Community / Late programmes to keep radio listeners company during winter
BBC Radio Shetland’s winter schedule returns to the airwaves from Monday night.
It marks the start of six months of documentaries and music shows, as well as a return of long-standing programmes.
Eva Runciman looks back on the 41st Shetland Folk Festival, with two hour-long programmes featuring music and chat from all the visiting acts.
They reflect on the joy of playing in the isles and getting used to Shetland-isms including fair isle knitwear, Islesburgh lunches and even Tommy the Cat.
Eva also tracks the journey of a German WW2 map from an archive in Jill Slee Blackaddder’s house in Scalloway to its final resting place in a national war museum in Finland.
Meanwhile Radio Shetland stalwart Mary Blance is back with the popular books programme, keeping listeners up to date with the latest literary achievements and catching up with writers young and old.
Davie Gardner meets up with Valerie Nicolson who took early retirement in the summer after two decades at the helm of the Anderson High School.
John Johnston interviews Eurovision fan Michael Dickson who recently stepped down as chief executive of NHS Shetland, while jetsetter Helen Balfour shares her stories from six months spent working in the world’s most remote museum in South Georgia.
Caroline Moyes explores the legacies of Peerie Willie Johnson and Ian Bairnson in Guitar Legends. Claire White and Friends returns with a lichtsome monthly hour of chat and tunes with folk across Shetland.
Claire is also back with her popular dialect programme Midder Tongue.
Jane Moncrieff catches up with knitwear designer Louise Irvine who now lives in New Zealand. She shares her stories growing up as a diplomat’s daughter travelling around the world.
The station will also take a look at what’s happening in the local food and drink sector in Shetland’s Larder. Iona Nicol also explores some of the new culinary delights that have opened up in Lerwick over the summer months.
Val Turner and Eva Runciman take to the outdoors to explore Shetland’s natural heritage.
Health, fitness and wellbeing also gets a check-up in Shetland’s Heartbeat with Ross Cowper-Fraser and Iona Nicol.
There’s plenty on offer too for music fans. Barbara Cheyne is along with Fae Hameaboot, Jimmy Carlyle hosts Shades of Blue all the way from Australia and Jim Pearson and Shelia Manson are back to present Wir Kinda Country Shetland style.
Paul Bloomer is back with Northern Soul featuring some of the music that emerged in Northern England and the Midlands in the late 1960s and Neil Robertson will also be playing some of his favourite seventies and eighties music.
Alan Gifford and Cecil Hughson will be along with their guests showcasing the best of Shetland’s traditional music in Catgut and Ivory. In their first programme next week they will be looking ahead to this year’s Accordion and Fiddle Festival.
Jeff Merrifield and Joy Duncan also return with Jazz and World Sounds. Gary Peterson and Steve Davidson are also back with their choice of folk music from around the world.
The Pitt Lane Sessions are also taking to the air waves again. Adam Guest catches up with singer songwriter Jenny Sturgeon and local rock band Sheer.
The team also revisit Shetland’s big summer event, The Tall Ships Races, which returned to Lerwick with a few boats dropping anchor at Cullivoe and Baltasound on the way.
BBC Radio Shetland editor John Johnston said: “We’re all delighted to be back with a range of new programmes as well as the old favourites to offer our listeners through the long winter nights.”
The late programmes are broadcast every weekday from 6pm straight after Good Evening Shetland on 92.7FM or live on the BBC Sounds app. People can also listen again on the BBC Radio Shetland Facebook page.
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