0:00:02 > 0:00:05We first got television in Scotland in 1952. 1952!
0:00:05 > 0:00:07That's the year the Queen became Queen,
0:00:07 > 0:00:11Prime Minister Winston Churchill scrapped the identity card,
0:00:11 > 0:00:15the first-ever passenger jet flew across the Atlantic,
0:00:15 > 0:00:17and President Eisenhower followed through...
0:00:17 > 0:00:20on his election promise to visit Korea.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34Tonight, we're dancing in the streets of Raith
0:00:34 > 0:00:36and crying in Argentina,
0:00:36 > 0:00:40as we celebrate the history of Scottish sports broadcasting.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42Like many folk, there's nothing I like more
0:00:42 > 0:00:47than slipping into my trackies, flexing my arm muscles,
0:00:47 > 0:00:49and settling down in front of the telly
0:00:49 > 0:00:52to watch other folk run about like eejits.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57SportScotland defines walking more than two miles per day as a sport.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59It's Scotland's favourite form of exercise,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02but let's face it, it doesn't make great TV.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05We need to liven this up a little.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13That's better. Now we've got something we can work with.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17BBC Scotland and STV started making their own
0:01:17 > 0:01:21sports programmes in the late '50s, and right from the very beginning,
0:01:21 > 0:01:23football was the number one attraction.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26It kicked all other sports into touch, apart from rugby,
0:01:26 > 0:01:29which kicked itself then gave itself a cauliflower ear.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32The match you're about to see was played at Hampden
0:01:32 > 0:01:36in front of a crowd of 135,000 people.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38The coverage is a little primitive by today's standards,
0:01:38 > 0:01:40but it's a good demonstration
0:01:40 > 0:01:42of what made the game so attractive to broadcasters.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46Football was made for television.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49The game takes place in one easy-to-film location,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51the action flows, and it's played out
0:01:51 > 0:01:54against a camera-friendly backdrop of fans.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57It's a goal!
0:01:57 > 0:02:01The 1960 European Cup final has gone down as the best game
0:02:01 > 0:02:03ever played on Scottish soil.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Drives one in, it's a goal!
0:02:05 > 0:02:08My dad was there that day, along with everyone else and Scotland's dad,
0:02:08 > 0:02:11and luckily there was no high definition in those days,
0:02:11 > 0:02:14so you can't see them peeing on each other.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17The referee was the only Scot on the pitch that day,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20but our own brand of football can be just as TV-friendly.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22Sometimes you just can't beat the blood and snotters
0:02:22 > 0:02:24of the Scottish game.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28It's eye-watering stuff, but it's oor eye-watering stuff.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30Immediately under pressure.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Have a keek at this, if you dare.
0:02:32 > 0:02:33The year is 1986,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36the place is Easter Road, Edinburgh.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39This is Graeme Souness's first game for Rangers.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42I'd be angry too if my perm was that tight.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45A red card has been shown to Graeme Souness!
0:02:45 > 0:02:48FANS CHEER
0:02:50 > 0:02:52This is no way to behave, kids. But it makes for great telly.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56The low camera angle makes you feel like you're almost on the pitch.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Check the reaction of the Hibs fans in the background,
0:02:58 > 0:03:00you'd think they'd just won the league.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Except you wouldn't, cos it's Hibs we're talking about.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07But football wasn't the only show in town.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Right up to the mid-90s, programmes like Sportscene and Scotsport
0:03:11 > 0:03:15were only allowed to show highlights from 30 games per season.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18This left plenty of room for other sports to grab some screen-time.
0:03:20 > 0:03:21Welcome back.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24This has been a marvellous summer for bowling enthusiasts everywhere.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27The consistently high standard now being achieved
0:03:27 > 0:03:29by younger bowlers in particular
0:03:29 > 0:03:32is perfectly reflected in the Scottish Junior Championship Final.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36A sport you can play while you're smoking, no wonder we liked it.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Come on, son.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Come on! Come by. Come by!
0:03:41 > 0:03:43Ooh, nice contact.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45APPLAUSE
0:03:47 > 0:03:49We're no bad at the bowls.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52But if you want to be good at a sport, invent one.
0:03:52 > 0:03:53That's what we did with golf.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58A former producer of mine and the BBC described golf
0:03:58 > 0:04:01as covering 36 football matches at the same time.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05Somewhere, there is a goal being scored.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09The average golf tournament takes place over a four-mile distance,
0:04:09 > 0:04:11with over 100 players on the course at any one time.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Chaos compared to the bowls and the fitba.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17If you want to watch it in the flesh, you're either stuck at a hole
0:04:17 > 0:04:20or faced with an endless trudge around the fairways.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23It's coming down in buckets,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27and Bernard Gallacher, at least he knows the clubhouse is in sight.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30If you ask me, it's much better just to sit back
0:04:30 > 0:04:32and let the telly make sense of it all.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Now, Robert Lee with his second shot at 18,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39and as usual, gives it the full welly.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42It's also safer.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44We're not bad at the golf.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47But if you want to be really good at sport,
0:04:47 > 0:04:51invent one so dangerous no one else will want to play you at it.
0:04:51 > 0:04:52That's what we did with shinty.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01How would you ever describe shinty? Who invented shinty?
0:05:01 > 0:05:05It's just a load of madmen carrying things that look like hockey sticks
0:05:05 > 0:05:07out to kill each other.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09This is Skye beating Newtonmore to win
0:05:09 > 0:05:13the Camanachd Cup for the first time in their 94-year history.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15What a tremendous goal that was, it's Currie.
0:05:17 > 0:05:18What a shot.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20What's the plan tonight?
0:05:20 > 0:05:23I don't know, probably just a quiet night and bed early.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25It's customary for the winning team
0:05:25 > 0:05:27to turn the cup into the world's biggest dram,
0:05:27 > 0:05:31and the Skye boys were clearly in no mood to break with tradition.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34THEY SING IN GAELIC
0:05:38 > 0:05:39It's coming up to one in the morning
0:05:39 > 0:05:42and Portree is getting ready to party.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46You'd think after waiting so long to get their hands on the cup,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48they'd be keen to hang onto it.
0:05:48 > 0:05:49You would, wouldn't you?
0:05:51 > 0:05:53The morning after these celebrations,
0:05:53 > 0:05:57this venerable old trophy was found lying in the middle of the street!
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Apparently, everyone thought someone else was looking after it.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02Ach, that's all right.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10If you think shinty's for the hard nuts, check out these guys.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Telly and rally cars were made for each other.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18You need to have the reactions of a fighter pilot
0:06:18 > 0:06:19to be part of this game.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22I'm talking about the punters here, not the drivers.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26If things aren't exciting enough already, look what happens
0:06:26 > 0:06:29when the camera moves on board, wahey!
0:06:29 > 0:06:32You don't get much closer to the action than this.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37In this show, the BBC took TV's love affair with motor sport
0:06:37 > 0:06:38and pushed it to its limits.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41And first to go, Les Joiner.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44In fact, as well as being that sales manager,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Les is the chief instructor with the Angus Gliding Club.
0:06:47 > 0:06:48He holds a private pilot's licence.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51I wonder if that's going to help him in this particular test.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54This is Formula One for sensible drivers.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Who else but the Beeb could make a drama out of parking?
0:06:57 > 0:06:58It may not look like it,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01but this is precision driving we're looking at here.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Our final two events both carry extra points,
0:07:04 > 0:07:07reflecting the added difficulty of the tests.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09'As a young broadcaster, I would be asked,'
0:07:09 > 0:07:10"Do you know anything about curling?"
0:07:10 > 0:07:12"Do you know anything about indoor bowls?"
0:07:12 > 0:07:14I didn't, but you wouldn't say no.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16You'd say, "Not a lot, but give me a couple of days
0:07:16 > 0:07:18"and I'll get up to speed."
0:07:18 > 0:07:22So you suddenly became the guy who did all those other sports.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29My goodness, it's up on one wheel, it almost... It's gone over!
0:07:31 > 0:07:32That's incredible.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41I would have thought that was a winner, but never mind.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45Some sports are definitely better to play than to watch.
0:07:45 > 0:07:46These are the sports telly hates.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50Usually because the balls are too small.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54Right, that's enough of that. Let's get back to the football.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Back in the '50s and '60s, capturing pictures
0:07:59 > 0:08:01for major sporting tournaments
0:08:01 > 0:08:04was often an endurance event in itself.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07In 1962, footage of the World Cup finals in Chile had to be
0:08:07 > 0:08:10motorcycle-couriered to Santiago Airport,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13then flown to the USA to be edited and transmitted to London.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Viewers in Scotland first saw the footage three days after
0:08:17 > 0:08:19the matches had taken place.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21That's a long time to keep your fingers in your ears.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26And people now who are used to
0:08:26 > 0:08:30multi-camera coverage and satellite television
0:08:30 > 0:08:33have no concept of what it was like in the '60s,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35even the late '50s,
0:08:35 > 0:08:37when we would try to make out vague shapes.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Every game seemed to be played in fog and mist.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42But of course, the appetite for the game was so voracious
0:08:42 > 0:08:45that you just wanted to see whatever football there was.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52We literally used to film matches. The canisters were brought back,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55one at the end of the first half and one at the end of the second half,
0:08:55 > 0:08:57processed, and then edited
0:08:57 > 0:08:59in the course of a very frantic Saturday evening,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02in the hope that it would be ready in time for transmission
0:09:02 > 0:09:03at around 10 o'clock.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Most of the time it was, we had a terrific team.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Occasionally, though, I would have to say something like,
0:09:08 > 0:09:11"Well, we do have the Old Firm game coming up for you,
0:09:11 > 0:09:12"but for the moment, we're going to
0:09:12 > 0:09:14"the amateur swimming at Cumbernauld."
0:09:14 > 0:09:18The 1974 World Cup in Germany was the first time
0:09:18 > 0:09:21we had our own commentators at a major international competition.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24It was also the first time our team were subjected
0:09:24 > 0:09:26to the full glare of colour television,
0:09:26 > 0:09:32and exposed to the cruellest, most unforgiving invention in TV history.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34The slow motion replay.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Back in the days when Scotland used to qualify for World Cup finals,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40our pundits actually had something to shout about.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44'No! What a miss!'
0:09:44 > 0:09:46With this miss, Scotland became the first team
0:09:46 > 0:09:49to be knocked out of the World Cup without losing a game.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54And modern television technology had claimed its first Scottish victim.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56'There's not much he really can do about that.'
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Four years later, we were back at the World Cup.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02This time, for some inexplicable reason,
0:10:02 > 0:10:04we actually believed we could win it.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10# When the blue shirts run out in Argentina
0:10:10 > 0:10:14# Our hearts will be beating like a drum. #
0:10:14 > 0:10:16And, yes, you did just see
0:10:16 > 0:10:20Kenny Dalglish holding hands with Graeme Souness.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25The 1978 World Cup was the most hyped event
0:10:25 > 0:10:27in Scottish sporting history.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29By now, nearly everyone had a colour telly,
0:10:29 > 0:10:33making this the first football event to become a truly national occasion.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36The pictures beamed out of this tournament
0:10:36 > 0:10:38scarred our footballing psyche
0:10:38 > 0:10:41and define our sporting identity to this day.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Drink up.
0:10:43 > 0:10:44Dark times ahead.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48# We're on the march wi' Ally's Army
0:10:48 > 0:10:52# We're going to the Argentine
0:10:52 > 0:10:55# And we'll really shake them up
0:10:55 > 0:10:56# When we win the World Cup
0:10:56 > 0:11:02# Cos Scotland are the greatest football team. #
0:11:02 > 0:11:05PRESENTER: 'In the big land of Argentina, Peruvians and Brazilians,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08'Spaniards and Swedes, are ready for the World Cup.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12'The message from five million Scots is simple.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14'You're wasting your time.'
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Well, television played into this great hype.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21We did a programme about the guy who wanted to hire a U-boat
0:11:21 > 0:11:24to take some of the supporters across.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26We knew this was just fantasy.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28But we played it up.
0:11:28 > 0:11:33Here's the situation. Television and popular journalism
0:11:33 > 0:11:38hyped the Scotland '78 team out of all proportion.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40It was the first time ever
0:11:40 > 0:11:42that I'd actually seen footballers
0:11:42 > 0:11:45participating in adverts. They were in everything.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48They were selling every known commodity.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53'Chrysler Avenger wins the World Cup for value,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56'with style, toughness, and a championship performance.'
0:11:56 > 0:11:58PR was beginning to sink in.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01I mean, we had a players pool for appearances,
0:12:01 > 0:12:03and going out and doing things,
0:12:03 > 0:12:05and promoting the team,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07and promoting the World Cup squads.
0:12:07 > 0:12:12Bizarre as it may seem, these were the scenes at the squad sendoff.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14As Neil Kinnock will tell you,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18it's never a good idea to have a victory parade before the victory.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21Viewed from today, this looks like some kind of deranged horror movie
0:12:21 > 0:12:25with Ally McLeod as the leader of a mass brainwashing cult.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28But back in '78, we genuinely believed anything was possible.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Then when we got Argentina,
0:12:30 > 0:12:32we suddenly remembered who we were
0:12:32 > 0:12:34and crashed out horribly. in the first round.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40Scotland went on to qualify for the next three World Cups.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42But something had been lost in South America.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44And it wasn't just the Peru game.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46In the wake of the World Cup,
0:12:46 > 0:12:47we had to look elsewhere
0:12:47 > 0:12:50for positive expressions of our national identity.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55CROWD ROARS/ BAGPIPES PLAY
0:12:55 > 0:12:59The following year in Glasgow, Jim Watt fought for the World Title.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01And as commentator Harry Carpenter observes,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04the atmosphere was in a league of its own.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07'No country in the world knows better than how to receive its own favourite
0:13:07 > 0:13:10'and Jim Watt tonight is a favourite.'
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Jim carried Scotland's sporting hopes on his shoulders,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17because at last, we were seeing some more Scottish sporting success,
0:13:17 > 0:13:19after the embarrassment of Argentina.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24Boxing isn't everyone's idea of a cosy night in front of the telly.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25But in the '70s and '80s,
0:13:25 > 0:13:29it was one of the jewels in the BBC's sporting crown.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33'And Mercante moves in again, and this time it is the finish.
0:13:33 > 0:13:34'It's over.'
0:13:34 > 0:13:38The big fight generated as much excitement as cup finals,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40and the entire nation united behind Jim Watt
0:13:40 > 0:13:44and his attempt to become the second Scot in a decade
0:13:44 > 0:13:46to become champion of the world.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Aye, you heard me. The second.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50We were hard as nails in them days.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52'The World Lightweight Champion.'
0:13:52 > 0:13:54This footage from 1971 shows Ken Buchanan
0:13:54 > 0:13:58being welcomed back to Edinburgh as World Lightweight Champion.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00APPLAUSE
0:14:00 > 0:14:03Fighters like Ken came up from the streets
0:14:03 > 0:14:05and as you can see here, the bond between them
0:14:05 > 0:14:07and the cities they grew up in were strong.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Small Scottish men have been challenging the world
0:14:12 > 0:14:13to a square go since the year dot.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17I think Walter McGowan is really going to be
0:14:17 > 0:14:18the world champion.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22And I know that because I trained with him for five years
0:14:22 > 0:14:25and I know he's got what it takes.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28He's a clean living boy and he's good in every way.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31He's a great boxer. I think he's the best since Benny Lynch.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34He's got a good tutor in his father,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37and I think that's a great thing in itself.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40This beautifully made film about World Flyweight Champion
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Walter McGowan perfectly captures the ringside atmosphere
0:14:43 > 0:14:46and the stark intensity of Walter's training regime.
0:14:46 > 0:14:51I wonder if Martin Scorsese saw this before he made Raging Bull.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54'Walter Roderick McKay McGowan.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58'Bantamweight Champion of Britain and the British Empire.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00'Now a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04'And maybe, once again this summer, champion of the world.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06'He's a super mini-man.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08'Almost the last of his kind
0:15:08 > 0:15:11'in a country where better social conditions and better feeding
0:15:11 > 0:15:13'threatens to end Scotland's
0:15:13 > 0:15:16'great line of Benny Lynches and Jackie Pattersons.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20'Or, as the Kaiser called our soldiers, "These poisonous dwarves."'
0:15:23 > 0:15:26# O Flower of Scotland... #
0:15:26 > 0:15:30We also do a fine line in huge, big, rugby-scrumming big fellas.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33# ..See your like again... #
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Cranking up the atmosphere ahead of a big game
0:15:36 > 0:15:38is something TV excels at.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41The 1990 Calcutta Cup match against England was the first time
0:15:41 > 0:15:45Flower Of Scotland was used as an anthem by the Scottish rugby team.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Oh, a wee fella! How did he get in?
0:15:47 > 0:15:51There's no half-hearted lip-syncing or chewing of gum here.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53These guys mean business.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56# ..And sent him homeward
0:15:56 > 0:15:59# To think again. #
0:15:59 > 0:16:02'And I've never heard such an emotional rendering
0:16:02 > 0:16:05'of Flower Of Scotland as we've just heard.'
0:16:08 > 0:16:10The commentator for this game is, of course, Bill McLaren.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13A man known simply as The Voice of Rugby.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16'Gavin Hastings. Gavin Hastings with a kick throw.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18'On goes Stanger. Stanger could be there.
0:16:18 > 0:16:19'It's a try!
0:16:19 > 0:16:23'A magnificent try for the 21 year-old!'
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Everyone knows Bill's famous catchphrases
0:16:26 > 0:16:29about big Doddie Weir "like a demented octopus,"
0:16:29 > 0:16:31or "slippery as a baggie in a Border burn."
0:16:31 > 0:16:34Just wonderfully graphic turns of phrase.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36'Here he comes, sniping away.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39'The baby-faced assassin, I call him.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41'Doddie Weir, there.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43'A great lamppost in the middle of the line out for Scotland.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48'This is Quinnell. He's like a rhino on the charge, this big fella.'
0:16:48 > 0:16:51As all the great live performers will tell you,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53you need to rehearse your ad-libs.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56In the run-up to the big games, Bill was like a student,
0:16:56 > 0:16:57cramming for his exams.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01There's no luck involved here.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04He's using the cards to memorise the players' names
0:17:04 > 0:17:05for his commentary.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10'All arms and legs, he's like a mad octopus when he goes in there.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15'He's as slippery as a baggie up a Border burn,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18'is little Bryan Redpath there.'
0:17:18 > 0:17:21The one that sticks with me, because the number of times I asked Bill
0:17:21 > 0:17:24if he would come and speak at some function or other,
0:17:24 > 0:17:26And Bill would never...
0:17:26 > 0:17:28"A day oot a'Hawick's a day wasted, son."
0:17:28 > 0:17:30'Your Royal Highness,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32'ladies and gentlemen,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34'The Commonwealth Games choir.'
0:17:34 > 0:17:37In 1986, Bill faced his biggest ever challenge,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40lending much-needed credibility
0:17:40 > 0:17:44to the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48TV loves a spectacle, and this clearly isn't it.
0:17:48 > 0:17:5132 African and Caribbean countries boycotted the games,
0:17:51 > 0:17:54in protest against Britain's refusal to support
0:17:54 > 0:17:56sanctions against Apartheid era South Africa.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59Millions of pounds in TV revenue was lost,
0:17:59 > 0:18:02and the whole thing only went ahead after Robert Maxwell stepped in
0:18:02 > 0:18:07with a promise of financial support that never materialised.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Oh, well - at least the Scottish medal count was up.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13'As Liz Lynch...
0:18:16 > 0:18:19'..takes the 10,000m gold for Scotland
0:18:19 > 0:18:23'and smashes the British record by an enormous margin.'
0:18:25 > 0:18:29Our national obsession with football has blinded us to the fact
0:18:29 > 0:18:30that we've produced more than our fair share
0:18:30 > 0:18:32of successful sportspeople,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34many of them competing in individual sports
0:18:34 > 0:18:36or sports that only make it on to our screens
0:18:36 > 0:18:39during an Olympic or Commonwealth year.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42This is the start of the men's 100m Olympic final.
0:18:42 > 0:18:43At this precise moment,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46it's probably the tensest place on the planet -
0:18:46 > 0:18:48especially for watching family members.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52This is Margo Wells, the wife of Scottish finalist Allan.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55'The Olympic final under way. Wells got away well,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58'then it's Lara and on the far side, Leonard and Aksinin.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00'But it's Wells on the near side.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03'On the far side, Leonard of Cuba. They can't see each other.
0:19:03 > 0:19:04'Leonard and Wells...'
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Leonard won it.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13But Allan hadn't lost it.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17For once, that old foe, the slow-motion replay, was on our side.
0:19:17 > 0:19:18'It is very, very close.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22'Wells lunges at the line and takes the gold medal.'
0:19:22 > 0:19:24He did it - he won it!
0:19:24 > 0:19:29You deserve every ounce of that. That was raw brilliance.
0:19:30 > 0:19:35In 2002, 6.5m people tuned in to watch this team of Scottish curlers
0:19:35 > 0:19:37win Olympic gold for Britain.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Curling's one of those sports that's forever popping up on our screens,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44but it's fair to say the players aren't exactly household names.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47On their return home, our champions were hailed as local heroes
0:19:47 > 0:19:49and, like it or not, there was no way
0:19:49 > 0:19:52they were escaping from the cameras.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54You look at me... For the very beginning, just now,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57in about 30 seconds, when I say, "Good evening
0:19:57 > 0:19:59"and welcome to Reporting Scotland. Our golden girls are back.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02"I'm live with our curling gold medallists at Glasgow airport," OK?
0:20:02 > 0:20:05It's one thing playing the sport in front of millions of people...
0:20:05 > 0:20:09Hold up your medals, or something. Just wave, do whatever you want.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11..but it's another thing entirely to have to perform on demand.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Documentary films give us a chance
0:20:15 > 0:20:18to look even further behind the scenes.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21'But Jimmy is more than an ordinary farmer.
0:20:21 > 0:20:22'He's a specialist in his sphere,
0:20:22 > 0:20:25'and his pedigree sheep command a high price.'
0:20:28 > 0:20:30When he's not mucking out the byre,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34Jimmy is Jim Clark, Formula One champion in 1963 and '65.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40This is a double life that Superman would be proud of.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42It's hard to imagine Jenson Button
0:20:42 > 0:20:44getting down and dirty with the sheep.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Or Jackie Stewart, for that matter.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Jackie was a three-time world champion
0:20:48 > 0:20:51and Formula 1's first international superstar.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54Stewart fully embraced the playboy lifestyle
0:20:54 > 0:20:57we associate with the drivers of today.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00This film, produced by his son Mark, brilliantly evokes
0:21:00 > 0:21:03the glamour, excitement and danger of motor racing
0:21:03 > 0:21:04in the '60s and '70s.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Sport provides great material for film-makers.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16This groundbreaking series was written and narrated
0:21:16 > 0:21:19by novelist William McIlvanney, who treated football with a gravity
0:21:19 > 0:21:22normally reserved for historical documentary.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Here, he considers the merits of two of our greatest managers.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28'Two men who have achieved more success as managers
0:21:28 > 0:21:31'than they did as players are Jim Maclean and Alex Ferguson.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34'Dundee United are a far more impressive team
0:21:34 > 0:21:37'than Jim Maclean's limited financial resources
0:21:37 > 0:21:39'could lead us reasonably to expect.'
0:21:39 > 0:21:42'He's scored! Oh, what a great goal.'
0:21:42 > 0:21:44'The second phase of his career
0:21:44 > 0:21:46'has brought him more acclaim than he enjoyed as a player.'
0:21:47 > 0:21:51'Oh, he shouldn't have done that. Ferguson scores.'
0:21:51 > 0:21:54'Aggressively competitive though he was as a player,
0:21:54 > 0:21:58'Alex Ferguson was to inspire far more goals as a manager
0:21:58 > 0:22:00'than he ever scored himself.'
0:22:01 > 0:22:04The success of Scottish football managers is a real phenomenon,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07hewn from the coal faces of the central belt,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10these are tough, authoritarian characters,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13men who only use hairdryers for one purpose -
0:22:13 > 0:22:16to blow away lowly sports reporters.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19JET ENGINE ROARS
0:22:19 > 0:22:20Jock, can I just stop you here?
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Conducting a post-match interview can sometimes be a sport in itself.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27- Come on, hurry up, man!- BLEEP.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30This is Jock Wallace after his team has won.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32I'm just waiting to get the word, Jock.
0:22:32 > 0:22:33No, Jock, we're just waiting to...
0:22:33 > 0:22:35Imagine what he'd have been like if they'd lost?
0:22:35 > 0:22:38- Come on! - OK, Jock Wallace, congratulations -
0:22:38 > 0:22:41a match that you really had to win twice. It must've been quite a blow.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Yeah, they've done it. They've won it once, that was enough.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47Live interview, you just never know what you're going to get.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49And that, of course, is what keeps
0:22:49 > 0:22:51the adrenaline pumping through your veins.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Well, you think I'm going to answer a stupid question like that?
0:22:54 > 0:22:56- I'm only asking it. - Well, I told you earlier,
0:22:56 > 0:22:58- I won't be- BLEEP- answering it.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00And make sure that that's cut, and I'll tell you something -
0:23:00 > 0:23:04- don't ever- BLEEP - offer me that again.- BLEEP.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07If you think the reporters get it tough, what about the players?
0:23:07 > 0:23:10They can't even enjoy their half-time cuppa
0:23:10 > 0:23:11without the air turning blue.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13BLEEP. BLEEP.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15- Kenny, you- BLEEP - had three balls- BLEEP
0:23:15 > 0:23:18- and punched three balls when it's there.- BLEEP.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20We're lost.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Well, managers are very temperamental.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24They don't like to lose.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29I can't think of a guy who jumps around with joy when he's lost.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Some of them reacted in different ways,
0:23:32 > 0:23:36but basically they were looking for you and gunning for you.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40And, as if temperamental managers aren't enough to deal with,
0:23:40 > 0:23:41there are days when...
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Well, just about everything seems to be against you.
0:23:44 > 0:23:45Can I just point out
0:23:45 > 0:23:49that there are missiles being thrown all around us, here.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51BLEEP.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54- Motherwell was one each. Got some wrong information.- Oh, no.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58- It was one each. Do the link - the whole link again?- BLEEP.- Right, OK.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01- It was one each.- BLEEP.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06Well, communication with people inside a television studio
0:24:06 > 0:24:08could be fraught because, remember,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11television wasn't as slick as it is now.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18The format of our sports shows has changed very little over the years,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21but that hasn't stopped desperate producers from trying
0:24:21 > 0:24:24all sorts of fancy tricks to spice things up.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26They've crossed the pond...
0:24:27 > 0:24:30I'll tell you something about football...
0:24:30 > 0:24:32..wished us a merry Christmas...
0:24:33 > 0:24:35..invited us back to their bachelor pad...
0:24:37 > 0:24:40..and brought the banter of the terracing into the studio.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42It's hard to listen to the likes of Arthur Montford
0:24:42 > 0:24:46and Archie MacPherson without getting the warm glow of childhood.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49One of the great things about Scottish sports broadcasting
0:24:49 > 0:24:51is the sense of comfort and continuity it brings,
0:24:51 > 0:24:53but it took the best part of 30 years
0:24:53 > 0:24:56before we caught a glimpse of our first female reporter.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01It's a season which promises much, and joining me here week by week
0:25:01 > 0:25:03in the newly designed Scotsport studio,
0:25:03 > 0:25:05will be the newcomer to our team - Sally McNair,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07who will be taking her own particular look
0:25:07 > 0:25:09at the wide world of sport and the people who inhabit it.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Nice to have you with us, Sally.
0:25:11 > 0:25:12Very nice to be here.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15I'll be covering the major sporting events in Scotland
0:25:15 > 0:25:18with Arthur and Ian and having a look at as many different sports
0:25:18 > 0:25:20as possible over the course of the season.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22No cushy desk job for Sally.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Right from the start, she was in at the deep end.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31Ah, martial arts. They'll be useful for interviewing Jock Wallace.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Some folks have been saying, Jock, that you were the sort of person
0:25:34 > 0:25:36I would not be interviewing on the program.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39What they don't realise is that we've met before.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42- That's correct, aye.- Do you remember the occasion?- Outside Ibrox.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45- When you got your new job. - That's correct, aye.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47It was a quite interesting interview.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50The only female there out in the cold. I got some funny looks.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52I'll leave you on this occasion to that veteran -
0:25:52 > 0:25:54as he was so aptly called - Ian Archer.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56I rather suspect Jock Wallace
0:25:56 > 0:25:58might prefer to speak to Sally than myself.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00I got a really good welcome from fans,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03I got a really good welcome from football players,
0:26:03 > 0:26:07from managers - obviously from the minority sports
0:26:07 > 0:26:10cos they were getting coverage, in some cases for the first time.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13And the main antipathy, I think, towards a woman
0:26:13 > 0:26:17breaking into this formerly male-dominated world
0:26:17 > 0:26:22was in the male press boxes of the likes of Hamden and Ibrox
0:26:22 > 0:26:24because they just weren't used to that
0:26:24 > 0:26:27and they liked things the way they were.
0:26:28 > 0:26:29In the early days of television,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32sport was thought of as a low-cost schedule-filler.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36It's now one of the most expensive and popular things on the box.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Football in particular has been transformed by TV,
0:26:39 > 0:26:40and not always for the best.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43If you're an addict, which, I guess, I am,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46you watch low-division English games at four in the morning,
0:26:46 > 0:26:50you can watch German football, Spanish football, Italian football
0:26:50 > 0:26:53- even Scottish football gets a wee look in every now and then.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58When I was there, there were maybe three games live in a year.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Now you get three games live in a day.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Television is killing the game.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05'Well, it'll be one of the smallest crowds
0:27:05 > 0:27:08'at a Scottish cup final in many years.'
0:27:09 > 0:27:11The evidence is there for all to see.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14In recent years, even some of our big showpiece games
0:27:14 > 0:27:16have taken place in half-empty stadiums.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20Everyone's staying home to watch on the box,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23and the irony is empty seats are pretty much the last thing
0:27:23 > 0:27:24the TV cameras want to see.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27'Those dens do leave a lot to be desired.'
0:27:27 > 0:27:30But no matter how bad things get on the park,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33there is no excuse for off-field behaviour like this.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35Well, thanks for staying up late with us here tonight.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39Make sure and make a date every Monday night at 11 for Scotsport SPL.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Yes, best wishes to Dunfermline on Thursday
0:27:42 > 0:27:45and to Rangers in Moscow tomorrow night in that first leg qualifier.
0:27:45 > 0:27:46PIANIST STARTS TO PLAY
0:27:46 > 0:27:48We don't have Nikita, but if you missed out
0:27:48 > 0:27:51on tickets for Elton John's gig at the SECC in December,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54maybe this is a little consolation.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Thanks for staying up and watching. Night-night.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00In 2004, Scotsport was given a radical make-over.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Sports shows were never meant to be like this.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06When he's not tinkling away at the ivories,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09Graham Spiers is a highly respected journalist.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Don't worry - I'm not going to let it end like this.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16This is one of the greatest goals ever scored.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19Thanks to television, it lives on forever.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21MUSIC: "Easy, Easy" by Scotland World Cup Squad
0:28:23 > 0:28:25'Mon the wee man!
0:28:25 > 0:28:27# Ring-a-ding-a-ding
0:28:27 > 0:28:29# Knock it over for the king
0:28:29 > 0:28:33# And it's easy, easy
0:28:33 > 0:28:35# Ring-a-ding-a-dong
0:28:35 > 0:28:37# No, we know we can't go wrong
0:28:37 > 0:28:41# And it's e-a-a-a-sy
0:28:41 > 0:28:43# Come on
0:28:43 > 0:28:47# Now we're really gonna roll Gonna get another goal
0:28:47 > 0:28:51# Whoa, whoa, whoa, come on
0:28:51 > 0:28:55# Just another one to win Stick it in, stick it in. #