BBC Scotland is launching a new weekday morning news programme, Radio Scotland Breakfast, which will replace the long-running Good Morning Scotland.
The new flagship show, which begins on 24 November, will be presented by Martin Geissler, host of Scotcast, and Laura Maciver, a senior presenter on Reporting Scotland: News at Seven.
BBC Radio Scotland’s Phil Goodlad will present the sports news.
Current Good Morning Scotland presenters Gary Robertson and Laura Maxwell are taking up other high-profile presenting roles with the broadcaster.
Gary will replace Martin as the presenter of The Sunday Show on BBC One Scotland and BBC Radio Scotland and Laura Maxwell moves to BBC Radio Scotland’s early evening news show, Drivetime, sharing the single presenting duties with Fiona Stalker across the week.
She will also present editions of Lunchtime Live.
Martin will continue to be the host of Scotcast, BBC Scotland’s current affairs podcast which runs on BBC Sounds, TV and radio and BBC iPlayer.
The new breakfast show will be pacy, informal, and informative and will always focus on the stories that matter to the audience across every part of Scotland.
Breakfast will retain the high standard of trusted journalism set by Good Morning Scotland, with the big interviews that shape the agenda, breaking news, expert analysis of Scottish, UK and world news and events, as well as comprehensive coverage of sport, the economy, weather, and entertainment.
It will run from 6am to 9am Monday to Friday.
Howard Simpson, Head of News and Current Affairs at BBC Scotland, said:
“The launch of Breakfast marks a new chapter in the history of BBC Radio Scotland’s morning news service for audiences.
“BBC Scotland News is more important than ever now in the disinformation age and the programme will have the journalistic rigour and depth our listeners have come to expect, with Martin and Laura bringing their distinctive energy, insight, and warmth.
“They will be there to help audiences make sense of the main issues facing Scotland and ask the questions that need answered.
“I’m confident that’s a combination that will make Breakfast a must-listen for people who want the latest news, sport, weather and entertainment from a Scottish perspective.
“I also want to thank Gary and Laura, whose work on Good Morning Scotland has been outstanding, and I’m delighted they’ll be bringing their talent to other roles in our news and current affairs output.”
Gary Robertson, who has successfully presented Good Morning Scotland for the last 19 years, said:
“It’s been a privilege to be part of Good Morning Scotland, waking the nation up, for such a significant period.
“I’m excited to take on The Sunday Show full-time, where I’ll continue to ask the searching questions and explore the stories that matter most to our audiences.”
Laura Maxwell added:
“I’ve loved waking up Scotland with the news every morning and now I’m looking forward to joining listeners later in the day.”
Martin Geissler said:
“I can’t wait to get started.
“Having spent 35 years in television, I’ve only come to radio relatively recently, and I love it!
“I really enjoy the intimacy of radio, the relationship you have with an audience and the space you get to really drill down into interviews.
“I want to bring all of that to our new show.”
Laura Maciver added:
“It’s a thrill to be part of this new chapter.
“We want to bring clarity, pace, and personality to the new show, with hopefully a few smiles along the way too.”
