Dolly Parton first came into my life from a distance. Country Night(BBC 2) was a continuous three-hour specialcelebrating Country Music, to be broadcast at peak viewing time. Two of the three hours would be live television,presented from Nashville by Dolly Parton and from Londonby Jools Holland.
The BBC planned a film to compliment the two one-hour live broadcasts. The Ideas/proposals for this specially commissioned piece, would be invited from within and without the BBC.
This was such a unique opportunity that I was certain the world’s best film makers would have already sent in their proposals. I wasn’t one of those, but I submitted my proposal anyway.
My idea ‘SONGROADS’ was based on Kathy Mattea’s friendship with Dougie MacLean and their shared love of Country Music.
Superficially, Kathy and Dougie and the cultures they represent are worlds apart. Paradoxically, my idea, guided by their music, would reveal a fascinating insight into the strength and depth of their music collaboration; showing how it formed and developed and how they gained inspiration from a shared awareness of one another’s values.
Both Kathy and Dougie have also been recognised for their contributions to culture and charity, Dougie receiving an OBE.
Kathy is a country singer/songwriter with many awards to her name, including two Grammys. At the time of filming, she was selling more records in the United States than any other female artist. She was also asked by President Clinton to sing at his inauguration.
As I developed my film, I sensed it was becoming a bit expensive for a BBC budget. So rather than compromise my ideas and reduce my ambitions for ‘SONGROADS’ I went in search of additional funding.
The agony of presenting my begging bowl, once again, was very real, but I received positive responses from both the Scottish Arts Council Lottery Fund and The Scottish Film Production Fund.
Unbelievably, I am delighted to say, the BBC chose my proposal ‘SONGROADS’ as their featured film, to compliment the memorable moments that Dolly Parton and Jools Holland would undoubtably create in their live presentations for ‘Country Night’.
Avril MacRory, BBC Head of Music:
Thank you Mark for ‘SongRoads’……… it was an extraordinary achievement…. a real highlight of a very successful evening. The ratings and critical acclaim surpassed all our expectations.
Dolly Parton left us on Aug. 25th. 2026. Kathy Mattea was a very close friend.
Kathy: ‘Dolly’s legacy goes way beyond her music………. She never lost touch with her Appalachian routes. As an entrepreneur she created Dollywood in Pidgeon Forge, employing all those wonderful people from the East Tennessee Mountains.’
Last Saturday, Kathy paid her own personal tribute to Dolly at the Grand Ole Opry singing ‘JOLENE’ probably written by Dolly on the same day as she wrote ‘I Will Always Love You’
The full story of how SongRoads: A Musical Friendshipfrom Dunkeld, Butterstone and The Isle of Lewis to Nashville, Charleston and Washington is in my book:
‘Shaping the Shadows: A Picture Maker’s Story’.
Available from:
Amazon, National Library of Scotland and
www.marklittlewood.org.uk
#DollyParton #DougieMacLean #KathyMattea #JoolsHolland#AvrilMacRory
#ShapingtheShadowsAPictureMakersStory #BBC2 #BBCScotland.
George Bernard Shaw once said: The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
This quote has always appealed to me as we struggle to find the required funding to realise the full potential of our ideas.
