9 November 2006

Countdown to Scotland's Top 10 History

Was Mary Queen of Scot's reign more significant in the history of Scotland than Wallace and Bruce? Did Rabbie Burns mean more than the development of Scottish Cities? Or did the Act of Union in 1707 have a greater influence on the development of the Scottish nation?

These will be the fascinating subjects debated at the University of Dundee on 2nd December when a live audience will be invited to decide on the most important historic events to have occurred in Scotland. The debate will follow a series of programmes on BBC2, Scotland's History; The Top 10, which will be broadcast throughout November. Presented by Neil Oliver, of Two Men in a Trench and Coast, the series will examine a longlist of 30 events in Scottish history culminating in a special programme on St Andrews Day, unveiling the results of a public vote to define the top ten topics. The event is being held in association with Caledonia TV, the programmes producers, BBC Scotland, the Scottish Council on Archives and the Scottish Archive Network.

The public debate at Dundee will enable a live audience to decide if they agree with the broader Scottish vote. It will take the form of five presentations by world-class speakers who will act as 'advocates', for each topic. The event will be chaired by Professor Tom Devine, author of The Scottish Nation. The 'advocates' include influential Scotsman arts critic, Joyce McMillan, who will argue for the importance of Mary; Christopher Whatley, author of The Scots and The Union, who will be encouraging us to consider the importance of the Treaty of the Union and Professor Charles McKean, renowned architectural historian speaking on how Scottish cities developed and influenced the development of cities across the world. Each advocate has a deep knowledge and a passion for their subject and will be intent on ensuring the audience understand the underlying issues surrounding each topic.

The audience will then be given the chance to vote on the issue they consider most significant in Scottish History.

Professor Tom Devine says, "Television programmes such as Scotland's Top 10 and public debates ensure that we keep our history alive and promote a greater understanding of the issues that have shaped Scotland as a nation. Only by understanding where we have come from can we hope to forge a better future for ourselves. We also aim to raise awareness of the rich resource provided by the Scottish Council on Archives who are the national guardian's Scotland's history".

Subjects to be debated will be:

Wallace and Burns by Professor Ted Cowan, University of Glasgow.

Mary Queen of Scots by Joyce McMillan, Theatre Critic and columnist for the Scotsman

Treaty of Union by Christopher Whatley, University of Dundee

Robert Burns, by Owen Dudley Edwards, University of Edinburgh

The Scottish City by Professor Charles McKean, University of Dundee

The inclusion of these topics does not reflect the final top ten, which will be voted for by the public.

The event is free and all are welcome, but you must have a ticket. To apply for tickets please call 01382 345 564 or email a.j.constable@dundee.ac.uk

NOTES

Joyce McMillan is theatre critic of The Scotsman, and also writes a political/social commentary column for the paper. She has also written on politics and theatre for the Herald, Scotland on Sunday and The Guardian. She is involved in Scottish and European campaigns for democracy and human rights.

Professor Christopher Whatley is Dean of the School of Arts and Social Sciences and Vice Principal of the University of Dundee. He has a special interest in Scottish history and is the author of the controversial new book, Scots and the Union (Edinburgh University Press, 2006) which claims that Scots wanted and have benefited from the Union.

Professor Charles McKean, University of Dundee, was Chief Executive to the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland before joining academia. His speciality is the history of towns and their interaction with architecture and history. He is the author of Battle for the North - Scottish Railway Wars and the Forth and Tay Bridges. (Granta 2006)

Owen Dudley Edwards is an Honorary Fellow in the School of History and Classics, University of Edinburgh where for many years he was Reader in American History. Mr Edwards is something of a Renaissance man who has published many books on American,Scottish and Irish History but also on literature.He has a high media profile with many appearances to his credit on TV, radio and newspapers.

Scottish historian Professor Ted Cowan taught at the Universities of Edinburgh and Guelph, Ontario, before accepting the Chair of Scottish History at Glasgow. He is the author of some ten books and numerous articles in such topics as Viking Scotland, the Scottish Wars of Independence, Scottish Political Thought, the Covenanters, the History of Gaelic-speaking Scotland, Scottish Popular Culture and the Scot Abroad.

Professor Tom Devine is Sir William Fraser Chair of Scottish History and Palaeography at the University of Edinburgh. He is the author or editor of some two dozen books and around 100 academic articles on such varied topics as emigration, famine, empire, Scottish transatlantic commercial links, Irish immigrants, urban history, the Scottish Highlands, sectarianism, identity and rural social history.

For more details of the television series please call; Hilda McLean, BBC Scotland Press Office 0141 338 2338

For media enquiries contact:

Anna Day
Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: a.c.day@dundee.ac.uk