Posts by Ellie Forbes
Life With Damien Warren-Smith: ‘Gary’s my alter ego. He’s me if I had zero inhibitions. He’s my Sasha Fierce’
Damien Warren-Smith, aka Garry Starr, on his Scottish roots, his alter ego and the Monty Python sketch he wished he’d created. I was born in Inverness but sadly left Scotland when I was less than a year old. My Dad worked for BBC Radio Scotland, but my Mum was from the northern beaches of…
Read MoreProducer’s Corner: Charlie Aitken, Rum Cay
Charlie Aitken grew up listening to stories from his grandparents about their time living near the island of Rum Cay in the Bahamas, during the 1970s. The Aitken family, including Charlie’s father, spent much of their life living and working there, and it gave them a fresh perspective on life. When they eventually returned to…
Read MoreAberdeenshire home inspired by Californian mid-century architecture crowned winner Scotland’s Home of the Year
An Aberdeenshire home inspired by Californian mid-century architecture has been crowned winner of Scotland’s Home of the Year. Hilltop House near Pitmedden, Aberdeenshire – a bright, contemporary home built on the natural footprint of the surrounding farm steading – scooped the top prize. It is home to Jessica Zanoni and husband Chris Labrooy, who live…
Read MoreLife With Linwood Barclay: ‘Sir Ian Rankin took me for a drink at The Oxford Bar, it was special’
Author Linwood Barclay on being take to The Oxford Bar with Ian Rankin, the books he always recommends and his time in Scotland. I was born in Darien, Connecticut, but my parents moved north to the suburbs of Toronto, in Canada, just before I turned four years old. And when it was time to…
Read MoreAlan Cumming and Forbes Masson to reprise roles from The High Life after more than 30 years for stage show
Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson will reprise their roles from 1990s cult TV series The High Life after more than 30 years, for the stage. The pair will star as Sebastian Flight and Steve McCracken in High Life The Musical, which will tour Scotland next year. The show was first broadcast by the BBC 30…
Read MoreScottish ministers refuse planning permission for horse-trotting track at historic Bannockburn battlefield
Scottish ministers have refused planning permission for a horse-trotting track on the site of the historic Bannockburn battlefield. Stirling Council approved the application in July last year despite many objections and it was subsequently ‘called in’ by Scottish Ministers. Rejecting the plans, the Scottish Government said the track would ‘urbanise’ one of the few remaining…
Read MoreDocumentary on Trainspotting writer Irvine Welsh to close Edinburgh International Film Festival
An intimate documentary focusing on Trainspotting writer Irvine Welsh will close the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Reality Is Not Enough will follow the best-selling author at a crossroads in life where he is acutely aware of his mortality and accepting that his ‘hedonistic days’ are drawing to a close. The documentary is said to be…
Read MoreIn A Nutshell, George Colebrook: ‘My customers wouldn’t know but I trained as a clown in Paris for two years.’
London native George Colebrook’s love of cooking stems from his childhood, as he was introduced to the importance of produce by his grandfathers – who worked as a butcher and dairy farmer respectively – and was taught by his mother to appreciate the beauty of simple cookery. In 2024 George co-founded Arete with Neil Paterson,…
Read MoreFormer lighthouse with panoramic views over the Pentland Firth and out to Orkney hits the market
A remote former lighthouse with panoramic views over the Pentland Firth and out to Orkney has been put up for sale. Holborn Head Lighthouse, a renovated B-listed Stevenson lighthouse, sits near Scrabster, Caithness. Constructed in 1862, the light was permanently discontinued in 2003 and the building purchased by the current owners in 2006. The former…
Read MoreGeorgian house set within 60 acres of grounds goes on sale
An elegant Georgian house with 60 acres of grounds has gone on sale. Quarter Estate, a B-listed country house set in acres of beautiful parkland and woodland in Denny, dates back to around 1776. The property has all the charm of the Georgian period, including a pillared entrance and beautiful symmetrical windows in the front…
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