A SECOND series of the Glasgow newspaper-set drama, The Field of Blood, returns to our TV screens next month.
And previewing it, the Daily Record describes a scenario all too familiar to Scots newspaper folk today, never mind 30 years ago.
Writes Adrian Lobb: “[The new character being played by] Katherine [Kelly] joins the series, set in 1984, as Maloney (we never learn her first name), the mysterious new editor-in-chief of the Daily News brought in by the shady McCallum International media corporation to cut costs, modernise the newspaper and ensure that editor, Murray Devlin (David Morrissey), does not report too favourably about the striking miners.”
The drama commences on the eighth of next month, on BBC One, at 2100.
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HE might be on holiday, say reports, but as yet Scottish Labour party spin doctor, Paul Sinclair, has – to the best of our knowledge – not yet denied the existence of a tweet attributed to him, using rather unparliamentary language to describe the First Minister.
And it certainly had The Scottish Sun last week enjoying itself, at Sinclair’s expense.
But on Monday also leaping to his defence.
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THE poignancy could not have been lost on anyone. In The Herald on Monday, poetry editor, Lesley Duncan, introduced verses from William Dunbar’s “great reflection on mortality” as still making “as strong an impact, emotional and philosophical, now as they must have done in the early 16th century when William Dunbar (1465-1530) composed them”.
For, further down, on the same page was an obituary, penned by Duncan, about her late husband – John – a former night editor on the paper.
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THE Daily Record increased in price from Monday, by 5p to 50p. And its rival, The Scottish Sun, has been since pushing the fact that it costs 10p less.
And it’s been asking readers what they do with the spare cash. In yesterday’s specially-named ‘Son’ (following the Royal birth), it had decorator, Stuart, saving up holiday money for the kids, and student, Rebecca, being able to buy a bag of sweets.
Stealing candy from a baby, anyone?
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THE Scotsman has itself a new-look website and, bravely, it is asking readers for their feedback.
Brave, because comments sections tend towards the negative.
Even when politely offered: “I just looked into my crystal ball: www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk” (Odd Job).
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BBC Scotland newsreader, Sally Magnusson, throwing her arms up in the air, live on TV last week, had Shereen Nanjiani reflecting on her own newsreading days at STV.
In her column yesterday in The Scottish Sun, she wrote: “I still wake up in a cold sweat remembering the most embarrassing TV bulletin I ever presented.”
Magnusson was exasperated at technical gremlins bedevilling the Thursday lunchtime bulletin.
Continues Nanjiani: “It was when Scotland Today went on air with its new digital technology – and the entire system crashed. John MacKay and I were left sitting there, looking like right numpties as report after report refused to play.
“Then the robotic cameras developed a sinister life of their own and started moving about in the wrong direction. When I was supposed to speak, the camera moved to John. I’d push the script in front of him but the screen would switch to me again and he’d have to push it back.
“Meanwhile, in our earpieces, it was mayhem with the producer screaming down the line: ‘We’ve got nothing left to play! You’ve got to take us off air now!’
“It’s the closest I’ve ever been to walking off a show. Thankfully, I didn’t have to – we finished a half-hour show after just ten minutes.”
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