The National • 18th April 2026

Language should not be used to distract from the real issues

A teacher in Scotland told me children still are told off for using Scots –namely saying aye instead of yes – despite the fact that it’s been proven that a wider vocabulary and multilingualism improve literacy.

While there’s no doubt that English literacy is important, Scots literacy has benefited my life in many ways – connecting me to other speakers and allowing me to capture a sense of what it means to be Scottish today as a writer.

But despite the benefits of Scots being clear, an an...

The National • 19th March 2026

Scottish teachers encouraged to create AI children’s books

As a Scots language children’s author, I was outraged when I heard about the development from fellow Scottish author Kirstin Innes, who shared a screenshot from the body on Instagram – which initially went unchallenged when it was shared to Facebook in February. I proceeded to immediately reshare the post, stressing my heartbreak that such a thing even exists. The post read: “As it’s #NationalStorytellingWeek we thought it was a good time to tell you about an excellent tool available via Glo...

The National • 18th March 2026

We won’t save Scots and Gaelic if learners are slated for mistakes

This issue was brought to my mind when Len Pennie, the creator of the viral Scots Word of the Day, was left in tears after she made grammatical errors on a podcast while speaking Spanish. Pennie has not spoken the language for several years because she associates it with a traumatic time in her life. But when she pushed past her demons to do so, she was bombarded with comments telling her that her Spanish was bad. Pennie said that while “not being very good is not a crime”, she was “anno...

The National • 28th January 2026

My viral post in Scots sparked a lot of insight into how people see our language

In fact, there are only a few hundred folk regularly writing in Scots in 2026. That’s likely why I went viral for daring to scrieve in the leid on social media and was dubbed the “final boss of performative Scots”.

I’ve been writing in Scots for more than a decade but I didn’t even realise it was a language in its own right until I was editing my first novel, Be Guid Tae Yer Mammy. However, the signs were there, even if my formal Scots education was non-existent.

My great-grandfather emu...

Mail Online • 30th December 2025

The Holiday actor who escaped 'Misfits curse' after death of co-stars

The Holiday might be a modern Christmas favourite, but few people watching realise that one of its stars actually escaped the 'Misfits curse' that seemingly claimed the lives of his costars way back in the 1960s. We are, of course, referring to the late, great Eli Wallach, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 98, and lend his talents to the role of Arthur Abbot in the 2006 Christmas film. Like the cha...

Mail Online • 29th November 2025

Is Netflix dumbing down? How 'double screening' could mark death of TV

Now that we are living in the age of doomscrolling, Netflix writers have admitted that they are actively creating shows that will still appeal to those who can't put their smartphones down. In what some might describe as the dumbing down of entertainment, shows are reportedly opting for simpler plot lines, along with regular recaps of what has happened so far to keep the attention of absent-minded viewer...

Mail Online • 23rd July 2025

Strictly's Amy Dowden says why she refuses to look at rumoured line-up

Strictly Come Dancing's Amy Dowden says she had the 'hardest time' after ringing the chemotherapy bell when she completed her cancer treatment. The professional dancer, now in remission, is hoping to raise awareness of the importance of checking in with people even after they have got the all-clear from cancer. 'I was so lucky with my friends and family; they rallied around us, but there's so many people who to...

Daily Record • 21st April 2025

Stunning Scots beach hits market for less six months' rent in Edinburgh

A stunning Scottish beach has hit the market for a bargain £7,000. Located on the beautiful Shapinsay Island in Orkney, the freehold 200sqm piece of land has been described as a "fantastic investment opportunity". The average rent in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh hit a whopping £1,424 per month in March 2025.This means that for less than half a year's rent, you could potentially bag yourself your own slice of paradise - as long as you don't mind living in a remote location. With stunning view...

Mail Online • 7th March 2025

Twiggy fans find out how the model got her nickname aged 15

Fashion model Twiggy - real name Dame Lesley Lawson - was one of the biggest names of the Swinging Sixties, but few people know how she got her famous nickname. Famed for her large, dark eyes and short, bobbed hairstyle, her looks have inspired generations and saw her named the 'The Face of '66'. But even before she was scouted for an interview by a Daily Mirror fashion journalist at the age of just 16, her lo...

The National • 20th February 2025

Scots leid makes media more likely to stand test of time – but why?

I mention film and TV first, as while the Outlander books have been a hit since the 90s, it has only been in recent years, hot on the heels of the TV adaptation, that the Dictionaries of the Scots Language noticed a spike in searches for niche Scots words and decided to create this new resource of 100 words from Outlander for linguistically curious fans. This interest in the leid, which is used in in the series following the painstaking historical research of its author, Diana Gabaldon, is v...

Mail Online • 2nd January 2025

Meet the woman who turned to foraging all her food from the forest

Soaring food prices are enough to turn anyone to a penny-pincher with keen eye on discounts. But one mother decided to use her shopping bills as a reason to embark on an unusual, year-long personal challenge. Monica Wilde decided to ‘see if it possible’ to eat only wild food after becoming disillusioned with the spiralling costs. And she claims she did not spent a single penny on groceries in the 12-month period - but...

Daily Mirror • 31st December 2024

'Friends thought I was crazy when I said I was going wild camping — alone'

A mum-of-two embraced the life of a solo wild camper post her ruinous split, leaving her friends to think she was "crazy". After her six-year romance ended and sent her mental health on a downward spiral, Natalie Millar, 37, saw it as a cue to "take back control". Now, when her children aged 11 and 14, stay with their father, Natalie gears up and marches into Northern Ireland's picturesque nature to bond with the great outdoors. Defying the fears that it’s unsafe for a woman to camp alone, Nata...

The Independent • 3rd October 2024

Kevin McCloud reveals how AI will affect the Grand Designs of the future

Kevin McCloud has revealed how he believes artificial intelligence will help shape the Grand Designs of the future as the show celebrates its 25th anniversary.Speaking exclusively to The Independent ahead of Grand Designs Live, McCloud said AI will be an “empowering tool” that could streamline the processes, which the show has famously often documented going awry.“I think AI is going to really affect architectural design – it's going to be so much easier to replicate design patterns, to use AI t...

The Independent • 1st October 2024

Biohacker couple reveal daily routine that will allow them ‘to live to 150’

A biohacker couple who spend six figures a year on their quest for longevity have said they intend to live “healthily until the age of 150” with a rigid daily routine. Kayla Barnes-Lentz, 33, says she has been committed to wellness for years, and before she even met her now-husband Warren Lentz, 36, in person, she asked him for detailed information about his health and biology to ensure he would be a suitable partner for over a century. Speaking exclusively to The Independent, Ms Barnes-Lentz st...

The Independent • 19th September 2024

David Bowie’s childhood friend says he would have been ‘fascinated’ by AI

David Bowie would have been fascinated by AI but also seen its “pitfalls”, according to a childhood friend. The artist George Underwood – who famously punched the rockstar in a fight over a girl and left his pupil permanently dilated – first met the then-David Jones at Bromley Scouts before they went on to study art together at Bromley Technical High School and learn how to “think out of the box”. Despite their teenage bust-up, for which Bowie later thanked Underwood as it contributed to the alie...

The Independent • 29th August 2024

Kirstie Allsopp says mental health ‘crisis’ is caused by ‘risk averse parenting’

Kirstie Allsopp has defended allowing her teenage son to go interrailing around Europe and claimed that “risk-averse” parenting is contributing to a crisis in young people’s mental health.Speaking to The Independent, she said that children are being exposed to more dangers on their mobile phones than they ever could be through travel.The Location, Location, Location star, 52, was recently reported to social services for allowing her son, then 15, to interrail around Europe for three weeks with h...

The Independent • 20th August 2024

Six men fainted and eleven ‘walked out’ of my Edinburgh Fringe show, says comedian

A Scottish comedian says she made six men faint and eleven “walk out” out of her Edinburgh Fringe show after making light of a potentially deadly health condition that she initially put down to a heavy period.Marjolein Robertson, 34, from Shetland, bravely discussed her experience of a rare condition known as adenomyosis – not to be confused with endometriosis – which causes the lining of the womb to grow into its muscles. Symptoms include heavy bleeding during periods, and that is what Robertso...

The Independent • 28th June 2024

OceanGate co-founder organising trip to ‘portal of hell’ sinkhole

The OceanGate co-founder is organising a trip to a sinkhole described as the “portal to hell” a year on from the Titan submersible disaster. Located in the Bahamas, Dean’s Blue Hole is one of the world’s deepest underwater sinkholes and those joining the first manned submersible dive to the site are encouraged to “expect the unexpected”. Guillermo Söhnlein, 58, co-founded OceanGate in 2009 with Stockton Rush, who died in last year’s submersible implosion at the age of 61. After leaving the company...

The Independent • 13th June 2024

Edinburgh accommodation inflated much as £1,125 a night during Fringe

Accommodation prices in Edinburgh are being inflated by as much as £1,125 a night during the Fringe festival sparking backlash across the arts sector. In one case, festivalgoers could pay as much as £2,000 to stay in a prime Edinburgh location for the night, The Independent has discovered. The £2,000-a-night Royal Mile flat costs a considerably cheaper – but still expensive – £875 a night including service and cleaning charges in July as opposed to August. The problem is reportedly worse than ever...

The Independent • 16th May 2024

Edinburgh Fringe hit with spate of ‘exploitative’ job adverts ahead of festival

Job adverts offering young creatives the chance to work during the entire Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the equivalent of £1.25 an hour have been branded “exploitative”. An investigation by The Independent has found job adverts from an entertainment website and a PR firm attempting to hire reviewers and interns for as much as 10-hour days, seven days a week, for as little as £200 for the month. One of the ads, which is offered by the London-based company Impressive PR, offers a “token payment” of...

The Independent • 30th April 2024

Rio Ferdinand gives hate the red card with revolutionary new social media platform

Rio Ferdinand is encouraging football fans and those who want to make the world a better place to join a revolutionary new positive social media platform – where users get paid to watch ads. The decorated former England defender, 45, exclusively told The Independent that change is needed now more than ever, especially ahead of this year’s Euros. Ferdinand has described WeAre8 as “the answer” to the “bad behaviours” that are becoming all too common on social media platforms like Twitter (X) and Ti...

Daily Mirror • 11th March 2024

Backdrops from notorious Willy Wonka Experience spark bidding frenzy

The notorious backdrops from the doomed Willy Wonka Experience in Glasgow are being auctioned off and have raised over £600 for charity so far. Despite being nothing more than a piece of fabric with a presumed AI-generated picture of a land filled with sweets and the famous "tunnel" where The Unknown appeared from, these pieces of internet history have sparked a bidding war. The items have already had 45 bids so far and are set to sell for at least £625 each. But with the auction not ending un...

Metro • 10th January 2024

Londoner charges £68 per night for tourists to stay in tents in his living room

Ever wondered how to combine the rustic charm of camping with the hustle and bustle of London? Just head to Airbnb, where you can rent a tent in a living room for £68 a night. The basic accommodation in Soho’s Chinatown is described as ‘convenient to anywhere’, offering the ‘best location’ for those who stay. Its listing reads: ‘You won’t forget your time in this romantic, memorable place.’ And while we’re inclined to agree that you’ll likely remember a stay here for a long time, the romantic el...

Mail Online • 23rd December 2023

Girl with extreme food phobia will enjoy her first Xmas meal in years

A 12-year-old girl who stopped eating due to a rare but extreme food phobia will be able to have her first Christmas dinner in five years. Ella Witrock, of Pennsylvania, developed a medical condition that made her petrified of choking or throwing up her meals and would only eat tiny bits of food. She even shunned her favorit...