A North Lanarkshire village will get a special “shout out” on television this weekend.
The new series of The Scottish Book Club, which starts on the BBC Scotland channel on Sunday, October 30, is being hosted by author Damian Barr.
Damian grew up in Newarthill and in the first episode he will be joined for some book chat by Elaine C. Smith, who also grew up in the village.
There have been three previous series of the popular BBC Scotland discussion show, and as they turn the page for this fourth series they will be ramping up the chat.
Damian will meet some of the biggest authors in Scotland, the UK and beyond, but he will also be combining them with well-loved personalities to talk literature and life with a big dose of insight and laughs.
As they launch the first show, he will be joined by BAFTA-winning actor Elaine C Smith – renowned as Christine in the comedy hit Two Doors Down – international best-selling novelist Kate Mosse, and cop turned author Karen Campbell.
The revised format, will see all three guests join Damian on set together to talk to him and share stories with each other.
Damian said: “I love it. I get to meet people whose work I’ve admired; people whose work has intrigued me. And they get a chance to talk to each other which is the really nice part of our new format.
“So it’s not just me talking to them, they are also talking to each other. And you get some really surprising connections and stories you just wouldn’t hear anywhere else.”
In the first episode novelist Mosse will discuss her love of Miss Marple and new book Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries and Karen talks about her latest novel, Paper Cup.
The readers of Arran also give their thoughts on Scottish classic The Trick Is To Keep Breathing by Janice Galloway, and people at The Great Tapestry of Scotland in Galashiels reveal their reading recommendations.
A radical mix of other authors lined up to appear in further episodes includes Rachelle Atalla, Mark Billingham, Jennifer Egan, Patrick Gale, Graeme Macrae Burnet, Armistead Maupin, Denise Mina, Chitra Ramaswamy, Ian Rankin, Bethan Roberts, Lemm Sissay and Sarah Vaughan.
And among the stars booked for the series – many of whom are also authors or writers in their own right – are Deacon Blue’s Ricky Ross, comedian Josie Long, football legend Pat Nevin, Still Game’s Gavin Mitchell, broadcasters Stuart Cosgrove and Andrew Cotter, The Fast Show’s Charlie Higson and the Reverend Richard Coles.
Damian continued: “What I love about this show is that we are giving people the space to think, and a space to disagree and a space to be surprised. As well as all that, brilliant cultural insight and chat we find out from Elaine what her iconic creation Christine would read. Where else can you get all that?”
The forthcoming series of eight episodes of The Big Scottish Book Club, which is an IWC production for BBC Scotland, will also feature reviews and recommendations from book clubs from around the country.
The show airs on Sundays at 10pm.
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