...and airs new sketches from Scot Squad

The comedy careers of Billy Connolly, Gregor Fisher and Johnny Beattie will all be celebrated on BBC Scotland this Christmas.

The broadcaster's festive line-up also includes Hogmanay sketches from the Scot Squad team – and a comedy show made exclusively for its Facebook page.

On TV, In Search of Gregor Fisher chronicles the career of the former Naked Video and Rab C Nesbitt star. It also tells the story of his quest to find the truth about his birth mother and father, after discovering he was adopted – a tale also told in his new book The Boy From Nowhere. It airs on December 21.

And on radio, Janey Godley presents the three-part series The Big Yin, about her comedy hero. The programme, which goes out on December 23, 24 and 25, also features contributions from Elaine C. Smith, Rab Noakes and Tony Roper.

On New Year's Day, Johnny Beattie: The Variety of Life, celebrates a comedian of even older vintage. The comedian and actor – most recently known for Malcolm Hamilton in the Scottish soap opera River City – retired earlier this year at the age of 88.

Born on Govan, he became a comedian in the mid-Fifties, and had his own BBC One show,Johnny Beattie's Saturday Night Show, which ran for six years from 1964. His other TV appearances include Scotch & Wry and Rab C. Nesbit.

Meanwhile, Burnistoun star Rab Florence is to make a series of Hogmanay sketches for BBC Scotland's Facebook page. The series follows his Halloween special, Rab Florence's Supernatural Square Go, which was made for iPlayer.

BBC One Scotland will start its Hogmanay line-up with Planet Hogmanay, which features comedy clips showcasing how New Year's Eve is celebrated around the globe.

It is narrated by Jack Docherty, who will also feature in a series of exclusive sketches scattered through the night from Scot Squad.

Other comedy highlights on the newly-announced BBC Scotland schedules are the TV premiere of Not Another Happy Ending, the 2013 romcom starring former Doctor Who companion Karen Gillan.

The broadcaster is also repeating Two Doors Down, the one-off comedy set in a chaotic New Year's party starring Alex Norton and Arabella Weir, which was first shown in 2013.It is to be made into a series next year.

And there is also a rerun of the 2007 episode of Still Game in which Jack (Ford Kiernan) and Victor (Greg Hemphill) enter the spirit of the festive season by joining a community choir.

Donalda MacKinnon, head of programmes for BBC Scotland, said: 'I'm delighted we have such an outstanding range of quality programmes for families and friends to enjoy as they come together for the festivities.

'Audiences traditionally come to BBC Scotland in big numbers for Hogmanay and I'm sure they will again this year.'

Published: 3 Dec 2015