BBC ALBA gets 3 Scottish BAFTA nominations

When nominations to the BAFTA Scotland Awards 2009 were announced in Glasgow last week, three of them were for BBC ALBA programmes, two in-house and one commissioned production.

In the Television Drama award category, there is Eilbheas (Elvis), set on the Isle of Lewis and exploring Elvis’s influence on a young punk. The cultural collisions come close to surreal.

Then a series of six short films without words – Eadar-Chluich (Interlude) – each based on a Gaelic song, has been nominated in the same  Television Drama award category. Having two nominations in this category is proof of the calibre of creative imaginatian and production values at BBC AlBA. Both of its nominees in this categorhy are up against New Town and River City.

And in the News and Current Affairs’ award category,  BBC ALBA has a nomination for its current affairs series, Eòrpa, featuring Europe-wide political and social developments. Its competing finalists in this category are BBC Scotland Investigates – Scotland’s Brand New Bank; and Panorama – Britain’s Homecare Scandal.

Alan Esslemont, Head of content for BBC ALBA, says – unsurprisingly: ‘We are delighted that the channel’s programmes have been recognised in this year’s BAFTA Scotland nominations. This is fantastic news for the MG ALBA and BBC partnership. Since coming on air, we have been working with the best of Scotland’s creative talent to produce high quality programmes that appeal to both Gaelic and Scotland-wide audiences. These BAFTA nominations are testament to that’.

Eilbheas is based on Tonaidh, a 17 year old boy living on Lewis in the 1970′s. Alienated from his distant mother and alcoholic father he escapes into punk music.  Suicide seems the only answer.  He fails even at that and as he recovers from his overdose he sees Elvis. Tonaidh is not amused to have a mentor in the form of a man in a white jump suit but, despite this, Elvis touches his life.  The character of Elvis glows against the stark island landscape in a tale which both touches the heart and makes you laugh.  Written by Mairi Kidd and Torcuil Crichton, Eilbheas is a quirky comedy drama starring Greg Hemphill as Elvis and newcomer Sean MacLeod as Tonaidh.

In Eadar-Chluich (Interlude), the renowned Scots actor, Iain Glen, leads a first class cast playing characters in each of the short films. Produced by independent Glasgow based company Sorbier Productions and funded by MG ALBA, the Gaelic Media Service, the project was a year in the making and brought stars such as Martin Compston (Sweet Sixteen, True North), Kate Dickie (Red Road), and Greg McHugh (Tank Commander, Gary’s War) to BBC ALBA.

The BAFTA Scotland award winners will be announced at the award ceremony in Glasgow on November 8th.