologised in today’s programme making it clear
that there was no intention to “belittle the seriousness of a tragic
story, or offend anyone who knew Liam.”

The agents for Matthew Wright and Charlie Baker have still not commented. Ofcom confirmed it had received many complaints and would publish them next week.  Although Ofcom has the power to order an immediate investigation, it has not done so.

Statement on behalf of Liam Aitchison’s family:

 “We would like to thank all those who have offered their support and good wishes to the family at this difficult time.
“We are very disappointed at the insensitive and offensive nature of the comments made on the Channel 5 programme The Wright Stuff. This is very upsetting and insulting for not just the family, but for the whole community of the Western Isles.
“We are being kept informed of the progress of the enquiry onto Liam’s murder and we have every confidence in the Police to do their job. If anyone has any information about what happened to Liam please come forward.”

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Posted in Isle of Lewis, Media, TV, Uist, Western Isles

Problems with your satellite TV reception? UPDATED

Posted on October 10, 2011 | Leave a comment

I am hearing reports of people having severe problems with satellite TV.  Have you – or someone you know – experienced disruptions to service in the last few days? Please send me an email to [email protected] or call me on 703000.

UPDATE - Don’t let Sky TV tell you there is a problem with your box and that you must pay £65 for a callout. It’s very unlikely to be your box. Full details here soon.

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Posted in Isle of Harris, Isle of Lewis, Skye, TV, Western Isles