Donald B. MacLeod (1 July 1932 – 6 September 1984), popularly known as Donny MacLeod and Donny Bee, was a
Scottish TV presenter
A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for people who garner ...
. MacLeod is best known for appearing on the
BBC 1
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
afternoon show ''
Pebble Mill at One
''Pebble Mill at One'' is a British television magazine programme that was broadcast live on weekdays at one o'clock on BBC1, from 2 October 1972 to 23 May 1986, and again from 14 October 1991 to 29 March 1996. It was transmitted from the Peb ...
''.
Early life and career
MacLeod was born in
Stornoway,
Isle of Lewis. After National Service in the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
, he studied in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
and then at
Gray's School of Art
Gray's School of Art is the Robert Gordon University's art school, located in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is one of the oldest established fine art institutions in Scotland and one of Scotland's five art schools today, and ranked among the Top 20 ...
in
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
, before returning to teach art at the
Nicolson Institute
The Nicolson Institute ( Gaelic: ''Àrd-sgoil MhicNeacail'') in Stornoway, is the largest school in the Western Isles, Scotland.
The Nicolson is the only six-year secondary school in Lewis. With the Sir E. Scott School in Harris, they provide ...
in Stornoway.
[Stornoway Broadcasting legend fondly remembered](_blank)
, ''Hebrides News'', 7 December 2010
He stood for election to the
UK Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...
at the
1959 United Kingdom general election for his home constituency of
The Western Isles as a
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
candidate, in a campaign described as "one of the most charismatic in Island memory".
The local
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
did not contest the election and were happy to recommend him to their supporters. However, he was defeated by the
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
candidate.
At the
1964 United Kingdom general election he again contested
The Western Isles for the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
, but this time, the Conservatives decided to run their own candidate. He finished second, again behind the Labour candidate.
After occasional print journalism pieces MacLeod joined
Grampian Television
Grampian Television was the original name of the Channel 3 service for the north of Scotland founded in 1961 and now named STV. The northern region's coverage area includes the Northern Isles, Western Isles, Highlands (except Fort William a ...
in Aberdeen as a reporter, before moving to the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
and in 1970 joining the presenting team of its early evening magazine programme ''
'', where features he fronted included a dieting item, Slim '72. As a result of their success on the programme, he and another ''Nationwide'' reporter
'', which became an immediate success. MacLeod remained a key presenter on the show (as well as a weekend evening show called "Saturday Night at the Mill") from its beginning in 1972 until his death.
MacLeod was also known for his role as the presenter of the 1982 and 1983
competitions as well as several acclaimed travel documentaries including "MacLeod's America", "MacLeod's Russia" (where MacLeod and his crew were given previously-unknown access behind the Iron Curtain), "MacLeod's Japan", and "Macleod's Singapore".
.