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Edinburgh Live
3 days ago
- Edinburgh Live
Abandoned Edinburgh restaurant of 'disappearing Armenian cook' joins the market
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info An abandoned Edinburgh restaurant that is 'shrouded in mystery' has been put up for sale. The historic building at 55 Abbeyhill dates back to 1896, when it was designed for use as a police station. It closed in 1932, and was owned by a church until the '80s. The derelict structure had a second (or third) life as an Armenian restaurant. An elusive eatery, entry was 'notoriously gaurded' - and the spot was found only by rumour or word of mouth. The owner, and cook, was a man who liked to be known simply as Peter. His restaurant, however, had a more extensive honorific - Aghtamar Lake Van Monastery in Exile - though locals labelled it simply 'The Armenian Restaurant'. Edinburgh resident Jo Spiller ate at the restaurant in 2010. She told the BBC: "I heard about it from friends, who heard about it from friends, and it was so difficult to book. My friend thinks he was calling a public phone box to make a reservation." Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox Out of nowhere, Peter disappeared in 2012. The restaurant, which has sat empty for over a decade, closed down. Having become a well-known figure in Edinburgh, residents were left perplexed. This was until 2021, when a segment on BBC's The Nine set out to find him - and it didn't take long. They found Peter had owned an Armenian rug shop, which was also in a derelict state. They ended up leaving a note for Peter, who agreed to meet them. Speaking to The Nine, he said: "People were so keen, I couldn't control the numbers. "Some nights we had guests in the three figures, people would bring chairs from home for more seating." As it turns out, Peter had been in Edinburgh the whole time. A robbery at the restaurant had seen all of his priceless Armenian antiques stolen. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Peter was distraught, and simply shut the eatery down and retreated from the public eye. Allied Surveyors Scotland's head of commercial agency Iain Mercer said: "'For years people have driven past these properties and often wondered about their past and, indeed, their availability. "As such, we anticipate they will pique the interest of domestic and international buyers such is their rich and colourful history. Whilst preserving their historic interest, the buildings would now lend themselves to a range of potential uses such as residential, gallery, museum, brewing or restaurant." Now, the B listed property is on the market. offers over £500,000 are being sought.
Glasgow Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Glasgow Times
More than 50 jobs cut at BBC Scotland under spending squeeze
Dozens of editorial and production roles at BBC Scotland have gone as part of a drive to make £700m worth of savings a year across the UK. It is thought almost 4% of BBC Scotland's staff have left in the wake of the seven-month redundancy programme. The cuts have emerged following controversies over the BBC's plans to drop long-running soap opera River City and the cancellation of The Nine, the flagship news programme created for the BBC Scotland channel. Our sister title, The Herald, revealed last week that BBC Scotland was scaling back its coverage of Edinburgh's festivals, including dropping its annual pop-up venue, which played host to many of the biggest stars performing in the city in August. BBC Scotland is based at Pacific Quay in Glasgow. (Image: Getty) Long-time presenter Shereen Nanjiani announced at the weekend that she was stepping down from her Saturday morning show after almost 17 years at the BBC. The BBC promised that 80 new jobs would be created when the new £32 million channel, which launched in February 2019, was first announced more than eight years ago. River City is expected to be screened for the last time in the autumn of 2026. (Image: Image: Archive) However the BBC has been forced to roll-out significant cuts across the UK since then, amid calls for a reform of the licence fee system. The BBC has said that below inflation rises or licence fee freezes have seen it lose out on more than £1 billion over the last decade. BBC Scotland had 1276 staff according to its most recent annual report, which was published before the start of the recent redundancy programme. Director-general Tim Davie announced in March 2024 that the BBC was having to increase its annual savings target by £200m to £700m a year by 2028, as he revealed that the broadcaster planned to explore ways to reform the licence fee, which is set by the UK Government, but had been frozen for the previous two years. At the time, Mr Davie highlighted how below inflationary settlements had 'chipped away' at the BBC's income for years, resulting in a 30 per cent cut between 2010 and 2020. Within months, the BBC had announced plans to cut 500 jobs across its UK services by March 2026 as part of plans to become a 'leaner, more agile organisation". The BBC told staff last September that it planned to cut around 115 editorial and production jobs in its 'nations and regions' teams in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The BBC said they were aiming to make savings 'without closing any major services' while focusing on 'areas that deliver maximum value for audiences". The broadcaster said: 'We have been clear that the significant funding pressures we face means that every division in the BBC needs to make savings.' Between 20 and 30 jobs had expected to go in Scotland under the redundancy programme, which was announced months after the BBC announced plans to drop The Nine, the hour-long news programme created for the launch of the BBC Scotland channel in 2019, and replace it with a new half-hour show running after the main Reporting Scotland programme. A shake-up in BBC Scotland's arts coverage has seen singer and broadcaster Michelle McManus fronting a new celebrity-focus two-hour radio programme, with poet Len Pennie presenting a half-show Scottish culture show, The Arts Mix. BBC Scotland's redundancy programme ran until March, when it sparked anger from actors, union leaders and politicians when they announced plans to bring River City to an end. The final instalments are due to be screened in the autumn of 2026 – around 24 years after its launch. The BBC, which spends around £300m in Scotland, around 90% of what is generated by the licence fee north of the border, has promised that River City's £9m annual budget will be reinvested in three new drama series which will be set in and around Glasgow. The BBC has pledged that it will be spending £95m in drama in Scotland between 2026 and 2028. Although more than 12,000 supporters have backed a petition calling for River City to be saved, BBC Scotland director Hayley Valentine last month told the Scottish Parliament that the show no longer provided 'value for money' after its audience 'declined significantly' over the last five years. The Herald revealed last week that BBC Scotland had decided to scale back its coverage of Edinburgh's festivals. It will not be running a pop-up venue for ticketed broadcasts and recordings for the first time 2010. Just five days of events with audiences will be staged under plans to share space with the Pleasance, one of the biggest Fringe venue operators, at the EICC and its long-running courtyard. According to the latest BBC annual report, around 57 per cent of adults in Scotland consume BBC Scotland content each week via TV and radio broadcasts, its iPlayer platform and the BBC website. A spokesperson for BBC Scotland said: 'The BBC operates within a fiercely competitive marketplace and has experienced, since 2010, a 30% cut in real terms to its budget. 'As a result, tough choices have to be made when it comes to commissioning content with decisions being driven by what provides best value for money. 'With regards to headcount, in the last 12 months alone, more than 50 BBC roles in Scotland have been closed via a redundancy programme. 'The redundancy programme has finished. It ran from September last year until the end of March, as part of a pan-BBC drive to make £700m of savings, which is set against a £1bn real-terms cut to the overall budget in the last 15 years. There isn't a recruitment freeze across BBC Scotland at the moment.'
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
BBC Scotland axes more than 50 jobs amid spending cuts
The job losses north of the border include scores of editorial and production positions Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BBC Scotland has axed more than 50 jobs over the past 12 months amid financial pressures. The broadcaster, headquartered at Pacific Quay in Glasgow, has been operating a redundancy programme in a bid to save £700m a year across the UK. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 More than 50 staff have lost their jobs at BBC Scotland Credit: Alamy 3 The broadcaster is looking to make £700 worth of savings Credit: Getty - Contributor 3 The job losses come amid decisions to axe shows, including the popular soap River City Credit: BBC The job losses include scores of editorial and production positions. It is believed that around four per cent of BBC Scotland's workers have departed over a seven-month period, as reported by The Herald. The redundancies follow the Beeb boss' decision to slash the soap River City, which has been televised for 23 years. The final episodes are expected to be screened in Autumn next year. The broadcaster has also ditched The Nine, the main news programme which first aired in 2019 for the launch of the BBC Scotland channel. The show initially created 80 jobs and pulled in 750,000 viewers for its first screening. But more recent figures showed that views had plummeted to 1,700. In September last year, we reported how bosses sent a memo to staff informing them that management aimed to reduce staff numbers. Chiefs had found that viewership figures were significantly down in 2023 and they were seeking to ease financial pressures by cutting the workforce. The broadcaster revealed that it planned to slash around 30 roles as part of the overall Nations Division savings. Ally McCoist is in cycling crash as he rides 555 miles across Ireland to raise money for the My Name's Doddie Foundation In December, it emerged that the Saturday Sportscene results show on BBC One would also be scrapped. Instead, the scores and final results would be delivered by Radio Scotland's Open All Mics service from January 11. BBC Scotland has been contacted for comment.
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
How has BBC Scotland made its latest cuts in Scotland?
A year after the channel's launch, BBC Scotland's then director, Donalda MacKinnon, who has led staff through the shake-up, announced her departure after 33 years with the broadcaster. Read more: Months later, the impact of the Covid pandemic on licence fee collection and commercial income was cited as a voluntary redundance 'trawl' across the whole of the BBC was launched in a bid to make £125m worth of savings. The current BBC director-general, Tony Davie, who took over the role in 2020, announced a £500m spending squeeze in 2022, with a further £200m worth of cuts revealed last year, when he announced that the broadcaster was exploring how the licence fee could be reformed, after the end of a two-year freeze imposed by the UK Government. Hayley Valentine is the current director of BBC Scotland. (Image: free) The BBC has admitted cutting more than 50 jobs in Scotland over the last year as part of a spending squeeze being rolled out by the broadcaster. Dozens of editorial and production roles at BBC Scotland have gone as part of a drive to make £700m worth of savings a year across the UK. The cuts have emerged following controversies over the BBC's plans to drop long-running soap opera River City and the cancellation of The Nine, the flagship news programme created for the BBC Scotland channel. The Herald revealed last week that BBC Scotland was scaling back its coverage of Edinburgh's festivals, including dropping its pop-up venue at the event. Long-time presenter Shereen Nanjiani announced at the weekend that she was stepping down from her Saturday morning show after almost 17 years at the BBC. The BBC promised that 80 new jobs would be created when the new channel, which launched in February 2019, was announced eight years ago. However the BBC has been forced to roll-out significant cuts across the UK since then, amid calls for a reform of the licence fee system. The BBC has said that below inflation rises or licence fee freezes have seen it lose out on more than £1 billion over the last decade. BBC Scotland had 1276 staff according to its most recent annual report, which was published before the start of the recent redundancy programme. Director-general Tim Davie announced in March 2024 that the BBC was having to increase its annual savings target by £200m to £700m a year by 2028, as he revealed that the broadcaster planned to explore ways to reform the licence fee, which is set by the UK Government, but had been frozen for the previous two years. At the time, Mr Davie highlighted how below inflationary settlements had 'chipped away' at the BBC's income for years, resulting in a 30 per cent cut between 2010 and 2020. Last summer the BBC announced plans to cut 500 jobs across its UK services as part of plans to become a 'leaner, more agile organisation.' But by then it had already announced the end of The Nine, the hour-long news programme created for the launch of the BBC Scotland channel in 2019, and replace it with a new half-hour show running after the main Reporting Scotland programme. The BBC told staff last September that it planned to cut around 115 editorial and production jobs in its 'nations and regions' teams in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. By the end of the month, a shake-up of BBC Scotland's daily arts coverage had been revealed, with singer and broadcaster Michelle McManus brought in to present a new celebrity-focus programme replacing The Afternoon Show, and poet Lennie Pennie presenting a half-hour showcase for Scottish culture. BBC Scotland sparked widespread anger in March when it announced the end of its long-running soap opera River City. Despite more than 12,000 supporters backing a petition calling for River City to be saved, the current BBC Scotland director, Hayley Valentine, who was only appointed last November, has insisted that a final decision has been taken on the show's future. However the BBC has promised that River City's annual £9m budget will be reinvested in three new drama series which will be set in and around Glasgow. Further cutbacks were confirmed last week by BBC Scotland, when it admitted that it would not be running its own pop-up venue during Edinburgh's festivals for the first time in 15 years. Two of BBC Scotland's best-known presenters have announced that they were leaving the broadcaster in recent months. Janice Forsyth, who presented The Afternoon Show until the start of 2024 and had worked for the BBC for more than 30 years, revealed in February that had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Shereen Nanjiani announced she was leaving her Saturday morning show live in air last weekend after 17 years with the BBC. Although it was reported that between 20 and 30 BBC jobs were expected to be lost as a result of the most recent redundancy programme, the broadcaster has now admitted that more than 50 jobs have gone over the last 12 months.
The Herald Scotland
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
BBC Scotland cuts coverage of Edinburgh's festivals
It will be staging only five days of events with ticketed audiences after deciding to share space with the Pleasance Courtyard and the EICC. Stand-up comedian Mark Nelson will also be returning with a festivals highlights programme, Edinburgh Unlocked, for the BBC Scotland channel. Read more: More than 100 shows have recorded or broadcast live across at least two weeks by the BBC since it started running its own pop-up venue during the summer festivals in 2011. The line-up had gradually expanded to include programmes for the UK radio network, the BBC Scotland TV channel and Radio Scotland, the iPlayer and the BBC Sounds platform. BBC Scotland is based at Pacific Quay in Glasgow. (Image: Newsquest) The BBC's pop-up venue drew thousands of ticket-holders to the visitor attraction Dynamic Earth every day during the 2023 and 2024 festivals. Special guests included singer-songwriters Kyle Falconer, Richard Jobson and Tom Robinson, authors Denise Mina, Ian Rankin, Val McDermid and Andrew O'Hagan, actors Brian Cox, Jack Docherty and Miriam Margolyes, comics Connor Burns, Frank Skinner and Susie McCabe, and theatre-makers Cora Bissett, Kieran Hurley and Gary McNair. The BBC's pop-up venue was previously set up in the grounds of George Heriot's School, and at sites at Potterrow and High School Yards. Stars who appeared in shows included comics Paul Merton, Nicholas Parsons, Tim Vine, Lucy Porter, Susan Calman and Russell Kane, writers Jackie Kay, Louise Welsh, Stig Abell and Alexander McCall Smith, and singer-songwriters Edwyn Collins and Rachel Sermanni. The cuts in coverage of the Edinburgh festivals, which have emerged a few months into the tenure of new BBC Scotland director Hayley Valentine. A spokesperson for the BBC said: "The BBC will return to the Edinburgh festivals with shows coming from the EICC and the Pleasance Courtyard between August 4 and 8. "Our coverage will include ticketed events for audiences to attend recordings and live broadcasts of BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio 4 shows. "Edinburgh Unlocked presented by Mark Nelson will also return to the BBC Scotland channel, giving audiences a backstage pass to all the best of the Fringe and the wider festivals. "We will also continue to provide special reports from the Edinburgh festivals across news tv, radio and online throughout August. "Details of our programming line-up will be announced in due course.' The scaling back of Edinburgh's festivals coverage has emerged following a number of recent controversies over the BBC's output in Scotland. There was anger last year over a shake-up in Radio Scotland's music programming and its impact on long-running specialist shows on jazz, classical music and piping. The BBC also came came under fire when it announced that its hour-long news programme The Nine would be scrapped just five years after its launch on a new BBC Scotland channel and replaced with a new early evening show, The Seven, which was launched in January. However fresh controversy erupted in March when the BBC announced that it would be bringing the long-running drama series River City to an end, with the budget for the show redirected towards three dramas. More than 12,000 supporters have backed a petition to save the show, while a politicians joined cast and crew to stage a protest outside the Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood. The BBC said the show, which has been on air since 2002 and is due to end in the autumn of 2026, was no longer offering "value for money." The BBC spokesperson added: "The BBC works within an increasingly competitive marketplace and tight budget constraints. "We have to make tough decisions to ensure we are delivering value for money which inevitably means evolving our offer accordingly whilst remaining committed to covering the Edinburgh festivals across all platforms."
