Date Published: 15th June 2026

(Knowing of course that he will see him very soon)

Yesterday historian, broadcaster and festival director, Alistair Moffat MBE stepped down from his role at the head of Borders Book Festival in Melrose, Scotland. The occasion was marked by a glorious brunch for 90 people at Bowhill House in the Scottish Borders. Hosted by The Duke of Buccleuch, the event gave authors, publishers, agents, friends and family all the opportunity to thank Alistair and wish him well for a future concentrating on large-scale cultural projects and, of course, writing more books.

Alistair and Alexander have been friends for many years and worked together on The Great Tapestry of Scotland along with artist Andrew Crummy, head stitcher Dorie Wilkie and more than 1000 stitchers across the country.

Alistair interviewed Alexander on stage at the Borders Festival on Saturday, to a packed tented venue holding 500 people. It was an event that rippled with laughter. The two explored the origins of No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, the latest comings and goings of Bertie in Scotland Street and talked about Alexander’s newest, stand alone novel, The Private Side of Friendship. This latest is set in a period of student-life in Edinburgh during the period of the miners’ strike of 1984.

They also referred to Alistair’s forthcoming book, Assassins and Secret Listeners and Alexander revealed his interest in ham radio which he said, was akin to train spotting.

Alistair Moffat was one of the first directors of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in the 1960s. This period in his life was described by BBC Radio 4 broadcaster James Naughtie as ‘Bringing chaos to the streets and hostelleries of Edinburgh’. He went on to head of the drama department of ITV, before heading home to ‘bring chaos to the Borders’. And he did so in style first with an arts festival and then the great Borders Book Festival held annually in Harmony Gardens and Orchard in Melrose. Over the 23 years with Alistair at the helm guests have included not only James Naughtie and Alexander, but sparkling names including Rory Bremner, Sally Magnusson, Michael Palin, Nicola Sturgeon, Kirsty Wark, Rosemary Goring, Alan Taylor, Allan Massie, Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, Hilary Mantel, Joanna Lumley, Jen Stout, Larry Lamb and many, many more.

The Borders Book Festival is one of the finest in the country. Its stunning setting and the welcome at Harmony House encourage writers and well kent names to return year after year. It is a house party for writers and a great treat for readers. It will continue in the care of the remarkable Paula Ogilvie who has worked at Alistair’s side for many years.

Alexander wrote a poem for his friend which was read out at the brunch event on Sunday morning. He has kindly given permission to share it here.

Historian, director, lowland shepherd.
 
A poem for Alistair Moffat

There are hills, some of them
Rich in historical association;
While others are content to be unnamed,
With contour lines unremarkable;
There are rivers, some the scene
Of significant crossings,
Obstacles to the progress
Of those on one side anxious
To settle matters conclusively
With those on the other;
There are towns and villages,
Each fiercely proud of being
The particular place it happens to be;
Each with its quota of people
Who have done something unusual
To make their immediate neighbours
Feel proud or at least less indifferent;
There are old roads, forgotten
By those who might make use of them,
But remembered in old maps, filed
Somewhere obscure and out of sight,
But reflected upon at last by those
Wishing to make sense of the past.
There are customs, some quaint,
Some a bit dark, others of such obscurity
As to defy the historical imagination;
There are groups of riders on horseback
Carrying flags, smiling, waving to those
For whom boundaries are important;
There are all these, and he knows about them all,
Can hear the language the land speaks,
The half-buried stones, the tumbled dykes,
The punctuation marks of a long conversation;
He understands them all, helps others
To share his insight, his enthusiasm;
There are festivals, times of gathering,
On which his characteristic handprint
Is immediately recognisable;
At which people gather to share
The knowledge he wears so lightly,
And so generously lends to his readers;
These are the things that make
This particular Borderer and scholar
Such an adornment on our mutual stage,
And gratitude is what we feel;
How fortunate we've been to know him,
How content we’ve been to be his flock.

Alexander McCall Smith, June 2026