Directors of Edinburgh’s festivals are by their very nature a rare breed, but we had three future chiefs within our ranks: Nick Barley became Edinburgh International Book Festival boss, Hannah McGill was leader of Edinburgh International Film Festival, and Simon Gage headed the Edinburgh International Science Festival for almost 30 years.

Those who crossed the divide to become performers themselves include stand-up comic Siân Bevan, and synth-pop queen Lauren Mayberry as Chvrches leader and now solo star. Susanna Beaumont took her vital experience as the mag’s art editor to open up the Doggerfisher gallery and launch Design Exhibition Scotland while Avril Mair became editor of the ultra-cool i-D, and those equally fashionable bods at The Face lured Craig McLean into the role of deputy editor before he went on to ghostwrite Phil Collins’ bestselling memoir.

Early-00s editor Mark Fisher is one of the nation’s most esteemed theatre critics and finally turned his lifelong love of Swindon rock outfit XTC into a book. Mid-90s editor Lila Rawlings is now a successful film producer and won a BAFTA in 2021 for Sitting In Limbo while one of the magazine’s founders, Sarah Hemming, is currently theatre critic at the Financial Times. Another ex-ed Alan Morrison is Creative Scotland’s head of music while the magazine’s second editor Alice Bain has written extensively about art and dance. 

Back in the world of film, former editor Gail Tolley is head of documentary development at Minnow Films and her predecessor in the big chair, Jonny Ensall, keeps the decks spinning for the pop-up Detour Discotheque. Aaron Hicklin headed to the US where he was editor-in-chief of LGBT magazine Out, Lucy Ash is a multiple award-winning presenter of radio and TV documentaries, and Mark Robertson worked in communications at Edinburgh International Festival and now at National Galleries Of Scotland, while also joining the board at MacArts near his Borders home.

There are many authors with The List on their CV such as Doug Johnstone, Kirsty Logan, Alan Taylor, Claire Prentice, Miranda France, Alice Thompson, Kirstin Innes, Allan Radcliffe, Lynsey May, Arusa Qureshi and Charlotte Runcie, while Rob Fraser has gone on to a successful writing career in TV and theatre. His List contemporary Peter Ross has straddled journalism and book writing with distinction, claiming multiple wins at the Scottish Press Awards and is an Orwell Fellow while also publishing four highly acclaimed non-fiction books.

Continuing to have writing in their back-pocket, some moved into an altogether different field: Rodger Evans pens short stories and is a parliamentary speechwriter at Holyrood, Eddie Gibb moved into PR communications at thinktank Demos and is now spreading the word at Future Of London, and Andrew Burnet is interpretation manager at Historic Environment Scotland. Meanwhile, Jonathan Trew moved into the walking tours game covering the likes of Glasgow’s music history alongside one of the mag’s current veterans Fiona Shepherd (he was dubbed by Hank from Kentucky as ‘the guide with 1000 stories’), and Ellie Carr became a student of modern pain science, founding The Pilates Hub where she cured the lower back issues of at least one List journalist.

Follow The List’s timeline for more reminiscences from magazine’s past:
< The List at 40: Yasmin Sulaiman (editor 2014–2018) – ‘The List loved uncovering new talent and giving it a platform’
>  The List at 40: Kevin Fullerton (writer) – ‘This is a mag that’s existed in my life in some form or another since I was born’

Main picture: Scarlett Casciello.