Colin Bell (journalist)

Colin J. Bell (1 April 1938 – 9 October 2021) was a Scottish journalist, broadcaster and author.

Bell was educated at St Paul's School, London, and King's College, Cambridge, where he graduated in 1959 with a first-class degree in the Historical Tripos.[1] He went on to become a journalist with various newspapers, including The Scotsman, and was once editor of The Scots Independent. He made the transition to broadcasting with BBC Radio Scotland in 1984.[2]

Bell served the Scottish National Party (SNP) as Executive Vice-Chairman from 1978 to 1984, and was the party's Campaign Director for the European Parliament elections in 1984. In 1979 he stood as SNP Parliamentary Candidate for Edinburgh West,[3] and also as the European Parliamentary Candidate for North East Scotland that same year.[4] In June 1996, he was the 13th Scot to be presented with the Oliver Brown Award.[2] He later left the SNP to join the Scottish Socialist Party.[5][6]

Bell wrote Murder Trail: Death for a Living.[7][8] He served as Rector of Aberdeen University from 1991 to 1993.[2]

Bell died on 9 October 2021, at the age of 83.[9]

Footnotes

edit
  1. ^ 'Cambridge Tripos Results', Times, 26 June 1959.
  2. ^ a b c "Dr Colin Bell". Scots Independent. Archived from the original on 1 December 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  3. ^ "Candidates and Constituency Assessments: Edinburgh West". Scottish Politics Research Unit. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  4. ^ "European Parliamentary Elections: North-east Scotland". Scottish Politics Research Unit. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  5. ^ "Dr Colin Bell". Scots Independent. 11 May 2001. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  6. ^ Arnold Kemp (13 May 2001). "Devolution's sweet honeytrap". The Observer. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  7. ^ "Murder Trail". Foyles. Retrieved 17 August 2008.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ Colin Bell (academic) (2002). Murder trail : death for a living. London: Grenada Media. ISBN 978-0-233-05099-7.
  9. ^ "Obituary: Colin Bell, formidable broadcaster who delighted in being intellectually provocative". The Herald. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
Party political offices
Preceded by Scottish National Party Vice Chairman (Publicity)
1979?–1981?
Succeeded by
Preceded by Scottish National Party Vice Chairman (Publicity)
1984–1985
Succeeded by
Academic offices
Preceded by Rector of the University of Aberdeen
1991–1993
Succeeded by