Obituary: Alastair Stuart, CBE, founding editor of Scotland on Sunday

Alastair Stewart, newspaper veteran and founding editor of Scotland on Sunday. Picture: TSPL

After a distinguished career with The Scotsman, both in Edinburgh and London, Alastair Stuart was appointed, in 1989, the launch editor of Scotland on Sunday (SoS). It was colossal challenge and he had to recruit staff, form policy and create an adventurous and thrusting image: the mix had to be got right from the outset.

There were several dummy issues which Stuart edited, rejigged and rethought but the first issue in August 1988 was warmly received in Scotland and that success was thanks to the professional diligence that Stuart had brought to the project.

After the vans had left the old offices in Edinburgh’s North Bridge to deliver that first edition all over Scotland, the atmosphere in the newsroom was relaxed but soon became euphoric. After all the editorial meetings and discussions Scotland on Sunday existed and was in print. The ebullient Stuart raised a glass and told the staff: “We have all been in on the start of a great new enterprise. Now all we have to do is do it again... and again... and again... because a great future lies ahead.” The cheers echoed down the Royal Mile.

The distinguished journalist Magnus Linklater was the editor of The Scotsman at the time and remembers Stuart well. He told The Scotsman yesterday: “Alastair was a reassuring and calming presence during a period in which Scottish newspapers were just beginning to experience serious competition from the national press. He was a safe pair of hands and I trusted his judgment. Alastair ensured that SoS was on course. He was a wise old bird.”

Alastair Stuart was the son of a journalist on the Edinburgh Evening Despatch who died when Stuart was an infant. He was educated at the Royal High School and Edinburgh University, playing golf for both institutions. He then did his national service in the RAF (1945 -47) seeing service in India and then returned to Edinburgh to join the staff of the Evening Despatch as a sub-editor and edit the paper’s coverage of the Edinburgh Festival. For five years Stuart worked in Nigeria editing The Monitor.

In 1955 he returned to The Scotsman, moving south in 1966 to become the group’s London editor. It was a challenging appointment as Thomson Regional Newspapers owned a wide variety of papers and Stuart was a senior executive responsible for making the editorial and political policy of a company that was, then, one of the largest newspaper publishing houses in the UK. Stuart brought to the post an authority and knowledge of all aspects of journalism. His understanding of social matters, politics, the arts and business ensured he was able to file stories from London of relevance and interest to readers in Scotland.

John Marquis, a former colleague on Thomson Regional Newspapers in London, has written warmly about the working relationship he enjoyed with Stuart. “Alastair was the boss I respected most. He taught me a lot about management and was a very able, astute and charming man. Alastair led the London team with a cool efficiency.”

In 1988 he continued to work in London but was also heavily involved in the original discussions regarding the founding of SoS. Before leaving London Stuart was appointed chairman of the Caledonian Club. At first he commuted back and forth but as the pressure increased on the first issue Stuart and his family moved back to Edinburgh. The weeks prior to the launch were hectic and involved long hours, difficult decisions and endless editorial discussions. He was greatly helped and supported by The Scotsman’s chairman Bill Heeps. But the launch was a significant event: SoS was the first up-market Sunday publication devoted entirely to Scottish affairs. Stuart had to find the right balance between campaigning journalism, sport, local issues and preserve and foster a definite Scottish identity. The task needed a cool head and a canny journalistic nose.

In 1989 he retired but it proved a most active retirement. He remained an enthusiastic golfer all his life and a keen member of the Stirling Club after he and his wife Anne had retired to Bridge of Allan. He retained his connections with his former employers when he was appointed to the Thomson Foundation acting as a consultant to many worldwide journalistic projects.

He also maintained a high profile as vice-chairman of the D-Notice Committee pioneering a more relaxed attitude to the security services and promoting a wider understanding of the work they do.

Stuart, who was made a CBE in 1970, married Anne Stuart in 1952. Linklater commented yesterday: “They had one of the most solid marriages I know.” He is survived by their sons Lewis and Hamish and daughter Catriona.