Livingston-born Ian Colquhoun is a neurodivergent author, actor, stuntman, and historian. Aged 24, he suffered an unprovoked, brutally violent assault, resulting in the loss of his legs. He has since channelled his energy into writing a diverse range of acclaimed books. Ian Colquhoun, Scottish author, actor and historian Born in Livingston in 1978, Ian Colquhoun has written 12 books so far, on a broad spectrum of subjects. A social history of his hometown. Intriguing histories plunging readers into Ireland’s ‘Great Hunger,’ the Battle of Culloden, and colonial warfare in Victorian Sudan. Histories of his beloved Hibernian Football Club, from anniversaries of key events for each day of the year, to the story of the club's most turbulent period, 1990 to 1991, when Hibs battled back from near extinction to win Hampden silverware. But his candid autobiography, Burnt, a jaw-dropping account of survival defying the term nonfiction, truly sears into the reader's imagination. Aged 24, while living in Ireland, Ian was the victim of an unprovoked assault. Knocked unconscious by a pickaxe, he was left for dead when the house he was in was set alight. Dragged free by a police officer, as he remained in a coma, his mother concurred with the agonising decision presented by Ian’s medical staff: both legs were so badly burnt - right to the bone - they required amputation. Before emerging from the seven-week coma, he received the last rites three times. But Ian’s story is one of off-the-scale resilience. Multiple operations and years of painful rehabilitation have imbued a fierce resolve. For this remarkable and inspirational young man, unbelievable tragedy has become cathartic. Although wheelchair-bound, he passed his driving test. He has trained as a stunt man. Turning to acting, he played a wounded sailor in a 2007 made-for-TV documentary, Ocean of Fear: Worst Shark Attack Ever, about the aftermath of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in the Pacific Ocean during World War Two. Anyone who has seen Steven Spielberg's Jaws will be familiar with one iconic scene, where Richard Shaw's Quint describes being one of the stricken vessel's shipwrecked crew floundering amongst a shark feeding frenzy. His co-star, Richard Dreyfuss was the documentary's commentator. Ian's acting career progressed to an episode of long-running Scottish crime drama, Taggart. He appeared in a promotional film credited with helping Scotland being awarded 2014's Commonwealth games. Not only has he lectured about his predicament to physiotherapy students at Edinburgh University, he has written a self-help book for amputees. in 2007, Ian guested on Channel 4's Richard and Judy, discussing Burnt. In 2025, his prolific writing shows no sign of abating: he has now turned his storytelling skills to dark fiction.  As he remained in a coma, his mother concurred with the agonising decision presented by Ian’s medical staff: both legs required amputation. Before emerging from the seven-week coma, he received the last rites three times.
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MARK FLEMING EDINBURGH | SCOTLAND
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