It's safe to say that 2019 has been a mammoth year for creativity and innovation in Scotland. From award-winning albums to groundbreaking theatrical works, we cover it all in our annual countdown of the figures who we feel have made the greatest impact on arts and culture in the country throughout the year. But The List's Hot 100 has a twist this time: we've got a Top 19 for 2019, though beyond that we're celebrating everyone equally because as we head towards 2020 and reflect back on the past decade, we feel that the Scottish cultural landscape is as healthy, bold and exciting as it's ever been.

David Tennant

The West Lothian native has had a busy year, launching a successful podcast, continuing his voiceover work and bringing to life the demonic Crowley in the incredibly popular TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens. (SM)

Richard Madden

Former GoT star Richard Madden continues to amaze in cinema with his critically acclaimed Rocketman performance while his role in 2018 BBC drama Bodyguard earned him a Golden Globe Award. He also appears early next year in war movie 1917. (JK)

Ninian Doff

Ninian Doff was better known as a commercials director and pop promo-maker before realising his lifelong dream by opening the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Boyz in the Wood had starry names such as Kate Dickie and Eddie Izzard, but this trippy Highland adventure featured promising young acting talent. (BD)

Karen Gillan

Karen Gillan returned as Nebula in the Avengers superhero mash-up that overtook Avatar to become the highest grossing movie ever (taking a staggering $2.796 billion globally). Not only did it earn megabucks, Endgame was also the perfect conclusion to Marvel's cine-saga. (HN)

Jack Lowden

After a decade of critically appraised groundwork in theatre and TV, Edinburgh actor Jack Lowden's star has risen exponentially in recent years thanks to sterling work in Mary Queen of Scots and 2019's Fighting with My Family, starring alongside The Rock. (MR)

Hannah Currie

A hugely popular DJ and music promoter, Hannah Currie's adventures in documentary filmmaking produced Lumo: Too Young to Die and That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore which picked up a well-earned a nomination for Best Short Film at the Scottish BAFTAs. (CA)

Mark Bonnar

It was hard to escape Mark Bonnar on TV this year with major roles in high-end drama (including Shetland and Stephen Poliakoff's Summer of Rockets) as well as proving himself a deft comic actor (Catastrophe/Defending the Guilty) while hitting the big screen in The Kid Who Would Be King. (HN)

Darren McGarvey

After Poverty Safari won 2018's Orwell Prize, Darren McGarvey (aka Loki the Scottish rapper) has become a champion for social justice, writing a regular column for the Daily Record alongside the launch of insightful BBC documentary series, Darren McGarvey's Scotland. (HN)

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