The Front List: Val McDermid and Jo Sharp

Did you know that in the 17th century, Scotland tried to establish a colonial project in Panama? Hear acclaimed crime novelist Val McDermid and Geographer Royal for Scotland Jo Sharp chat with Allan Little about their fictional retelling of this surprising story from our country’s history.

This Door of the Seas, framed through letters home, reveals Scotland’s colonial ambitions and how they ultimately failed, bankrupting the nation and setting Scotland on a path towards union with England.Supported by the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities.