Why Lulu and Kirsty Wark should make Scotland want to 'shout' – in a good way

Kirsty Wark is to receive a Bafta fellowship, while Lulu will get an honorary doctorate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Among the ranks of famous Scots, Lulu and Kirsty Wark stand out for many reasons, including the incredible longevity of their careers. The former revealed her formidable singing talent in dramatic style more than 60 years ago – it’s hard to do justice to the opening word of her debut 1964 hit without actually hearing her sing “well” – while the latter hosted BBC Newsnight for more than 30 years.

Now Lulu is to receive an honorary doctorate for her "extraordinary" contribution to music from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and Wark is to be given Bafta's highest accolade, a fellowship.

Wark, whose stint on Newsnight turned her into a British institution, revealed she received news of the award on her 70th birthday, describing this as the “icing on the cake”.

Singer Lulu, pictured in 1970, has been described as 'the nicest woman in showbusiness' (Picture: Central Press/Hulton Archive) | Getty Images

Lulu, whose tour last year sold out, said she was “so excited to join students for their summer graduation”. They will be excited too. After working with her for a week, journalist Stephen Jardine described Lulu as “the nicest woman in showbusiness”.

In their own way, these two stars have given Scotland much to ‘shout’ about. Congratulations to both.