I won’t get driven Batty now trial by Sportscene has moved to Saturdays
BOX OFFICE TIME TO TUNE IN Beeb frontman Jonathan gets mistaken for STV weatherman Sean on trip north
BY GARY RALSTON
A RIDGE of high pressure is about to move across the Sportscene studio and Jonathan Sutherland can’t wait to handle the heat.
Scottish telly’s best-loved and most talked about football show is back in its traditional Saturday night slot on the BBC.
Celtic are going for 10 in a row while Rangers are bidding to stop them as they aim for their first title in a decade.
The SPFL is in the midst of a bitter civil war and Sutherland and his colleagues are often drawn into the furore as fans and bosses rail against “trial by Sportscene”.
It’s frequently said Scottish football is a poor watch but a great read. For an hour tonight, starting on the BBC Scotland channel at 7.30pm, Sutherland will be out to prove otherwise.
He said: “We hear of ‘trial by Sportscene’ but I’ve been a journalist for more than 20 years and it’s about trusting your instincts – and your pundits.
“You’re always under pressure from managers who want to downplay certain moments in a match or red-card incidents.
“I’ve been around the block long enough to know that doesn’t just apply to Scottish football but all over the world.
“I accept it, I hear it. But you always fall back on your own principles and a great team of producers and pundits who speak honestly and openly.
“There’s going to be a buzz of electricity this season and I can’t wait to get started this weekend.
“Will Celtic do 10? Can Rangers or anyone else stop them? That’s the overriding narrative arc but there will also be plenty of subplots and I’m filled with excitement.
“The opportunity to present Sportscene on a Saturday night for the first time in 18 years is up there with one of the proudest moments of my career.
“It’s a privilege. I understand the pressure that comes with the job, Sportscene is a show in which every Scottish fan is invested.
“They claim ownership as it matters so much to them. You’ve got to get it right.”
Sutherland is one of the most confident and personable presenters on the box and the furore surrounding Scottish football is a long way from his upbringing in the village of Brae, in Shetland.
A politics graduate of Aberdeen University, his profile has risen over the last decade due to his stints in front of the camera after joining Sportscene as an assistant producer.
However, his ego remains firmly in check and, while he is recognised often, it isn’t exactly Beatlemania.
He said: “I was in Mallaig a couple of years ago on a beautiful sunny day and walked into a local store. You know when someone recognises you, even if they don’t quite know from where? The shopkeeper looked at me and said, ‘It’s you off the telly’. I just smiled as he added, ‘I know why you’re up here – it’s because you knew the weather was going to be so good today’.
“It turns out he thought I was Sean Batty, the STV weatherman! I always enjoy getting into a Glasgow taxi and working out if the driver’s a Rangers or a Celtic fan.
“They’re always one or the other – the banter is always good-humoured.”
Sutherland presents tonight’s show with Shelley Kerr and Craig Gordon in the pundits’ seats. Former Dundee United and Rangers striker Steven Thompson will host a Sunday highlights package. The BBC are still in talks about a return of pundit Michael Stewart, who splits opinion and would happily go 15 rounds with his shaving mirror every morning.
Sutherland said: “Michael is such a good pundit and I know he is in discussions with the BBC but you’d have to ask them more about that.”
Sutherland will also present Friday night Championship action with Scotland midfielder Leanne Crichton when the action returns on October 17.
He added: “I grew up on Shetland and Saturday night Sportscene was my window into the mad world of Scottish football.
“I fell in love with it at Italia 90 and can still feel the tears running down my cheeks when we lost to Costa Rica.
“When football breaks your heart like that, it only makes you appreciate it even more.”
Sportscene is on BBC Scotland tonight at 7.30pm.