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Adventures On The M8

Jeff Zycinski, Ö÷²¥´óÐã Scotland’s Head of Radio Scotland, said: 'Hundreds of thousands use the M8 every single day. This is an opportunity for our listeners to learn more about the often unexplored areas surrounding the M8 through our programmes, Zones and here on the Radio Scotland website'.

Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland is inviting listeners onboard for a journey of discovery along Scotland’s busiest route. A week of programmes themed around the M8 follows the stories of the commuters who drive it, the communities that surround it, its history and even some motorway romance.

Spanning 60 miles, the motorway is a vital link, connecting Scotland’s two biggest cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh and serving other large communities including Livingston, Paisley and the commuter belt towns of North Lanarkshire.

The themed week of Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland programmes will involve all the daily shows, news, regular features and strands, plus two new brand new feature programmes and a comedy drama with a look overall at how the motorway and surrounding communities affect and contribute to Scottish life.

Jeff Zycinski, Ö÷²¥´óÐã Scotland's Head of Radio Scotland, said: 'Hundreds of thousands use the M8 every single day. This is an opportunity for our listeners to learn more about the often unexplored areas surrounding the M8 through our programmes, Zones and Radio Scotland website.'

On the news front both Good Morning Scotland and Morning Extra will be co-presented on one day during this week from an M8 location. Newsdrive will be looking at whether the motorway has been a curse or a blessing for the towns which lie along the route and also at how the sheer volume of traffic is managed.

MacAulay and Co will be reporting every day from the motorway with their roving reporter Richard Cadey walking a stretch of the M8 each day and recounting his exploits as he discovers the best town, scenery, landmark and café.

The Radio Café will also look at the different ways commuters use their time travelling between Edinburgh and Glasgow – what they are reading on the trains and what makes the journey more enjoyable, plus whether audio books work best for the motorway or train.

They will also be looking at the differences in both the size and demographic of audiences along the M8 corridor and what marks the half way point between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Take the Floor, Out of Doors, The Beechgrove Potting Shed will all feature M8 items with Get It On having a special theme on surviving traffic jams.

On Monday (20 April) Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland will bring listeners a special feature The Woman in the Middle of the Motorway featuring Susan Morrison who regularly shuttles across the M8 without a thought for what lies beyond the hard shoulder and discovers some of the M8’s secrets.

In Kings of the Road on Tuesday (21 April) Billy Kay tracks down the men who put heart and soul into the building of the M8 motorway.

On Friday (25 April) Love in the Bus Lane brings drama to Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland telling the tale of the unlikely love story between Krystyna from Poland and bus driver Billy set to a backdrop of the 80s along the M8.

The Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland Zones will include a special History Zone this week with Bill Whiteford introducing a selection of programmes on a Forth and Clyde theme including Jimmie McGregor's archive series The Great Canal, and Mark Stephen will explore the thriving business of Langoustines on the Clyde amongst others.

Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub introduces a special New Music Zone focussing on central belt bands.

Here on the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland website Adventures On The M8 will have behind the scenes videos, slideshows, photo galleries plus essential facts and figures on all that is happening during this special week. There will be requests on Bryan's Blog for Get It On and the website will follow MacAulay and Co's progress with their diary and pictures and as usual the audience can listen again to all programmes for seven days after broadcast on .