Ian Rankin slams trams over mugshot mock-up

Published on Tuesday 23 March 2010 22:21

PLANS for well-known Edinburgh figures to promote the city's controversial tram scheme backfired yesterday when a best-selling author hit out at council officials for using his name and face without permission.

• Rankin claims the council do not have permission to use his name

Crime writer Ian Rankin told his followers on social networking site Twitter of his anger at reading of proposals for his "mug-shot" to help showcase the city.

The Rebus creator was featured with singer Shirley Manson, Harry Potter creator JK Rowling and the late author Muriel Spark in sample designs for the trams unveiled by the council on Monday.

Special liveries are planned for two vehicles, with another two available for sponsorship.

Rankin – who set his latest novel against a backdrop of rising anger over the delayed project, the property crash and the banking crisis – posted a link to a report about the designs on his blog.

But he then wrote: "Hmm … I wish they'd asked permission to put my mug-shot on the tram mock-up, or at least digitally aged me 10-20 years (tram-line ETA).

"Actually saw the mock-up pic in dentist's waiting room. Dentist came out to see who was making the teeth-gnashing sounds."