Scotland is different

Gravel-voiced Steve Morrison, the BBC Board member for Scotland assured MSPs at the end of last week that there would, after all, be 'high-end drama' on the new BBC Scotland channel when it launches in February.  He said both the BBC Board and BBC Executive were being very collaborative, and the new service would have some co-commissioned original drama to kick off, if perhaps there wouldn't be any in the long-term.

In numbers, Mr Morrison revealed that the 50 of the 80 extra journalists promised to support the new channel had been appointed. It doesn't leave long for the remaining 30 to be properly-schooled and sheep-dipped in BBC ways.  In money news, he said that the BBC would be spending £9.1m on BBC Alba in the current year - up from £7.9m. It is already the BBC's most expensive channel in terms of cost per user hour, at.14.3p, and the only way looks to be up.