Former BBC Scotland journalist Kenneth Roy dies aged 73

Mr Roy revealed earlier this year that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer

The award-winning journalist and publisher Kenneth Roy has died aged 73.

Mr Roy, who revealed earlier this year that he had terminal cancer, was a former co-presenter of the BBC's Reporting Scotland programme.

He also had a successful career in radio and newspapers, working for titles including The Herald, The Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday.

His obituary was published in the Scottish Review, the online magazine he edited for 24 years.

Mr Roy previously wrote a weekly commentary on current affairs for The Herald, which earned him the Columnist of the Year prize in the 1994 UK Press Gazette Awards.

Memorial service

He also wrote a daily notebook, titled Kenneth Roy's Pocket Companion, for the back page of The Scotsman.

Late in his career Mr Roy, who was born and brought up in Falkirk, wrote two personal accounts of the post-war Scotland in which he was raised.

The Invisible Spirit, which dealt with the period between 1945 and 1975, was described by Ian Hamilton QC as the most remarkable book about Scotland he had ever read.

Its sequel, The Broken Journey, continued the story to the turn of the millennium.

Mr Roy's funeral will be a private family service with a memorial service held early next year.