Date Published: 24th August 2026

From the ‘i’ on Alexander’s Positive Distraction Podcast

‘Warm and comforting, these bite-sized tales are a tonic’ ‘Positivity and finding comfort in the everyday are arguably the defining features of McCall Smith’s extensive literary back catalogue of more than 100 novels’ FIVE STARS

From the Sunday Post on Alexander’s Positive Distraction Podcast

‘Alexander’s Positive Distraction podcast chosen as ‘Pick of the Podcasts’, ‘the perfect listen before bed or when unwinding after a particularly stressful day’

From The Guardian – Podcast of the Week!

The Week – featured in their article on Podcasts

From David Robinson in The Scotsman on his Edinburgh International Book Festival performance

‘Alexander McCall Smith’s impromptu wit is never knowingly cruel, even though he admits that Edinburgh – Morningside in particular – can be a rather disapproving place.

His whole life changed, he noted, when he wrote a four-page short story about a woman in Botswana called Precious Ramotswe and found he couldn’t resist writing more about her No1 Ladies Detective Agency.

“Had I chosen another business for her to start – a dry cleaning business rather than a detective agency – my life would have been different, because dry cleaning novels are generally less popular than detective novels. There’s no reason for that: a lot of interesting things happen in the world of dry cleaning and I think it’s only a matter of time before we see dry cleaning novels developing.” The Scotsman 21 August, 2026