Latest news with #Stirling-based
Scottish Sun
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Iconic author reveals shock at horror legend pal Stephen King's surprise Scottish football connection
The author is back in Scotland this week to launch the Stirling-based literary bash HORROR icon Stephen King left author pal Linwood Barclay stunned when he arrived for a chat wearing a Buckie Thistle strip. The two bestselling writers have been mates for decades but The Shining and Carrie legend's support for the Highland League minnows was a twist Linwood just did not see coming. Advertisement 2 Linwood is coming to Scotland and excited to meet his fans Credit: Getty 2 Stephen King is a supporter of Highland League side Buckie Thistle King, who has sold more than 350million books, struck up a friendship with the Moray club after he featured them in his 2020 bestseller If It Bleeds. And the 77-year-old proudly sported the green and white merch when doing a video conference with Linwood for the Bloody Scotland crime writing festival during lockdown. Linwood - who is back in Scotland this week to launch the Stirling-based literary bash - said: 'I did that Zoom call with Steve for Bloody Scotland four years ago and that was the sweater he wore. 'I remember because I thought, 'what the heck is that?' as I had no idea of his football connection.' Advertisement Now after writing over 25 best selling crime books the former journalist will follow in his famous pal's footsteps with the release of his first horror novel called Whistle. It features a children's author called Annie Blunt who moves to a small town in upstate New York with her young son Charlie for a new start after the tragic death of husband. But when Charlie finds a forgotten train set in a locked shed in the grounds of their new house it sets in motion a disturbing set of events. However, Toronto-based Linwood insists he wasn't nervous even when he sent his first draft to the undisputed king of genre. Advertisement He says: 'I wasn't intimidated by that. I think the fact is that if you had told me 30 years ago when I was reading Steve's novels that I would even know his email address, never mind emailing each other, then I wouldn't have believed it. 'But Steve is very supportive and encouraging. I feel very privileged and lucky to have the friendship I have with him.' Trailer for Stephen King's 'excessively violent' new movie BANNED by four TV networks However, far from talking about the grim and grisly, the pair normally swap Netflix recommendations. Linwood, 70, says: 'Every once in a while I get an email and it's like, 'are you watching this show, such and such?'. Advertisement 'I sent him a note last week saying 'If you've not watched it yet you should try Mobland (with Pierce Brosnan and Tom Hardy)'. I really hope they make a second season of it.' He adds: 'But it really is very troubling in the sense that I remember being at a book event a few years ago where all of the writers were sitting around saying 'are you watching this show?'. Nobody was saying, 'have you read this book?'. 'It just sort of hit us that the competition is not other writers, it's these TV shows where you can binge all this material at once. 'So I feel like you've got to write something that will make people stop streaming TV at least for a little while.' Advertisement Fans of Linwood's books, including The Accident, Elevator Pitch and Find You First, praise his explosive scenes. But the writer believes that is down to his love of 60s TV shows including The Man From U.N.C.L.E starring Scots actor David McCallum as Russian spy Illya Kuryakin. He says: 'That was my favourite show and from the age of 11, anything I wrote I was thinking of it like it was on a screen.' But the married dad could only dream of being a bestselling author when he grew up on his parents trailer park in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario. Advertisement In the early 70s when he was 16, Linwood ended up running the place following the sudden death of his father. He recalls: 'My mum managed it, but I did like, 90 per cent of the work. Including the daily task of burying fish guts, from the fisherman who had gutted their catch. 'I had to haul it out into the woods and bury it. So on days when the writing doesn't go well, I always think it could be worse. I could still be burying fish guts.' Linwood left the trailer park to begin a long career in newspapers until the publication of his first novel No Time for Goodbye in 2007 - which became an instant international bestseller. But now with his first horror novel he's hoping to emulate pal Stephen. The model train enthusiast says: 'My book starts off with a train set because it just doesn't seem fair to me that in the horror genre, when it comes to toys, it's always dolls that get to be evil or maybe a little mechanical monkey or a rocking horse. Advertisement 'So I thought, 'I wonder if I could make toy trains scary?'. I want this book to be able to do for toy trains what Chucky did for dolls and or what Stephen King did for clowns.' Whistle by Linwood Barclay is out now in hardback priced £20 and in audio and ebook from HarperCollins. For more info on the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival, visit the website.
Scotsman
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Bloody Scotland: Full line up of crime writing festival revealed, including author behind hit TV show
Bloody Scotland will take place in Stirling in September Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers 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... Author Kate Atkinson is to make her first appearance at Bloody Scotland to discuss her Jackson Brodie novels as the full line-up is announced. Ms Atkinson, whose Case Histories books have been turned into a BBC TV series, will speak at the festival. The line-up also features Horrible Histories author Terry Deary and broadcasters Steph McGovern, Jeremy Vine and The Rev Richard Coles. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Kate Atkinson will be appearing at this summer's Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival. Picture: Helen Clyne. The Stirling-based festival is this year curated by Ian Rankin, who will lead a Day of the Deid procession. The festival will also feature doctor-turned-comedian-and-author Adam Kay and veteran crime writer Christopher Brookmyre. The full programme, unveiled on Thursday, will announce events with Kathy Reichs and Jo Nesbo, as well as Denise Mina, Graeme Macrae Burnet, Alex Gray, Lin Anderson and Judy Murray. Festival director Bob McDevitt said: 'It has been an absolute joy working with the legendary Sir Ian Rankin on this year's programme and I think he has helped to deliver one of our strongest-ever line-ups. Sir Ian Rankin is the guest programmer of this year's Bloody Scotland. 'There are so many treats in store for our audiences this year, from established names writing at the very top of their game to brand new voices bringing a different perspective to the crime genre – roll on September.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Sir Ian is the first guest programmer for the festival, which takes place in various Stirling venues, including the Albert Halls, Trinity Church, Central Library and The Golden Lion Hotel in Stirling from September 12 to 14. In a nod to Sir Ian's famous character, police officer John Rebus, the programme also includes James McPherson, who made his name in Taggart and narrates the Rebus audiobooks, and former Coronation Street star Gray O'Brien, who recently played Rebus on stage. Alan Bett, head of literature and publishing at Creative Scotland, said: 'Bloody Scotland brings the big names of crime writing to Stirling each year, and 2025 offers an incredible list of authors, enhanced by Ian Rankin's role as guest programmer. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Of huge importance is the platforming of emergent writers. Bloody Scotland provides new Scottish authors the opportunity to launch their careers and build readerships, and for Scotland's fans of crime fiction, the chance to find their next favourite book.' Sir Ian, who has been involved in the festival since it began in 2012, previously said: 'Bloody Scotland manages to remain the world's friendliest and most inclusive crime fiction festival while also attracting the biggest and brightest names in the business to the city of Stirling. It's epic.' The festival will also feature L J Ross, the multi-million-copy selling author of the DCI Ryan series; actor and musician, Joey Batey (Jaskier the Bard) from The Witcher on Netflix, Chris Chibnall, the creator and writer of Broadchurch, and American bestselling crime writer Laura Lippman, who will be on stage with Mark Billingham. Fringe elements at the festival this year will include the Day of the Deid procession and Sir Ian's Whisky Night with songs from James Yorkston and Colin Macintyre.
The Courier
04-06-2025
- General
- The Courier
Businessman who plastered racist grooming gang posters around Fife claims it was a 'senior moment'
A radicalised racist who spent a fortnight sticking posters portraying vile lies about Pakistani 'grooming gangs' around Fife has been hit with a 'substantial' fine. Grandad Ian McLauchlan was caught on CCTV sticking up slur-laden posters around Leven, Methil and Kirkcaldy. The businessman and landlord, 72, claimed his conduct was a 'senior moment' but had previously told police it was a cover-up involving teachers and social workers. Fifers were left shocked earlier this year by McLauchlan's flyposting, which exhibited his far-right views. McLauchlan's posters claimed the Labour party had instructed police to do nothing about sexual abuse and heroin dealing and that local businesses were 'verified pedo shops', instructing readers to graffiti their premises. At the foot of his poster, McLauchlan ordered readers to view Stirling-based historian Neil Oliver's video on grooming gangs on the GB News YouTube channel. At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, a sentencing sheriff was provided with a three-page account of McLauchlan's campaign and photos of the posters. The agreed narrative of the offending revealed the first of his bigoted bills to be noticed was on a bus shelter on Overton Road in Kirkcaldy, near St Andrews High School. A dog walker spotted the soaking flier at 10am on January 30 and removed it before contacting police. At 11am on February 3, police attended Sainsbury's in Leven for an unrelated matter. Staff handed over an identical A4 poster a customer had found pinned to a trolley bay in the car park. The following morning, another witness found one of McLauchlan's posters on a bus stop at Groban, Leven. Police removed it and carried out a search of the wider area. They seized another poster from the bus stop on the corner of Scoonie Road and Haughgate Street. McLauchlan's flyposting was discovered again on February 12. A woman using the ATM at the Co-op on Methilhaven Road, Methil, noticed a poster on the Salvation Army clothing bank there. Having seen identical posters circulating on social media, she alerted police. On February 17, McLauchlan was finally rumbled by a man walking to work on Welleseley Road, Methil, who found a poster on a bus stop and alerted police. Officers were able to review CCTV there and saw McLauchlan's white Ford Fiesta van park up two days earlier. He was caught on camera putting up posters. Police traced him the next day and found a bag of identical posters on his van's front seat. Further evidence was recovered from his home in Bayview Crescent, Methil. McLauchlan told officers he 'knew this' from politicians who he could cite for court and 'they all knew'. He repeated business owners from ethnic groups were grooming young girls, that police did not do anything and this was known by teachers and social workers. McLauchlan told officers it was 'all a big cover up.' McLauchlan's solicitor Kerr Sneddon explained McLauchlan's only other – non-analogous – conviction was 15 years ago. 'It's particularly unfortunate this 72-year-old is in court for the second time in his life. 'This all seems to have started when a young lady locally had given him a leaflet about her own abuse – that was in 2024. 'I think what he's done is then researched all the things that we hear about and certain members of society – some of which are well-founded, it must be said. 'Of course, we know when you go onto the internet, if you research a certain topic it creates an algorithm. 'It creates more and more and more. I think that is what has happened to Mr McLauchlan.' 'With no disrespect to him, it may be I think some degree of age has kicked in,' Mr Sneddon continued. 'He very much accepts the reasonable person would consider these types of poster would stir up problems – quite significant problems.' Mr Sneddon added: 'He describes it as a stupid, senior moment and something he deeply regrets. 'He is still a very hard-working man, he works full time Monday to Friday and has his own business… and a separate business renting out properties.' At a hearing last month, McLauchlan pled guilty to displaying posters which contained racist and offensive material and sentencing was deferred for reports. He admitted that on various occasions between January 30 and February 15 this year, he communicated material a reasonable person would consider to be threatening, abusive or insulting. He admitted this breached the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021. McLauchlan spent a night in the cells following his arrest. Sheriff Allan Findlay ordered McLauchlan to pay a fine of £2,000 and a £75 victim surcharge. The sheriff labelled the offending 'in one view misguided, in another view very serious.' He added: 'The potential that this conduct could have in stirring up racial unrest will be marked by a substantial fine.' At the time, Inspector Matt Spencer said: 'We understand the distressing impact these incidents have on our communities. 'Police Scotland takes reports of hate crime very seriously and our officers are committed to ensuring this will not be tolerated.'
The Courier
02-05-2025
- The Courier
Stirling court round-up — Doctor ban and ditched stash
A Stirling man made threats to murder a doctor because he was unhappy with changes to his methadone prescription. made the chilling comments during an appointment with a different medic at the Stirling-based medical practice, adding: 'I'll follow him home'. The 51-year-old later went on to make further threats against the medic to employees at NHS24 and an addiction service in the city. Buist also faced sentencing for a charge of assaulting a shop worker at a premises on Murray Place by throwing a charity tin at his head and for acting in a threatening and abusive manner towards police officers. All the offences took place in November and December 2024. Solicitor Fraser McCready, defending, said Buist had a 'foul mouth' whilst under the influence. Sheriff Mark O'Hanlon ordered him to carry out 267 hours of unpaid work and placed him on a supervision order for 18 months. He is also banned Buist, of Broad Street, from contacting the doctor for two years. A motorist caught with three joints on his car dashboard during a police stop in Stirling was found to have a further £1,400 of the drug in ready-made bags. was also driving with more than four-and-a-half times the legal limit of cannabis in his system. A drug-dealer ditched £900 of tablets in the city centre before trying to convince police they were painkillers. was spotted outside the Cancer Research shop on Murray place, doling out the drugs from a plastic bag. On becoming aware police were nearby she tried to dispose of her stash but CCTV operators helped police recover the bag, in which they found almost 500 clonazolam tablets. The 29-year-old claimed they were over-the-counter medication. Bridges, of Hall Park , Sauchie admitted being concerned in the supply of drugs on August 15 2023. She was jailed for 160 days. A former Dragon's Den contestant from Stirling who donned a balaclava to smash his ex-partner's car windscreen with a hammer was warned in court, 'stay away from her'. , who appeared on television to persuade the BBC show's team to invest in his tech business, went to the woman's house five years after their split. A Stirling man has been banned from driving for a year for drunkenly retrieving his car after another person drove it without permission. was almost four times the limit when he got behind the wheel. He hit a parked car in the Raploch area, leading to police being called. Solicitor Fraser McCready, defending, said the 63-year-old had been drinking elsewhere and had not intended driving. However, another person at the house took his car without his permission and he 'foolishly' went to retrieve it. McLaughlin, of Upper Bridge Street, admitted driving with excess alcohol (87 mics/ 22) at Penman Court on January 6. He was fined £450.
