HEROES AND VILLAINS FROM THE YEAR THE WORLD DECLARED WAR AGAINST TERRORISM AND SCOTTISH POLITICS WAS ROCKED BY SCANDAL

THE events of September 11 cast a giant shadow over 2001. The images of jets crashing into the World Trade Center before the giant twin towers collapsed, killing 3000 innocents, transfixed the entire planet.

In the aftermath, the faces of George Bush and Osama bin Laden became permanent fixtures in newspapers and on TV screens - one struggling to digest the enormity of the outrage, the other gloating as he admitted responsibility.

But there were many others who made a significant impact in the past year. Here is our selection of the people who helped shape 2001:

OSAMA BIN LADEN

PUBLIC Enemy Number One, wanted by the USA - dead or alive. The 44-year-old terror chief has a £20million bounty on his head. Sporting a greying beard and dressed in army fatigues, he released flickering home videos with messages for the West and his followers.

In the most sickening, the softly-spoken Saudi exile smirked while talking about the September 11 attacks.

He grinned: "The brothers were overjoyed when the first plane hit the building."

With his Taliban backers routed in Afghanistan and his al-Qaeda network in tatters, time is running out for Osama, who may even be dead already.

GEORGE W. BUSH

THE new US president looked like a startled rabbit caught in a car's headlights on September 11, when he spent most of the day on board Air Force One and told America he would hunt down the "folks" responsible.

But he quickly regained his poise and used diplomacy to build and lead a coalition against terrorism.

Bush, 55, and his war cabinet persisted in a bombing campaign in Afghanistan and brought the Taliban to its knees within two months.

TONY BLAIR

THE Prime Minister established himself as America's closest ally and embarked on several shuttle-diplomacy missions across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Months earlier, he had led Labour to a resounding victory in one of the most predictable - and boring - General Election campaigns in decades. But the Afghan conflict turned Blair into a true world statesman.

At a shortened Labour conference, he promised richer nations could no longer ignore the plight of the poor.

The 48-year-old is hugely popular in the United States for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with their president.

DONALD RUMSFELD

TOUGH-TALKING US Secretary of Defence has ditched political correctness in his War On Terrorism press conferences, admitting he does not care if Osama bin Laden is captured dead or alive.

The 69-year-old former navy pilot has been a rock in the Bush administration, consistently hitting back at criticism of the Afghan bombing campaign. He has played a hawk to US Secretary of State Colin Powell's dove.

RUDOLPH GIULIANI

AMID the smoking ruins of the World Trade Center, a legend was born. Mayor Giuliani, 55, rallied his city with his repeated visits to the disaster site and his show of defiance and humanity amid the appalling carnage.

New Yorkers now regard him as the Big Apple's Winston Churchill. His bravery and compassion earned him a knighthood from the Queen.

Before stepping down from the post at the end of his term of office, he refused a $10m donation from a Saudi prince who had criticised US policy in the Middle East.

HENRY McLEISH

QUOTE of the year belongs to Scotland's outgoing First Minister, Henry McLeish, who claimed his failure to declare to Westminster that he had been sub-letting his Glenrothes office was a "muddle, not a fiddle".

With the affair taking a toll on his private life, McLeish, 53, shocked the nation with his resignation.

His short reign as First Minister had been marred by verbal gaffes and political misjudgment. He was even caught on tape calling Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid a "patronising bastard".

JACK McCONNELL

SCOTLAND'S new First Minister quickly showed why he has been nicknamed Jack The Lad. Before he'd even been elected as McLeish's successor, a whispering campaign had forced McConnell, 41, to publicly admit an old extra-marital affair with a former colleague.

He went on to become Jack The Knife, axing half his Scottish Executive cabinet in a reshuffle that cleared out most of Chancellor Gordon Brown's Scottish allies.

With a crisis in the NHS and Scottish elections in less than 18 months, he will have his work cut out in 2002.

ABDELBASET AL-MEGRAHI

THE former Libyan secret service agent was convicted in February of the largest mass murder in Scottish history - the killing of 270 people when Pan Am Flight 103 was blown up and crashed on Lockerbie in 1988.

He was tried under Scots law by Scottish judges in a court at Camp Zeist in Holland. His co-accused, Al-Amin Khalifa Fhimah, was found not guilty. Since then, al-Megrahi, 49, has been guarded at Camp Zeist by Scottish police at a cost of £67,000 a day.

He will be kept there until his appeal is heard. After that, he is expected to apply for a transfer to a jail in the Middle East to be closer to his family.

IAIN DUNCAN SMITH and JEFFREY ARCHER

MEMORABLE is not a word normally associated with Iain Duncan Smith, 47. Just in case you have forgotten, he is the boring, bald nonentity who was elected as the new Conservative Party leader in place of William Hague. Voters have had a hard job spotting the difference. At least Jeffrey Archer, 61, brought a smile to people's faces. The smug author and former Tory chairman was found guilty of perjury and perverting the course of justice during a 1987 libel trial.

He was sentenced to four years in jail and is now in an open prison where he has written a new novel.

JOHN REID

THE Hamilton North MP became the first Catholic to be Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Tony Blair did not hesitate to hand Reid - the proverbial "safe pair of hands" - the hottest job at Westminster after yet another scandal led to the demise of Peter Mandelson.

The PM has been rewarded for his good judgment. In October, Reid, 53, was able to tell the Commons that the IRA had put some weapons "beyond use" in what was widely seen as a historic breakthrough .

CARDINAL THOMAS WINNING

THE much-loved leader of Scotland's Catholics died of a heart attack in June. He was 76. The miner's son was renowned for his tough stance against abortion and the promotion of homosexuality and abortion. He was often controversial but always commanded respect.

The "People's Priest" was mentioned as a possible contender to become the next Pope. As yet, no successor to the cardinal has been appointed.

DAVID BECKHAM

POSH Spice's talented hubby broke many Scottish hearts with a last-minute free kick against Greece which secured England's World Cup qualification. And already the Auld Enemy have started to crow about winning the tournament. Perish the thought. Those of a certain vintage will remember how grim 1966 was.

The 26-year-old millionaire midfielder has grown in stature since Sven Goran Eriksson made him captain of his country. He was named runner-up in FIFA's World Player of the Year vote.

PRINCE WILLIAM

BRITAIN'S most famous student marked the start of term at St Andrews University by putting the boot into his arrogant Uncle Edward's film company for attempting to film him, despite a media blackout.

Between his Art History lectures, Wills, 19, has made a valiant attempt to blend in at St Salvator's College on the campus. He also took time out to visit the crisis-hit Sighthill area of Glasgow with his father.

J.K. ROWLING

FROM struggling single mum to one of the world's most famous - and richest - authors, it's been quite a year for Edinburgh-based Joanne Kathleen Rowling.

The movie version of her first book, Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, smashed box-office records all over the world. To add to her happiness, the 35-year-old announced her engagement to handsome Scottish anaesthetist Neil Murray.

DANIEL RADCLIFFE

THE unknown youngster, 12, was catapulted towards fame and fortune after being chosen to play Harry Potter in the long-awaited movie about the boy wizard's first adventure.

The second film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, is due for release in November.

JIM BAXTER

SCOTLAND'S football community lost one of its best-loved sons when Jim Baxter died in April, aged 61.

The midfield genius starred for Raith Rovers and Rangers. His greatest performance was at Wembley in 1967, when he humbled world champions England on their home turf and led Scotland to a famous 3-2 win. The honesty and courage he showed during his long battle with cancer was inspirational.

Another legendary Scots midfielder, Bobby Murdoch, also died this year. Hailed by the great Jock Stein as the best player he'd ever worked with, Bobby was a member of Celtic's Lisbon Lions who won the European Cup in 1967.

As was winger Jimmy "Jinky" Johnstone, who recently announced he has motor neurone disease.

JILL McGOWAN

NURSE Jill, 45, proved an inspiration for the nation when she was named Great Scot 2001. She sold her Glasgow home to help fund research into the treatment of asthma.

That selfless gesture earned Jill the top accolade in the Sunday Mail's annual search for unsung heroes.

As a sufferer herself, Jill knew all about the difficulties of living with asthma.

But her life was transformed by a new self-help technique - the Buteyko Breathing Method - and she was determined to help others.

EWAN McGREGOR

THE proud Scot could be on the verge of Oscars glory. His all-singing, all-dancing turn as Nicole Kidman's lover in Moulin Rouge confirmed his status as one of Hollywood's most talented stars.

Ewan, 30, was also being touted for an Academy Award nomination before his latest film, military thriller Black Hawk Down, had even been released.

The Crieff-born actor also made the new Star Wars film, Attack Of The Clones - and still found time to make a surprise appearance at the Sunday Mail Great Scot Awards to present his mum, Carol, with an award.

NICOLE KIDMAN

DESPITE the heartbreak of her marriage split from Tom Cruise, the Australian actress has enjoyed the best year of her career. She's had Golden Globe nominations - traditionally seen as pointers to the Oscars - for her roles as Satine, opposite Ewan McGregor, in Moulin Rouge and as the fearful mother in The Others.

Nicole, 34, also had the Christmas No 1 in the charts for Somethin' Stupid, her duet with Robbie Williams.

ROBBIE WILLIAMS

KIDMAN'S partner on Somethin' Stupid also topped the album charts with Swing When You're Winning.

He scooped gongs at the Brit Awards for Best Male Artist, Best British Video and Best Single for Rock DJ.

And in the summer Robbie, 27, wowed 120,000 Scots fans with two spectacular shows at Hampden Park.

DOUGRAY SCOTT

THE Fife-born actor moved on to the Hollywood A-list thanks to his leading role in the war thriller, Enigma.

His performance alongside Kate Winslet in the Mick Jagger-produced film won him the Scots Movie Actor Of The Year award at the Sunday Mail/McEwan's People's Film Festival.

Dougray, 35, made frequent visits to see his beloved Hibs and for charity events like Children in Need. He will next be seen in the thriller Ripley's Game.

JAMES COSMO

THE big actor with the big heart got the recognition his talent has so richly deserved. He was given the lifetime achievement award in the Sunday Mail/McEwan's People's Film Festival.

The Braveheart star has long been a supporter of home-grown movies and actors. He helped set up Scotland's first film studio as well as a £5million Braveheart-style theme park near Inverness.

KYLIE MINOGUE

THE pint-sized Aussie popette re-invented herself yet again with the massive No 1 hit Can't Get You Out Of My Head. The white-hooded frock with plunging neckline from the single's amazing video was named Frock Of The Year in a fashion poll.

The 33-year-old ex-Neighbours star also modelled a new range of sexy lingerie and was voted the girl most men would like to kiss under the mistletoe.

BRIAN DOWLING

NOT since the Carry On films with Kenneth Williams and Babs Windsor have a gay man and a dizzy blonde been taken so readily to the nation's heart.

Big Brother 2 made stars out of the 23-year-old Irish air steward - famous for his catchphrase "Demons" - and the show's runner-up, Welsh hairdresser Helen Adams.

MADONNA

THE pop diva stunned the art luvvies at the Turner Awards with a foul-mouthed speech... and revealed she likes nothing better than a pint down her local pub.

After her Scottish wedding, Madonna, 43, has been settling into married life in London with husband Guy Ritchie and children Lourdes and Rocco.

High point of her year was the Drowned World tour, which climaxed with six spectacular gigs at Earl's Court.

WILLIE RAE

THE new head of Scotland's biggest police force had a baptism of fire when the murder of an asylum seeker ignited racial tensions in Sighthill, Glasgow.

The 51-year-old Strathclyde chief constable oversaw a campaign of patient communication and liaison. And the housing scheme's community took a giant step away from conflict.

EMINEM

HE came, he saw, he created hysteria on the Clyde... then he went home again. Few gigs matched the hype surrounding Eminem's appearance at Glasgow Green. The American rap superstar, 28, duetted with Elton John at the Grammy awards in February. He divorced his wife Kim Mathers in a US court. Then he was back in front of a judge charged with possessing firearms.

DARIUS DANESH

LOVE him or loathe him, the Glasgow singer is now one of the best-known faces in the country - despite being most famous so far for being a failure.

His self-belief was evident when he tried out for the Popstars show. Despite not making it into the ranks of Hear'Say, Darius, 21, tried again on Pop Idol.

Minus the goatee and ponytail, he is still in the running for the show's prize of a recording contract. Win or lose, it's clear he's not going to go away quietly.

TRAVIS

IT was an incredible year for the Glasgow supergroup, who released their superb new album, The Invisible Band. That's the last thing Fran Healy, Andy Dunlop, Dougie Payne and Neil Primrose were.

Thanks to the success of the singles Sing and Side, sales of the CD are expected to top the 3.5 million copies achieved by its predecessor, The Man Who.

They headlined Gig On The Green and played two sell-out shows at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh.

SIR JACKIE STEWART

THE motor-racing legend was named Scotland's Greatest Ever Sporting Hero at a ceremony organised by the Sunday Mail.

The three-time Formula One world champion topped a nationwide poll. The 62-year-old Grand Prix king has also built a reputation as an entrepreneur and unpaid ambassador for Scotland.

MARTIN O'NEILL

CELTIC'S boss led the Parkhead side to the Treble in his first season in charge. The Irishman was the driving force behind a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for a club which had been in crisis only months before.

Who can forget the images of O'Neill, 49, leaping into the air after yet another Henrik Larsson goal?

CRAIG BROWN

TOMORROW marks the end of Craig's eight-year spell as Scotland coach. He will officially step down after failing to lead his side to next summer's World Cup.

A last-minute goal that denied the Scots a home win against Belgium in March cost us a play-off place.

Brown, 61, who will now take on a new role as the SFA's director of football development, is still going out with TV presenter Louise Port, 163/4.

LENNOX LEWIS

BRITISH-BORN heavyweight Lewis, 36, lost, then regained his world title in the same year. He was knocked out by unknown Hasim Rahman in South Africa, when he paid a heavy price for a slack training regime.

He redeemed himself in November when he destroyed Rahman in four rounds. Now he will earn a fortune with a much-awaited match-up with Mike Tyson.

SHARRON STORER

NO ONE had heard of the Birmingham postmistress until the Prime Minister paid a visit to her local hospital.

Angry and frustrated at the state of the NHS, the partner of a cancer victim demanded answers from Mr Blair. Surrounded by a media posse in the middle of the general election campaign, Tony appeared flustered.

Sharron, 38, became a reluctant heroine - living proof that the voice of the people can't be silenced by spin doctors.

CRAIG EVANS

FARM labourer Craig Evans caused another stushie on the campaign trail when he hurled an egg at John Prescott in Rhyl, Wales. The deputy Prime Minister - a former amateur boxer - reacted by punching him.

Prescott was regarded by many as a vigilante hero. Evans, 29, is now known locally as Craig the Egg.

JOAN COLLINS

THE former Dynasty star has risen like a phoenix from the ashes of Alexis Carrington's shoulder pads to become a 21st-century icon. She showed off her well-preserved body in a basque and suspenders to promote a play.

Her fifth husband-to-be, 36-year-old theatre director Percy Gibson, is 32 years her junior - and two years younger than Joan's eldest child.

ROLF HARRIS

ART was brought to the masses by the Antipodean eccentric in his BBC1 series, Rolf on Art. He did paintings in the style of the great masters Van Gogh, Degas, Monet and Gauguin. Rolf, 71, has also watched a vet remove a dog's gallstones in Animal Hospital.

And he became a true national hero by hosting the Christmas Day afternoon TV. After all, anyone who can keep Noel Edmonds off the telly at this time of the year deserves a medal.

NEIL and CHRISTINE HAMILTON

WHEN media guru Max Clifford branded her Widow Twanky to her shamed husband Neil's Buttons, he wasn't far wrong. In fact, pantomime is about the only thing the 52-year-olds haven't yet done to attract publicity.

Christine snogged Louis Theroux during filming of his TV documentary. She also made a major media production out of being cleared of bizarre sex assault allegations. Finally, she wept after winning just £1000 for charity on Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?

HIDETO GOTO

THE managing director of electronics giant NEC's Livingston plant delivered a blunt statement to 1276 staff, the week before Christmas.

He said: "I've got the worst possible news for you. This factory is to shut and you will all lose your jobs."

Goto, 54, says he'll be "helping all our employees find new work". All 1276? Sadly we doubt that very much.

1 Osama bin Laden. 2 George Bush. 3 David Beckham. 4 Jill McGowan. 5 James Cosmo. 6 Craig Evans. 7 Sharron Storer. 8 Rolf Harris. 9 Willie Rae. 10 & 11: Neil and Christine Hamilton. 12, 13, 14 & 15: Andy Dunlop, Neil Primrose, Dougie Payne and Fran Healy (Travis). 16 Darius. 17 Abdelbaset al-Megrahi. 18 Martin O'Neill. 19 Dougray Scott. 20 Joan Collins. 21 John Reid. 22 Jack McConnell. 23 Henry McLeish. 24 Lennox Lewis. 25 Eminem. 26 Jeffery Archer. 27 Craig Brown. 28 Hideto Goto. 29 Tony Blair. 30 Prince William. 31 Jim Baxter. 32 Kylie. 33 Jackie Stewart. 34 Iain Duncan Smith. 35 Brian Dowling. 36 Rudy Giuliani. 37 Donald Rumsfeld. 38 Cardinal Winning. 39 Madonna. 40 Robbie Williams. 41 J.K. Rowling. 42 Daniel Radcliffe. 43 Nicole Kidman. 44 Ewan McGregor

© Trinity Mirror Plc 2001