1999 in Scottish television

Events

January

• 20 January – The UK government says no political pressure was applied to the BBC over its decision not to give Scotland a separate version of the Six O'Clock News.

April

• 30 April – Launch of the digital channel S2, the Scottish equivalent of ITV2.

May

• 6–7 May – Television coverage of the 1999 Scottish Parliament general election.
• 12 May – The Scottish Parliament meets in Edinburgh for its first session. Proceedings have been televised from the outset.

June

• 6 June – The final edition of political current affairs programme Scottish Lobby is broadcast on BBC2 Scotland.

October

• 1 October – Death of Lena Zavaroni, the Scottish child singer and television presenter.
• 4 October – Launch of Newsnight Scotland, the BBC Scotland opt-out of the main Newsnight programme on BBC Two.
• 31 October – Establishment of TeleG, Scotland's first daily Gaelic language digital channel.

November

• 8 November – Border Television drops its famous 'chopsticks' logo which it had used since it launched in 1961 when it adopts the ITV 'hearts' idents.

Debuts

BBC

• 13 January – Chewin' the Fat on BBC One Scotland (1999–2002)
• 4 October – Newsnight Scotland on BBC Two Scotland (1999–2014)

Television series

• Scotsport (1957–2008)
• Reporting Scotland (1968–1983; 1984–present)
• Scotland Today (1972–2009)
• Sportscene (1975–present)
• The Beechgrove Garden (1978–present)
• Grampian Today (1980–2009)
• High Road (1980–2003)
• Taggart (1983–2010)
• Crossfire (1984–2004)
• Wheel of Fortune (1988–2001)
• Win, Lose or Draw (1990–2004)
• Telefios (1993–2000)
• Only an Excuse? (1993–2020)

Ending this year

• 6 April - Machair (1993–1999)
• 3 December – Fun House (1989–1999)

Deaths

• 1 October – Lena Zavaroni, 35, child singer and television presenter

References

References

1. (20 January 1999). "BBC 'not pressured' over Scottish Six". BBC.
2. McVeigh, Karen. (8 May 1999). "BBC get viewers' votes and win by a landslide". Trinity Mirror.
3. [https://identcentral.co.uk/idents/itv/itv-regions/border-television/ Ident Central - Border Television]
4. (17 November 2016). "BBC Sport in Black and White". Springer.
5. (6 August 2025). "Sportscene at 50: Famous faces back for anniversary".
6. (13 February 2020). "Performing Scottishness: Enactment and National Identities". Springer Nature.
7. (14 October 2016). "Contemporary British Television Crime Drama: Cops on the Box". Taylor & Francis.
8. "Hogmanay favourite Only an Excuse says cheerio. What did you think?".
9. (9 March 2016). "Affective Landscapes in Literature, Art and Everyday Life: Memory, Place and the Senses". Routledge.