The latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast is a Bloody Scotland (https://bloodyscotland.com/) Prize Winners Special, with the first joint winner of the Debut novel prize and the McIlvanney Prize for Best Crime Book of the Year Frances Crawford (https://x.com/Franapunk999) and the winner of this year’s Pitch Perfect, Caroline Grebbell (https://www.carolinegrebbell.co.uk/).
First of all returning guest Frances reflects on an incredible year, and the critical, and popular reaction to her novel A Bad, Bad Place (https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/312651/frances-crawford), her experience of this year’s Bloody Scotland - including being a part of the ‘Gory Glesga’ panel - her incredible journey to being a published writer, and the enduring influence of Punk on her life and work. She also offers some sage advice to any aspiring writers.
Then Caroline explains what Bloody Scotland’s Pitch Perfect is, her winning pitch, the process behind it, and what winning means on a practical level. She then talks about her background writing for TV and film, and discusses her other highlights of this year’s festival.
It has been another extraordinary year for Scottish crime fiction, with the Bloody Scotland Festival (https://bloodyscotland.com/) once again at its heart, and the prize wins for Frances and Caroline are just two examples of how this is set to continue, representing both present and future.
Full details, including all the ways to listen, are over at scotswhayhae.com (https://www.scotswhayhae.com/)
29 Sept 2026
Halina Rifai - Creative Balance
For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to Halina Rifai to hear all about Creative Balance, a research and advocacy arm of We Are Here Scotland CIC, and Part One of their research which centres on the wellbeing of racialised people working in Scotland’s creative industries.
Halina, who is the Project Lead, details the research which is called ‘Finding The Radiance In Between: Reimagining Scotland’s Creative Spaces’, how it draws on group interviews held across Scotland, what drove the research, and its findings.
The two then discuss the method, who participated and where from, before Halina goes into more detail about the findings, the importance of the use of language, and what is planned for Phase Two.
They also discuss the subject of wellbeing - including the creation of the Wellbeing Festival - and how it fits with the rest of the research, and where people can read the findings.
It’s always a pleasure to talk to Halina, a central figure in Scotland’s arts and culture, but especially about such an important project and subject, and it was fascinating to be able to discuss Creative Balance’s initial findings, which are at times shocking but arguably unsurprising.
For full details, and all the ways to listen, head over to scotswhayhae.com (https://www.scotswhayhae.com/)
23 Sept 2026
Dinos Chapman - Sonica 2026
For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to artist Dinos Chapman to talk about his forthcoming appearance at Glasgow’s Tramway for this year’s Sonica Festival, but the conversation touched upon so much more.
Dinos spoke about the improvisational nature of his work, performances which have inspired him, the importance of humour and comedy - something he sees as inevitable, defying (or even avoiding) audience expectations, and how all of the above will feed into his Sonica show, unless it doesn’t!
The two then discuss the pervading influence of Punk, differences between the UK & the US, tapping into the past, working with, and away from, his brother Jake, the joy of making music, and why Dinos is driven to keep creating.
Dinos Chapman has long been one of the most celebrated and interesting artists around, one who has been central to the cultural identity of the nation since the 1990s, and it was a real treat to be able to talk to him about his life and work. It was such an enjoyable episode to record, and we hope you feel similarly as you listen.
For full details, and all the ways to listen, head over to scotswhayhae.com (https://www.scotswhayhae.com/)
Who has been a guest on Scots Whay Hae!
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Andrew Meehan
Chris Brookmyre
Marisa Haetzman
Natalie Jayne Clark
Gordon Meade
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
81,648
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
4.8 / 5
9 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 69 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
73
Social presence
0
YouTube
76
Engagement
85
Contact Scots Whay Hae!
Guest appearances
Books guests
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