5pm: Stuck on the M8 in traffic

Sep 23 2007 Alison Craig

Great Scots start at 6.30 in Glasgow. Despite the early hour, I am buffed, puffed and dressed to kill.

There is a minibus full of Polish football fans beside us. They notice I seem to be naked - well, from the oxter upwards - which causes much amusement. Grabbing Dave's dinner jacket from the back seat, I cover my arm nudity and off we crawl.

We get there with minutes to spare. The car park at the Hilton is full so Dave drops me off and I arrange to meet him inside.

6.30pm: Burst into the room looking lost when I spot Liz Cowan and her quiet retiring husband Tam who are suited, booted and looking good.

A guy with a tray of champagne slides past - I introduce myself quickly as he is to be my best friend for the evening.

Can't find Dave anywhere so go hunting.

7pm: Find him - swigging champagne and chatting to Liz McColgan's husband Peter. I ask him how the kids (all five of them ) are. "Great," he says, "that's Ailish," pointing at the tall, gorgeous girl about a foot taller than me on my left. Blimey, she's eh...grown!

7.15pm: Justin and Colin emerge from the sea of faces. We worked together about

100 years ago and we always have a high-screeching catch-up. They exude happiness and smell fabulous. I ask what it is - Hermes.That's Dave's Christmas prezzie sorted.

7.20pm: As I stand repeatedly checking my big pants aren't rolling down and revealing my hurdies, a tall, lithe young girl strides effortlessly past - it's Nikitta from last year's X Factor. She must be near enough a six-footer - with legs up to her neck and beyond.

Behind her, I spot Alex Salmond with a cheesy grin, looking dapper in a pair of tartan breeks.

7.30pm: Spot Ford Kiernan with his wife, Lesley, all looking great. Ford looks as fit as a butcher's dog - trim, with a chi-chi new pair of specs.

Keep it quiet that he and his partner-in-crime Greg Hemphill have won the award for Still Game in case it's a secret.

7.45pm: We are ushered in for dinner. Scotland manager Alex McLeish is at the next table and on the next Alex Ferguson - a football fan's dream come true.

The entrance of Alex McLeish brings the room to its feet, tears to grown men's eyes and a general swelling of pride. This sets the tone for a great evening.

8pm: Elaine C. Smith is hosting and looks amazing - a black sequinned frock and hair extensions which make her look like Gina Lollobrigida. She sets the tone with a good 15-minute stand-up to kick the evening off. The entire room is in hysterics - she is the only woman I have seen do that.

I hand over the first award of the evening to Danny Cassie a remarkable guy who jokingly offered his pal, Mark Edwards his kidney, then found out he was a good match - so went ahead with the operation. That's friendship.

9pm: Dave and I are sitting next to Duncan Bannatyne from Dragon's Den and his lovely wife, Joanne. I ask him why Dragon's Den has only had two women entrepreneurs in it and why they're both horrors.

Apparently the BBC has hunted for more than five years to find a serial woman entrepreneur and they genuinely can't think of one.

I spend the next three hours randomly coming up with names - there must be someone! Any suggestions, please text or email me.

10pm: Their are soap stars all around and due to the amount of wine I am glugging, it becomes confusing when Taggart start drinking with River City and Emmerdale stars.

Live music award goes to the superb Fratellis. Keith Jack, the talented young guy from Joseph, performs live - he was great on TV but he is a knockout in the flesh. He brings the house down as did the opening act Boppin' Heads who just made me smile from ear to ear - energy, life and great music.

11pm: Harry Benson, the famous photographer, has flown over from the States to accept his award and is clearly very moved.

The Great Scot award of the night goes to the guys who foiled the terrorist attack on Glasgow airport in July. I'm sitting next to Harry Lambie and when his name is read out and he joins his band of brothers on the stage, everyone at our table has tears in their eyes.

1am: A fantastic night. Genuine pride at being Scots exuded from everyone and the enthusiasm and warmth that was generated for all the winners underlined once again why the Sunday Mail's Great Scots awards are so important and really matter.

2am: Face down, make up on, in bed, in Edinburgh. Sunday tomorrow...drift off dreaming of my life as a top entrepreneur.

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Editor: Liz Cowan l.cowan@sundaymail.co.uk Deputy editor: Mickey McMonagle m.mcmonagle@sundaymail.co.uk

Production editor: Hamish Burns Writer: Avril Cadden a.cadden@sundaymail.co.uk Picture research: Su Holliday