‘The Kilt Is My Delight’ – the problems of popular music on early television from Scotland ( ) John Williamson Music 625, University of Leeds, 9 June 2018

Outline Some starting points – Andy Stewart/ White Heather Club [1958] Jimmy Nairn / Jig Time [1958] parts: Context and Methods – archives and interviews The Shows – popular music on television in Scotland in the first twelve years- characteristics and content. The Kilt is My Delight, White Heather Club, Jig Time, The Hoot’nanny Show, One Night Stand, Dig This! The Talent – who appears on the shows – how and why? What changes? Kenneth McKellar, Andy Stewart and Jimmy Shand Politics, Geography and National Identity Conclusions

Why and how? Gaps in literature around music and television generally: Popular music is not prominent is studies of broadcasters both in UK and Scotland, BBC and Independent Television (ITV) Lack of writing about television in Scotland generally. Lack of importance attached to television within popular music studies – need to embrace work from other genres to fully contextualise.

Methods and Sources Document Analysis and Biographical research. Archival sources: print and video – but limitations. Newspapers – Scottish TV listings – The Glasgow Herald, Evening Times. Online – Official and unofficial. Radio/ TV Times listings, BBC Genome, Missing Episodes, Kaleidoscope, etc. Institutional Archives – BBC Written Archive, British Film Institute, Independent Television material scattered around where it exists (some at BFI, National Library of Scotland). Interviews: approximately 20 interviews with producers and performers spanning seven decades.

The key shows [ ] BBC: Highland Fling [1955] The Kilt Is My Delight [ ] White Heather Club [ ] The Hoot’nanny Show [1964] Scottish Television (STV): Jig Time [ ] One Night Stand [1964] Dig This! [1964]

The Stars: [1] Kenneth McKellar Appears on Come on Board (1953) – instructed to ‘bring kilt’. Positive reaction from audiences and producers – he is young, photogenic and talented. Offered a series of his own by BBC in Scotland, but also gets work from BBC in London. Regular appearances on St.Andrew’s Day, Hogmanay and Burns’ Night make him a symbol of Scottishness for UK audiences. Star power: fees increase at BBC– but competition with theatre, records and STV.

The Stars: [2] Andy Stewart Appears on Garrison Theatre (1954) while still at drama college in Glasgow – initially booked as comedian /impressionist, sings later. Positive reaction and asked to host Highland Fling (1955) - most ambitious BBC Scotland variety show to date. Offered an exclusive television contract in 1955 at prompting of BBC Scotland, but cancelled by London the following year. Career is rejuvenated in late 1950s as host of White Heather Club and own show, gets new contract, but continues to tour, do theatre (pantomime and summer seasons), has hit record.

The Stars: [3] Jimmy Shand First appears on The Kilt is My Delight in Musician who has been making records since 1930s, regular on radio and on Scottish country dance circuit. Also has chart success, signed to Parlophone. In many ways unsuitable for television – older, dour, non- photogenic, static and monosyllabic. Band do not pass BBC Music audition but this does not prevent success & lengthy career on (mainly) Scottish television.

Four constraints on music on television from Scotland Geography: relative remoteness, limited talent pool? Politics: from stateless nation to understated nation? Influence of nationalism. Legislation and Institutional restraints: broadcasting policy from Westminster, nations and regions, quotas, commercial constraints on STV output. Scottish cultural and national identity: imagined communities, kailyard, tartanry and Scottish-ism. Pressures on broadcasters to use this as mark of differentiation.

Conclusions Poor quality of television from Scotland: ‘centralised planning and control from south of the border, combined with meagre budgets’ (Caughie 1982: 112). Popular music output is constrained but also a driver of a particular notion of Scottish-ness (in the rest of the UK). Micro-climate within UK where little changes for the best part of thirty years. An important counter-narrative to UK wide and US centric accounts of early histories of popular music on television.