The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Ricky turns focus on city childhood in book club show
Deacon Blue frontman and broadcaster Ricky Ross shares his favourite books and gives insights into his memoir Walking Back Home on The Big Scottish Book Club this weekend.
In an episode of the BBC Scotland show on Sunday, host Damian Barr will chat to the Glasgow-based Dundonian about his childhood and growing up in the Christian Brethren church in Dundee.
The latest BBC episode, the sixth of eight, also features Pulitzer-prize winning writer Jennifer Egan talking about her new novel The Candy House, and bestselling crime writer Mark Billingham.
The broadcast comes less than a fortnight after Ross talked about his formative years in Dundee in his home city.
In that DC Thomson subscribers’ event, held in the Counting House of Courier publisher DC Thomson’s Meadowside headquarters, Courier editor David Clegg interviewed Ricky about everything from his early forays into music to life on the road with the band.
Their chat was followed by an audience question and answer session, which raised everything from Ricky’s favourite Deacon Blue song to songs he wished he’d written.
After a lively and engaging hour, there was an opportunity for subscribers to get a signed copy of autobiography, Walking Back Home.
The Big Scottish Book Club has featured authors from Scotland and around the world, plus well-loved personalities to talk about literature and life.
The revised BBC format sees three guests join Damian to talk with him and share stories.
The line-up for the series has included Bafta-winning actor Elaine C Smith, literary grande dame Kate Mosse and cop-turnedauthor Karen Campbell.
Other authors have included Rachelle Atalla, Patrick Gale, Graeme Macrae Burnet, Armistead Maupin, Denise Mina, Chitra Ramaswamy, Ian Rankin, Bethan Roberts, Lemm Sissay and Sarah Vaughan.
Among the stars appearing on the series are 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, who is also an acclaimed author, 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.
“You get some really surprising connections and stories you just wouldn’t hear anywhere else.
“We are giving people the space to think, a space to disagree and a space to be surprised.”
The Big Scottish Book Club, featuring Ricky, airs on Sunday from 10pm to 10.45pm on the BBC Scotland channel.