Far north musicians to star in new TV show
ARTISTES from across the far north are to star on a new weekly TV show dedicated to showcasing the area’s musical talent.
Caithness Music Television (CMT) is set to make its debut on Wednesday.
The show will be broadcast on Sky 389 and Freesat 516 and will be hosted by Castletown’s traditional and country music singing star Brandon McPhee.
Six one-hour episodes have been made which will run and be repeated over the course of 26 weeks, with the first three to feature Brandon and tell the story of his rise to prominence.
The first will include footage from the Brandon McPhee Show performed at Mackay’s Hotel in Wick in 2015. The second will give an insight into how the 19-year-old progressed from a talented child accordion player to one of the best known traditional and country music performers in the north of Scotland.
The third will focus on Brandon’s video diaries in which he will present and talk about his performances on the road and in the studio.
Episodes four to six will focus on other established musicians from Caithness and from across the Highlands, including Alastair Macdonald, Manson Grant and Geordie Jack.
Channel promoter Robert Cameron said after months of negotiations, CMT will now become a fixture in TV listings.
He said: “We’ve six episodes ready to air which include artistes filmed on location and live performances throughout Caithness.”
The locations include Mr Cameron’s Pan Records studio in Tannach and at well-known landmarks such as Camster Cairns.
Mr Cameron said: “We’re planning to film future shows in places such as John O’Groats and other well-known tourist places in the area.”
He is asking viewers to send in images of Caithness that can accompany music videos used in future episodes.
As well as giving the Caithness musicians the chance to perform on a digital channel, he said the venture is also an opportunity to promote local landmarks and scenery to potential new tourists.
Said Mr Cameron: “This is giving our home-grown musicians the chance to perform on television but we also want it to use it as an opportunity to show Caithness up in a good light.”
The first episode of CMT is on Wednesday, March 2 at 5pm will be repeated on Saturday afternoon at 5pm The show will also be repeated on the channel at other times through the week.