If you’ve ever wondered where internationally-celebrated author Dame Muriel Spark or Outlander star Sam Heughan went to school, we’ve got the answers for you.
How many of the famous faces in our photo gallery did you know went to James Gillespie's in Edinburgh – either its former girls school, boys school, primary or the high school – and did any attend at the same time as you or your children? Let us know in the comments section.
5. Alastair Sim
Alastair Sim famously played Ebenezer Scrooge on the big screen, and although there have been countless versions of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in the years since, not one has come close to Sim’s 1951 film, Scrooge. Edinburgh-born Sim, who died in 1976, was educated at James Gillespie's and George Heriot's. Photo: Third Party
6. John Leslie
Former Blue Peter presenter John Leslie was educated at James Gillespie's High School, alongside his brother Grant Stott. He later presented ITV's This Morning and the gameshow Wheel of Fortune. He was also the studio host for the first series of the UK version of Survivor. He was wrongly named as the alleged rapist of TV star Ulrika Jonsson by Matthew Wright. However, Leslie's career imploded as he became the centre of a media storm. Photo: Third Party
7. Muriel Spark
Dame Muriel Spark is one of Scotland's most celebrated writers, and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie was famously inspired by her time at James Gillespie’s High School in Edinburgh and her teacher, Christina Kay, whose former pupils have said she bore a remarkable resemblance to the main character. Photo: Scottish Poetry Library Photo: Scottish Poetry Library
8. Dorothy Dunnet
Historical novelist, portrait painter and hugely important figure on the Scottish arts and literary scene, Dorothy Dunnet was born in Dunfermline and educated at James Gillespie's High School. She is the author of the Francis Crawford of Lymond novels; the House of Niccolò novels; seven mysteries; King Hereafter, an epic novel about Macbeth; and the text of The Scottish Highlands, a book of photographs by David Paterson, on which she collaborated with her husband, Sir Alastair Dunnett. In 1992 she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to literature. Lady Dunnett died in 2001. Photo: Third Party