Colin Thomas Currie (born 1945), who writes under the pseudonym Colin Douglas, is a Scottish novelist.

Biography

Born in Glasgow in 1945, Douglas was schooled at

Hamilton Academy Hamilton Academy was a school in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The school was described as "one of the finest schools in Scotland" in the Cambridge University Press County Biography of 1910, and was featured in a 1950 Scottish Seconda ...

before graduating in medicine at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

in 1970. He wrote a series of mainly darkly humorous novels following the career of a young Edinburgh medical graduate (David Campbell) from the late 1960s into the 70s and possibly 80s. The characters and situations appear exaggerated, but many of the most bizarre are recognisable, but altered and occasionally composite, figures from the

Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, or RIE, often (but incorrectly) known as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest v ...

and related institutions. The first novel, "The Houseman's Tale," was made into a short series by BBC Television in 1986 but not shown, after being held back for censorship, until 1987.

Works

* The Houseman's Tale (1975) :Edinburgh: Canongate * The Greatest Breakthrough Since Lunchtime (1977) :Edinburgh: Canongate * Bleeders Come First (1979) :Edinburgh: Canongate * Wellies from the Queen (1981) :London: Hutchinson * A Cure for Living (1983) :London: Hutchinson * For Services to Medicine (1985) :London: Hutchinson * Ethics Made Easy (1985) :Mainstream * Hazards of the Profession (1987) :Mainstream A last much larger novel covered a longer timespan and was well-received as a more serious work than the earlier series. * Sickness & Health (1991) :London: Heinemann Under his real name he has contributed to British

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...

's speechwriting team.

Honours

Currie was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in 2016 for services to medicine and

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for charitable and political services.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Colin People educated at Hamilton Academy Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish novelists Writers from Glasgow 1945 births Living people Commanders of the Order of the British Empire