2009 in Scottish television

Events

March

• 20 March – STV North's regional news programme North Tonight ends after 29 years on air.
• 22 March – STV Central's regional news programme Scotland Today ends after 37 years on air.
• 23 March – Launch of the new look news programme STV News at Six in STV's North and Central regions.

July

• July – The BBC Trust writes to the UK government asking for it to guarantee that future Scotland football internationals are broadcast on terrestrial television.
• July – Launch of STV Player allowing Internet users to view STV programmes online.
• July – STV announces that it is withdrawing some ITV1 networked programmes such as The Bill, Doc Martin, Midsomer Murders, Poirot and Lewis from its schedules, instead preferring to concentrate on programming made within Scotland.

August

• 28 August – At the Edinburgh International Television Festival News Corporation Chairman James Murdoch delivers the MacTaggart Memorial Lecture in which he launches an attack on the BBC and UK media regulator Ofcom.

September

• 22 September – ITV plc launches legal proceedings against STV for a quoted unpaid debt of £38 million from network programming contributions, following STV's practice of dropping a number of network programmes on the STV franchise. At the same time, STV claims it is also following procedures against ITV plc, for up to £40 million owed to STV under its advertising sales agreements.{{cite news

October

• 26 October – The BBC Trust announces a review of the Gaelic language channel BBC Alba to assess its impact on viewers.

Debuts

BBC

• 22 March – Sport Nation on BBC Two (2009–present)
• 21 October – Gary: Tank Commander (2009–2012)

ITV

• 17 January – wknd@stv (2009)
• 23 March – STV News at Six (2009–present)
• 6 September – STV Rugby (2009–2010; 2011–present)

Television series

• Reporting Scotland (1968–1983; 1984–present)
• Sportscene (1975–present)
• The Beechgrove Garden (1978–present)
• Taggart (1983–2010)
• Only an Excuse? (1993–2020)
• River City (2002–present)
• Politics Now (2004–2011)
• The Adventure Show (2005–present)
• GMTV Scotland (2007–present)
• Trusadh (2008–present)

Ending this year

• 20 March – North Tonight (1980–2009)
• 22 March – Scotland Today (1972–2009)

Deaths

• 30 April – Maurice Lindsay, 91, broadcaster
• 15 September – Troy Kennedy Martin, 77, screenwriter

References

References

1. (30 July 2009). "BBC in Scotland football TV plea". BBC.
2. Tryhorn, Chris. (11 September 2009). "STV defends dropping ITV dramas". The Guardian.
3. Robinson, James. (28 August 2009). "James Murdoch hits out at BBC and regulators at Edinburgh TV festival". The Guardian.
4. (26 October 2009). "Gaelic TV channel being reviewed". BBC.
5. (6 August 2025). "Sportscene at 50: Famous faces back for anniversary".
6. (14 October 2016). "Contemporary British Television Crime Drama: Cops on the Box". Taylor & Francis.
7. "Hogmanay favourite Only an Excuse says cheerio. What did you think?".
8. (12 May 2009). "Obituary: Maurice Lindsay".