Kenneth (Kenny) MacIntyre


1944 - 1999

Combative interviewer and political reporter. Born in Oban and raised in Tobermory on Mull, the son of a bank manager, MacIntyre was educated at Achaleven Primary in Connell and at Oban High School. He began by setting up a building company on Mull. He had begun broadcasting with Radio Highland in the early 1970s but this developed into a full-time career when his building company failed. He moved to BBC Scotland in Glasgow, becoming their political and industry correspondent.

Widely regarded as the best-informed, extensively-connected and hardest-working journalist in the Scottish media, he is perhaps best remembered for robust questioning which caused Conservative cabinet minister Norman Tebbit to walk out in the middle of a live broadcast. MacIntyre's advice was taken by several Prime Ministers and the Prime Minister at the time of his death, Tony Blair, described Macintyre as "more than a journalist, he was an institution". He turned down an OBE arguing this would compromise his journalistic independence. The re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1997 gave a new dimension to his work.

He died in Glasgow and was buried at Taynuilt. An annual award for reporting the Scottish Parliament is given in his memory. His sons have also had successful careers; Kenny is a sports reporter with the BBC and Colin is a musician with the band Mull Historical Society.


Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry arrow

If you have found this information useful please consider making
a donation to help maintain and improve this resource. More info...

By using our site you agree to accept cookies, which help us serve you better