Born in Darvel, Ayrshire on 16 July 1943, Hopkins attended Kilmarnock Academy before pursuing a career in Industrial Engineering.
Hopkins has also had three satirical novels published, each co-authored with John Duignan: Skelp the Aged[10][11][12] in 2016; The Buick Stops Here[13][14] in 2017; and The Lambshank Redemption[15][16] in 2019.
[10] The three novels in the trilogy by Hopkins and Duignan follow hapless anti-heroes Mungo and Ethel Laird, in and out of trouble - and jail - as they struggle to maintain a living as bookies.
[19][20] The story takes place on the Isle of Arran and is set against the background of the New Labour government unveiling its proposals for a Scottish Parliament.
Set in the Scottish Highlands the novella is a "Satirical meta-fiction where Brigadoon meets Brave New World".