L-R: Arlene Stuart, Shahbaz Majeed, Cammy Wilson, Dougie Vipond, Anne McAlpine, Rosie Morton (Image: BBC Studios).
An iconic rural affairs programme is due to mark its half century next month with a special episode celebrating its proud heritage and farming traditions.
BBC Scotland's Landward, which first aired on April 4 1976, is set to turn 50 next month.
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Billed as ‘Scotland's farming programme', the inaugural episode ran for 25 minutes with items on the NFU conference and suckling cattle.
In its early years, the programme was broadcast fortnightly on Sunday lunchtimes, quickly establishing itself as a 'trusted companion' for audiences across rural and urban Scotland.
Landward to celebrate 50th anniversary
To mark the milestone, the Landward team will take viewers on a journey through the programme's rich archive.
Lost episodes have been rediscovered and digitised from original film rolls which, in some cases, have not been seen for over 40 years.
In the upcoming anniversary episode, BBC Scotland said current presenter Dougie Vipond will catch up with some of the show's veterans, including its first presenter, Ross Muir.
A trip down memory lane
Mr Vipond will meet Arthur Anderson, the legendary series producer who broadened the range of stories to cover all aspects of rural life in Scotland, expanding the content to include nature, wildlife, and the environment.
Previous presenters including Dan Buglass, Ben Coutts, Eric Robson, Linsday Cannon, Nancy Nicolson, Euan McIllwraith, Ken Rundle, Nick Nairn, Sarah Mack, Claire Powell, and John Harle will feature in a compilation section.
Over the decades, Landward has widened its brief from a specialist farming programme, with the cameras capturing key moments from the big issues that mattered across rural Scotland such as land reform, historic land buyouts, animal disease outbreaks, renewable energy expansion and Covid.
At the end of the anniversary episode, Mr Vipond will meet up with the current presenter team - Arlene Stuart, Shahbaz Majeed, Sheep Game's Cammy Wilson, Dougie Vipond, Anne McAlpine and Rosie Morton - to share their best moments.
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BBC Scotland's head of commissioning Louise Thornton said: "For fifty years, Landward has been at the heart of Scotland's rural storytelling — shining a light on the people, landscapes and issues that shape our countryside.
"Its commitment to authenticity, depth and local voices has made it a constant in the BBC Scotland schedule, and a trusted companion for audiences across generations.
"We are incredibly proud to mark this milestone and to celebrate the Landward teams and stories down the decades."
The new series of Landward airs at 8.30pm on April 2 on BBC Scotland and iPlayer.
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