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
Delighted to be London bound! Here’s what the programme has to say: “Join Irvine Welsh and John Niven in conversation with Nicola Meighan for a live podcast recording of A Kick Up the Arts. Celebrating their latest novels, Welsh’s Men in Love and Niven’s The Fathers, this promises an unfiltered, provocative, and darkly funny dive into masculinity, family, and the messy truth of modern life. Expect laughs, sharp takes, literary fireworks and adult language.”
London! Let’s party. Come and join us. Tickets and more info here.
Teenage Fanclub’s wonderful, and totally lovely, Norman Blake will join me for an afternoon of chat and live music.
Norman will reflect on his life, and work, in Teenage Fanclub - and as a solo artist, and with Butler, Blake and Grant, and the rest - and he’ll also discuss some of his favourite Scottish albums, books and films. AND! He’ll play us some live tunes into the bargain. What’s not to love? Take a long lunch, take the afternoon off, whatever it takes - it’d be fab to see you there.
Earlybird tickets for the price of a coffee - I am not joking - are here, with the promo code AKUTA. Ridiculous.
The annual Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival programme is terrific, as ever, and I’m really looking forward to an evening of music and conversation with three brilliant artists whose work has explored various aspects of mental health. We’ll be chatting, there’ll be live performances - it’ll be a really special night, and it’d be lovely to see you there…
The brilliant writer, actor and Still Game favourite Sanjeev Kohli will be with me at The Stand in Glasgow (opposite Kelvinbridge subway) on November 13th, for a chat about some of his favourite Scottish albums, films and books - along with his myriad hugely-loved roles including Dept Q, River City, Fags, Mags & Bags - and that ace new Irn Bru TV ad.
We’ll chat loads, there’ll be hand-picked tunes, who can say whether synthesizers will feature. Early bird tickets for FOUR QUID with the promo code AKUTA are right here!
