“You'll never even catch me doing that 'soft atheist' thing of very softly singing along or just mouthing the words, looking down at a hymn sheet every few seconds to check the words. To state the obvious, as an atheist, the hymn sheet is no use to me. So I just stand there, looking straight ahead or up at the ceiling, and do nothing.”

Scottish autobiographer, novelist, playwright and screenwriter

John Niven is a Scottish autobiographer, novelist, playwright and screenwriter. He is known for fiction and writing for the stage and screen. His books include Kill Your Friends, The Amateurs, The Second Coming and O Brother. Across his work, he has built a reputation as a sharp, unsparing storyteller who moves between autobiography, novels and drama.