Lesley Riddoch is a writer, commentator and broadcaster. She runs her own independent radio, and podcast company, Feisty Ltd which produces Riddoch Questions, a weekly topical phone-in programme fronted by Lesley every Friday lunchtime on Radio Scotland. She's also a weekly columnist for the Scotsman, shortlisted in 2006 for the Orwell prize for political writing. In the run-up to the May 2007 Holyrood elections she co-founded Votepods - old fashioned husting events with the novelty of bands and stand-up comedians "warming up the audience" and highlights on YouTube, iTunes and www.scottishvotepods.com

Lesley was founder of the feminist magazine Harpies and Quines in the early 90s, assistant editor of The Scotsman editing a special edition known as The Scotswoman written by its female staff in 1995, and contributing editor of the Sunday Herald in the late 90s. But she's best known for broadcasting. After presenting Radio 4's You and Yours and BBC2's Midnight Hour in the mid 90's she came "home" after devolution to present her own daily radio Lesley Riddoch Show on Radio Scotland for which she won two Sony speech broadcaster awards.

She is founder and editor of Africawoman, an online newspaper written by 100 African women journalists.

Lesley Riddoch currently spends spare time fantasising about islands - her book about the challenge facing traditional Hebridean society is published this summer by Luath.