John Mckay Stv anchor prepares to present news for final time this week
John MacKay will take a familiar seat in front of the camera one last time on Friday, closing a screen career that stretched back more than 30 years. john mckay stv has been the nightly presence in hundreds of thousands of homes, and he plans to step away from daily broadcasting to concentrate on writing and other creative work.
John MacKay and his last STV News at Six on Friday
For viewers who have heard his signature line — “I’m John MacKay” — the coming Friday marks the end of a long routine. John joined the station in 1994 as a reporter on the evening programme then called Scotland Today and was promoted to co-anchor in 1998. He has presented the evening news consistently, including the STV News at Six, and will read that programme for the last time on Friday.
John Mckay Stv: career milestones and interviews
MacKay’s career is threaded through landmark moments in Scotland’s public life. He has covered the creation of the Scottish Parliament, the Independence Referendum, the global pandemic and the death of the Queen. His interviews have ranged from Donald Trump to Sir Billy Connolly, and he has sat down with Prime Ministers and all of Scotland’s First Ministers. john mckay stv remains linked in the public mind with those broadcasts.
The Road Dance, books and John MacKay’s next projects
Outside the newsroom, MacKay is an established writer. He is the author of six books and has a successful film adaptation to his name. He will leave news to continue with writing and other creative ventures, including a script for a sequel to his film The Road Dance that he hopes will go into production next year. There is also the possibility of a television adaptation of another of his novels and a new book deal he is researching.
MacKay has presented the current affairs show Scotland Tonight since its 2011 launch, sharing hosting duties with Rona Dougall. He said he felt the moment was right for the next generation to take over, adding that writing had always been an enjoyable diversion that now requires full commitment.
He began his media life early. MacKay pushed copies of the Evening Times on a Hillington paper round as a child and later moved through local reporting to national screens. He has reflected on that trajectory in a recent book, and those pages, he said, helped mark a fitting moment to step back from daily broadcasting.
Across newsrooms and outside them, his work has included high-profile interviews with a wide array of figures: from country stars to comedians, athletes to actors. Memorable conversations with Dolly Parton, Sir Kenny Dalglish, Will Ferrell, David Tennant and James McAvoy sit alongside political exchanges and election coverage that have defined his public role.
For now, viewers will see him on screen one more time. He has said he leaves the news programme in the capable hands of his colleagues and will move to projects that demand his full attention — the sequel to The Road Dance, a potential TV series and a new book. That opening seat on the evening desk will be filled, and the next chapter for MacKay will be written away from the studio.
On Friday, when he signs off from the STV News at Six for the last time, that familiar introduction will close a career of more than three decades and begin a new period defined by his writing and adaptations.
