Some of Scotland's best-known actors are to celebrate the work of Robert Burns in a TV special.
Some of Scotland's best-known actors are to celebrate the work of Robert Burns in a TV special.
Robert Carlyle and Extras star Ashley Jensen are among the line-up that will feature in a series of BBC Scotland programmes coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the poet's birth on January 25.
The centrepiece of the schedule is The Complete Burns, an three-year project to create an audio recording of every Burns poem - over 600 in total.
Actors Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, John Gordon Sinclair and Siobhan Redmond have recorded poems for the archive, which will be unveiled online on Burns Night.
Carlyle, Redmond and One Foot in the Grave actor Richard Wilson will perform a Burns poem for a special episode of The Culture Show.
Jensen will be joined by Still Game duo Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill in comedy drama No Holds Bard, which centres on a Burns recital competition.
The BBC will also broadcast Burns-themed documentaries on its TV and radio channels.
Donalda MacKinnon, BBC Scotland head of programmes, called the series of programmes "a fitting tribute to Robert Burns on this landmark anniversary".
She added: "I am delighted that in The Complete Burns we will be offering to Burns and to Scotland high-profile coverage and an authoritative legacy for future generations."
Bill Dawson, president of the Burns World Federation, was encouraged by the BBC's focus on Burns's poems rather than the social aspect of the event.
He said: "In most years the BBC haven't had a clear grip on what the Scottish public want.
"A couple of years ago they had a big event from Edinburgh Castle that most of the Burns fraternity thought was very badly done.
"So it's fair that they should have more appreciation of Burns' work, and examine the whole canon."
A series of events have been organised to mark the 250th anniversary of Burns' birth this year.
The celebrations will begin on the weekend of January 23-25, when traditional Burns Suppers will take place as far afield as Kazakhstan and Mexico.
Burns, regarded as Scotland's national poet, is recognised worldwide for his works, which include A Red, Red Rose and Auld Lang Syne.
