An Aberdeen-born missionary who went to work in Africa will be celebrated in a new documentary tonight about Scotland’s famous sons and daughters who have had their faces printed on money.
Chris McQueer, the author of the popular collection of short stories Hings, will present the programme Noteworthy on BBC Scotland at 10pm.
The hour-long documentary will feature the background stories of Scottish people who have graced the country’s banknotes, including Aberdonian Mary Slessor – who appears on £10 notes.
Born on Mutton Brae in 1848, close to what is now Belmont Street in the Granite City, Miss Slessor was the second of seven children born inn a working class home.
During her time as a missionary in Nigeria, she saved hundreds of lives through her work dispelling myths about the birth of twins, which was considered a curse, and a great deal of effort promoting women’s rights.
When she died in 1915, she was given the equivalent of a state funeral in Nigeria.
Other Scottish people who will feature in Noteworthy includes Dr Elsie Inglis from Edinburgh, who was among the first generation of British women to qualify as doctors and founded Scottish Women’s Hospitals.
She worked on the frontlines in Serbia during the First World War, and her memory was enshrined on the £50 note.
The documentary will take Mr McQueer all around Scotland, including Skye and Arthur’s Seat.
Mr McQueer said: “I feel like my spirits have been lifted, I feel like a tourist in my own country.
“It’s just amazing to see all these places for the first time, hearing all these amazing stories, it’s just been the most interesting, most fun I’ve ever had.”
