PROFESSOR DAVID PURDIE was born privately and educated publicly at Ayr Academy and Glasgow University. Now a disused medical academic, he devotes what time is left to writing, lecturing and broadcasting.

He is a parliamentary speechwriter and editor for several truthful MPs, and for a limited number of sporting and show-business personalities. David is Editor-in-Chief of The Burns Encyclopaedia which deals with the life and work of the poet Robert Burns and is Chairman of the Sir Walter Scott Club of Edinburgh. He has a long-running humorous column The Major in the magazine Golf International and is preparing a translation of the works, on religion, of the philosopher David Hume.

He is in considerable demand as an after-dinner speaker, described in this role by the Daily Telegraph as ‘probably our best of the moment.’ He lives in Edinburgh.