Lesley Riddoch
Encyclopedia
Lesley Riddoch is a British
radio broadcaster and journalist who lives in Perth.
then moved to Glasgow
in 1973 where she attended a local fee-paying private school. In 1978 she attended the University of Oxford
and graduated with an honours degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
. She was also elected president of the student union
in 1981, although she was neither the university's first female president nor its first non-Conservative president as she has sometimes claimed. After graduating she studied for a postgraduate diploma in journalism at Cardiff University
.
which during its lifetime was sued by the publication Harpers & Queen. The magazine was later declared bankrupt for unrelated reasons.
During the years 1993 to 1999 she was the contributing editor of the Sunday Herald
and assistant editor of The Scotsman
. She was editor of a special one-off edition of the Scotsman known as The Scotswoman produced by the paper's female staff.
She writes columns in The Sunday Post
,The Scotsman
, and occasionally contributes to The Guardian
. In 2006 she was shortlisted for the Orwell prize, an award given to those making political writing accessible.
programme Speaking Out and was one of the presenters of Radio Four programme You and Yours
. In 1992 theYou and Yours production team won the Plain English
special award and the Norman McEwen award for Civil Liberties
. In 1993 Riddoch won a Cosmopolitan
woman award for Communication and in 1994 for the best talk show award. Her programme Speaking Out took the Silver Quill Law Society
award that same year.
Between 1999 and 2005 she had her own daily radio programme the Lesley Riddoch Programme on Radio Scotland.
and Powerhouse
on Channel 4
.
She currently runs her own independent radio, podcast
and TV production company known as Feisty Ltd. In 2004 she chaired the Celtic Film and Television Festival, a small festival rewarding non-English language productions. In 2008, she produced and presented an independent documentary about the history and development of the Dundee waterfront called "The Great Tay Bridge Mystery - Who Dunnit ?"
by the local community. She assisted in putting together the buyout plan and later became a trustee of the Isle of Eigg trust. The trust bought the island in 1997.
In 2008, Riddoch served as a member of the Scottish Prisons Commission
. In 2009, she acted as Chair in Task Force, set up by the Scottish Government, to transfer the island of Rum into community ownership from Scottish Natural Heritage.
Riddoch has also co-authored a joke book with Ian Black
on men and women. In 2007, she published her account of a cycle journey up the Outer Hebrides, Riddoch on the Outer Hebrides. This book had been based on a BBC Radio Scotland series On the Bike; in which over 13 weeks Riddoch cycled from Barra to the Butt of Lewis meeting the characters, enjoying the craic and observing the customs of the Hebridean Islands.
She has also worked with African women journalists to help them create a monthly webpaper called Africawoman - three editions of their own paper were distributed on trains and buses in Scotland prior to the Gleneagles summit 2005. She later received an Honorary Doctorate for the work from Glasgow Caledonian University
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
radio broadcaster and journalist who lives in Perth.
Early career
Lesley Riddoch was born in England in 1963, spent her childhood in BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
then moved to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in 1973 where she attended a local fee-paying private school. In 1978 she attended the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and graduated with an honours degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Philosophy, politics, and economics is a popular interdisciplinary undergraduate/graduate degree which combines study from the three disciplines...
. She was also elected president of the student union
Oxford University Student Union
The Oxford University Student Union is the official students' union of the University of Oxford. It is better known in Oxford by its acronym, OUSU . It exists to represent Oxford University students in the University's decision-making, to act as the voice for students in the national higher...
in 1981, although she was neither the university's first female president nor its first non-Conservative president as she has sometimes claimed. After graduating she studied for a postgraduate diploma in journalism at Cardiff University
Cardiff University
Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
.
Journalism
She founded and directed a feminist magazine known as Harpies and QuinesHarpies and Quines
Harpies and Quines was a feminist magazine founded by seven women living and working in Scotland including the journalist and broadcaster Lesley Riddoch and published in Scotland between 1992 and 1994. The women were: 2 community workers, 2 journalists, 1 illustrator, 1 film editor and graphic...
which during its lifetime was sued by the publication Harpers & Queen. The magazine was later declared bankrupt for unrelated reasons.
During the years 1993 to 1999 she was the contributing editor of the Sunday Herald
Sunday Herald
The Sunday Herald is a Scottish Sunday newspaper launched on 7 February 1999. The ABC audited circulation in April 2011 showed sales of 31,123.From the start it has combined a centre-left stance with support for Scottish devolution...
and assistant editor of The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
. She was editor of a special one-off edition of the Scotsman known as The Scotswoman produced by the paper's female staff.
She writes columns in The Sunday Post
The Sunday Post
The Sunday Post is a weekly newspaper published in Dundee, Scotland by DC Thomson, and characterised by a 'folksy' mix of news, sentimental stories and short features...
,The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
, and occasionally contributes to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. In 2006 she was shortlisted for the Orwell prize, an award given to those making political writing accessible.
Radio
From 1989 to 1994 she presented the BBC Radio ScotlandBBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland is BBC Scotland's national English-language radio network. It broadcasts a wide variety of programming, including news, sport, light entertainment, music, the arts, comedy, drama, history and lifestyle...
programme Speaking Out and was one of the presenters of Radio Four programme You and Yours
You and Yours
You and Yours is a British radio consumer affairs programme, broadcast on BBC Radio 4.-History:It began broadcasting in October 1970, its first presenter was Joan York. In the great rescheduling of April 1998 it was increased from a 25 minute programme to 55 minutes. In the 1980s it briefly ran...
. In 1992 theYou and Yours production team won the Plain English
Plain English
Plain English is a generic term for communication styles that emphasise clarity, brevity and the avoidance of technical language – particularly in relation to official government communication, including laws.The intention is to write in a manner that is easily understood by the target...
special award and the Norman McEwen award for Civil Liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
. In 1993 Riddoch won a Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
woman award for Communication and in 1994 for the best talk show award. Her programme Speaking Out took the Silver Quill Law Society
Law society
A Law Society in current and former Commonwealth jurisdictions was historically an association of solicitors with a regulatory role that included the right to supervise the training, qualifications and conduct of lawyers/solicitors...
award that same year.
Between 1999 and 2005 she had her own daily radio programme the Lesley Riddoch Programme on Radio Scotland.
Television
Riddoch presented television programmes of which include the Midnight Hour on BBC2, and The People's ParliamentThe People's Parliament
The People's Parliament was a Channel 4 programme in which 90-100 randomly selected citizens, sitting in a mockup of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, debated and voted on controversial issues. Each programme started with a motion that was then debated by a proposer and witnesses for each...
and Powerhouse
Powerhouse
Powerhouse or Power House may refer to:* Power station, a facility for the generation of electric power* The Power-House, a 1916 novel by John Buchan* Powerhouse Arts District, Jersey City...
on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
.
She currently runs her own independent radio, podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
and TV production company known as Feisty Ltd. In 2004 she chaired the Celtic Film and Television Festival, a small festival rewarding non-English language productions. In 2008, she produced and presented an independent documentary about the history and development of the Dundee waterfront called "The Great Tay Bridge Mystery - Who Dunnit ?"
Other work
Riddoch was involved in the buyout of the Isle of EiggEigg
Eigg is one of the Small Isles, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It lies to the south of the Skye and to the north of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Eigg is long from north to south, and east to west. With an area of , it is the second largest of the Small Isles after Rùm.-Geography:The main...
by the local community. She assisted in putting together the buyout plan and later became a trustee of the Isle of Eigg trust. The trust bought the island in 1997.
In 2008, Riddoch served as a member of the Scottish Prisons Commission
Scottish Prisons Commission
The Scottish Prisons Commission was a commission established by the Scottish Government in 2007 to "analyse the impact for courts, prisons and community justice services of early release provisions contained in the Custodial Sentences and Weapons Act 2007".-Terms of reference:The terms of...
. In 2009, she acted as Chair in Task Force, set up by the Scottish Government, to transfer the island of Rum into community ownership from Scottish Natural Heritage.
Riddoch has also co-authored a joke book with Ian Black
Ian Black
Ian Black is a British journalist and author focusing on international political issues. He is currently Middle East editor at The Guardian newspaper, where he has worked since 1980 as a reporter, Middle East correspondent, diplomatic editor, European editor and leader writer.-Awards:In 2010, Ian...
on men and women. In 2007, she published her account of a cycle journey up the Outer Hebrides, Riddoch on the Outer Hebrides. This book had been based on a BBC Radio Scotland series On the Bike; in which over 13 weeks Riddoch cycled from Barra to the Butt of Lewis meeting the characters, enjoying the craic and observing the customs of the Hebridean Islands.
She has also worked with African women journalists to help them create a monthly webpaper called Africawoman - three editions of their own paper were distributed on trains and buses in Scotland prior to the Gleneagles summit 2005. She later received an Honorary Doctorate for the work from Glasgow Caledonian University
Glasgow Caledonian University
Glasgow Caledonian University is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland.The university was constituted by an Act of Parliament on 1 April 1993 as a result of a merger between Glasgow Polytechnic and The Queen's College, Glasgow....
.