News > 2010

30 August 2010

LOCALS FROM HARRIS & SKYE FEATURE IN NEW SERIES ON BBC ALBA

The reality series which follows talented young Gaels on a journey of discovery returns to our screens on BBC ALBA.

Back for a third series, this year’s ‘BREAB’ (‘Kick’) will provide an exciting insight into the lives of six young Gaels as they gather to face an array of challenging tasks.

Breab! teenagers

Auditions took place throughout Scotland with Ali Mac (16) from Harris and Lauren (16) from Skye being chosen as two of the final six from a large number of promising candidates.

Ali Mac is a fluent Gaelic speaker who wants to study Gàidhlig at University. He’s a laid back guy whose big passion in life is football both as an avid Celtic supporter and Stornoway United FC goalie. One day he’d like to combine his love of sport and Gaelic and become a sports commentator. Ali Mac is no stranger to TV, he played the young Finlay J MacDonald in the BBC’s drama Gruth is Uachdar (Crowdie and Cream) and has even donned a Scooby-Doo suit for children’s TV. He describes himself as “an active, sporty person who likes to get on well with others.”

Lauren loves to dance, draw and doodle. Sport is not her thing at all but hanging out with her mates and listening to music definitely is. She has over 3000 tunes on her personal playlist! Indie Rock is her favourite music style and coming across new bands that have yet to make it mainstream is a big thing for her. In her own words “I’m a really happy person, you’d rarely find me without a smile on my face....but I’m not a morning person at all!”

From all over Scotland, the six fresh, young Gaelic speaking teenagers spend two action packed weeks together in both town and country around Aberfoyle, and even taking to the high seas off Camusdarroch beach on the west coast of Scotland.

The teens leap into action with a tree top canopy challenge and there’s full on glamour as they dress a high end city in Glasgow centre retailer’s window display. But will it be so glamorous down on the farm when they face milking time and an obstacle course in a tractor?

Also throughout the series, the teens face the music when they create their own sound tracks and take over the ‘Breab do Rapal’, the weekly airwaves slot on Radio nan Gaidheal where young people get the chance to shake up the programme. Finally the six landlubbers set sail and take to open waters as they learn first hand how to be a ship’s mate.

Speaking Gaelic is the one thing they all have in common. The level of fluency is mixed but Breab represents real teens growing up in rural and urban Scotland with Gaelic being spoken in the home or being learned in school. The six participants; Adele, Ali B, Heather, Ali Mac, Lauren and Iain are a real inspiration to young learners and native speakers alike.

BBC Producer, Donnie MacLeod said: “This is an exceptionally fun and rewarding series for BBC Gàidhlig to work on. Watching six total strangers coming together and responding to each other’s styles and personalities is both entertaining and enlightening. We expose them to challenges they would not normally encounter and it’s very noticeable that the teenagers value Gaelic as an essential marker of their identity.”

Can they kick it, will there be tears, will they get on? Find out as ‘BREAB’ starts broadcasting weekly, over six weeks, on BBC ALBA starting Wednesday 1st September at 6pm and repeated the following Saturday.
The additional four teenagers include:

• Heather (16) from Bishopbriggs – Heather is into her sport from netball, being in the school team, to skiing. She likes being out and about on walks and shopping! She is a keen singer and clàrsach player and is a member of the folk group ‘Fuaim Ghlaschu’. Heather has been on TV a number of times on Dè a-Nis and the Mòd. Last year she was on work experience in the BBC Gàidhlig department and revealed that if her class was behaving at school then they were allowed to watch Breab as a reward. How will she feel watching herself? In her own words, she describes herself as -“excitable, loving, honest, trustworthy & annoying at times!”

• Ali B (17) from Ardnamurchan – Ali B is very serious about music - it really does rock his world. He plays bass and guitar and sings and writes his own songs. He’s in a band called Placid Trip, they’ve played a number of gigs and released an EP (extended play). Ali plans to make his living out of music but not before he studies English Literature at university. Sport in general he struggles with, apart from skiing and is on course to being an advanced skier. Ali describes himself as “an absolute music junkie. I’m always up for a laugh and a bit of fun, as long as your definition of ‘fun’ isn’t jumping out of aeroplanes.”

• Adele (16) from East Kilbride – Adele loves all kinds of dance, music and singing. She was a member of the UK Youth Theatre School but had to give it up in favour of her studies but one thing still in her life is her beloved pets: a snake, a lizard, a dog and three ferrets, at the last count. Adele plans to study law and admits to having a messy room and burping – a lot! In Adele’s own words, “I’m quite vain I have to admit, I just like to make an effort so I feel good about myself! I have a very strange sense of humour! I refuse to be normal, standing out is the only way you’ll be remembered on this planet. I NEVER give up.”

• Iain (16) from Aberdeen – Iain likes hanging out with his mates, is into skateboarding, rugby, basketball and music and is a mean cook. He is a seasoned festival and gig goer and recently saw the NME Tour. He hasn’t quite made up his mind about a career and his current thoughts range from architect to comedian. Whatever he decides upon he wants to do well in and make sure he earns enough for regular pick ‘n’ mixes at the cinema! Describes himself as “a DUUUUUUDE or just a nice guy that can be quite funny, hard working, focused, entertaining when I want to be, who also has an amazing sense of humour and loves smiling.......”

BREAB has been produced by BBC Gàidhlig for BBC ALBA.