Dateline Scotland is a Scottish satire of television current affairs programmes, broadcast in 2014, created by Jack Foster, James Devoy and Jonathan Cairney. Dateline Scotland is composed of eight 5-6 minute episodes and a 15-minute special, released to coincide with the Scottish independence referendum polling day. The eight 5 minute episodes were originally broadcast online, from 30 July to 17 September 2014 online. A one-off special of the programme was also released in May 2015, to coincide with the UK general election.
| Dateline Scotland | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Jack Foster, James Devoy, Jonathan Cairney |
| Starring | Jack Foster James Devoy Jonathan Cairney Briony Cruden |
| Country of origin | Scotland |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 5 min |
| Original release | |
| Network | Online |
| Release | 30 July – 18 September 2014 |
In July 2018, the show's creators released 13 new programmes under a revived format titled Dateline 2018.[1] The series focused less on Scottish politics than its predecessor, and also saw the departure of Briony Cruden, who played the correspondent Briony Laing.
Programme format
editEach episode is presented as a parody news programme, anchored by Foster and Devoy, featuring 3-4 spoof stories based on the previous week's news. Dateline Scotland was produced in the final 2 months of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, and the programme's content is reflective of this.[2][3]
It has been suggested that the show's popularity was related to a dissatisfaction amongst independence supporters with the mainstream Scottish media, with regards its coverage of the referendum.[4][5]
Main characters
edit- Jack Foster (Jack Foster) – Anchor
- James Devoy (James Devoy) – Anchor
- Briony Laing (Briony Cruden) – Various correspondents
- George Deary (Jonathan Cairney) – Director of Strategy for the Better Together campaign (parody).
One-off correspondents who appeared in the Referendum Day Special, include Coletta Samson (Sandra O'Sullivan), Thomas Capes (Matthew Houlihan), Achiltibuie Correspondent (Dan Devoy). Political cartoonist Greg Moodie also guests as Leroy Jenkmans, “Chief Strategist for Yes Scotland” (Parody).
Cast and crew
edit- Jack Foster – Anchor
- James Devoy – Anchor
- Jonathan Cairney – George Deary (also Seb Foucault and Piers Morgen)
- Briony Laing – Various Correspondent roles
- Devisers – Jack Foster and James Devoy
- Writers - Jack Foster, James Devoy, Jonathan Cairney, the cast
- Directors - Jack Foster and James Devoy
- Producers - Jack Foster and James Devoy
References
edit- ^ Dateline 2018, retrieved 2019-02-28
- ^ McDowall, Julie (9 September 2014). "TV review: What's funny about the indyref?". The Herald. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- ^ Brooks, Libby (1 August 2014). "Scottish independence referendum weekly review: trains, teacakes and telly". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ^ "The Flowering of Satire in the Caledonian Spring". 9 September 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ^ "Indie TV options for coverage of the indy debate". 20 October 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
External links
edit