BBC Scotland Director Steve Carson announces departure

BBC Scotland Director Steve Carson is to stand down after 7 years in Scotland and 11 years with the broadcaster.

Speaking to staff at BBC Scotland’s headquarters in Glasgow, the BBC’s senior figure in Scotland said he would stand down in the autumn, ahead of taking up a new position in Dublin with the Republic of Ireland’s public service broadcaster, RTÉ.

Steve Carson says: “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.”

The BBC’s Director of Nations, Rhodri Talfan Davies, says: “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.”

With 75% of all PSB spend on TV production in Scotland made by the BBC, the search for a successor will begin immediately and Mr Carson will remain in post until mid-September.

Reflecting on his time in charge, Mr Carson said he was proud of how BBC colleagues across Scotland pulled together to deliver vital services to our audiences during the Covid pandemic, and how teams from across BBC Scotland led the coverage of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

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.”

Mr Carson’s message to staff also noted: “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.”

PressOfficeScotland@bbc.co.uk