Famous Scottish Media Personalities

Scottish author Graham Hancock spent his initial years in India, where his father was a surgeon. He later moved back to the UK and worked as a journalist for publications such as The Guardian and The Times. He is known to propagate pseudo-scientific theories through his books such as Underworld and Supernatural.

While she initially presented family and children’s shows, Gail Porter stunned everyone when a nude photo of her, which was part of an FHM campaign, was projected on the British Houses of Parliament. She was later diagnosed with alopecia and worked with charities to raise awareness about the condition.

Best known for his stint on the BBC One show Blue Peter, Scottish presenter John Leslie initially studied music and even worked as a DJ. He began his TV career with the Music Box show Formula One. He has repeatedly been accused of sexual assault but has always been cleared.

Neil Oliver is a Scottish author and television presenter best known for presenting many documentary series on history and archaeology, such as Coast, Vikings, and A History of Scotland. Oliver is also known for his association with the popular conservation organization National Trust for Scotland, where he served as the president from 2017 to 2020.

TV star and author Gillian McKeith is known for her pseudo-scientific theories, her sex pills, and her diet plans. The host of shows such as Eat Yourself Sexy, McKeith was warned by the ASA to not call herself a “doctor” in her ads. She campaigned against the vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scottish journalist and broadcaster Andrew Neil is the chairman of the TV news channel GB News. An alumnus of the University of Glasgow, he began his journalistic career while still a student. He worked for the BBC for 25 years and has also been the editor-in-chief of Press Holdings Media Group and the editor of The Sunday Times.

Lorraine Kelly is a Scottish journalist and TV presenter. She is also known for her charity work and has been a long-time supporter of the LGBT community. In the 2012 New Year Honours, Lorraine Kelly was appointed OBE for services to charity. In the 2020 Birthday Honours, she was promoted to CBE for services to journalism, broadcasting, and charity.

Born in Scotland, Andrea McLean was raised in the Caribbean. She later established herself as an award-winning journalist and broadcaster, known for her 13-year stint on Loose Women. She is also the bestselling author of books such as This Girl Is on Fire and Confessions of a Good Girl.

Scottish presenter Nicky Campbell was adopted as a toddler. While he initially wished to become an actor, he later focused on hosting radio and TV shows. Known for hosting Wheel of Fortune, Watchdog, and several BBC radio shows, Campbell is also a skilled musician, who plays the ukulele, guitar, and piano.

Born to working-class parents in Scotland, Ali Smith grew up to earn a PhD from the University of Cambridge. While teaching at the University of Strathclyde, she developed chronic fatigue and took a break to write. Known for books such as Autumn, she often collaborates with her partner Sarah Wood.

Best known for his collections of folklore, fairy tales, and legends, Scottish author and Merton College fellow Andrew Lang was also an avid historian and anthropologist who coined the term psychical research. His The World of Homer and his translations of Homer’s works remain invaluable to Homerian students.

Scottish broadcaster John Charles Walsham Reith, 1st Baron Reith is remembered for introducing the concept of independent public service corporations in Britain. He had also been the director-general of the BBC and the minister of information under Neville Chamberlain. He later headed the British Overseas Airways Corporation, too.

Scottish journalist Carrie Gracie, who gained fame as the BBC News China editor, made headlines when she quit BBC after 33 years over gender-based pay inequalities. Though she returned to BBC in 2020, she quit again shortly. She was married to Chinese musician Cheng Jin and is a mother of two.

Scottish geologist Iain Stewart once revealed in an interview that he initially struggled with the subject. A child actor, he later focused on academics and grew up to be a University of Plymouth professor and the UNESCO geoscience chair. He has also presented many BBC programs and been awarded an MBE.

Award-winning Scottish journalist and broadcaster Gavin Esler is best known for presenting BBC programs such as Dateline London, The Film Review, and Hardtalk. He has also penned novels such as The Blood Brother and non-fiction works such as Brexit Without the Bullshit. He also contested as election as a Change UK candidate.

Born to working-class parents in Scotland, Bertie Charles Forbes initially worked as a journalist in Scotland and South Africa, before moving to the US. He launched Forbes magazine, which focused on finance and business and was later taken over by his two sons. Following his death, his body was buried in Scotland.

John Galt was a Scottish entrepreneur, novelist, and social and political commentator. Often referred to as the first English-language political novelist, Galt wrote extensively on issues pertaining to the Industrial Revolution. John Galt is also known as the father of Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt, who went on to become one of the fathers of the Canadian Confederation.

Comic artist Eddie Campbell is best known for his creations such as Bacchus and From Hell. The Scottish-born artist has lived in Australia for a while. Known for self-publishing his works though Eddie Campbell Comics, the  Eisner Award winner later also started the magazine Egomania.

Though he played youth football for Scotland initially, Dougie Brown later focused on cricket and established himself as an all-rounder. Apart from playing cricket for Scotland, England, and Namibia, he also coached the national teams of Namibia and UAE. He has also been the director of cricket for Warwickshire.

Scottish economist and statistician John Ramsay McCulloch was one of the main promoters of the principles of British economist David Ricardo. He also wrote for The Edinburgh Review and co-established and edited The Scotsman. Once a University College, London professor, he was also known for his works on economic history.

Jack Webster was a journalist and television and radio personality. Nicknamed the king of the Vancouver airwaves, Webster was an influential journalist from the 1950s until his retirement in 1988. Webster's work inspired the establishment of the Jack Webster Foundation which gives away the prestigious Jack Webster Award every year to honor and promote excellence in journalism.

William Blackwood was a Scottish publisher and bookseller best remembered for establishing the popular publishing house, William Blackwood and Sons. He is also credited with founding the Edinburgh Monthly Magazine, which was renamed Blackwood’s Magazine in 1905. 

James Tytler made history by becoming the first person from Britain to ride on a hot air balloon and thus became known as Balloon Tytler. The Scottish apothecary also edited the second edition of Encyclopedia Britannica and was branded an eccentric by many for his innovative aviation experiments.