Another side of Lesley Riddoch

In case you missed it ...over on the other side

After each Riddoch Questions, we sit down and talk about how the show went. The production crew, guests and this week, visiting Napier University students sit down and pick over the programme that's just been. This week, the subject of Scottish politics, St Andrew's Day are discussed by this feisty bunch and Priscilla has an interesting take on the robustness of political debate.Click here to listen to the Aftermath discussion or you can subscribe through iTunes for free !

Listen to what didn't get on the air or couldn't be said...incidentally who will be the first to write a review of this podcast on iTunes ?

Yup... we are on Facebook

I have been persuaded to try Facebook and so a Riddoch Questions group has been set up.You need to join Facebook to be able to participate. I am interested to see what we can do using this type of technology. The new ways of bringing people together to communicate is something I have more than a little interest in. Being married to a propeller head, I probably see more than my fair share of wacky techie things that only a mad brain male could love. However, let's try Facebook together and see where it takes us.

The Fife Diet

Mike Small and the Fife Diet came into the studio on Friday feeling poorly. His diet seems to prevent him from including coffee so as you can see - I did the right thing. It was a great programme and you listen again over the Riddoch Questions main site . We have also recorded a wee podcast or free download called Aftermath which tries to capture eveything that just didn't quite make it on the air. It's free and as ever, I am always keen to get your constructive feedback.

Real luxury

People often imagine the Riddoch Question programme comes from some swanky studio where a team swarm over vast banks of computers and other equipment. Claire, our trusty Feisty researcher, has taken a few photos of the reality which I have posted. Hardly glamorous, I hope you will agree. Not a green room in sight.

Dr Jim Swire

The subject of the Lockerbie bombing is, of course, emotive. I have known Jim Swire for a long time. In a different incarnation in a different time, we both were involved in the screening of a film about the bombing. However, today it was an interview and I am always impressed with the quiet dignity with which Jim carries himself. Today was no different. I hope it came across to you.

Multiple email addresses

Guilt is flooding my system as I think of emails sitting unanswered at my BBC address lesley@bbc.co.uk. Because I'm an independent operator I'm not actually in the BBC studio between broadcasts and emails that arrive post programme tend to be sitting in the BBC's internal system, growling at me with impotent rage the following week. But we've managed to acquire a laptop with remote access so henceforth emails to either Feisty or the BBC will reach me fast. Apologies as well to folk who've texted, emailed or called during the RQ programmes to date. Must be the after-effect of having two hours a day to play with in recent times -- 45 minutes goes so fast! I think we've tended to pile in too many guests so there has hardly been room to breathe. That too will change with much more punter space -- so get calling from 1pm on 0500 92 95 00 if the subject interests you and you will get on!

This week our guest is Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora was one of the 270 people killed on Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988. In 2001 a Libyan Adelbaset al Megrahi was convicted of the bombing and sentenced to life. But on Thursday the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission will publish its report, widely expected to suggest Megrahi's conviction is unsafe. It'll be an interesting and emotional programme. I expect no-one will want to argue with Jim, but he has some very critical things to say about the Scottish judicial system. I hope you've time to tune in between 1.15-2pm

Dundee ... a new home

I am away today across the silvery Tay to check out new studios and see if we can bring the programme from Dundee. I always find Dundee a cheery place once I am in there knicking aboot the parish. Although with the current haar in place, everyone is going to have to be extra smiley. 

Running orders change

Trying to prepare and set up a weekly programme is a roller coaster ride. Bids for guests go in and out as the week moves along. This week's Riddoch Questions is going to be an interesting one. The prospect of getting Alex Neil in a week when he called out Scottish Enterprise over an IT system was too  good to miss. So plans are changed and I am going to take the microphone for this one. It is sure to be a good one.