Colin Lamont | |
|---|---|
 Lamont as Scottie McClue in 2021 | |
| Born | 20 June 1956 [1] Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland [1] |
| Alma mater | Royal Conservatoire of Scotland |
| Occupation(s) | Radio presenter and executive |
Colin Lamont (born 20 June 1956), [1] better known by his shock jock on-air radio persona of Scottie McClue, is a broadcaster and former newscaster.
Lamont was educated at Greenock Academy, the University of Glasgow, the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) and Jordanhill College of Education, where he trained as a secondary school teacher.
He started his career working as a trainee manager for the Clydesdale Bank before joining Scottish Opera in 1980. His roles including Touring Manager, Marketing Officer and Director of Education Programmes, working alongside directors John Cox and Graham Vick. [1] In 1981 he became Assistant General Manager at Pitlochry Festival Theatre. [1]
In 1984 he became a continuity announcer and newscaster for Grampian Television in Aberdeen, [2] before moving to Scottish Television in Glasgow (1985–88) and Border Television in Carlisle (1985–89) [3]
In September 1989 Lamont set up the radio station CentreSound 96.7 in Stirling - now Central 103.1 FM - as its founding managing director. [4] In 1992 he moved to Red Rose Gold in Preston to become a senior producer and presenter for the station, creating the on-air persona Scottie McClue. McClue became a controversial but highly popular figure, attracting substantial listening audiences and subsequently presenting on a variety of UK stations across Scotland (including Scot FM and Q96), the North East of England, the North West of England, Yorkshire and the Midlands, including national station Talk Radio UK in London and in syndication throughout the UK over the next twenty-five years.
In August 2008, he became a shareholder of the Scottish independent local radio station L107 saving it from imminent closure as the former owner, Mark Page, was on the brink of returning the licence to Ofcom. [5] Businessman Alan Shields acquired the station from Page, hiring Lamont as a presenter under his Scottie McClue persona. [6] Lamont invested more than £62,000 of his own money into the business. [7] Lamont left the station accusing Shields of failing to contribute his share of funding. [8]
Lamont has hosted talk radio shows in the persona of Scottie McClue since the 1990s. [9]
When Lancashire independent radio station Red Rose Radio was split into two frequencies, Programme Director John Myers wanted distinctive programming for the medium wave service, Red Rose Gold. [10] Myers encouraged Colin Lamont to present the station's late-night phone-in. They believed, however, that the name 'Colin' did not connote showbusiness. Inspired by Scottie Buccleugh, the host of a weekly children's film club in Carlisle known as 'Uncle Scottie', Myers suggested that Lamont's on-air identity should be 'something mad like this' that would be memorable. The pair eventually came up with Scottie McClue. [11]
In 1994 McClue moved to Scot FM in Edinburgh, to present a new late night phone in. He was fined by the Radio Authority on three occasions for breaching the 1990 Broadcasting Act on taste and decency, in comments made about single mothers and gay people. [12] [13] In January 1997 McClue left the station after talks about a new contract broke down [14] and moved to Hallam FM in Sheffield and by April 1998, his show was syndicated across TFM in Middlesbrough and all Magic stations then owned by EMAP in Liverpool, Yorkshire and North East England. [15]
McClue also presented on Border Television-owned stations including 100-102 Century FM in Newcastle becoming the late night phone-in presenter on its Salford Quays-based sister regional station 105.4 Century FM, when it launched in September 1998, [16] with his show being networked to cover The Midlands on Century 106 in Nottingham in 1999.
In 2001 McClue returned to Scotland on Q96 with his shows being simulcast and networked across the UK.[ citation needed ] He then returned to EMAP's Magic stations in Sheffield, Liverpool, Leeds and Hull also broadcasting for SRH on Clyde 2 Glasgow on Saturday evenings and Forth 2 Edinburgh on Sunday mornings and also a stint co-hosting with Lesley Riddoch sitting in for Fred MacAulay on BBC Radio Scotland.
McClue had, as analyst Mary Talbot observes, achieved "a degree of infamy as a highly confrontational talk radio host". [17] Scottie joined Q96 in 2006, [18] [19] before moving to its 24-hour talk radio sister station of Talk 107, later that year. [17] He remained as a presenter [20] [21] until March 2008 where Talk 107 replaced him with a simulcast of The James Whale Show from London on sister station Talk Sport. [22] [23]
In July 2008 McClue participated in a special edition of BBC Radio's Fighting Talk at the Radio Academy's Radio Festival in Glasgow. [24]
McClue also presented on many mainstream Scottish radio stations including Radio Forth & Radio Clyde. [25] From 2008, he worked on L107 where he also served in a shareholder and management role at the station. [26] The station lasted just over a year until reported company debts caused an ownership dispute which led to the breakdown of the partnership, and McClue's withdrawal from the station's output. [27] [28]
A live video, "An Audience With Scottie McClue" was released in 1996. [1] [29] While working with Century 105 in Salford in 1999, he also released a CD called The Best of Scottie McClue. [30]
In September 2018, McClue joined Nation Radio Scotland to present a late night phone-in show which aired three nights a week. [31] [32] Since his absence from the radio, McClue has been live streaming daily on TikTok. He started throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. [33]
Airdrie is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies on a plateau 400 ft above sea level, 12 miles (19 km) east of Glasgow. As of 2012, it had a population of 37,130. Airdrie developed as a market town in the late 17th century following an Act of Parliament allowing it to hold a weekly market. It later grew in prominence as a centre for weaving and manufacturing, as well as being the settlement near several coalmines. In the mid 19th century, the town expanded greatly as a result of immigration and the development of iron works and railway links. This led to the town building the first public library in Scotland in 1853. During the 20th century, industrial decline took place in Airdrie, with heavy industry closing down across much of the town. In the 21st century, Airdrie has continued as a regional centre for services and retail, as well as being a commuter settlement within the Central Belt. Historically part of Lanarkshire, Airdrie forms a conurbation with its neighbour Coatbridge, in what was formerly the Monklands district, with a population of approximately 90,000.
North Lanarkshire is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the north-east of the Glasgow City council area and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns, and villages. It also borders East Dunbartonshire, Falkirk, Stirling, South Lanarkshire, and West Lothian. The council area covers parts of the historic counties of Dunbartonshire, Lanarkshire, and Stirlingshire. The council is based in Motherwell.
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark, is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no longer used for local government purposes, but gives its name to the two modern council areas of North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire.
Motherwell is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarkshire, Motherwell is the headquarters for North Lanarkshire Council. Geographically the River Clyde separates Motherwell from Hamilton to the west whereas the South Calder Water separates Motherwell from Carfin to the north-east and New Stevenston and Bellshill towards the north.
Coatbridge is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about 8+1⁄2 miles east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. Along with neighbouring town Airdrie, Coatbridge forms the area known as the Monklands, often considered to be part of the Greater Glasgow urban area – although officially they have not been included in population figures since 2016 due to small gaps between the Monklands and Glasgow built-up areas.
The North Clyde Line is a suburban railway in West Central Scotland. The route is operated by ScotRail. As a result of the incorporation of the Airdrie–Bathgate rail link and the Edinburgh–Bathgate line, this route has become the fourth rail link between Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Q96 was an Independent Local Radio station that broadcast for 14 years in the Scottish county of Renfrewshire. Q96 broadcast as an FM station on the 96.3 MHz frequency after a local licence for the Paisley area was offered. The station was latterly based outside its dedicated broadcast region in the Baillieston area of neighbouring Glasgow at the headquarters it shared with sister station Real Radio after Ofcom approval.
talk107 was an Independent Local Radio station based in Edinburgh, Scotland, broadcasting a phone-in based talk format. It was the UK's first local commercial talk licence to be awarded outside London and was the only station of its kind in Scotland. It was owned by UTV Radio and traded as a wholly owned division of talkSPORT – the national sports talk station.
Greatest Hits Radio Lancashire is an Independent Local Radio station based in Manchester, England, owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Greatest Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Lancashire and North West England.
Coatbridge Sunnyside railway station serves the town of Coatbridge in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The railway station is managed by ScotRail and is located on the North Clyde Line, 9 miles (14 km) east of Glasgow Queen Street.
L107 was a Scottish Independent Local Radio station, serving Lanarkshire. The station broadcast on 107.5 and 107.9 FM from studios and offices in Hamilton.
Nation Radio Scotland is a Scottish Independent Local Radio station for Renfrewshire, Glasgow and West Central Scotland, owned by Nation Broadcasting.
Gartcosh is a village in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The village lies about 8 miles east of Glasgow, and about 1 mile northwest of the town of Coatbridge.
Caldercruix is a semi-rural village in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The nearest major town is Airdrie, 4 miles to the west. It has a population of about 2,440. The village is about 20 miles east of Glasgow and 32 miles west of Edinburgh.
The Coatbridge Branch of the North British Railway was a railway built to connect the important coal and iron industrial districts of Coatbridge and Airdrie directly to Glasgow for the North British Railway.
Drumgelloch railway station is a railway station serving the east of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located 600 yards (550 m) east of the 1989 station on the former Bathgate and Coatbridge Railway, on the site of the former Clarkston railway station. The station previously closed in 1956.
Scot FM was a regional radio station serving Central and Southern Scotland. Broadcast from studios at Albert Quay in Leith, the station was billed as radio for Scotland's thinking classes but was unable to create a clear identity for itself, while changing its format to focus on more populist content, including less speech and more music. The station was relaunched as Real Radio Scotland in January 2002 following a buyout by GMG Radio. Real Radio has since been succeeded by Heart Scotland.
Heart Scotland is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Heart network. The station relaunched as Heart on 6 May 2014, serving central and southern Scotland from studios in Glasgow city centre.
Broomhouse is a residential area in Glasgow, Scotland. It is about six miles east of the city centre. Historically a small mining village and later the site of the Glasgow Zoo, in the early 21st century it grew substantially as an affluent commuter suburb.
This is a timeline of the development of radio in Scotland.
Page had already returned his broadcasting licence for Lanarkshire to regulator Ofcom before Shields came in with an offer for the station. However, CMG managed to get the operation back on air in a week.
L107 was started by former Radio 1 DJ, Mark Page, following the demise of a previous, local station, 107 The Edge. Now, Alan Shields is the new owner.
Mr Fulston invested £52,500 in L107 and Scottie McClue, whose real name is Colin Lamont, left the station two months ago. He had sunk £62,000 into the company and guaranteed overdrafts.
In a letter last month to Companies House, urging an investigation into Mr Shields' business dealings, Mr Lamont accuses his former partner of failing to honour financial commitments.
McClue - real name Colin Lamont - left on Wednesday after bosses refused to let him have a late-night slot.
Scotties here for the 'Mega-Phone-In'. Get your opinions into the wee-big man of radio...
Scottie McClue is back on east coast radio, only on talk107. The nations biggest talk radio show can be heard Sunday to Thursday between 10.00pm and 1.00am with his unique mix of discussion and banter in the nations liveliest and funniest late night phone-in.
His 10pm slot will now be filled by a simulcast of James Whale's show from Talk 107's UTV stablemate, the national station TalkSport.
Fighting Talk. Hosted by Colin Murray. with John Myers, Phil Riley, Scottie McClue.
Since Red Rose, he has hosted phone-ins at a number of stations including Scot FM, Hallam FM, Magic, the Century Radio network, Signal2, Forth2, Clyde 2 and BBC Radio Scotland.
Another undeniable truth about Scottie is that he's back and this time he owns the station (well, co-owns it actually).