THE boss of BBC Scotland's new hour long news programme is to be the former editor of Question Time.

Hayley Valentine, executive editor of the BBC's flagship political debate show, is to be editor of the news programme which is to be a key part of the new BBC Scotland digital channel.

The corporation has said that the "integrated news hour" will be a key part of the BBC Scotland channel, subject to it receiving regulatory approval from Ofcom.

The new bulletin will include national and international news and be broadcast between 9pm and 10pm on the new channel.

Ms Valentine has also edited special debate and interview programmes BBC Scotland and BBC News have commissioned around elections and referendums - including the SEC Hydro debate during the Scottish Referendum campaign of 2014.

She has been the BBC’s Executive Editor of Question Time, and more recently, the director of current affairs at Mentorn Scotland, the company which makes the programme for the BBC.

Ms Valentine said: "To be given the opportunity to launch a brand new programme at the heart of the proposed new BBC Scotland Channel is a real privilege and a rare treat.

"I am looking forward to creating a really distinctive programme with a broad Scottish, UK-wide and international news agenda which has the priorities of a Scottish audience at the centre of everything we do."

Gary Smith, head of news and current affairs at BBC Scotland, said: "Hayley has an outstanding track record and I’m delighted she is joining us.

"I’m confident that under her leadership we will produce an exciting, distinctive, and brilliant new programme for our audiences.

"She will also join my management team, and play a key role in the running of the department and the recruitment of the 80 new jobs which are being created through the BBC’s major investment in journalism in Scotland.’

In her career Ms Valentine has also been Head of News at 5Live, where she led that news team to a Radio Academy Gold Award for news coverage of the 2010 election and she also worked in a variety of other roles across 5live, BBC Breakfast and STV.

The new channel was announced in February this year.

The plan is for it to broadcast from 7pm to midnight every day, as well as being available online and on iPlayer.

The BBC has said it will have an initial budget of around £30m.

It will feature new programmes, "acquired programmes and programmes from partners in the creative sector and from other countries and a selectio of content sourced from other BBC services."

The BBC is to due hire 80 journalists for the new channel.

It is expected that that Ofcom's decision on the new channel will come in March, 2018.