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The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Tributes to Dundonian who became eminent director of the stars
Died: June 10, 2025 Alan Strachan, who has died aged 80, was a Dundonian who became an eminent theatre director and had success directing plays by the likes of Noel Coward, Terene Rattigan and Alan Ayckbourn. He also administered two theatres, the Mermaid in the City and the Greenwich Theatre, always choosing seasons that were attractive, imaginative and cast with stars that wanted to return to the live theatre after success elsewhere. His prestigious productions were often seen in Scotland and included a revival of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1994) with Patricia Hodge as the spinster Miss Brodie and Edith Macarthur as the headmistress. Another notable achievement was the 2007 production of Ayckbourn's How the Other Half Loves - of which The Herald critic wrote 'the evening features a superb central performance from Nicholas Le Prevost'. In 2009 Strachan also had a great success with Entertaining Angels by Richard Everett starring Penelope Keith. In 2021 Strachan directed A Splinter of Ice to reopen the King;s [[Theatre]], Edinburgh, after its refurbishment. The play dealt with Kim Philby, safe in Moscow, justifying his treachery. Alan Lochart Thomson Strachan was born in Dundee, the second son of Ellen (nee Graham), who worked in the city's jam factories, and Roualeyn Strachan, a seed and plants manager in D&W Croll. Strachan attended Morgan Academy then read English literature at St Andrews University and Merton College, Oxford. He was active in the various theatre groups at Oxford and in 1969 appeared in Twelfth Night directed by Jonathan Miller. At St Andrews he spent much of his spare time working backstage at the Byre Theatre. There he met Jennifer Piercey who was appearing on stage. They married in 1977. When he came down from Oxford, Strachan worked at the Mermaid Theatre then directed by Bernard Miles. He was appointed co-associate director and scored a hit with Cowardy Custard in 1972 which he co-devised and directed. Coward came to the first night and caused quite a stir. Patricia Routledge was one of the stars and said of that first night, 'Coward was really quite frail by then and he had to be helped in through a fire door. The audience gave him a huge welcome. It was a memorable night.' The show had long runs in the west end and on Broadway. It was seen at the Pitlochry Festival in 1984. Read more 'He never gave up': tributes to patriarch of Scottish undertakers | The Herald Tributes to 'Mr Stirling': journalist dedicated to his home town | The Herald Tributes to countess who modernised royal Scottish castle | The Herald One of Strachan's outstanding successes was to direct the (then) ignored plays of Terrence Rattigan. In 1988 he directed the first West End revival of The Deep Blue Sea, starring Penelope Keith. Strachan's subtle direction brought a fresh appraisal of the play and allowed Keith to display real dramatic skills away from TV's The Good Life. In 1971 Strachan directed at the Mermaid Theatre The Old Boys by William Trevor. He cast Michael Redgrave in the lead despite knowing the actor had serious memory and nerve problems. Rehearsals went well but as the first night approached, Redgrave was a bag of nerves. 'Lines which were ringing with assurance now were stumbled for or escaped him completely,' Strachan wrote. The previews were a nightmare and Strachan evolved an ingenious scheme. He climbed into a tiny cubbyhole off-stage and communicated with Redgrave on a walkie-talkie and cued the actor his lines. All went well except when the hearing aid fell from Redgrave's ear with a resounding crash and, worse, one night Redgrave fiddled with the volume and the audience heard an intercom with a London taxi. Penelope Keith (Image: Newsquest) Strachan had a keen insight into the plays of Coward. He keenly developed their subtle comedy and in 1981 directed a feisty production of Present Laughter with Donald Sinden playing the lead as a rascal. From 1978 Strachan directed the Greenwich Theatre for ten years where he staged a wonderful assortment of plays that established the theatre as progressive and forward-thinking. While running Greenwich he maintained a close interest in the west end and in particular with Alec Guinness. In 1975 Guinness played the lead and Strachan directed Julian Mitchell's adaptation of Ivy Compton-Burnett's novel, A Family and a Fortune, with Guinness and Rachel Kempson and then Yahoo an intense study of Jonathan Swift, the 17th-century Irish satirist. Strachan was also a noted biographer and in addition to writing biographies of Vivien Leigh, Michael Redgrave and Bernard Miles, he wrote the biography of his long-term collaborator, the West End producer Sir Michael Codron (Putting It On). In the past few years Strachan and his wife had lived in Invergowrie. She predeceased him and he is survived by his elder brother. ALASDAIR STEVEN At The Herald, we carry obituaries of notable people from the worlds of business, politics, arts and sport but sometimes we miss people who have led extraordinary lives. That's where you come in. If you know someone who deserves an obituary, please consider telling us about their lives. Contact
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
‘There's nothing I've regretted doing'. Succession's Brian Cox is back on stage
Brian Cox | Portrait: Mihaela Bodlovic The Dundonian actor talks about a life well lived as he return to the Scottish stage for the first time in a decade as Adam Smith in Fred Goodwin satire Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Brian Cox settles into a booth in the cafe at Dundee Rep, happy to be back in his home town for rehearsals and the launch of a new play, Make It Happen, a co-production by National Theatre of Scotland, Dundee Rep Theatre and Edinburgh International Festival, which heads to the capital next month. James Graham's (Sherwood, Dear England) satire stars the multiple-award winning Cox as the ghost of Adam Smith as he returns to the stage in Scotland for the first time in a decade. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Brian Cox during rehearsals at Dundee Rep for Make It Happen, which is staged as part of Edinburgh International Festival. | Portrait: Mihaela Bodlovic Directed by Andrew Panton, the fictionalised account follows the 'rise, fall and fail of the biggest bank in the world – The Royal Bank of Scotland', led by Fred 'The Shred' Goodwin, who steered the bank into collapse and put Scotland at the centre of the 2008 global financial crash. Cox is in great form and in his element on home turf, back at Dundee Rep where his career began as a teenager before he went on to star in the likes of Manhunter, Troy, X-Men 2, Braveheart, Titus Andronicus and Succession. Brian Cox with his Succession co-stars at the 2024 Emmy Awards. | Getty Images As he talks he mingles moments of mirth with exasperation and peppers the conversation with Dundonianisms like 'cundie' and 'plettie' and stories of his childhood and over 65 years in the acting business, which won hom a Primetime Emmy Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and two Olivier Awards, as well as talking about his latest venture. 'Make It Happen is a tremendous play by James Graham, one of our very eminent playwrights,' says Cox. 'Make It Happen' is a phrase of Goodwin's James picked up on for the title and he's created an extraordinary vision. It's an ensemble play, and stylistic, so I'm recognisable as Adam Smith but it's not total period. I have elements - big collars and a wig with bunches, but it's illustrative.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Cox is delighted that Make it Happen sets the record straight about what he sees as the misrepresentation of Adam Smith, the 'founder of modern capitalism' by the likes of Fred Goodwin and Margaret Thatcher. 'I remember Thatcher kept misquoting Adam Smith and that always really annoyed me, so I suggested to James he should be in the play. It's very important to set it right about him. I do go and haunt Margaret Thatcher, so it's quite funny.' 'And also,' he says, warming to his theme, 'the economics book [The Wealth of Nations] is one book, but there's also Smith's first book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, which is actually the more important, because it puts everything in context. Smith describes himself as a moral philosopher, not an economist - that word didn't even exist - and he was given the name 'the father of economics'. He says if you don't read the other book, you can't understand this book!' 'So I thought it was potentially comic, and the idea that he comes back, James has taken it further. When Adam comes back to Edinburgh, he's not without his sense of acquiring and discovers John Lewis. He says 'I've become obsessed. I love it, under one roof, all this stuff, here, try this cream, my hands have never been so soft.'' Cox chuckles. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'So there's a whole other wonderful side of Smith which is deliciously comic. I come on quite late in the play, which is good from the point of view of the play because it's a real ensemble, and this is an incredible cast.' Cox emphasises that the play is mainly Fred Goodwin's story, played by Sandy Grierson, and it features a range of other characters including Gordon Brown, Alistair Darling, Shriti Vadera, Laura Kuenssberg and some Royal Bank of Scotland high heid yins, played by a cast that also includes Sandy Batchelor, Andy Clark, Maya Bassi Curtis and Hannah Donaldson, joined on stage by live musicians. 'It's how Fred Goodwin made the balls up of all balls ups. And he was driven by again, the misreading of Smith. Smith says 'no, I never meant that'. Smith re-wrote quite a lot of the economics because people were getting the wrong end of the stick. 'He never saw himself as an economist, he saw himself as a moral philosopher. He was concerned about the good of all, and what The Enlightenment meant, which was to improve the lives of people. That's one of the great things about Adam Smith. He put it in terms of how we live and earn money, how we exchange, but Fred Goodwin takes it in the wrong way. So it's a really interesting and necessary debate.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Brian Cox appears in Make It Happen, the story of the downfall of The Royal Bank of Scotland, led by Fred Goowdin. | xxx With its themes of wealth, ambition and avarice, Make It Happen has links to the role that made Cox a global household name as media oligarch Logan Roy in HBO hit Succession, for which he won a Golden Globe. 'Except I think Logan was at one time quite a socialist. I don't think that's how he ended up,' says Cox. 'He ended up creating a paper which was quite right wing. And he was concerned about his creation being passed on to one of his children and none of them could step up. It's about entitlement. We're seeing it now with oligarchies, with Elon Musk, with that clown who calls himself the President of the United States. We see it so evidently in these people who behave in this vigilante way. They think they can do anything. And Trump, well I won't even go there, it's just beyond the pale,' he says, words failing him before he rallies. 'It's interesting we live in a time where we want to embrace stupidity on a mass level. And we're seeing stupidity all the time. I mean what's happened in Gaza, what's happening in the Ukraine. The Ukraine's really worrying and we're not doing nearly enough about that to protect it. What we're doing in Gaza is becoming a genocide. There's no question about it. And I feel for it. I mean I know what Hamas did on October 7 is beyond the pale. It's unforgivable and they should be punished severely. But it's the kids, the bairns, I worry about. All these bairns that are being murdered. In the process of achieving what? And then you get the clown from Washington saying oh well it could be a big riviera resort. We've all gone totally crazy, you know?' Cox is always forthright about his opinions and shoots from the hip but refers it back to the play and his job as an actor. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'This play addresses those issues in a sidelong way and it's funny and witty. Because it is about what happens when you give power to one person, like Fred Goodwin. 'My job is to get to the root of who people are and why. Because nobody is intrinsically bad. Go into a baby unit and they're all gorgeous. I love babies, toddlers. I think what we do to them is monstrous. We change them, make them into what they shouldn't be. Because it's conditioning that makes you the way you are, and how we condition our children is what's important, teaching them about love, relationships, sharing.' 'That's what the children from Succession suffer from, a belligerent, strong father who never really gave them love, so they've never been given a perspective on who they are. It's not Logan's fault, because he's also had demons to deal with. There's one scene where he goes swimming and we see scars on his back and it's never explained but shows he's been through something horrific, been brutalised, and that's what makes him behave in an off-hand and brutal manner. Brutalised children do not make good men because they carry that with them.' 'That's what's fascinating about my job, which is to look at why we're not evolved. Why do we make these decisions about what we should do with our lives.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad For his part, Cox's own credo is 'live your life and understand and appreciate what's coming at you'. 'That's what I think the theatre is. For me, it's the one true church and its belief system is about human beings. How do we tick? What are our influences? What takes us down the wrong or right path?' Brian Cox and Peter De Jersey in The Score at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London in February. | Getty Images Cox has been treading the boards again recently in Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night and The Score to rave reviews since Succession, which he describes as his 'TV show, the one that has given me mixed blessings shall we say… ' 'When I finished Succession I thought I've got to go back to the theatre while I still can. I mean I'm so grateful for the show and loved it. It's one of the best things I have ever done, but at the same time I lost my anonymity. It was always 'Brian Cox, oh weren't you in…? Didn't you do Hannibal Lecter at one point?' - I created the role, what are you talking about?'' he laughs. 'Now everybody knows who I am and they come up and say 'can you tell me to F*** Off?'. So I say 'all right, F*** Off', and then they say 'but we haven't taken a picture' and I say 'you wanted me to tell you to F*** Off, I told you to F*** Off, now F*** Off!' He laughs. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I don't ask him to tell me to do this, although tempted, as I have more questions, including what is it with him and the word f***? He says it when he comes on stage in Make It Happen too. 'I do. I say 'where the f*** am I?' And Adam says 'Good God, I never used such language. I never used such blasphemy.' He chuckles. Unlike the brutalised men Cox talks about, in his autobiography Putting The Rabbit in the Hat he says after therapy as an adult he realised that despite a traumatic childhood where the death of his father through pancreatic cancer when he was eight plunged the family into poverty and his mother into illness, he was very much loved by his mother and the sisters and brother who cared for him. Does he think being loved is key to how we turn out? 'Yes. I do think care and love is the key. And we're so ignorant. We really don't know how to father or mother our kids. Or maybe we get a wee bit enlightened, but at the same time it's a massive improvisation because no two children are the same. I'm very lucky. My kids are pretty good, they're pretty special,' he says referring to his adult children from his second marriage and younger sons from his third to the actor Nicole Ansari-Cox, with whom he lives in Brooklyn, New York and London. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Brian Cox and his wife Nicole Ansari-Cox arrive for the 75th Emmy Awards in Los Angeles in 2024. | AFP via Getty Images How do his offspring feel about having a dad who is famous? Are they used to it? 'They are. My oldest son who will be 55 on his birthday, and my daughter's going to be 48, they had it tough because I was a struggling actor. But I was married to a woman who was very smart with money. I mean that's why…' he says and falters. It's noticeable it's only when talking about his own wealth that Cox's customary eloquence fails him. 'I've always been like that about money,' he says. 'I don't want to know, because of what it did to my mum and dad.' So it's an emotionally fraught subject for him? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Yeah. It immediately puts me into a kind of… So the idea that I'm rich. I can't deal with that. I've always had a problem with it and money as a sign of success. I'm deeply suspicious of it.' But nowadays he must know he can just walk into a shop and buy whatever he wants without worrying? 'I can do that, but I'm still nervous about buying stuff. I mean I went into the House of Bruar and bought a load of stuff. Oh my god, it's my favourite place in Scotland! I could live there. I love it! So I went to the House of Bruar and bought these wonderful waistcoats,' he says, sounding a little like Adam Smith discovering John Lewis. He pats his waistcoat, dapper as ever. In fact he's arrived with three outfits as instructed for today's photo shoot. 'Yes, I was up ironing this morning', he says and smiles. 'Oh this is interesting, this is the weirdest thing of all. I love ironing. And I love darning. So I did the American version of Who Do You Think You Are [Finding Your Roots] and they said you're 88% Irish and 12% Scottish. I knew about the Irish side but discovered the Scottish side were all weavers from Fife, so I see where it comes from.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Always well turned out, but also these days noticeably trimmer… 'Yeah, I've lost weight because I'm on Ozempic. I'm diabetic. It's good because, god I'd eat anything! I do like food. But my eating has changed considerably. And it's good. Especially as I'm not getting any younger. ' He's 79, an age where he can look back on his childhood when he was out playing with his pals on the streets 'from dawn to dark', visiting all 21 of the city's then cinemas to watch the movies - 'my first love' - enjoying the thriving community around his dad's shop in the now demolished Wellgate warren of streets, a time when his life revolved around school, church and the cinema. Brian Cox at the The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim world premiere in London in 2024. | Getty Images Cox is also looking forward to making what he does in the years ahead count. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Of all the films, TV, theatre, radio he's done, of which is he most proud? 'I suppose I'm proudest of a film I did with Lindsay Anderson in the Seventies, [1975] an adaptation of a David Storey play called In Celebration, and Alan Bates and Jimmy Bolam played my brothers. It was a beautiful script. And Titus Andronicus at Stratford in the Eighties, was really important for me. And I enjoyed playing Churchill, because I thought I got that right. It's a character performance. The other thing I'm very proud of is a film called The Escapist, which I did in 2008 and produced as well, with Rupert Wyatt. 'I've enjoyed myself, you know. There's nothing I've regretted doing. Je ne regrette rien. I don't go in for regrets. When I commit, I commit.' Looking ahead, there's the release of his directorial debut with Glenrothan, a film set in Scotland, in which he also stars with Alan Cumming as his brother. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I made my first film in Scotland last year, working with an all Scottish crew and cast and I realised how much talent's here and doesn't get acknowledged. I think I'm only acknowledged because I'm a Dundonian and not a Glaswegian or from Edinburgh so we're like a rare beast you only see on certain occasions. So I exploit that for all it's worth,' he laughs. There's also the third Super Troopers film, US comedies about a highway patrol unit in which he steals the show as an exasperated police boss. 'I did the first in 1999 and had a great time and they're very gifted and I think it's very important to help young directors so I said I'd do that. And maybe another couple of movies. And I've got the tour.' 'The tour' is All About Me!, a UK and Ireland 18-date talking tour In October where Cox shares memories and anecdotes and takes audience questions, which includes dates in Edinburgh and Dundee. 'It should be a lot of fun.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Cox shows no sign of letting up, despite all his success, awards, financial and emotional security. So what is it that motivates him to keep going? 'Well, you know, I just like the job!' CREDIT: Make It Happen, Dundee Rep Theatre until Saturday 26 July and Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, as part of the Edinburgh International Festival, 30 July to 9 August. Tickets,
Scotsman
6 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
'Hard to turn down' - Eilish McColgan on her Glasgow 2026 dilemma and doping spectre
Scottish runner who lit up Birmingham 2022 has switched focus to road racing Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... She delivered the defining moment of the 2022 Commonwealth Games but Eilish McColgan is not 100 per cent sure if she will defend her 10,000 metres title at Glasgow 2026. The Dundonian athlete lit up the Alexander Stadium four years ago as she stormed to victory over 25 laps. In doing so she emulated her mother who won the 10,000m as Liz Lynch, her maiden name, at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh then retained her crown four years later in Auckland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Her daughter has further followed in Liz McColgan's footsteps by making the move to road running. She made her marathon debut in London in April and it is where she sees her future. Eilish McColgan with Finnie, the mascot for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. | Craig Watson/Glasgow 2026 There will be no marathon at next summer's Commonwealths in Glasgow, with the city staging a slimmed down version of the Games after stepping in at the last minute to host when the Australian state of Victoria withdrew due to rising costs. It has left Eilish McColgan in a quandary but she admitted the pull of performing at a home games might persuade her to return to the track. 'Obviously I'm not qualified and I don't have a crystal ball so I don't know what the future holds but I think if it had been any other championship anywhere else in the world, I probably wouldn't be gearing towards it because my main ambitions now are certainly on the road,' said McColgan who was this week named as the first official ambassador for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. 'But I think, for me, it's hard to turn down an opportunity to race in Glasgow, a home championship. How often do I get to do that? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'So yeah, I'll definitely be making it high on my agenda to try and be here as an athlete and compete.' McColgan, 34, thought Birmingham 2022 was going to be her Commonwealth Games swan-song. As well as winning the 10,000m, she secured silver in the 5,000m. Not surprisingly, she feels it would have been a good way to say goodbye to the 'Friendly Games'. But Glasgow's late rescue mission has moved the goalposts and she could now find herself competing at the Commonwealths for a fourth time. 'It wasn't something I had originally planned in all honesty. It wasn't in my schedule. I thought Birmingham was a great way to cap off what was a brilliant track career but as I said, it's hard to turn down a home games opportunity. Eilish McColgan celebrates winning gold in the 10,000m at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games at Alexander Stadium. | Getty Images 'I think for me there's just something about being back in Scotland knowing that my family, my friends, people from the community, my club where I have grown up and who have supported me can be here to watch. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Obviously there's a lot of pressure going in as a defending champion - it's not easy to defend it. I don't know many people who have but, yeah, I'll give it my best go.' Mum Liz is one of the few to do the double and family is a huge driver for Eilish. She has fond memories of her late gran watching her Commonwealth Games debut when Glasgow last hosted in 2014 and would love to make more memories for those closest to her. 'The Commonwealths means a lot to my mum and it was probably one of the only races where my granny and grandad - her mum and dad - were in the stadium and were watching her win gold [in Edinburgh in 1986] and then similarly for me there's only been London 2012 and Glasgow and Birmingham, the home championships, where my mum and dad have been in the crowd. 'Glasgow 2014 was the only championships that even my granny came to watch. Unfortunately, my gran's no longer with us but that for me will always be a standout memory, my little granny in the stands with her little tartan beanie on her head cheering me on. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'There's something so unique about hosting home championships so I think my mum was really proud that I'm here today in an ambassadorial role showcasing how good the Commonwealth Games can be and the legacy that can leave behind.' Gold medallist Eilish McColgan celebratesvictory in the women's 10,000m event at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022. (Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images While Glasgow 2026 hovers on the horizon, Eilish sees her future as very much on the road. The four-time Olympian was the first Briton home at this year's London Marathon as she finished eighth in the women's elite race on her debut. Her time of 2:24:25 was more than two minutes quicker than the Scottish record set by Steph Twell in 2019 (2:26:40) and also beat her mum's marathon best of 2:26:52. 'That is the priority now moving forward for me,' she said. 'The next big one will be a half marathon in September and then to be honest I haven't actually planned any further than that just because I'm building back my training at the moment.' Ruth Chepngetich, the women's marathon world record holder, had been scheduled to run against McColgan in London but the Kenyan was last week provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit after testing positive for a banned substance. It is a blow to the sport's credibility and McColgan feels the authorities need to look beyond just the athlete involved. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It is really disappointing. I think a lot of people now look at that and suspect that doping's rife within the sport. When the top, top person is doing it it is really disappointing but I think the agents and coaches need to be a little bit more responsible as well. I mean this isn't just Ruth doing this on her own. 'There's a deeper team involved here, whether there's coaches, doctors, agents… I think they need to be held responsible in some way. 'The ban is on the athlete but there needs to be something on the coaches and the people that are administrating this to try and cut it down. They're really having a big crackdown in Kenya at the moment which is amazing to see. Kenya Athletics, to be fair to them, have invested a lot of money in catching people and it is obviously clearly working which is great.' Eilish McColgan and Finnie the Unicorn during a Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games photocall at Kelvingrove Art Gallery. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group) | SNS Group One of McColgan's first ambassadorial duties for Glasgow 2026 was to unveil the Games' new mascot, Finnie, a unicorn named after the city's famous Finnieston Crane. The mascot was devised with the help of 76 children from 24 schools across Glasgow and its signature feature is a horn inspired by the famous traffic cone on top of the Duke of Wellington statue outside the Gallery of Modern of Art. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I did like that, it's a very Glasgow touch,' said McColgan. Despite its last-minute nature, she is certain Glasgow 2026 will attract some of the sport's biggest names to Scotstoun, the venue for the athletics. 'I keep seeing people saying, 'do you think the top people will show up?' but your Laura Muirs, your Jake Wightmans, your Josh Kerrs, they're there all the time and I think there's something so unique about representing Scotland. 'We're very patriotic, we're a small nation but it's just special. We don't get the chance to do it very often so everyone does turn up. I remember Jake saying when he won the world championships: 'I need to get myself ready now for the Commonwealth Games'.
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Eilish McColgan backing Glasgow Games to be success with a year to go
Back on terra firma, Finnie took her place at Kelvingrove alongside dignitaries, Games competitors both past and present, a gaggle of photographers and reporters, and an even larger phalanx of PR folk and media management types, the latter surely one of Scotland's growth industries. Tourists and passers-by curiously poked their heads in from time to time, too, wondering what all the fuss was about. The trick, of course, is to ensure there are still similar levels of intrigue by the time these watered-down, largely unloved and unwanted Games get underway in 12 months' time. Glasgow has taken the hit - if not financially - by agreeing belatedly to take on the burden of hosting, sparing the Commonwealth Games from likely extinction after Victoria, Australia backed out of the arrangement and agreed to pay £100m just to wash its hands of it. The hope is, of course, that Glasgow can recapture some of the magic of its 2014 predecessor when the sun shone and the event went on to become a Scottish medal-laden success story. The presence of Usain Bolt undoubtedly helped, too and how the organisers could do with similar magic dust from somewhere with fewer events and no free-to-watch road events to draw in the general public. They have done well to bring on board Eilish McColgan as one of their ambassadors. The athlete is not just the reigning 10,000m Commonwealth champion from 2022 but a refreshingly outspoken figure who will happily put her voice out there to lend her support. McColgan was cagey about definitely committing to defending that title having made the career transition to primarily road racing but the Dundonian believes the cream of British athletics will get behind these Games and help to make it a triumph. 'Obviously I've not qualified and I don't have a crystal ball so I don't know what the future holds but I'll definitely be making it high on my agenda to try and be here as an athlete and compete,' she said. 'My main ambitions now are certainly on the road. But I think for me it's hard to turn down an opportunity to race in Glasgow at a home championship. How often do I get to do that? 'I don't think we are ever short of top athletes competing. I keep seeing people saying, 'do you think the top people will show up?' but your Laura Muirs, your Jake Wightmans, your Josh Kerrs, they're there all the time as I think there's something so unique about representing Scotland. 'We're very patriotic, we're a small nation but it's just special. We don't get the chance to do it very often so everyone does turn up. I remember Jake saying when he won the world championships, 'I need to get myself ready now for the Commonwealth Games'. 'You think, 'you've just won the worlds, it's the biggest title there possibly could be'. But for him, it was actually just equally as important that he made sure he got ready for Commie Games. 'Even in the England team, you have KJT [Katarina Johnson-Thompson], who's an Olympic medallist, you'll have Keely Hodgkinson, everyone turns up. I don't know if it is just something unique, you're representing your smaller nation and you don't get the chance to do that very often. 'It showcases something, maybe it's the community side of it, I don't know what it is. But I think the top athletes will be there regardless.' The comparisons with 2014 will be inevitable but not necessarily helpful, with the Scottish public expecting one thing only to be delivered a much smaller facsimile, like the mini model of Stonehenge descending onto the stage in Spinal Tap. McColgan, though, doesn't believe it's an issue. 'I think people are just excited that the Games are coming back to Glasgow. I think Glasgow has done a great job in stepping in at the last minute. There could have been an alternative world where this didn't even happen at all so I think kudos to them for actually putting it on and making it work. 'Yes, it's going to be scaled down but there's still a hell of a lot of events, there's still going to be a a lot of sports taking part where young kids can go along, be inspired and go along to their local club because that really is the knock-on effect. 'The amount of kids that we had joining the Hawks [Hawkhill Harriers in Dundee]... we have a waiting list to this day and it's all come from Glasgow [2014] and it's just spiralled. People often say, 'is there a legacy? how much does it impact?' 'But I think the waiting list at my local club is a great example of that and it's not just Dundee. I'm sure it's in other corners of Scotland as well, clubs all across Scotland. So for me, that's a really important part of it.' A broadcast deal is yet to be agreed but McColgan is confident the BBC or another station will step in to show it in the UK. 'I think it's really important,' she adds. 'I mean you'll have kids from all corners of Scotland, not even just Scotland across the world, that will see athletes from their local town, their local club and think, 'yeah, I want to do that'. 'If it's not on TV, it's not broadcast, then you can't see it and you can't believe in it. And for me that's really important.'
The National
19-07-2025
- Business
- The National
Scotland bucks trend with 'substantial' games industry growth
Figures show employment in the sector in Scotland has doubled over the last 10 years. The statistics also show that there were 130 computer game enterprises in Scotland in 2024, compared to just 15 in 2010 – a 766.67% increase. READ MORE: Martin Compston says Unionist abuse made him stop independence posts In 2022 the industry had a turnover of £339.7 million, compared to profits of £38.1m made in 2010 – a 791.6% increase. The data also showed that there had been a 103.3% increase in the number of staff working in the industry (including additional PAYE units), up from 1,045 in 2015 to 2,125 in 2023. With the sector globally experiencing significant jobs losses and changes to job patterns, Scotland's computer game industry is bucking the trend. Commenting, SNP MSP for Dundee City West, Joe FitzPatrick, said: 'At a time when the computer games industry is struggling globally, thanks to SNP investment, Scotland is bucking the trend. 'Scotland was the first part of the UK to develop a video games strategy to support the industry and invests in exhibiting Scottish-built games across the world. 'Our world-leading computer game developers, including those based in Dundee, are thriving thanks to a unique blend of government support, creativity, innovation, and talent.' READ MORE: TransPennine Express to run up to 3 additional services during Edinburgh Fringe Rockstar North, a computer game studio based in Edinburgh and set up as DMA Design by Dundonian David Jones, is arguably the most notable firm in the Scottish industry. The company are behind the Grand Theft Auto series, including Grand Theft Auto V – the second-best selling video game and reportedly most profitable entertainment product of all time. FitzPatrick continued: 'From globally recognised studios to bold new start-ups, this is an industry that not only creates economic value but connects people across the world and brings opportunity to Scotland.'
