Cream of the crop, pick of the litter, top bananas. Call them what you will, but here they are: our Hot 100 countdown of those who made their mark on Scotland’s cultural scene over the last 12 months. Despite the sustained financial pressures facing artists and businesses, from the cost-of-living crisis to under-attack arts budgets, the resilience and abundance of talent based in and from Scotland continues to astonish. So join us and raise a glass to the award-winning, genre-bending, mind-expanding creatives who have helped shape the cultural face of our nation in 2024.

100
David Tennant
Hot off his highly successful return to Doctor Who late last year, Tennant also reprised his Scottish king in Macbeth at the Harold Pinter Theatre. Bestowed with the Celebrity Ally Award at the British LGBT Awards, he also made time for Disney+’s hugely entertaining adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals as the devious TV boss, Lord Baddingham. (MR)

99
Isobel & Imogen Armstrong
These co-directors and sisters have breathed new life into the herb gardens of Midlothian’s Secret Garden Distillery. Botanical gins Wild, Summer, Pinot Noir and Lemon Verbena have won a bouquet of awards, while a firm commitment to reducing their environmental impact prompted a gorgeous rebrand and more sustainable packaging. (AS)

98
Brian Logan
Many know him as The Guardian’s comedy critic, but the Fife-born director has serious theatre credentials. Before his recent takeover of Glasgow’s A Play, A Pie And A Pint, he cultivated new talent at Camden People’s Theatre for 13 years and, before that, with his own company, Cartoon De Salvo. (MF)

97
Psweatpants
Camberwell-born rapper Psweatpants (with a not-silent P) has forged links across musical genres since moving to Scotland, performing and collaborating with the likes of Declan Welsh, Parliamo and Vlure. In November, he followed up his Life Was Shit, It Still Is Now mixtape with the more optimistic party vibe of the 2 Left Feet EP. (FS)

96
Joan Clevillé
The artistic director of Scottish Dance Theatre filled our lives with fascinating and joyful movement. Having presented The Life And Times online during covid, Clevillé transformed it into an unforgettable live event. The company also lit up venues across the UK with a gorgeous double bill of The Flock and Moving Cloud. (KA)

95
Ola Wojtkiewicz
Creative Edinburgh’s executive director spearheaded the Creativity And Innovation Project which helped engage over 15,000 creatives in adopting more sustainable practices, and oversaw many creative partnerships and mentoring initiatives across the capital. (BD)

94
Tallulah Greive
Represented by Edinburgh’s Strange Town Agency, Greive delivered an impressive performance as Beatrix in BBC Three’s Boarders which has deservedly nabbed a second series, while on stage she appeared in Chichester Festival Theatre’s adaptation of Jamila Gavin’s Whitbread-winning Coram Boy. (BD)

93
Peter Allison, Nick Ravenhall & Duncan McRae
Proving that taste has no borders, the team behind Leith’s Woven are shaking up blended whisky, rising to number 29 on Drinks International’s most admired whiskies of the world. Woven also launched a 20th limited edition, Friends In The North, and opened up a second blending studio in London. (AS)

92
Daniel Gillespie
Gillespie overcame the odds to bring back Tiree Music Festival (with a line-up including Heisk, Aoife Scott and Beinn Lee) after it was cancelled last year due to extreme weather. Gillespie’s own band Skerryvore wowed audiences across Europe and were shortlisted for the Legend Award at the Scottish Live Music Awards. (MMT)

91
Tweedy 
Aberdeen-born clown Tweedy (aka Alan Digweed) temporarily swapped the Big Top of Giffords for a stint at the Edinburgh Fringe with a lauded act in which his freewheeling character attempts to persuade everyone that he’s performing in a Massive Circus when in fact his whole world has shrunk dramatically. (BD)

90
Coinneach MacLeod 
The Hebridean Baker continues to rule the scone-based waves. Inspired by his island life, The Scottish Cookbook is no doubt heading for Christmas stockings up and down the land. A bit of an LGBT+ icon, he hosts a podcast for CalMac and also has the good people of the interweb learning Gaelic. (JL)

89
Karly Jay-Lewin
The creative director of Dance North ensures that the beautiful town of Findhorn is a hotbed of contemporary dance year-round. But the company’s annual dance festival, Rise, always cranks things up a notch and was once again a powerful, life-affirming weekend of performance and participation. (KA)

88
Khalid Abdalla
Opening the past 12 months with a sympathetic performance as the tragic Dodi Fayed in the final series of The Crown, he ended it as tech billionaire Ulle Dag Charles in The Day Of The Jackal. In between, the Glasgow-born actor starred in Complicité’s Mnemonic at the National Theatre. (BD)

87
Iona Fyfe 
The multi-award winning folk singer and Scots language advocate was as industrious as ever, organising the first ever Huntly Ceilidh Day, releasing her Scots language version of Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story’ to mark The Eras Tour arriving in Edinburgh, touring North America, and being elected rector of Aberdeen University. (FS)

86
Colin Burnett 
Following his short story collection A Working Class State Of Mind, Bonnyrigg author Burnett published the sequel, Who’s Aldo? Written in east coast Scots, it’s like The Sopranos set in Leith, and among the black humour, bampottery and violence of Aldo’s criminal escapades, there’s real sympathy and solidarity with Scotland’s most deprived and vulnerable. (CS)

85
Iliyana Nedkova & Wendy Timmons
Pomegranates, Scotland’s traditional dance festival, was back for its second year, led by curators Nedkova and Timmons. A mark of the festival’s success, they were able to sign up dance legend Jonzi D as choreographer-in-residence and keynote speaker. (LR)

84
Norman Bowman
The Arbroath-born musical-theatre stalwart has spent most of his career in London’s West End, but he hit the Edinburgh Fringe with quirky song-fest The Scot And The Showgirl. Performing alongside real-life partner Frances Ruffelle, Bowman made us laugh, cry and marvel at his smooth delivery. (KA)

83
Sean Wenham
There’s the old Jean-Luc Godard quote that ‘all you need for a movie is a gun and a girl’ and then there’s The Sims. Glasgow-based designer Wenham has ingeniously combined those two disparate concepts into the feature-length game Apartment Story, an innovative thriller brimming with potential. (KF)

82
Isis Hainsworth
Edinburgh-born Hainsworth starred in the Lyceum/EIF co-production of The Outrun as Woman, her curly haired, confident, ebullient and vulnerable take on Amy Liptrot’s character. She also shone brightly opposite Harriet Walter in National Theatre’s The House Of Bernarda Alba as directed by Rebecca Frecknall. (CS)

81
Chris Young
Young founded the Sean Connery Talent Lab, which this year gave 26 talented filmmakers the chance to develop their skills to a professional level. His efforts to provide a ‘national film school experience’ may help an industry in need of more Scottish voices both in front of and behind the camera. (KF)

80
Rodney Wages
Bringing a little Californian sunshine to Edinburgh, Wages uprooted his Michelin-starred restaurant Avery (furniture and all) from San Francisco to Stockbridge. He and his team fuse seasonal Scottish ingredients (including seafood, game and foraged produce) with global techniques to create dishes that dazzle, in an unforgettable multi-course dining experience. (AS)

79
Eyve
Glasgow-based rapper and singer Eyve Madyise released her Sista! Beyond The Sky Isn’t The Limit EP, featuring songs of identity and healing. She rounded off the year with a tasty nomination in the Best Hip Hop category of the Scottish Alternative Music Awards. (FS)

78
Nicola Benedetti
Benedetti notched up a very successful second stint as Edinburgh International Festival director, with highlights including the evocative light and sound extravaganza, Where To Begin, and the top-secret Up Lates events which featured a hush-hush appearance by jazz legend Wynton Marsalis. (BD)

77
Ruth Boreham
Historian Boreham has been shining a light on the forgotten stories of Edinburgh’s women for almost two years now. Her Women’s History Walking Tours cover individuals overlooked by the city’s traditional narratives, from miniaturist and calligrapher Esther Inglis to mathematician and scientist Mary Somerville. (LR)

76
Stuart Braithwaite
Mogwai’s multi-hyphenate added another string to his bow this year with Big City, a festival in Glasgow featuring a melange of psych rock, anxious indie, goth pop and literary talks. To our count, Braithwaite appeared onstage no less than four times, acting as the glue for a day brimming with community atmosphere. (KF)

75
Everlyn Nicodemus
Based in Edinburgh, Tanzania-born artist Nicodemus makes vibrant art in response to the global oppression of women. Her first retrospective is now on display at Modern One, an exhibition that was made possible by the acclaimed Freelands Foundation Award which Nicodemus won in 2022. (RA)

74
Joe Clancy 
First there was fear and then there was relief: while father John and uncle James were moving on from The Laurieston, Joe Clancy was staying put, his hands firmly at the helm. The pub many say is the best in Britain has lost not one jot of the alchemy that’s made it thus. (DK)

73
Kitti
In the year that soulful singer-songwriter Kitti finally gave us her much anticipated debut album, Somethin’ In The Water, she was also nominated for Best Vocalist at the Scottish Jazz Awards, wrote ‘Viva Palestina’ to raise funds for Palestine, and supported Hue And Cry on tour. (CS)

72
Arran Howie & Alex Bird 
Co-directors of theatre company Tortoise In A Nutshell, Howie and Bird brought Norse mythology to life with Ragnarok, a multi-media theatrical experience incorporating puppetry, film and live music. The show explored themes of displacement and climate change, and received rave reviews. (IS)

71
Len Pennie 
It’s not often that poetry books find their way onto bestseller lists, but Airdrie-born Pennie has amassed a huge following as a performance poet and social-media phenomenon. Her punchy debut collection, Poyums, showcased characteristic passion and humour as well as her delight in the Scots language. (AR)

70
Jo Mango & Liam Hurley 
Musician Mango and playwright Hurley headed the team of good souls who conceived A Giant On The Bridge, a gig-theatre show platforming the voices of those affected by the criminal justice system (from prisoners to support services to victims of crime) which grew out of the Distant Voices community songwriting project. (FS)

69
Mark Cousins 
Based in Scotland, documentary-maker Mark Cousins released A Sudden Glimpse To Deeper Things, his visual essay on modernist painter Wilhelmina Barns-Graham. That doc took the Crystal Globe prize at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and received a nomination at our own inaugural Edinburgh Festival Awards. (EH)

68 
Simon Donaldson
As Long John Silver in Scottish Theatre Producers’ touring production of Robert Louis Stevenson’s seafaring classic Treasure Island, Simon Donaldson effortlessly captured the villain’s seductive charm. He also attracted strong notices for his comic portrayal of Rick in the revival of Casablanca: The Gin Joint Cut at Perth Theatre. (JR)

67
Navida Galbraith
Leading the charge to reopen The Pitt on Granton’s West Shore Road, Galbraith and her team’s plans began in July with a successful crowdfunder. They’ve now rapidly converted the space from a warehouse complex into multi-arts venues, food and drink hotspot, and community hang-out. (KF)

66
Darcie Maher 
Having opened Lannan Bakery in Edinburgh last year using the time-honoured marketing tools of Instagram, TikTok and an hour-long queue out the door, baker and pâtissier Maher scooped an award this year for her stylish Stockbridge outlet from prestigious French good food guide La Liste (good name). (DR)

65
Mike Baxter
Scotland’s second House Of Gods hotel opened up on Glasgow’s Glassford Street. Behind its doors, the creative outré brand’s co-founder Baxter has conjured up another empire of decadence celebrating Golden Age travel. This summer, the group also announced plans for two further hotels, in London and Manchester. (LR)

64
Sophia Yadong Hao 
Principal curator at Dundee’s Cooper Gallery, Hao is recognised for her feminist and decolonial curatorial methods. She co-curated The Scale Of Things which examines human-nature relationships through three moving-image artists, including Scotland’s film poet, Margaret Tait. (RA)

63
Esther Swift
The release of this composer-harpist’s debut album Expectations Of A Lifetime furthered her reputation as a multi-faceted artist. Swift successfully combines her vocal and instrumental abilities with a love of folk, classical, jazz and dance music to beautifully explore themes of womanhood, metamorphosis and nature. (MM)

62
Sam Gough
In what has proved to be an especially challenging year for Summerhall, the work of its chief executive still shone through. Highlights included Fringe hits Weather Girl and June Carter Cash, with his summer duly topped off by scooping our Spirit Of The Fringe Award. (BD)

61
Emma Boa & Paul Ridd 
With limited funding, reviving the Edinburgh International Film Festival has been no easy task, yet the new production team of Boa and Ridd still managed to deliver a significant programme, from gritty opener The Outrun to a popular closing film, girl-band documentary Since Yesterday. (EH)

60
Fergus McCreadie 
Scotland’s favourite jazz pianist released the follow-up to his Mercury-nominated album Forest Floor with Stream, a collection of epic compositions equally inspired by Scotland’s nature but with more free-jazz crescendos than its folkier predecessor. He also featured on corto.alto’s Mercury-nominated Bad With Names. (MM)

59
Stuart McPherson 
With Some Laugh staging its biggest live show yet at Glasgow’s Pavilion Theatre, McPherson’s podcast with Marc Jennings and Stephen Buchanan has established itself as the place for local and touring comics to promote themselves. He also returns in BBC sketch show Queen Of The New Year and has announced his first UK tour. (JR)

58
Pam Brunton
Between Two Waters, Brunton’s clear-eyed dissection of contemporary food culture and systems, is an accomplished and comprehensive debut. That she wrote it while continuing to helm the stove at revered restaurant Inver, holder of Scotland’s only green Michelin Star, makes her a true force of nature. (JL)

57
Dara Dubh 
The Irish-born, Edinburgh-based harpist has thundered into ‘one to watch’ territory with her promising EP In My Element, which showcased a dynamic pop sensibility. Already selling out small venues, we’d be surprised if Dubh isn’t higher up this list in a few years’ time. (KF)

56
Mhairi McCall 
Deciding Scotland’s most well-kent monarch needed a musical as fabulous as Six, McCall and company Pretty Knickers brought Mary, Queen Of Rock! to the Edinburgh Fringe. A punk take on Mary’s life, it cleverly balanced an examination of misogyny in the music industry with wit and belting tunes. (LR)

55
Rosco McClelland
McClelland had us howling with Sudden Death, his animated and emotional Edinburgh Fringe hour. Offloading about his life-threatening heart condition, this hilarious and sometimes serious show earned several plaudits. The Scots comic also cropped up on Sam Lake’s podcast, I’ve Had A Rosé, Let’s Talk About Feelings. (RC)

54
Andrew Wasylyk & Tommy Perman 
Two of Scotland’s most progressive contemporary composers came together on Ash Grey And The Gull Glides On, an album created using random Fluxus-style guidelines to spark ideas. The evocative results harmonised Wasylyk’s pastoral piano melodies and Perman’s percussive instincts with bonus guest vocals by Aidan Moffat. (FS)

53
Izuka Hoyle
There’s no letting up for the Edinburgh-born actress as she made three notable screen appearances. Hoyle returned as no-nonsense Corinne for Channel 4’s second batch of Big Boys, showed up as a friend of the main character in The Outrun, and was DS Alice Finch in the new David Mitchell-helmed BBC ‘tec drama Ludwig. (BD)

52
Valtos
Valtos soared with their Julie Fowlis collaboration ‘A’ Chuthag’ while the sales figures for their Celtic Connections show were indicative of a growing domestic and international appeal. Meanwhile, the Valtos & Friends project culminated with ‘Hò Rò’ alongside Peatbog Faeries. (MMT)

51
Will Cooper 
The Wyllieum, a new gallery in Greenock led by Cooper, opened in honour of the late sculptor, George Wyllie. Dedicated to preserving his art and influence, the gallery houses Wyllie’s collection and exhibits artists whose work resonates with his playful and provocative practice. (RA)

50
Blair Ferguson 
Few have demonstrated the heights that can be reached from your own room better than Glaswegian prodigy Ferguson. Also known as producer BLK Beats, he picked up his first Grammy win for SZA’s chart-topping hit ‘Snooze’ (named Best R&B Song). Flowers are also due for Ferguson’s contribution to her SOS, which won Best Progressive R&B Album. (BI)

Read entries 49-11 here.