About Martin Conaghan

Martin Conaghan / Producer-Director

Download a copy of Martin Conaghan’s 2023 CV here

Film and television projects

PRODUCER-DIRECTOR

:: Icons of Football ::
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 | 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


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 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 ::
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

:: Gorta ::
Short supernatural drama film | 2013 | 15mins | The Copydesk/Hellbent Films

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.


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.

PERSONAL STATEMENT

I am an award-winning journalist, producer and director with a career spanning over 22 years at the BBC and on major freelance projects.

In 2021, I produced and directed the acclaimed television documentary ‘Walter: A Life in Football’ about the career of the former Rangers, Everton and Scotland manager Walter Smith, which was among the most-watched programmes in Scotland during the year and received widespread praise for its treatment of Smith’s life and the calibre of its contributors. Also in 2021, I produced ‘In Tandem: The Neil Fachie Story’ with first-time director Gavin Sturgeon, following the career of Scotland’s most decorated track athlete – and produced and directed the hugely popular ‘Away With The Tartan Army’, counting down ten of Scotland’s best moments with the fans who witnessed them. 

In 2019, I produced and directed ‘Off the Ball: Petty and Ill-Informed’, a television documentary celebrating 25 years of Stuart Cosgrove and Tam Cowan hosting the popular radio programme ‘Off the Ball’. I also developed and produced ‘Jocky Wilson Said’ an award-winning profile of the Scottish darts legend Jocky Wilson.

I also produced the archive series Rewind: 1990s for BBC Scotland’s new digital television channel and also Rewind: 2000s in 2020. Later in 2020, I produced and directed two episodes of The Edinburgh Show with Grant Stott.

In 2012, I worked on the BAFTA-award winning investigation into the financial collapse at Rangers FC, ‘Rangers: The Men Who Sold The Jerseys’. In 2013, the same team produced ‘Sins of Our Fathers’, a comprehensive documentary about historical sexual abuse in the Catholic Church that swept all of the major industry awards that year, including the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Current Affairs.

In 2014, I produced and directed ‘Boycotts and Broken Dreams’, a one-hour BBC documentary about the financial and political calamity that engulfed the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, and in 2015, I produced the multi-award winning series Scotland’s Game, about the social history of Scottish football. In 2018, he won the Best Current Affairs award at the Royal television Society Scotland Awards for ‘Football Abuse: The Ugly Side of the Beautiful Game’.

Since 1999, I have worked extensively with the BBC Sport Scotland department as a producer and journalist and now work as a producer-director with BBC Scotland Productions. I also have extensive experience as a broadcaster, and I also write, produce and direct short films, video profiles and music videos. 

I have written, produced and directed short drama films, the most recent being ‘Spores’ for the Scottish Film Talent Network/Creative Scotland, written and directed by Frances and Richard Poet. I am currently developing various documentaries, short films and feature film projects – including the sci-fi drama ‘White Eyes’ with Mr and Mrs Poet. 

I have written graphic novels, and, in 2011, I won the Best Writer and Best Graphic Novel awards at the Scottish Independent Comic Book Awards for ‘Burke & Hare’, illustrated by artist Will Pickering.