Asterix and Obelix don kilts for their new adventure in the land of the Picts

Jean Yves-Ferri and illustrator Didier Conrad are the first people, other than the original creators, to produce an Asterix story. Illustrator Albert Uderzo invented the warrior Gaul with his scriptwriter friend, Rene Goscinny, in 1959. Uderzo announced his retirement two years ago. He had written the books himself since the death of Goscinny in 1977. A lecture at Alliance Francaise in Glasgow is the first time that Mr Yves-Ferri has spoken publicly about the new book, which will be published in October. It tells the story of Asterix and Obelix's journey from ancient Gaul to Iron Age Scotland and the fearsome Pictish clans living there. The book is being published in English, Scots and Scots Gaelic, along with many other world languages - several for the first time.