'I've been the voice of Edinburgh's hospital radio for six decades'

Every night between 20:00 to 22:00 airwaves across hospitals in Edinburgh come alive with patient song requests during a show hosted by volunteers. Hospital can be a daunting time but the Red Dot Radio team based at the Western General in the capital, do their best to put smiles on faces seven days a week. One man has been at the heart of the station over the last six decades and has no plans to give up his role anytime soon. Malcolm Kirby, now 75, was studying electrical engineering at Heriot-Watt University in the late 60s when he first got involved with hospital radio. And more than half a century later he has been honoured with an MBE for his work. He told BBC Scotland News: "I joined the student television society and met a friend who was station manager back then at Red Dot Radio and the rest is history. "Back then we were based on Hanover Street but there have been a lot of changes over the years. "We moved to the old Royal Infirmary next to the clock tower, then we moved to a portable cabin at the Royal Victoria Hospital and when they closed that they found a space for us at the Western General Hospital. "Now I mostly do the technical stuff like building up the current stud

Mar 11, 2026 → Mar 11, 2026