:: Icons of Football S2 :: Second series of the documentary show profiling iconic figures in Scottish football who have made their mark on the game. Episodes produced/directed: John Robertson, Jen Beattie.
Factual Entertainment | 2024 | 28mins x 2 | BBC Scotland
:: Icons of Football S1 :: Documentary series profiling iconic figures in Scottish football who have made their mark on the game. Episodes produced/directed: Charlie Nicholas, Archie Macpherson, Richard Gough.
Factual Entertainment | 2023 | 28mins x 3 | BBC Scotland
:: The Lost Final :: Documentary with ex-footballer Pat Nevin searching for footage of Scotland Under-18s victory at the 1982 European Championships. (Producer: Neil Sargent)
Factual | 2022 | 43mins | BBC Scotland
:: Walter – A Life in Football :: Special 60 minute documentary tribute to the former Rangers, Everton and Scotland manager Walter Smith. Featuring interview contributions from Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir David Murray, Graeme Souness and others.
Factual | 2021 | 60mins | BBC ONE Scotland
:: Away With The Tartan Army :: Entertainment programme presented by Stuart Cosgrove and Tam Cowan, counting down ten of the best Scotland national football team moments with members of the Tartan Army. Entertainment | 2021 | 60mins | BBC Scotland :: The Edinburgh Show With Grant Stott :: 2 x 30min Arts and entertainment programme about the 2020 Edinburgh International Festival, which was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Entertainment | 2020 | 2 x 30mins | BBC Scotland
:: Off The Ball: Petty and Ill-informed :: Television documentary celebrating 25 years of one of Radio Scotland’s most popular programmes – ‘Off the Ball’, with Stuart Cosgrove and Tam Cowan. Entertainment | 2019 | 60mins | BBC Scotland
:: Boycotts and Broken Dreams: The Story Of The 1986 Commonwealth Games :: Television documentary examining the financial and political calamity that engulfed the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.(Co-producer/director Jay Merrimam-Mukoro). Factual | 2014 | 60mins | BBC ONE Scotland
AS PRODUCER:
:: Scotland at Birmingham 2022 :: Special documentary made during the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, following the winning athletes who represented Scotland at the event. Co-producers: Neil Sargent, Scott Currie, Colin Wallace. Factual documentary | 2022 | 60mins | BBC Scotland
:: Changing Landscapes :: Special documentary for COP26, examining Scotland’s relationship with its natural world through archive footage and classical music pieces from the country’s best-known composers, performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Narrated by Annie Lennox and Iain Glen. Co-producer: Tim Niel. Factual | 2022 | 60mins | BBC ONE Scotland
:: In Tandem – The Neil Fachie Story :: Television documentary tracking the career of Scotland’s most decorated track cyclist, Neil Fachie – who suffers from a degenerative eye condition. Featuring contributions from Sir Chris Hoy, Des Clarke and David Grevenberg.
Factual | 2021 | 60mins | BBC Scotland | (Dir: Gavin Sturgeon)
:: Rewind 1980s :: 10 x 30min archive television series about the 1980s for BBC Scotland’s digital television channel, incorporating news, entertainment, comedy, drama and music.
Entertainment |2020 | 10 x 30mins | BBC Scotland
:: Rewind 2000s :: 10 x 30min archive television series about the 2000s for BBC Scotland’s digital television channel, incorporating news, entertainment, comedy, drama and music.
Entertainment | 2020 | 10 x 30mins | BBC Scotland
:: Election 2019 ::
Live News VT producer during the General Election 2019 overnight programme.
News and Current Affairs | 2019 | BBC ONE Scotland
:: Scotland’s Heroes – The Road to France :: Television documentary following the Scotland Women’s National Team as they attempted to reach the Fifa World Cup Finals in France. Factual documentary | 2019 | 60mins | BBC Scotland | (Dir: Marion MacNeil)
:: Rewind 1990s :: 4 x 30min archive television series about the 1990s for BBC Scotland’s digital television channel, incorporating news, entertainment, comedy, drama and music.
Entertainment entertainment |2019 | 4 x 30mins | BBC Scotland
:: Football Abuse: The Ugly Side of The Beautiful Game :: Television documentary investigating historic sexual abuse in Scottish football.
Current Affairs Investigative documentary | 2017 | 60mins | BBC Scotland | (Dir: Liam McDougal) Winner: RTS Scotland Award 2018: Best Current Affairs Programme
:: Election 2015 ::
Live television producer for presenter Jackie Bird during coverage of the 2015 UK General Election overnight programme.
News and Current Affairs | 2015 | BBC ONE Scotland
:: Scotland Decides 2014 ::
Live television producer for presenter Jackie Bird during coverage of the 2014 Independence referendum overnight programme.
News and Current Affairs | 2014 | BBC ONE Scotland
:: Scotland’s Game ::
4 x 60min television documentary series exploring the social history of Scottish football from 1986-2016.
Factual | 2016 | 4 x 60mins | BBC ONE Scotland Winner: RTS Scotland Award Best Sport Programme, Celtic Media Award Best Factual Series.
:: 2014: Scotland’s Historic Year :: Television documentary charting the events of 2014, when Scotland hosted the Commonwealth Games and a referendum on Independence took place.
Current Affairs documentary| 2014| 60mins | BBC Scotland
:: Spores :: Short drama film | 2015| 15mins | The Copydesk/Little Viking/SFTN/Creative Scotland. Dir: The Poets.
:: Gorta :: Short supernatural drama film | 2013 | 15mins | The Copydesk/Hellbent Films. Dir: John Gorman.
AS ASSISTANT PRODUCER:
:: Jocky Wilson Said :: Television documentary charting the rise and fall of Scotland’s darts hero, Jocky Wilson. Factual documentary |2019 | 60mins | BBC Scotland | (Dir: Liam McCardle) Winner: Celtic Media Award 2020, Best Sport Documentary.
:: Rangers: The Men Who Sold The Jerseys :: Current Affairs television investigative documentary | 2012| 60mins | BBC Scotland | (Dir: Murdoch Rodgers) Winner: Scottish Bafta – Best Current Affairs, AFP Best Current Affairs.
:: Sins of Our Fathers :: Current Affairs television investigative Documentary | 2013 | 60mins | BBC Scotland | (Dir: Murdoch Rodgers) Winner: Scottish Bafta – Best Current Affairs, AFP Best Current Affairs, RTS Best Current Affairs, RTS Scotland Best News Story.
:: Special Olympics: Scottish Stories ::
Factual documentary | 2 x 30mins | BBC Scotland | (Dir: Peter Small)
Three-week production in Shanghai following five Scottish Special athletes at the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games.
AS WRITER:
:: Shadow :: Short drama film | 2011 | BBC Scotland / (Dir: Marcus Harben)
:: Gorta :: Short supernatural drama film | 2013 | 15mins | The Copydesk/Hellbent Films | (Dir: John Gorman)
OTHER PRODUCTIONS
Various music videos produced and directed for Scottish mod band Button Up, Toy Tin Soldier and Portland-based singer/songwriter NIAMH.
EMPLOYMENT
Producer — BBC Scotland 01/11/1999 to Present
Television, radio and online production in BBC Current Affairs, BBC Sport Scotland and BBC Entertainment. Worked across a variety of roles including journalist/sportswriter and broadcaster with BBC Sport Scotland and television producer on documentaries and entertainment formats.
PERSONAL STATEMENT
From the collapse of Rangers FC in 2012 to the triumphs of Scotland’s most celebrated football stars, my career in television and film has covered stories that matter in Scottish sport and culture. I am an award-winning journalist, producer and director with over two decades of experience at the BBC, bringing to life documentaries and films that resonate with audiences, often winning critical acclaim.
My broadcasting career began at BBC Sport Scotland in 1999, where I worked in sports journalism, radio broadcasting and covering breaking news. Over the years, that evolved into a career creating documentaries that capture the big stories in Scottish life, often with an emphasis on sport. My work on the BAFTA-winning investigation Rangers: The Men Who Sold The Jerseys and the multi-award-winning Sins of Our Fathers helped me establish a grounding for narrative-driven factual documentary making.
As my career in BBC Scotland developed, I moved toward the stories that blend sport, culture and human drama. I have produced and directed some of BBC Scotland’s most-watched and most-discussed documentaries, including Walter: A Life in Football, which paid tribute to the legendary Rangers, Everton and Scotland manager Walter Smith; Scotland’s Game, a landmark multi-part social history of Scottish football; and Boycotts and Broken Dreams, the definitive account of the financial and political turmoil behind the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.
I have also explored the lighter and more celebratory side of Scottish sport, from Away With The Tartan Army, reliving ten unforgettable Scotland fan experiences, to Off the Ball: Petty and Ill-Informed, marking 25 years of the iconic Radio Scotland programme hosted by Stuart Cosgrove and Tam Cowan for more than 30 years. More recently, I have produced and directed several episodes of the acclaimed series Icons of Football and directed The Edinburgh Whow with Grant Stott along with The Lost Final.
Beyond broadcasting, I have also worked on short drama films and graphic novels. I co-created the award-winning graphic novel Burke & Hare with Will Pickering and have written, produced and directed short films including producing Spores for the Scottish Film Talent Network.
About Martin Conaghan
Martin Conaghan / Producer-Director
Film and television projects
AS PRODUCER-DIRECTOR:
:: Icons of Football S2 ::
Second series of the documentary show profiling iconic figures in Scottish football who have made their mark on the game. Episodes produced/directed: John Robertson, Jen Beattie.
Factual Entertainment | 2024 | 28mins x 2 | BBC Scotland
:: Icons of Football S1 ::
Documentary series profiling iconic figures in Scottish football who have made their mark on the game. Episodes produced/directed: Charlie Nicholas, Archie Macpherson, Richard Gough.
Factual Entertainment | 2023 | 28mins x 3 | BBC Scotland
:: The Lost Final ::
Documentary with ex-footballer Pat Nevin searching for footage of Scotland Under-18s victory at the 1982 European Championships. (Producer: Neil Sargent)
Factual | 2022 | 43mins | BBC Scotland
:: Walter – A Life in Football ::
Special 60 minute documentary tribute to the former Rangers, Everton and Scotland manager Walter Smith. Featuring interview contributions from Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir David Murray, Graeme Souness and others.
Factual | 2021 | 60mins | BBC ONE Scotland
:: Away With The Tartan Army ::
Entertainment programme presented by Stuart Cosgrove and Tam Cowan, counting down ten of the best Scotland national football team moments with members of the Tartan Army.
Entertainment | 2021 | 60mins | BBC Scotland
:: The Edinburgh Show With Grant Stott ::
2 x 30min Arts and entertainment programme about the 2020 Edinburgh International Festival, which was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Entertainment | 2020 | 2 x 30mins | BBC Scotland
:: Off The Ball: Petty and Ill-informed ::
Television documentary celebrating 25 years of one of Radio Scotland’s most popular programmes – ‘Off the Ball’, with Stuart Cosgrove and Tam Cowan.
Entertainment | 2019 | 60mins | BBC Scotland
:: Boycotts and Broken Dreams: The Story Of The 1986 Commonwealth Games ::
Television documentary examining the financial and political calamity that engulfed the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.(Co-producer/director Jay Merrimam-Mukoro).
Factual | 2014 | 60mins | BBC ONE Scotland
AS PRODUCER:
:: Scotland at Birmingham 2022 ::
Special documentary made during the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, following the winning athletes who represented Scotland at the event. Co-producers: Neil Sargent, Scott Currie, Colin Wallace.
Factual documentary | 2022 | 60mins | BBC Scotland
:: Changing Landscapes ::
Special documentary for COP26, examining Scotland’s relationship with its natural world through archive footage and classical music pieces from the country’s best-known composers, performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Narrated by Annie Lennox and Iain Glen. Co-producer: Tim Niel.
Factual | 2022 | 60mins | BBC ONE Scotland
:: In Tandem – The Neil Fachie Story ::
Television documentary tracking the career of Scotland’s most decorated track cyclist, Neil Fachie – who suffers from a degenerative eye condition. Featuring contributions from Sir Chris Hoy, Des Clarke and David Grevenberg.
Factual | 2021 | 60mins | BBC Scotland | (Dir: Gavin Sturgeon)
:: Rewind 1980s ::
10 x 30min archive television series about the 1980s for BBC Scotland’s digital television channel, incorporating news, entertainment, comedy, drama and music.
Entertainment |2020 | 10 x 30mins | BBC Scotland
:: Rewind 2000s ::
10 x 30min archive television series about the 2000s for BBC Scotland’s digital television channel, incorporating news, entertainment, comedy, drama and music.
Entertainment | 2020 | 10 x 30mins | BBC Scotland
:: Election 2019 ::
Live News VT producer during the General Election 2019 overnight programme.
News and Current Affairs | 2019 | BBC ONE Scotland
:: Scotland’s Heroes – The Road to France ::
Television documentary following the Scotland Women’s National Team as they attempted to reach the Fifa World Cup Finals in France.
Factual documentary | 2019 | 60mins | BBC Scotland | (Dir: Marion MacNeil)
:: Rewind 1990s ::
4 x 30min archive television series about the 1990s for BBC Scotland’s digital television channel, incorporating news, entertainment, comedy, drama and music.
Entertainment entertainment |2019 | 4 x 30mins | BBC Scotland
:: Football Abuse: The Ugly Side of The Beautiful Game ::
Television documentary investigating historic sexual abuse in Scottish football.
Current Affairs Investigative documentary | 2017 | 60mins | BBC Scotland | (Dir: Liam McDougal)
Winner: RTS Scotland Award 2018: Best Current Affairs Programme
:: Election 2015 ::
Live television producer for presenter Jackie Bird during coverage of the 2015 UK General Election overnight programme.
News and Current Affairs | 2015 | BBC ONE Scotland
:: Scotland Decides 2014 ::
Live television producer for presenter Jackie Bird during coverage of the 2014 Independence referendum overnight programme.
News and Current Affairs | 2014 | BBC ONE Scotland
:: Scotland’s Game ::
4 x 60min television documentary series exploring the social history of Scottish football from 1986-2016.
Factual | 2016 | 4 x 60mins | BBC ONE Scotland
Winner: RTS Scotland Award Best Sport Programme, Celtic Media Award Best Factual Series.
:: 2014: Scotland’s Historic Year ::
Television documentary charting the events of 2014, when Scotland hosted the Commonwealth Games and a referendum on Independence took place.
Current Affairs documentary | 2014 | 60mins | BBC Scotland
:: Spores ::
Short drama film | 2015 | 15mins | The Copydesk/Little Viking/SFTN/Creative Scotland. Dir: The Poets.
:: Gorta ::
Short supernatural drama film | 2013 | 15mins | The Copydesk/Hellbent Films. Dir: John Gorman.
AS ASSISTANT PRODUCER:
:: Jocky Wilson Said ::
Television documentary charting the rise and fall of Scotland’s darts hero, Jocky Wilson.
Factual documentary |2019 | 60mins | BBC Scotland | (Dir: Liam McCardle)
Winner: Celtic Media Award 2020, Best Sport Documentary.
:: Rangers: The Men Who Sold The Jerseys ::
Current Affairs television investigative documentary | 2012| 60mins | BBC Scotland | (Dir: Murdoch Rodgers)
Winner: Scottish Bafta – Best Current Affairs, AFP Best Current Affairs.
:: Sins of Our Fathers ::
Current Affairs television investigative Documentary | 2013 | 60mins | BBC Scotland | (Dir: Murdoch Rodgers)
Winner: Scottish Bafta – Best Current Affairs, AFP Best Current Affairs, RTS Best Current Affairs, RTS Scotland Best News Story.
:: Special Olympics: Scottish Stories ::
Factual documentary | 2 x 30mins | BBC Scotland | (Dir: Peter Small)
Three-week production in Shanghai following five Scottish Special athletes at the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games.
AS WRITER:
:: Shadow ::
Short drama film | 2011 | BBC Scotland / (Dir: Marcus Harben)
:: Gorta ::
Short supernatural drama film | 2013 | 15mins | The Copydesk/Hellbent Films | (Dir: John Gorman)
OTHER PRODUCTIONS
Various music videos produced and directed for Scottish mod band Button Up, Toy Tin Soldier and Portland-based singer/songwriter NIAMH.
EMPLOYMENT
Producer — BBC Scotland
01/11/1999 to Present
Television, radio and online production in BBC Current Affairs, BBC Sport Scotland and BBC Entertainment. Worked across a variety of roles including journalist/sportswriter and broadcaster with BBC Sport Scotland and television producer on documentaries and entertainment formats.
PERSONAL STATEMENT
From the collapse of Rangers FC in 2012 to the triumphs of Scotland’s most celebrated football stars, my career in television and film has covered stories that matter in Scottish sport and culture. I am an award-winning journalist, producer and director with over two decades of experience at the BBC, bringing to life documentaries and films that resonate with audiences, often winning critical acclaim.
My broadcasting career began at BBC Sport Scotland in 1999, where I worked in sports journalism, radio broadcasting and covering breaking news. Over the years, that evolved into a career creating documentaries that capture the big stories in Scottish life, often with an emphasis on sport. My work on the BAFTA-winning investigation Rangers: The Men Who Sold The Jerseys and the multi-award-winning Sins of Our Fathers helped me establish a grounding for narrative-driven factual documentary making.
As my career in BBC Scotland developed, I moved toward the stories that blend sport, culture and human drama. I have produced and directed some of BBC Scotland’s most-watched and most-discussed documentaries, including Walter: A Life in Football, which paid tribute to the legendary Rangers, Everton and Scotland manager Walter Smith; Scotland’s Game, a landmark multi-part social history of Scottish football; and Boycotts and Broken Dreams, the definitive account of the financial and political turmoil behind the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.
I have also explored the lighter and more celebratory side of Scottish sport, from Away With The Tartan Army, reliving ten unforgettable Scotland fan experiences, to Off the Ball: Petty and Ill-Informed, marking 25 years of the iconic Radio Scotland programme hosted by Stuart Cosgrove and Tam Cowan for more than 30 years. More recently, I have produced and directed several episodes of the acclaimed series Icons of Football and directed The Edinburgh Whow with Grant Stott along with The Lost Final.
Beyond broadcasting, I have also worked on short drama films and graphic novels. I co-created the award-winning graphic novel Burke & Hare with Will Pickering and have written, produced and directed short films including producing Spores for the Scottish Film Talent Network.