''Public Account'' was a weekly political programme first transmitted on 6 January 1975 by

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Television in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It was the sister programme to BBC Scotland's Current Account which covered general current affairs issues rather than politics. ''Public Account'' was transmitted mainly on BBC1 Scotland on Mondays after 22.45. It was designed to reflect the increased interest in politics in Scotland with the discovery of

oil in the North Sea North Sea oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons, comprising liquid petroleum and natural gas, produced from petroleum reservoirs beneath the North Sea. In the petroleum industry, the term "North Sea" often includes areas such as the Norwegian Sea ...

and the rise of the fortunes of the

Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic party. The party holds 61 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, and holds 9 out of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, ...

. It covered politics up to the first Devolution Referendum held by the Callaghan Labour government. The last programme was shown on 3 July 1978. Ground-breaking in its approach to Scottish and British politics, it was presented by

Donald MacCormick Donald MacCormick (16 April 1939 – 12 July 2009)Veteran BBC newsman dies aged 70
...

later of

BBC2 Newsnight ''Newsnight'' is the BBC's news and current affairs programme, providing in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines. It is broadcast weeknights at 10:30 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel; it is also availa ...

, James Cox later of R4

The World This Weekend ''The World at One'' (or ''WATO'', pronounced "what-oh") is BBC Radio 4's long-running lunchtime news and current affairs radio programme, broadcast weekdays from 13:00 to 13:45 and produced by BBC News. The programme describes itself as "Bri ...

, and

Andrew Neil Andrew Ferguson Neil (born 21 May 1949) is a British journalist and broadcaster. He was editor of ''The Sunday Times'' from 1983 to 1994. He has presented various political programmes on the BBC and on Channel 4. Born in Paisley, Renfrewshire ...

later Editor of ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'' and currently presenter of BBC2

The Daily Politics ''Daily Politics'' is a BBC Television programme which aired between 6 January 2003 and 24 July 2018, presented by Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn. ''Daily Politics'' took an in-depth review of the daily events in both Westminster and other areas ac ...

. Tom Ross was the producer and Matthew Spicer was the editor.Inside BBC Scotland by Alastair Hetherington p. 48 (Whitewater Press),

Context and Significance

In the 1970s, Scotland experienced significant political changes. The discovery of oil in the North Sea brought economic opportunities, leading to increased interest in political matters. During this time, the Scottish National Party (SNP) gained popularity, advocating for Scotland's independence. The BBC's program "Public Account" covered these developments, providing in-depth analysis leading up to the first Devolution Referendum in 1979, which addressed Scotland's potential self-governance.

Presenters and Production Team

Public Account had a team of presenters who later became very successful in journalism and broadcasting. * Donald MacCormick: after working on the show, became a well-known presenter on BBC2’s Newsnight, where he asked politicians tough questions. * James Cox, another presenter, went on to work as a political editor for BBC Scotland and later hosted a radio show called The World This Weekend. He was famous for his insightful analysis during significant political events, he passed away in 2024 at the age of 82. * Andrew Neil, who also worked on Public Account, later became the editor of a major newspaper, The Sunday Times, and now hosts political shows like BBC2’s The Daily Politics. Behind the scenes, producer Tom Ross and editor Matthew Spicer played important roles in deciding what topics the show covered and how the stories were told.

Legacy and Impact

"Public Account" was a groundbreaking political TV show in Scotland during the 1970s. It covered important political events, helping people understand what was happening in Scotland and the UK. The show set a high standard for future political programs. Many of its presenters, like Donald MacCormick, James Cox, and Andrew Neil, went on to have influential careers in journalism. This highlights how "Public Account" played a key role in shaping political broadcasting in Scotland.

Notes

References

* *Inside BBC Scotland by Alastair Hetherington p. 48 (Whitewater Press) 1975 British television series debuts 1975 establishments in Scotland 1975 in politics 1978 British television series endings 1978 disestablishments in Scotland BBC Scotland television shows Politics of Scotland {{BBC-tv-prog-stub