Neil Forsyth

Neil Forsyth (born 1978 Dundee, Scotland) is a Scottish author, television writer and journalist.

Forsyth grew up in Dundee where he attended the High School of Dundee and his first writing appeared in a Dundee United fanzine. He graduated from Edinburgh University and held several jobs including as a nightclub promoter before working as a freelance journalist. He is also a graduate of the New York Film Academy.

Forsyth's first book Other People's Money (2007) told the true story of the Scottish fraudster Elliot Castro. It received significant coverage and was well received though some newspapers questioned the book's moral purpose. "They thought it was wrong that we should profit from Elliot's crimes," Forsyth said, "But that's always something I protested against quite vigorously. Elliot was caught, and sentenced, and paid for his crimes." The film rights were purchased by the producers of The Last King of Scotland. In 2014 it was reported the book is being adapted for film by Crabtree Films with Forsyth writing the screenplay.

Forsyth has written four books featuring the fictional comic character Bob Servant: Delete This At your Peril (2007), Hero of Dundee (2010), Why Me? (2011), and Ask Bob (2015). In 2009 Irvine Welsh selected the then out of print Delete This at Your Peril as his choice in an Esquire Magazine poll for the Funniest Books Ever. Upon the book’s reissue, Barry Fantoni, wrote “'I have worked with a lot of funny men - Peter Cook, Spike Milligan, Harry Enfield. Bob Servant is in a class of his own”. In 2011, The Scotsman said “Bob Servant has attained national treasure status” while the Press and Journal called Bob Servant “a modern Scottish comedy classic.”

Forsyth has noted the Dundonian poet William McGonagall as an influence for the character along with Harry Flashman. The most recent Bob Servant book, Ask Bob, is a compilation of readers’ questions and included letters from fans Sir Chris Hoy, Guy Berryman, Irvine Welsh, John Niven, Barry Fantoni and Jack Whitehall.

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