Bruce Macgregor

Worzel Gummidge din't have a special head for fiddling but if he did then it might look like Bruce MacGregors. Many the morning, poor MacGregor stumbles out of bed to try and discover what he is meant to be doing before he is found out by the powers that be. It has always been thus.

Whilst busking in Inverness with Marc Clement a bizare set of circumstances involving the singer Fish (Marillion), actor Brian Blessed, Bonnie Prince Charlie, an 18th century bayonet and a Sun reporter led to him getting a job at the BBC.

Seven years later, and still suffering recurring nightmares that he still had to finish his University exams in Byzantine and Medieval Italian History, MacGregor had the bright idea to start Blazin Fiddles up for a week tour of the Highlands. This seemed an innocent call to the muse, but how wrong could he be! Ten years later and the tour goes on.

Whilst managing to secure International awards for his programmes on Scottish fiddling characters James Scott Skinner (The Strahspey King)and Captain Simon Fraser (The Captain's Collection) MacGregor was secretly plotting an escape route out of the BBC before he became part of the furniture (as had happened one of his colleagues who had been lost in the building since 1978).

Much to his mothers dismay he decided to give up his nice safe job at the Beeb and become an itinerant musician. She had already fretted about the characters her son had associated with; the hard drinking rugby players of Highland rugby club (a player and captain for eight years) then the low life of journalists at the BBC and now traditional musicians. It really was a downward spiral which for a good God fearing Highland woman was almost too much.

Much to her amazement (and his) Blazin Fiddles did rather well. However, rather than make things simple, the young, foolish and idealistic MacGregor joined the Gaelic band Cliar at the same time. Three years of confusion, mixed up diaries but a lot of fun, it became apparent that two bands was not possible for MacGregor. So he turned his back on Cliar and decided instead to to start up Blazin in Beauly (Blazin Fiddles annual music school). This gave him a taste for something a bit different - adminsitration. (People were wondering if he needed some medical help at this stage). The school won Best Event at the 2005 Trad music awards and is the closest things to the Mod for the crown of Scotland's whisky olympics.

The music was fine, but MacGregor decided that he wanted a new challenge. To enter the real world and start up a business. So along with his poor, long suffering wife, Liza, he started Bogbain Adventure and Heritage Farm. This is a visitor attraction which has activities such as quad biking, clay pigeon shooting, archery, an arts studio, restaurant and farm shop. It is quite a complicated operation. It is also quite hard work as MacGregor's mother frequently points out to him. She thinks he maybe should have stuck to the music full time. This however, is seen by MacGregor as an omen as Mrs Mac senior, normally tells him things aren't going to work, just before they turn out for the best and indeed the facility has won two national awards in 2007 (Best New business Highland Tourism Awards and Highland Food and Drink Awards). In between cleaning the toilets and serving the coffees at Bogbain, the odd gig with Blazin' Fiddles, two solo albums, he started writing a column for a local monthly magazine, started a new trio with accordionist Sandy Brechin and singer Brian O'hEadhra and most recently started working freelance for the BBC again, this time as a presenter. So if he looks confused when you meet him, just pat him on the back, point him in the right direction and hopfully he'll remember what he's supposed to be doing that evening. Just don't tell his mum.....