Edinburgh’s schools, colleges and universities have done their bit to shape many household names, producing celebrities from musicians to actors and authors.
If you’ve ever wondered where Outlander actor Sam Heughan or Trainspotting writer Irvine Welsh were educated we’ve got the answers for you.
How many of the celebrities in our picture gallery did you know went to school, college or university in Edinburgh – and did any of them go to the same one as you or your children?
1. Sam Heughan
Sam Heughan, who is know to millions thanks to his role as highland warrior Jamie Fraser in Outlander, moved to Edinburgh as a young boy so his mother could enrol at Edinburgh College of Art. He recalled in his recent memoir how big a change it was from his New Galloway birthplace, writing: “After years of living in a quiet community, my mother, my brother and I packed our belongings for what felt like a whole new world. Swapping the stable and the castle ruins for a suburban street in Edinburgh, we set about settling in for this new chapter in our lives.” The 12-year-old Heughan attended James Gillespie's High School, which he recalls as having “very strong on rules and discipline”. Photo: Third Party
2. Charles Darwin
Legendary scholar and arguably history’s most famous biologist, Charles Darwin, went to University of Edinburgh Medical School between 1825 - 1827. His father pushed him to do so, however, Darwin quickly discovered that the life of a surgeon was not for him. Instead, his career as a Naturalist took off and he wrote groundbreaking texts such as On the Origin of Species, an outline of Evolution. Photo: Third Party
3. Alexander Graham Bell
The phrase “give someone a bell” (phone them) could not be more appropriate when you consider the Scottish-born inventor who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. Bell was from Edinburgh, at an early age he attended the Royal High School until he was 15. Later on he studied at Edinburgh University. Fun Fact: Did you know “ahoy-hoy” was Bell’s original proposition as the standard greeting for picking up the phone? Photo: Third Party
4. Ronnie Corbett
The much-loved funnyman, who formed one half of The Two Ronnies alongside Ronnie Barker, attended James Gillespie's High School in Marchmont, and the Royal High School. Corbett died in 2016. Photo: Third Party