2007 in Scottish television

This is a list of events in Scottish television from 2007.

Events

January

• 7 January – Death of television presenter Magnus Magnusson, long-time presenter of the BBC's Mastermind .
• 8 January – STV launches separate news services for the East and West of the STV Central region, initially as a five-minute opt out within the 6:00 pm edition of Scotland Today on weeknights. STV also launches two editions of North Tonight begin to receive two different programmes - those in the Dundee, Angus, Perthshire and north-east Fife area receive a dedicated bulletin within the main North Tonight programme.
• 10 January – Scottish Media Group and Belfast-based UTV agree the details of a merger, including a revised share split between the two. UTV will own 54% of the group, while SMG will take the remaining 46%. ^[1] However, the deal is once again rejected at the end of February.

February

• No events.

March

• No events.

April

• 12 April – SMG Group plc announce plans to sell Virgin Radio, to enable the company to focus on its television station, STV. ^[2]

May

• 3 May – Television coverage of the 2007 Scottish Parliament election.

June

• 7 June – The long-running Scottish Six debate over a separate BBC Six O'Clock News bulletin for Scotland is reignited after the Scottish National Party's Pete Wishart writes to the BBC Director General Mark Thompson calling for a Scottish news programme to be introduced. ^[3]

July

• 18 July – It is announced that the Scottish Premier League has signed a deal with BBC Scotland for non-exclusive television coverage of the league. ^[4]

August

• August – The Scottish Government establishes the Scottish Broadcasting Commission to oversee television production and broadcasting in Scotland. ^[5]
• 31 August – STV celebrates fifty years on air.

September

• 20 September – British Prime Minister Gordon Brown opens the BBC Scotland's new Pacific Quay studio complex in Glasgow. ^[6] At the opening ceremony BBC Director-General Mark Thompson outlines plans to increase BBC Scotland's content output. ^[7]

October

• 26 October – Inaugural meeting of the Scottish Broadcasting Commission. Chaired by Blair Jenkins the Commission hopes to take television in Scotland "to a different level". ^[8]

November

• No events.

December

• 3 December – News opt-outs for Scotland during GMTV are taken over by MacMillan Media following a long-running dispute between GMTV and STV. Previously STV and Grampian had provided local news coverage during GMTV.

Debuts

BBC

• 26 February – The Adventure Show on BBC Two (2007–present)

ITV

• 3 December – GMTV Scotland on STV (2007–2012)

Television series

• Scotsport (1957–2008) ^[9]
• Reporting Scotland (1968–1983; 1984–present)
• Scotland Today (1972–2009)
• Sportscene (1975–present) ^[10]
• The Beechgrove Garden (1978–present)
• North Tonight (1980–2009)
• Taggart (1983–2010) ^[11]
• Only an Excuse? (1993–2020) ^[12]
• River City (2002–present)
• Politics Now (2004–2011)
• VideoGaiden (2005–2008)
• The Adventure Show (2007–present)
• That Was The Team That Was (2006–2008)

Ending this year

• 31 December – Still Game (2002–2007; 2016–2019)

Deaths

• 7 January – Magnus Magnusson, 79, broadcaster and presenter
• 9 February – Ian Richardson, 72, actor

See also

• 2007 in Scotland

References

1. "UTV gains ground in SMG merger negotiations". The Business. 10 January 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2012.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
2. Holmwood, Leigh (12 April 2007). "SMG strategy was 'flawed'". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
3. "SNP re-ignites Scottish Six idea". BBC News. BBC. 7 June 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
4. "Two new major broadcasting deals for the SPL". Scottish Premier League. July 2007. Archived from the original on 4 January 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
5. "Commission looks at broadcasting". BBC News. BBC. 8 August 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
6. "Opening ceremony for new BBC HQ". BBC News. BBC. 20 September 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
7. "BBC chief in pledge to Scotland". BBC News. BBC. 20 September 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
8. "First meeting for broadcast group". BBC News. BBC. 26 October 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
9. Haynes, Richard (17 November 2016). BBC Sport in Black and White. Springer. p. 1. ISBN   978-1-137-45501-7.
10. "Sportscene at 50: Famous faces back for anniversary". BBC Sport. 6 August 2025. Archived from the original on 11 August 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
11. McElroy, Ruth (14 October 2016). Contemporary British Television Crime Drama: Cops on the Box. Taylor & Francis. p. 27. ISBN   978-1-317-16096-0.
12. "Hogmanay favourite Only an Excuse says cheerio. What did you think?". HeraldScotland. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2021.