BBC podcast previews wide-open Scottish Championship promotion race

BBC Radio Scotland’s Scottish Football Podcast has previewed a Scottish Championship season being billed as one of the most open in years, with pundits Kris Doolan and Craig Telfer joining host Ray Bradshaw to run the rule over every club in the division ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.

The trio, speaking on the latest episode released via BBC Sounds, worked through the division club by club, weighing up promotion hopefuls, potential surprise packages and the sides who will simply be fighting to stay competitive in Scotland’s second tier.

Livingston aiming for immediate bounce-back

A central talking point for the panel was whether Livingston can secure an instant return to the Scottish Premiership after relegation. The Lions’ pedigree at this level made them an obvious focus of discussion as the podcast assessed the strength of this season’s promotion contenders.

Ayr United also came under scrutiny, with the panel debating whether new management under Gary Naysmith can turn the Somerset Park club into genuine title challengers rather than mid-table finishers.

Can Partick Thistle finally go one better?

Partick Thistle’s recurring near-misses in the Championship were another key topic, with Bradshaw, Doolan and Telfer weighing up whether the Jags have what it takes to finally push over the line and secure promotion after previous campaigns that have fallen short.

The conversation also covered Dunfermline Athletic and Raith Rovers, two of Fife’s established Championship clubs, alongside Morton and Inverness Caledonian Thistle, as the pundits sought to identify where each side might finish in a division expected to be tightly contested from top to bottom.

Newly-promoted Stenhousemuir face a step up

Stenhousemuir’s arrival in the Championship after promotion was also discussed, with the panel considering how the newcomers might cope with the step up in quality compared to their previous division.

Having worked through the full field, the trio finished the episode by offering their individual predictions for how the 2026/27 Scottish Championship table might ultimately shake out, with promotion places and a possible play-off spot the focus of much of the debate.

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