Sir Ian Rankin: live from Dunfermline Carnegie Hall

I’m delighted to be joined by one of our best-loved, and most successful writers, who’s sold over 30 million copies of his best-selling Rebus novels - not to mention theatre, TV and radio spin-offs, all based in Edinburgh. 

He’s also a broadcaster, a sometime rock ‘n’ roll star, and a Fifer with a fab taste in music - and a Knighthood to boot…

He is of course Sir Ian Rankin, and this conversation was recorded at the Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline, as part of last year’s wonderful Outwith Festival… 

Horse: 35 years of The Same Sky

My special guest on this episode is a woman - an icon - whose brilliant debut album sounded like nothing else when it hurtled into our musical landscape 35 years ago - and there really is still nothing like it…

The record’s The Same Sky, the artist is the mighty Horse, and since that record’s release in 1990, she’s raised the roof, and fired up our hearts, with records like God’s Home Movie, and The Road Less Travelled… 

Recorded live at The Stand in Edinburgh

Sanjeev Kohli: All Back To Mine

I'm joined by fab actor, writer, comedian and TV star Sanjeev Kohli, whose credits Look Around You; Fags, Mags & Bags; Dept Q; I Swear; the new Irn Bru advert - and of course, Still Game... 

He's also a synthesizer and keytar maverick who’s played on-stage with Wilco - but we'll come to that… Recorded live at The Stand in Glasgow

All Back to Mine with Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub)

In this episode - recorded live at the wonderful Stand in Glasgow - I’m joined by Norman Blake, whose musical adventures include The Pretty Flowers - with BMX Bandits’ Duglas T Stewart, The Soup Dragons’ Sean Dickson, and The Vaselines’ Frances McKee - not to mention The Boy Hairdressers, The Clouds, The New Mendicants, Jonny, Jad Fair, De La Soul, Butler Blake and Grant - and Teenage Fanclub…

He played us some songs, he chatted about Bellshill, boiler suits, touring with Nirvana, the meaning of home - and rock ‘n’ roll bungalows….

SMHAF x A Kick Up The Arts with Emma Pollock, Jo Mango & Amy Duncan

This episode was recorded live at Glasgow’s Civic House a few weeks back, as part of the brilliant Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival…

I was joined by three of Scotland’s most vital songwriters and musicians, for an evening of live music and conversation that reflected on the ways in which music and creativity can have an impact on mental health - for better, and worse - both on a personal level, and with regard to bringing about wider social change, and kindness, and understanding…

A Kick Up The Hearts with Jenny Colgan & Andrew Meehan

If you’re after cosy, feel-good reading this festive season: here you go! Jenny Colgan’s‍ ‍The Secret Christmas Library follows accidental book detective Mirren, and Jamie, who's desperately trying to do his best on a crumbling family estate in the Highlands…

Andrew Meehan’s Best Friends sees 70-somethings Ray and June falling into ways of life, and love, they never thought possible - via bikes and honey bees, and the wonder of hedges, knees, and surprises…

Gavin Mitchell: All Back To Mine (recorded live at Edinburgh Fringe)

I’m delighted to be joined by actor, artist, comedian and Still Game favourite Gavin Mitchell who - among other things - is known and loved as Boabby the Barman…

Our chat ranges from Simple Minds’ wonder and Sigourney Weaver’s hairpiece to Alex Harvey, Robin Williams and Peter Pan. Of course it does…

Hollie McNish: All Back To Mine

The brilliant poet Hollie McNish chats about her terrific new book, Virgin - along with some Scottish albums, films and books she loves - ahead of a sold-out gig at Glasgow’s Oran Mor. She’s on tour in Scotland across this week.

Gordon Buchanan: All Back To Mine (live from Edinburgh Fringe)

I’m joined by brilliant wildlife cameraman and film-maker Gordon Buchanan, whose hugely loved series include My Epic Camel Adventure, Life in the Snow, The Bear Family and Me - and Tribes, Predators and Me. Earlier this year, he published a terrific, enlightening and hugely engaging memoir - IN THE HIDE: HOW THE NATURAL WORLD SAVED MY LIFE…

Bloody Scotland with Tariq Ashkanani, David Goodman and Claire Wilson

We’re back at Scotland’s Crime Writing Festival, Bloody Scotland (and the Golden Lion hotel) for this episode - which is a whistle-stop blether with three of the many, many excellent writers who’re in my home town of Stirling this weekend: Tariq Ashkanani, David Goodman and Claire Wilson…

Ambrose Parry (Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman), recorded live at The Stand, Glasgow

In conversation with two of my favourites! Award-winning author Chris Brookmyre and his partner in crime - and wife - the writer and consultant anaesthetist Dr Marisa Haetzman, under their best-selling collaborative guise of Ambrose Parry.

All Back to Mine with Grant Stott - live from The Stand at the Edinburgh Fringe…

I’m joined by actor and broadcaster Grant Stott, who regalled us with tales about music, showbiz and secretarial studies and talked about his family and childhood too - which was particularly lovely, as his dad and pals from his primary school were in the audience…

Recorded at the East Neuk Festival

This week, I’m hearing from one of our most gorgeous, and inventive musicians, Esther Swift, who’s a composer, harpist, singer, songwriter and - as it turns out - a pretty fierce conductor too

This week, I’m at Edinburgh’s Voodoo Rooms, for a chat with the goddess - the countess - that is Fay Fife…

The Rezillos and Revillos trailblazer - and the only person in the history of the universe to sing Top of the Pops on - yes - Top of the Pops… is playing at the Voodoo Rooms from August 12th to 17th- so we caught up for a coffee, to chat all about it…

This episode was recorded live at the brilliant Portobello Bookshop, in (near!) Edinburgh - thank you so much to Euan and the gang for making us so welcome - as ever - and to everyone at Birlinn. And thanks to the legend Val McDermid - folk singer; football fan; Fun Loving Crime Writer; creator of heroes like Lindsay Gordon, Wire in the Blood’s Carol Jordan and Allie Burns - and a newly-appointed doctor of letters. But we’ll get to that…

This week, we’re chatting about comedian, writer and director Paul Black's terrific new BBC short film - Govan Fair Queen - starring Elaine C Smith, Maureen Carr and Julie Wilson Nimmo, among others. We recorded this at the Pearce Institute in Glasgow. Watch on YouTube!

We’re at Glasgow Women’s Library - yes, heaven *is a place on earth - celebrating Carrie Marshall’s new book, Small Town Joy and Laura Jane Wilkie’s latest album, Vent, and all manner of wonders and safe spaces in between…

Man’s Best Friend at The Tron

We’re at one of my old places of work for this episode - The Tron theatre in Glasgow, to celebrate a terrific one-man play called Man’s Best Friend - you might have seen the dogs who’re ostensibly at the heart of it all over social media - and it’s there until the 12th of July, before touring Aberdeen, Ayr, Dundee, Edinburgh, Greenock and Inverness in the Autumn.

Glasgow Jazz Festival

This week, we're at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, as this year's 39th Glasgow Jazz Festival kicks off..

With only a mere few hours till the opening events, I met up with Glasgow Jazz Festival director Jill Rodger, and rising jazz star Marianne McGregor, who won best vocalist at the Scottish Jazz Awards in 2023, and who'll launch her new album at the festival on Sunday…

Bloody Scotland with Ian Rankin, Natalie Jayne Clark & Gordon Brown

-

We’re in my hometown of Stirling in this episode, for the launch of the brilliant Crime Writing Festival, Bloody Scotland, which started back in 2012… I’m joined by this year’s guest programmer, Sir Ian Rankin, festival co-founder and author Gordon Brown, and debut novelist Natalie Jayne Clark…