BBC leaves many Scots dissatisfied

Scottish television viewers are more dissatisfied with BBC output than people in any other part of the UK.

A review by Ofcom has found that while Scots watch more TV than anyone else in the country, they are concerned about representation and portrayal of Scottish people in BBC programming and too much focus on the central belt.

The research found 52% of Scottish BBC viewers had an overall favourable impression of the state broadcaster, compared to 64% of all UK adults, and only 39% of people in Scotland thought the BBC broadcasts a good range of programmes and content representing where they live, compared to 50% UK-wide.

In focus groups a number of Scottish residents said they wanted more news from outside Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Glenn Preston, director of Ofcom in Scotland, said: “While viewers told us that the BBC, and TV in general, represents a wider mix of people than it used to, some people still feel less visible, or portrayed in ways that are narrow or inauthentic.”

A spokeswoman for the BBC said: “We know there’s more to do and as Ofcom recognises we’ve already taken action to achieve this.

“But this is a complex area and the report also shows that sometimes different people from the same background have contrasting views.”