Alison Rowat

Glasgow

Senior Politics and Features Writer at The Herald (Scotland)

Journalist with The Herald/Sunday Herald, Glasgow. Personal account.

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Articles

Reviews: Noel Edmonds's Kiwi Adventure, The Firm, Outrageous

1 week ago | heraldscotland.com | Alison Rowat

Noel Edmonds soaks up the sun in his adopted New Zealand (Image: ITV1) Mr Blobby. Swap Shop. Crinkley Bottom. Hairstyle that hasn’t changed since 1975. If this was a starter for ten on University Challenge, I wonder how many contestants would answer “Noel Edmonds”. They might have heard of him as the inspiration for Alan Partridge (allegedly), but it’s impossible to grasp how big Edmonds was in his day if you weren’t there.
Reviewed: Murder Most Puzzling, Mitford drama Outrageous

1 week ago | heraldscotland.com | Alison Rowat

This isn’t the first time Phyllis Logan has dabbled in crime. Her gangster’s wife in Guilt was more terrifying than any of her character's henchmen, and deserved a series of her own (quick as you like, Neil Forsyth).
Why do so many men hate Nicola Sturgeon? And what would Maggie have made of it?

1 week ago | heraldscotland.com | Alison Rowat

Former leader Nicola Sturgeon as she speaks to the media in Aberdeen in 2023 (Image: PA) I was in town last week, which gave me a chance to see how dear old Sauchiehall Street was coming along. Once a premier Glasgow thoroughfare, now (still) a scene from 28 Days Later. Those poor little trees are being asked to do a lot of heavy lifting. Outside Waterstones was a sign advertising an event in August. An author would be “in conversation” to punt their new book.
The Firm 2 review: Is this the real Aamer Anwar? I think it is

1 week ago | heraldscotland.com | Alison Rowat

Aamer Anwar in his Glasgow offices in The Firm (Image: PHOTOGRAPHER:STV Studios) The Firm BBC Scotland/iPlayer *** At the start of this new docu-series about the life and work of the lawyer Aamer Anwar, the man himself says to someone off camera: “It’s almost like a Line of Duty episode.” I have no idea why he says that because nothing here is like a Line of Duty episode, unless you count Anwar’s affection for Martin Compston-style waistcoats.
Call the lawyers, The Firm is back for a second series

1 week ago | heraldscotland.com | Alison Rowat

Aamer Anwar in his Glasgow offices (Image: PHOTOGRAPHER:STV Studios) Friday in Glasgow. Scene of many a scrap down the years, but few can have been stranger than this handbags at dawn fight over high heels. Not just any high heels. These Louboutins, with their trademark red soles, played a starring role in The Firm, a 2023 docuseries about the solicitor and campaigner Aamer Anwar. As The Herald’s TV critic, I was unimpressed.
TV reviews: Finally, Who Do You Think You Are? hits the mark again

1 week ago | heraldscotland.com | Alison Rowat

Who Do You Think You Are: Diane Morgan (Image: PHOTOGRAPHER: Stephen Perry) Diane Morgan was the subject of this week’s Who Do You Think You Are? (BBC1, Tuesday). It was, as they say in TV land, a bold choice. As her alter ego Philomena Cunk, Morgan has made her name lampooning the likes of WDYTYA, with its talking head experts and presenters who go on “journeys”. Her sitcom, Mandy, once referenced a show called Who Are You, Do You Think?
BBC Scotland's Shereen show comes to close after 17 years

2 weeks ago | heraldscotland.com | Alison Rowat

Shereen Nanjiani anchored STV News before joining the BBC (Image: Newsquest) SHEREEN Nanjiani, one of Scottish broadcasting’s most famous faces, has left BBC Scotland and the Saturday morning show that bears her name. Nanjiani announced the move live on air this morning. “Shereen” launched in 2008 and featured the Scots broadcaster discussing the week's news and TV with a range of contributors.
Genius Game: It was David Tennant's job to save this lame quiz. He didn't

2 weeks ago | heraldscotland.com | Alison Rowat

David Tennant was the host with the least in Genius Game (Image: ITV1) Genius Game STV/STV Player * Squid Game, the South Korean dystopian thriller about a fight-to-the-death contest to win millions, starts its third and final season at the end of June. Whatever grisly trials the makers have concocted, they will have to go some to beat the horror of watching David Tennant’s Genius Game try to come alive.
Take the Jaws test: We're going to need a bigger boat for these political sharks

2 weeks ago | heraldscotland.com | Alison Rowat

It might look calm out there, Ms Reeves, but it is not safe to go back in the water (Image: Newsquest) As the fallout from the Hamilton by-election continues, First Minister John Swinney might want to comfort himself with the thought that worse things really do happen at sea. Take, for instance, the movie Jaws, which has its 50th birthday this month. Steven Spielberg, just 28 when he made the film, would later describe the experience as “horrendous”.
Dumbstruck in Dumfries: I discovered my Scots great gran was a hussy

2 weeks ago | heraldscotland.com | Alison Rowat

Who Do You Think You Are with Diane Morgan (Image: BBC/Wall to Wall/Stephen Perry) Who Do You Think You Are? BBC1 This had the makings of a disaster. The BBC’s long-running genealogy show had chosen as its subject one Diane Morgan. As her alter ego Philomena Cunk, Morgan has made her name lampooning the likes of WDYTYA, with its talking head experts and presenters who go on “journeys”. Her sitcom, Mandy, once referenced a show called Who Are You, Do You Think?