Ian Donald Cochrane Hopkins
Ian Donald Cochrane Hopkins | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 July 1943 Darvel, Scotland |
| Occupation | comedy writer and management consultant |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Alma mater | London University |
| Subject | Economics |
Ian Donald Cochrane Hopkins (also known as IDC Hopkins or Ian D. C. Hopkins or Ian Hopkins) is a Scottish comedy writer[1][2] and management consultant.
Born in Darvel, Ayrshire on 16 July 1943, Hopkins attended Kilmarnock Academy before pursuing a career in Industrial Engineering.[2]
Hopkins undertook a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics at London University, following which he became a lecturer in Management at the University of the West of Scotland.[2]
Hopkins comedy writing career began as a contracted writer for Naked Radio, Six of the Best, Not the Nine O'Clock News,[3][4] Three of a Kind,[5] Naked Video[6] and Spitting Image.[7][8]
Hopkins has had three stage plays performed. Albatross Soup (co-authored with John Duignan),[9] Citizen Singh (co-authored with Gurmeet Mattu) and Every Bloody Sunday (co-authored with Gurmeet Mattu).
Hopkins has also had three satirical novels published, each co-authored with John Duignan: Skelp the Aged[10][11][12] in 2016; The Buick Stops Here[13][14] in 2017; and The Lambshank Redemption[15][16] in 2019.
Hopkins and Duignan began writing Skelp the Aged as a play, before deciding to make it a novel.[10] The three novels in the trilogy by Hopkins and Duignan follow hapless anti-heroes Mungo and Ethel Laird, in and out of trouble - and jail - as they struggle to maintain a living as bookies.[17][2]
Hopkins also co-authored Shit Yourself Laughing[18] with Frank Muir.
In 2020, Hopkins' satirical novella, A Glutton-Free Diet, was published by Pegasus Publishers.[19][20] The story takes place on the Isle of Arran and is set against the background of the New Labour government unveiling its proposals for a Scottish Parliament. The protagonists, in their own ways, represent the major contemporary influences in the 1997 Scottish devolution debate.
In July 2024 Hopkins latest novella, The Granny State of Drumhumble,[21] was published.
Set in the Scottish Highlands the novella is a "Satirical meta-fiction where Brigadoon meets Brave New World".
References
[edit]- ^ "Ian Hopkins and John Duignan". Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie Publishers Ltd. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
- ^ a b c d "The secret life of the Scots comedy stars". The Herald Scotland. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
- ^ "Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979–1982)". IMDb.
- ^ "Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979–1982)". IMDb.
- ^ "Three of a Kind (1981–1983) Episode #1.1". IMDb.
- ^ "Naked Video (1986–1991) Episode #1.1". IMDb.
- ^ "Spitting Image (1984–1996) Episode #1.4". IMDb.
- ^ "Spitting Image (1984–1996) Episode #1.5". IMDb.
- ^ Hopkins, Ian (11 April 2019). "Obituary: John Duignan, Scottish lecturer and comedy writer who wrote for Not The Nine O'Clock News". The Herald (Glasgow). Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- ^ a b Speirs, Kenneth (31 March 2016). "Duo book in for first novel: WRITE ONComedy tale started off as a play (book review)". Paisley Daily Express.
- ^ Pegasus Elliot MacKenzie Publishers ISBN 9781910903001
- ^ "Skelp the Aged". Pegasus Publishers. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
- ^ Pegasus Elliot MacKenzie Publishers ISBN 9781910903094
- ^ "The Buick stops here". Pegasus Publishers. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
- ^ Pegasus Elliot MacKenzie Publishers ISBN 9781910903216
- ^ "The Lambshank Redemption". Pegasus Publishers. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
- ^ Scott, Gary (19 April 2019). "Country gal with urban influences". The Herald (Glasgow).
- ^ JHJ22 Publishing ISBN 0993251854
- ^ Pegasus Elliot MacKenzie Publishers ISBN 9781910903360
- ^ "A Glutton-Free Diet". Pegasus Publishers. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- ^ The Granny State of Drumhumble. Independently published. 20 July 2024. ISBN 979-8-3336-5634-6. Retrieved 29 July 2024.