World Pipe Band Championships

And it's one of my biggest regrets.

I said this to him at the Worlds a couple weeks ago, was that one of my biggest regrets is not being involved with you sooner in my life.

Because I could have learned a lot more prior to this past two years from him.

Just a great two years.

And I told him about that and, and he just, he, he kind of, he, he took the ball and he rolled with it.

And he just came out.

I was at the Worlds with him at his stand for two days.

And I was promoting my book and I was helping him.

An exclusive article written by Alastair Ferguson.

The BBC has been urged to reverse its decision to axe its essential coverage of the World Pipe Band Championships.

Thousands of pipers and drummers from around the world attend the annual event in Glasgow to celebrate Scotland's traditional music and culture along with tens of thousands of spectators.

However, it emerged on Friday that the BBC is planning to axe its coverage of the World Pipe Band Championship as part of its cost-cutting drive to make £500 million in savings over the next three years.

It's a massive benefit for Glasgow and for piping.

BBC Scotland has broadcast the event since 2006 and has made live streaming a feature of its coverage in recent years, following what it called enthusiastic feedback from lovers of traditional music across the world.

Pipers and drummers from the Simon Fraser University in Canada were crowned the winners of this year's World Pipe Band Championships.

It's the first time since 2010 that a band from outside the UK has lifted the coveted title, with the Canadians triumphing over 211 bands from 14 countries that took part in the contest.

And, uh, yeah, do get along to Brottie Ferry if you possibly can on the 16th of October, where he will be the latest guest recitalist for the Mackenzie Caledonian Pipe Band.

Talking of pipe bands, very, very disappointing news has broken this week with, um, let's say, strong indications that the BBC will not be providing filmed coverage of the World Pipe Band Championships next year in August, which means there won't be their BBC livestream event online, or presumably there won't be the highlights program on BBC television.

Uh, I said strong indications, just choosing my words carefully because, um, as is often the case with these things, we don't seem to have absolute clarity as yet on this as far as I can see.

I certainly haven't seen an unambiguous statement from the BBC themselves on the matter.

Um, and I noticed a statement over the weekend from the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association, the RSPBA, um, which basically seems to concur with what Bob says.

Uh, I'll just read the statement.

Actually, "We are disappointed that the BBC will no longer be filming the World Pipe Band Championships following a decision made as part of the BBC's wider cost-cutting measures." This is a statement by the RSPBA.

They go on, "For many years, the BBC coverage has brought the excitement and spectacular performances of the worlds to thousands of viewers around the world, becoming a much valued part of the event." Well, that's true.

Yeah, we're going to do our best to catch up with everything that has happened post-Worlds.

Since our World's Wrap-Up podcast dropped, that's kind of the last time we had to chat to you folks.

So we've got a lot of ground to cover.

And I mean a lot of

So I don't know why that happens.

But anyway.

Yeah, we got a lot of commentary through our listener mail all about the World Championships and all that sort of stuff.

But we also got a ton of weekly drones.

I mean, I've seen them before.

I'm sure most drummers have seen these at the Worlds, but they do look comfortable.

I'm with you, Carol.

All right, Rashad, up next.

I'm sure I've been known also to sometimes perform looking up and I don't know if I'd recognize it or that I would recommend it.

Yeah, ignore the person with the pen.

If you're at the Worlds, do not look at this big screen.

It's delayed.

A championship winning band, certainly for a few years in the late 80s and into the early 90s.

They never quite won the Worlds.

They were runner up.

They came a close second a couple of times.