CHIEFS at Fife Council had "real reservations" about agreeing to a BBC1 Scotland fly-on-the-wall documentary on their staff.

But David Ross said those fears were misplaced as three-part series The Council displayed their under-pressure workers at their best.

Narrated by Fife movie star Dougray Scott, the show occupied a primetime slot and focussed on an "organisation everyone loves to hate".

Cllr Ross, Fife Council leader, said: "The programme confirmed my personal experience of our staff, that they are all very committed and caring.

"A lot of them deal with very difficult situations and get blamed when things are very often outwith their control.

"I think the programme helped humanise the staff where sometimes they are seen just as officialdom."

And he admitted: "I was in favour but other colleagues had real reservations about taking part.

"The chief executive looked into other programmes the documentary company had made and his view was they were very fair and balanced and that they wouldn't deliberately show us in a bad light.

"I think we've been vindicated."

It was billed as an illuminating, poignant and entertaining look at a local authority facing severe budget cuts and increasing demand for its services, with candid staff revealing the highs and lows of working for Fife's biggest employer.

Cllr Ross added: "I deliberately didn't see it until it was screened on TV and I'm happy we agreed to do it. I think local government should be as open and transparent as possible.

"Obviously things don't always go right but they were able to shine a light on a lot of things the council do that people maybe take for granted."

Aired on consecutive Wednesdays on BBC1 Scotland, The Council featured everything from caring for the elderly and filling in potholes to rehoming a man threatened by drug dealers and helping a 60-year-old Motorhead fan who hadn't been outside in a year.

It also showed council workers trying to deal with youth disorder, underage drinking, fly tipping and rat catching, as well as helping a dad care for his baby daughter, arranging weddings and dealing with abandoned and stinking homes.

Cllr Ross said: "I thought it was a really good programme, very interesting, and it exposed a whole lot of issues and stimulated debate.

"It got people talking about local government services and the role local government has in our communities, and that can only be good.

"For example, the last programme had us clearing up an area of fly tipping on private land. Should the council be clearing things up when it's the private owners that should be doing it?

"And in the case of Tam (an elderly man with dementia who lived at home and passed away during filming), both the daughter and the carer had his best interests at heart but they were coming from very different viewpoints.

"The carer also talked about working with more people with dementia than ever before, which tells you about increasing demands for our services.

"It's those kind of issues and debates."

The team that made The Council was led by producer and director Stephen Bennett, who won at BAFTA Scotland this year for best single documentary for Dunblane; Our Story.

Cllr Ross said: "They were quite clear they didn't want any politics on it and I think the programme presented things in a very non-judgemental way.

"We're the third biggest local authority and I think we're almost seen as a microcosm of Scotland as there's a mix of urban and rural, affluent areas and areas of deprivation.

"Plus it's a great local authority! That's why they came here."