BBC Scotland director quits broadcaster after 11 years

BBC Scotland director Steve Carson will stand down after four years in the role. He has spent seven years in Scotland, and over a decade with the company overall. 

He told staff at the firm’s headquarters in Glasgow on Monday that he would move on in the autumn and take up a new position in Dublin with the Republic of Ireland’s public service broadcaster, RTÉ.

Steve Carson (Image: BBC)

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Speaking about his time in the role, Carson said: “It has been the honour of my life to serve as director of BBC Scotland, and it has been a privilege to meet and work with so many talented people and teams across the country.

“Over the past seven years across two roles at BBC Scotland, I have been blessed to partner with the brilliant creative industry here, and together we have seen the launch of the BBC Scotland channel, landmark series including Guilt and Rebus, record levels of licence fee investment in Scotland, the biggest ever range of live sport coverage, and strong audience growth online across the BBC’s iPlayer, Sounds, news and sport products.”

Carson added that he was proud of how his colleagues across Scotland pulled together during the Covid pandemic, and how teams led the coverage of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in 2022.

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He added: “This year, we have concluded a new partnership agreement with MG ALBA that will strengthen our key Gaelic services, established a new BBC network Audio base and continued to evolve our crucial News service across platforms.

“There is a busy week ahead with the General Election on Thursday. As we’ve just seen with our Euros coverage, the Election will be an opportunity to demonstrate the full range of talent and experience that we in BBC Scotland can bring to major events – and in this case of the vital role that public service broadcasting plays in a democracy.”

Carson will remain in his post until mid-September, but the BBC will begin the search for a successor immediately.

The BBC’s director of nations, Rhodri Talfan Davies, said: “Steve’s shrewd judgement, his focus on audiences and his impressive creative instincts have been a driving force in BBC Scotland’s success over recent years.

“He is also a passionate and supportive colleague – intensely proud of the teams he leads across BBC Scotland and deeply committed to the development of the Scottish production sector.”