Scottish writer and broadcaster Val McDermid was BOTD in 1955. Born in Kirkcaldy in Fife to a working-class family, she became the first student from a Scottish state school to attend St Hilda’s College at the University of Oxford. After graduating, she worked as a journalist and playwright. Her found success as a writer of crime fiction, publishing Report for Murder in 1987. She is best known for her crime novel series featuring clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill. Notable for their graphic depictions of violence and torture and their accuracy to the forensic details of violent crime, they established McDermid as the leading figure in the “Tartan Noir” crime writing movement. In 2002, the Tony Hill novels were adapted into the popular TV drama series Wire in the Blood, running for six seasons. McDermid’s novel series featuring young detective sergeant Karen Pirie was adapted for television in 2022. The recipient of numerous literary awards, including a Fellowship of the Royal Society of Literature, she was appointed Visiting Professor of Scottish Studies and Crime Fiction at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. She is also a popular broadcaster for BBC Radio. Openly lesbian since forever, she married her partner Jo Sharp in 2016.