Fred Ewen Gillies Macaulay (1 January 1925 — 15 February 2003) was a Gaelic scholar and radio producer who was head of the BBC Gaelic department for 19 years, and oversaw a tenfold increase of Gaelic broadcasting time.[2][1]
Macaulay was born in North Uist in 1925.[2][3] He attended the Inverness Royal Academy.[2][3][4] During World War Two, he served with the Royal Corps of Signals and the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders.[2][3] He then studied at the University of Edinburgh, earning a Master of Arts in Celtic Studies and a diploma in phonetics.[2][3][4] He joined the BBC Gaelic department in 1954[2][3][5] and became head of the department in 1964.[2][5][6] In 1980, he became manager of BBC Highland, based in Inverness, before retiring on 1 July 1983.[2][3][5] In his time at the BBC, Gaelic broadcasting on BBC Radio increased tenfold, from 1.5 hours to 15 hours per week.[5] Macaulay was also responsible for Gaelic programs on TV, including current affairs, and the light entertainment series Se Ur Beatha ('You're welcome').[2][5][4][6] Macaulay also appointed the first woman in the BBC Gaelic department.[2]
