Latest news with #McDermid
The Herald Scotland
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Val McDermid hits out on Baillie Gifford 'virtue signalling'
Speaking ahead of the return of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, which parted company with Baillie Gifford after a 20-year partnership in the wake of protests from climate activists, McDermid said the company had been 'unfairly pilloried.' Read more: The Fife-born writer warned of the risk of festivals and the arts having to be over-reliant on public funding and the support of private philanthropists in future. McDermid was speaking two years after climate activist Greta Thunberg pulled the plug on a sold-out appearance at the Edinburgh book festival in the wake of reports of Baillie Gifford's links to the fossil fuels industry, saying she did not want to be associated with 'greenwashing.' Crime writer Val McDermid has spoken out over criticisms of Baillie Gifford's sponsorship of festivals. (Image: The University of Edinburgh) At the time, Baillie Gifford insisted it was not a 'significant fuel investor.' It claimed only two per cent of its clients' money was invested in companies with links to the fossil fuels industry, compared to five per cent it said was invested in companies developing 'clean energy solutions.' The Edinburgh International Book Festival is now staged at the Edinburgh Futures Institute. However, the campaign group Fossil Free Books stepped up action against book festivals backed by Baillie Gifford in the spring of last year. Hundreds of writers backed an open letter warning the festivals to expect escalation, including the expansion of boycotts, increased author withdrawal of labour, and increased disruption.' Organisers of Edinburgh's event announced the end of its Baillie Gifford partnership two weeks later, blaming the 'withdrawal of several authors and threats of disruption.' Organisers of the annual book festivals in Wigtown and the Borders also announced the end of their involvement with Baillie Gifford. The Edinburgh book festival, which is by far Scotland's oldest and biggest celebration of literature, which has seen its government funding more than doubled in the space of 12 months, to a record £820,000. A further £160,000 increase planned for the next financial year is expected to see the festival's government funding rise by more than £1.5m by 2027-2028 compared to the last three years of Baillie Gifford's involvement with the event, which it supported through its schools and children's programme. The government has agreed to provide £300,000 in funding for the next three years to plug the gap created by the loss of Baillie Gifford's support. McDermid is one of 641 writers due to appear across almost 700 events in the forthcoming two-week programme of events, which will run from August 9-24. She told The Herald: 'Last year was difficult for this book festival. This year hasn't been easy, but I think we can all see a light at the end of the tunnel now. 'The festival has come back with a really strong programme, with a lot of interesting themes and writers. I think people will really show up. 'It's been a tough experience for the festival to pull it back from losing its principal funder. 'I know how hard the festival director Jenny Niven has worked with her team to recover the financial position, but it's still been difficult. 'There's no question that the festival has got less to play with than it had before.' McDermid was among a group of leading Scottish authors who backed an open letter which described the targeting of book festivals as 'deeply retrograde' and 'ill thought-out' over their sponsors. Others included Alexander McCall Smith, Andrew O'Hagan, Chris Brookmyre, Denise Mina, Doug Johnston, David Greig and Liz Lochhead. Many of the writers who backed the Fossil Free Books campaign have accepted invitations to appear at this year's Edinburgh book festival, including Ali Smith, Hannah Lavery, Jess Brough, Raymond Antrobus, Chitra Ramaswamy, Andrés N Ordorica, Harry Josephine Giles and Katie Goh. McDermid, who is due to make four appearances at the festival this August, said: 'The Edinburgh book festival was pushed into a corner last year by a group of people who, I think in many cases, saw it as an opportunity to put their name in public lights. 'The level of hypocrisy among some of the people involved was quite staggering. 'A lot of people just jumped on a bandwagon without thinking about it. 'There was a lot of virtue signalling, rather than sincerely held opinions from people who had actually researched the topic and knew what they were talking about. 'No-one is saying that Baillie Gifford is white than white. But there is no such thing as a clean sponsor. 'If you dig deep, everybody who sponsors an arts event has got something in the cupboard that you would be uncomfortable with.' 'What do you do? Are we not going to have book festivals anymore? Are we not going to have the arts unless they are sponsored by rich individuals. How clean are they?' McDermid suggested there was a risk of a return to the Renaissance era, 14th to the 17th century, when 'rich patrons' were relied on to fund the arts. She added: 'The arts shouldn't be dictated to by one individual or even one political party. 'I don't think the arts should be entirely funded by state funding. That would be wholly dangerous and potentially pernicious. 'There needs to be a mix of funding sources, including ticket sales, individual philanthropists and corporate sponsors too. 'We have to be careful where we take money from, but I think Baillie Gifford was unfairly pilloried in the circumstances.' A separate campaign group, Art Workers For Palestine Scotland, has targeted a number of other arts organisations backed by Baillie Gifford in recent months, including the [[Edinburgh]] International Festival and Fringe Society, over the company's links with defence firm Babcock International. [[The Herald]] told last year how Baillie Gifford had more than £60 million worth of shares in the owner of Rosyth Dockyard in Fife, which has previously worked with state-owned Israeli arms manufacturers.
The Herald Scotland
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Val McDermid: Politics is an 'absolute cesspit of misogyny'
McDermid said she would not even consider entering the political sphere because it had become so toxic. Read more: The writer, who previously worked in newspaper journalism, said modern-day politics had become "totally personalised", with women targeted for abuse if they put their head "above the parapet." McDermid, a close friend of Nicola Sturgeon, has shared a stage with her at a number of recent events, including the Glasgow Comedy Festival. Nicola Sturgeon and Val McDermid have appeared together at a number of recent festivals and events. They are due to appear next month in separate events at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, where the former First Minister is due to launch her memoir. The author was speaking in Edinburgh to promote Queen Macbeth, the real-life 11th century Scottish king and queen who inspired Shakespeare's Macbeth and Lady Macbeth characters. McDermid, who was interviewed by Ms Sturgeon about the book in Edinburgh last year, revealed she was given the option to completely "reimagine" the Lady Macbeth character by her publisher. She told the audience: "They told me to do it any way I wanted, including setting the book in the real historic period or in contemporary Scotland. "I just thought: 'Oh yeah, what could possibly go wrong with a strong woman being persecuted in contemporary Scotland. How much trouble could I get into with that?'" During the in-conversation event at the Portobello Bookshop, McDermid was asked about the treatment of Chancellor Rachel Reeves over her tearful appearance in the House of Commons last week. The author said: "If that had been a man having a man having an emotional moment he would have been heralded for having emotions. "Politics particularly right now is an absolute cesspit of misogyny. Women are being really picked on for all sorts of things. "If you put your head above the parapet you are used as a target. "I wouldn't go into politics as a woman. It is totally personalised. "We have seen it in Scotland. We have seen women politicians being trashed and traduced." Asked what kept her awake at night, McDermid said she tried to focus on what writing she would be doing the following day, including how to resolve plot problems. She added: "I don't mind being kept awake by that kind of thing. "I try not to think about things that make me want to go out with an AK47. "If I think too much about what is happening in the outside world I am paralysed by horror. I just try to focus on my own work and what's in front of me." McDermid suggested a "Janey Godley Memorial Protest" should be organised to welcome American President Donald Trump for his forthcoming visit to Scotland. Earlier this year, McDermid said some of the online abuse targeted at Nicola Sturgeon was "disgusting." She said at the time: "There are a lot of men who do not like the idea of a successful woman, in whatever walk of life."
The Herald Scotland
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Val McDermid's new play has been 40 years in the making
The crime writer's long-time ambition to tackle the unsolved mystery over the death of 16th century English playwright and poet Christopher Marlowe is about to be realised at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, which has just been taken over by the Perthshire-born actor. Read more: McDermid sent Cumming her unperformed script for 'And Midnight Never Come' after plans to bring it to the stage of one of Edinburgh's best-known theatres were abandoned due to a lack of funding. However the play has been rebooted by Cumming in his first year as artistic director at Pitlochry, after agreeing to stage a special 'script-in-hand reading' ahead of his first season of full-scale productions in 2026. Alan Cumming is helping to bring Val McDermid's new play to the stage. (Image: Supplied) McDermid is working with director Philip Howard, former artistic director of the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, to bring to life her script, which will be performed at the Edinburgh International Book Festival the night after its Pitlochry premiere. And Midnight Never Come will focus on the run-up to the death of Marlowe, who was said to have been fatally stabbed in a guest house in Kent on May 30, 1593. Crime writer Val McDermid has sold more than 19 million books to date. (Image: PA) There have been centuries of debate and conflicting theories over Marlowe's death, including claims that he may have been killed over an involvement with espionage, was assassinated on the orders of Queen Elizabeth I, was targeted for his religious beliefs or was murdered by a former lover. McDermid, from Kirkcaldy in Fife, initially pursued a career as a journalist after studying English at Oxford University. She said: 'I was captivated by Marlowe as a writer when I was an undergraduate student. When I read up on what is known about his life I found it fascinating. "The more I read and discovered the more the version of his death seemed to be implausible. 'I came up with my own theory about what happened to him and that's what underpins the play, although I don't want to say any more about that theory. People will have to come and see it for themselves. 'When you are writing something that is rooted in the past you know certain things. It's about trying to come up with a story that makes sense with the facts that we know. That's what I've done with Marlowe. "My first attempts at this were more than 40 years ago. I just couldn't work out how to do it structurally and tell the story that I had in my head. I went back to it time and again over the years." McDermid has sold more than 19 million books and seen her work translated into more than 40 different languages since her first attempt at a novel when she was working as a trainee journalist in Devon. She recalled: 'My first attempt at a book was full of tortured relationships and all the big emotions – grief, rage, jealousy and love. It was truly terrible although I did finish it. 'But I also sent it to a friend of mine who was an actor and she said to me: 'I don't know much about books, but I think this would make a really good play.' 'I thought: 'That's easy. I'll just cross out the descriptions and leave in the speaking bits.' That's essentially what I did.' 'I wrote some extra scenes to cover the bits I'd crossed out and went to the local theatre. The director was very excited about it and said it would be perfect for a season of new plays. 'Completely by accident, I was a professionally performed playwright by the age of 23. 'I thought it was the start of something big and that I was going to be the new Harold Pinter, but it didn't work out that way.' Although McDermid's debut was adapted by the BBC, her career as a playwright was halted when was dropped by her agent 'after a couple of years of not making him any money.' The writer recalled: 'I just couldn't write any more plays because I didn't understand what I'd done right. The ambition and desire were there, but unfortunately skills and ability were not. Nowadays you can go off on a course and learn the nuts and bolts of your craft. But that wasn't really available back then. 'I just didn't know what I was supposed to be doing. I thought I should go off and do something that I understood how it worked. I had read a lot of crime fiction since I was about nine years old, so I thought I could maybe have a crack at a crime novel. 'At the time, in the early 1980s, the only British crime fiction that was around were village mysteries and police procedurals. I felt I didn't know enough about the police to write a convincing police procedural novel, so I got a bit stuck. 'What finally got me moving was when a friend of mine who had moved to America sent me a copy of Sara Paretsky's first novel, one of the early iterations of so-called new-wave feminist crime fiction. 'Her private eye character was a woman who had a brain and a sense of humour. She didn't rely on the guys to do the heavy lifting. When the going got tough she just got tougher. What I also liked about her novel was its strong sense of place. There was a sense that the story arose from the city of Chicago. It had a sense of social politics as well. That book really inspired me to get started.' McDermid's debut novel, Report for Murder, was published in 1987 and kick-started a career which has seen her write more than 50 books to date, and develop five separate series. One of the most recent, focusing on the detective Karen Pirie, is about to return to ITV for a second series this month, with Lauren Lyle returning to the lead role. McDermid's return to theatre work has emerged seven years after a foray into the lunchtime drama series A Play, A Pie and A Pint, with political comedy Margaret Saves Scotland, about a Yorkshire schoolgirl who returns from a holiday filled with a burning desire for Scottish independence. The experience of working on that show with director Marilyn Imrie persuaded McDermid to return to the idea of a play about the Marlowe mystery several decades after she had first started to work on it. McDermid's play, which depicts the last day of Marlowe's life as well as key events in his life, was snapped up by the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh and went into development for a full production, which was shelved after the theatre decided it was unaffordable. McDermid was in talks over a possible performance of her script at last year's book festival, which did not go ahead due to a programme organised to mark 200 years of James Hogg's novel The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner. Within weeks, though, Cumming had been unveiled as Pitlochry Festival Theatre's new artistic director. McDermid said: 'When Alan took over at Pitlochry I thought: 'I'll let Alan take a look at it.' 'He got very excited about it and said: 'This is fantastic, I love it, we must talk about it.' 'He said would talk to me about it at the Winter Words book festival earlier this year. 'The weekend went on and nothing had happened. I said to my partner: 'I think he was just being nice.' 'After the final event at the festival, he collared me and said: 'We have to talk now!' 'He told me he wanted to do a rehearsed reading of it. I said that the Edinburgh book festival had talked about doing that, but it hadn't actually happened. He suggested that it was done as a joint project. Two days later we were all in a Zoom call to sort out the details. It was amazing. 'My main hope now is that people out and enjoy it. I also hope that a producing theatre will have someone in the audience who thinks: 'We should be putting this on stage.' 'I know theatres have timetables, schedules and budgets. I'm not putting any pressure on anyone to do it. 'But I would love it if it was on at Pitlochry because there is such a great team there and it's a place where you can have a real day out. They've got a wonderful restaurant, you can eat in the restaurant and then go and see a play. 'Alan is a man of great passions, his work-rate is phenomenal, and he just makes things happen for people. He's the kind of person we need working in the arts at the moment.' McDermid's Marlowe play will finally see the light of day in Pitlochry and Edinburgh in the wake of her book interpreting the story of Lady Macbeth. She said: 'My idea of the perfect novel is one where you don't have to do any research at all because you already know everything you need to know. But that never happens. 'With historical stuff, it's a case of digging down, looking at all the available sources and working your way through them. It just takes a bit longer before you can get started on the writing. 'It does create more work when you write historical books, but when an idea roots itself in your head the only way you can get rid of it is to write it."
The National
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Alan Cumming and Val McDermid receive honours for culture contribution
Swapping his trademark tartan Traitors wardrobe for the traditional honorary graduate black gown Cumming was awarded a Doctor of Laws (LLD) by the University of St Andrews in recognition of his incredible service to the arts, in all its forms. Meanwhile, McDermid, who is one of the UK's most accomplished and respected novelists, was created an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Edinburgh's School of Literature, Languages and Cultures. The pair joined hundreds of graduates at each of the respected universities as Cumming told students that 'learning never stops'. READ MORE: Senior BBC staff told to 'step back' from duties following Bob Vylan Glastonbury set In his address to graduating students, he said: 'You must never stop learning, you must never stop being curious. 'It's so important to stay open to the possibility of life and this was only the beginning of your education. 'This maybe have been your formal education, but learning never stops, so embrace it. Embrace curiosity.' (Image: University of St Andrews) Meanwhile, McDermid, who is an international bestselling author whose books have been translated into more than forty languages and sold over 19 million copies worldwide, also received her award on Thursday. It was given to McDermid in recognition of her contribution to writing and broadcasting, and in celebration of her success as an author and ambassador for Scottish literature worldwide. She said: 'When I was a teenager in Fife more than half a century ago, the University of Edinburgh was a place of glamour and aspiration - and parties! 'I never imagined I would be the recipient of such an honour. 'To be awarded an honorary degree is a distinction that reflects not just on my work but on the teachers, writers, publishers, booksellers and readers who have supported me on my way. I'm grateful to all of them, and of course, to the University.' (Image: University of Edinburgh) McDermid multi-award-winning series and standalone novels have been adapted for TV and radio, most notably the Wire in the Blood series featuring clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan. Her Karen Pirie novels have also been adapted for a major ITV series. She has written five book series, stand-alone novels, books for children, short story collections and non-fiction titles, publishing over 50 books to date and is a leading proponent of crime fiction and its sub-genre tartan noir and will publish the 8th edition of her popular Karen Pirie series in October 2025. Theresa Merrick, University of Edinburgh director of communications and marketing, said McDermid has been a champion of writers in Scotland. She said: 'Today we celebrate and honour Val for her literary prowess and her commitment to speaking out on issues of significance, inequality and social justice. 'She has championed writers, artists and individuals in Scotland and beyond, and has long used her profile and talent to speak for those who may not have such a strong voice. 'We offer congratulations and thanks to Val on all her achievements.'
The Herald Scotland
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Scottish literary star Val McDermid awarded honorary degree
Her multi-award-winning series and standalone novels have been adapted for TV and radio, most notably the Wire in the Blood series featuring clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan. Her 'Karen Pirie' novels have also been adapted for a major ITV series. McDermid will be created an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Edinburgh's School of Literature, Languages & Cultures during this afternoon's ceremony, following a laureation from the University's Director of Marketing and Communications, Theresa Merrick. The award is given in recognition of her contribution to writing and broadcasting, and in celebration of her success as an author and ambassador for Scottish literature worldwide. I love the fantastic Futtle brewery at Bowhouse Farm Scotland's 10 best working class writers McDermid attended Kirkcaldy High School before graduating in English from St Hilda's College, Oxford University - the first student from a Scottish state school to do so - before going on to work as an award-winning journalist for 16 years before beginning her writing career. She has written five book series, stand-alone novels, books for children, short story collections and non-fiction titles, publishing over 50 books to date. She is a leading proponent of crime fiction and its sub-genre 'tartan noir' and will publish the 8th edition of her popular 'Karen Pirie' series in October 2025. She has also written novels set in range of other worlds, notably drawing on her own experience in journalism to create her recent 'Allie Burns' series, featuring a fictional investigative journalist working for a Scottish newspaper. McDermid has also written extensively for stage, microphone and screen, with several acclaimed dramas broadcast on BBC Radio 4, including five series of comedy-crime serial Dead. She is an experienced broadcaster and cultural commentator, having guest edited BBC Radio 4's Front Row, fronted features for BBC Two's cultural programming, written and presented radio documentaries, and appeared on a range of TV shows, including Question Time and Have I Got News for You. Val McDermid (Image: Philippe Matsas Bridgeman Images) Val captained the winning alumnae team for Oxford on the 2016 University Challenge Christmas special and is a previous Celebrity Mastermind champion. More recently, she has returned to writing for the theatre with Margaret Saves Scotland for Oran Mor's acclaimed A Play, Pie and Pint programme. She has also created two series of TV drama Traces, starring Martin Compston, which aired on BBC One in 2021 and 2022. McDermid is the recipient of many awards and accolades, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year and the LA Times Book of the Year Award. She is a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Literature and Royal Society of Edinburgh. She has served as a judge for both the Man Booker Prize and Women's Prize for Fiction and was Chair of the Wellcome Book Prize in 2017. She has participated at arts and book festivals all over the world, notably appearing regularly at Edinburgh's Festivals, and plays an active role in Scottish civic society. McDermid is the recipient of eight Honorary Doctorates, including Edinburgh's, is an Honorary Fellow of St Hilda's College, Oxford and Professor of Scottish Studies & Crime Fiction at the University of Otago. She is Patron of the Scottish Book Trust, and as a lifelong football fan, a founding sponsor of McDermid Ladies football team, based in Kirkcaldy. Val McDermid said: 'When I was a teenager in Fife more than half a century ago, the University of Edinburgh was a place of glamour and aspiration - and parties! I never imagined I would be the recipient of such an honour. To be awarded an honorary degree is a distinction that reflects not just on my work but on the teachers, writers, publishers, booksellers and readers who have supported me on my way. I'm grateful to all of them, and of course, to the University.' Theresa Merrick, University of Edinburgh Director of Marketing & Communications, said: 'Val McDermid is one of the best-selling and internationally acclaimed writers of her generation. Today we celebrate and honour Val for her literary prowess and her commitment to speaking out on issues of significance, inequality and social justice. She has championed writers, artists and individuals in Scotland and beyond, and has long used her profile and talent to speak for those who may not have such a strong voice. We offer congratulations and thanks to Val on all her achievements.'
