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Kirsten Campbell - Journalist & Presenter
Kirsten is BBC Scotland's Political Correspondent, and is from Oban, Argyll where she was a Brownie, Guide and Ranger Guide."I learned then never to put anybody on a pedestal."
It has to be the scenery. I truly believe the west coast of Scotland is one of the most beautiful places in the world.
I feel like I have already witnessed history. On the first of July 1999 power was devolved to the Scottish Parliament from Westminster. The Queen went to Parliament to perform the opening ceremony and there were a number of celebratory events.
I will never forget looking out of my office window on the Royal Mile to see Concorde fill the sky as it flew overhead in tribute to the new democracy.
Nor will I forget watching in awe as the crowds thronged down the Mound in Edinburgh behind acrobats who were performing amazing feats in mid-air. As I looked to my side I realised I was standing next to Donald Dewar, Scotland's first First Minister. We chatted about the events of the day but I wish now that I had asked him how he felt at that moment.
The most interesting part is definitely finding out about what's going on in the country before other people and then being able to share that news with them. It's like official gossip!
As a journalist I've covered stories as diverse as elections, murder inquiries and world pogo stick jumping records, and though it can be nerve-wracking you get a real buzz out of explaining a story well.
The most frustrating thing is unanswered phone calls. There's nothing worse than knowing someone has the information you need and then not being able to get hold of them.
I was a huge Seb Coe fan as a teenager. I got up in the middle of the night to watch him win
Gold at the Olympic Games and badgered my mum until she agreed to buy tickets for the athletics
at the Commonwealth games in Edinburgh, just so I could see him run in real life instead of
on the telly.
I was a journalist at Westminster at the same time as Seb Coe was an MP working with the then
Conservative leader William Hague.
I finally met him in the BBC studios after the recording of a chat show on which he made a guest
appearance. He was a huge disappointment to me. He was very dismissive and didn't even pretend
to be interested to meet me. I learned then never to put anybody on a pedestal.
One of the best times we had was when we went on a trip to Manchester and we played a series
of practical jokes, including running underwear up the flagpole, on the various Guiders and
Brown Owls who were supervising us.
They weren't very impressed with some of our antics, but they really liked it when in the middle
of the night, we got up and cleaned the kitchen so that it was gleaming when the adults got
up in the morning. We claimed the Elves had done it.
Another fond memory I have is of a Queen's Guide trip to London. There was a piper busking in
Covent Garden and we started a Gay Gordon dance and encouraged all the tourists to join in.
It was great fun.
I was really proud to have been chosen to provide the Radio Scotland commentary on the official opening of the Holyrood Parliament building by the Queen. As a famous Hollywood movie producer once said "the harder I work, the luckier I get".
My financial adviser is a woman and she sorted out my mortgage for me so I could buy a flat. There's something very satisfying about knowing that you've earned enough money to put a roof over your head through your own efforts and you're not reliant on someone else.
I love to sing. I'm a first soprano in an Edinburgh choir called Jubilo. We perform a variety of music, ranging from pop songs to Christmas carols to classical, at two or three concerts every year. In fact we recently did one in aid of the Guides! I have quite a stressful job so this helps me relax and it's a good way of meeting people outside of journalism and politics.
I didn't know the answer to this question, but I was intrigued to find out what they would say so I asked them! My colleagues say I'm organised, assertive and caring. My friends say I'm loyal, fun-loving and determined.
My favourite film is Calamity Jane. I gained an interest in Western films at university
when I watched loads of them as part of a course in genre. I think Doris Day is fab and Calamity
Jane has a wonderful, sing-a-long soundtrack.
My choice for worst film is probably quite controversial. I really don't understand the fascination
with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I found it boring.
To find out more about Scottish News please see news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland
