Programme Outline
This programme informs us about the literary pedigree of Scots. For centuries, writers have been writing in Scots, although there have been high spots and low spots. We visit St Makar’s cathedral in Aberdeen, where Alisdair Allan, a researcher, talks about John Barbour. We hear an extract from Barbour’s poem The Bruce. We discover that royalty spoke Scots in medieval times and that the Scots spoke many languages.
In St Makar’s we also hear about Robert Henryson. Actor Tom Watson recites an extract from one of Henryson’s famous fables, ‘The Preaching of the Swallow’, in which the winter weather is described. Heather Reid announces the weather in Scots and Drew Clegg recites ‘Noah of Limekilns’.
Billy Kay explains that the medieval times were known as the Golden Age of Literary Scots. In the eighteenth century a revival of Scots writing was led by Allan Ramsay, Robert Fergusson and Robert Burns. Robert Paterson sings ‘Willy Wastle’ by Robert Burns.
We learn that poet Hugh MacDiarmid revived the Scots writing in the twentieth century.
We visit Hawick High School in the Borders, where pupils discuss their language and culture. Hawick and Gala jokes are told by Ian Landles.
