Alison Rowat

On behalf of Scotland, I’d like to put Granite Harbour (BBC Scotland, Thursday, BBC1, Friday) forward as the world’s first slow crime drama. As it begins its second series, not much has changed down Aberdeen way. Following his transfer from Jamaica, former royal military policeman Davis Lindo (Romario Simpson) is still finding his way in Police Scotland under the guidance of his boss, DCI Cora MacMillan (Dawn Steele), and work partner DS Lara “Bart” Bartlett (Hannah Donaldson).

Billy Connolly stands on stage at the ABC Cinema in Belfast at the height of the Troubles. He’s fearless. Dylan, for all his radicalism and era-defining songs, would never have done this. Nor, mind you, would Dylan have cracked jokes about snotters and farting

In the course of history, various events have conspired to propel leaders from high office. Humza Yousaf quit as First Minister of Scotland because he was snippy with a couple of folk and they were awfy upset about it.

Never mind all that business at Holyrood. As William Wallace nearly put it, our politicians may take the biscuit, but they’ll never take our freedom to nose around other people’s houses.

The first to compete for a place in the final concert was a youngster whose mum bought him a keyboard from Argos when he was four. “I come from a single parent family in a lovely council estate full of needles and students,” he said. He played Ballade No.4 by Chopin, “a very difficult piece” said Lang Lang.

Wherever he went, on television and radio, the former First Minister did his best to make every show The Salmond Show. The first question he should have been asked was, “Where is Ash Regan?” Salmond after all hailed Alba’s sole MSP as the most powerful member of the Scottish Parliament, with her vote critical in deciding Yousaf’s fate. Why wasn’t she the one being interviewed?

The Piano (Channel 4, Sunday, 9pm) is back, promising new station venues, fresh amateur hopefuls ready to make a public piano sing, and the same judges and presenter in Lang Lang, Mika and Claudia Winkleman. One of the ratings smashes of last year, bringing in some three million viewers, The Piano was a word-of-mouth hit for Channel 4. Series one was followed by a Christmas special and the commissioning of two more runs.

As thrillers go, Red Eye (ITV1, Sunday) sits on the part of the spectrum that houses Air Force One, with occasional blasts of Airplane! It’s Sunday night ludicrous, but enjoyably so, and you learn a thing or two as well. For starters, never eat someone else’s vegan meal.

As Humza Yousaf walked towards that increasingly famous Bute House podium he looked the picture of confidence.The task before him involved a certain degree of unpleasantness but there was no need to be brutal. The partnership with the Scottish Greens had outlived its usefulness, that is all. How long, one wonders, before the same is being said of him?