Culture
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 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 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 MorePainting by Scottish Colourist Samuel John Peploe sells for more than £381,000 at auction
A painting by Scottish Colourist Samuel John Peploe which once hung in his patron’s drawing room has sold for more than £381,000 at auction. Roses In A Green Jug went under the hammer in the Scottish art sale at Bonhams in Edinburgh. It sold for £381,400 including buyer’s premium, above the estimate of £250,000-£350,000. ‘Peploe’s…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Heather Darwent: ‘I will never tire of Donna Tartt, she’s my favourite writer’
Heather Darwent on her favourite book of the year, the novels she always recommends and reading to her son. The first book I remember reading: The Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin. I loved the whole series – I couldn’t wait to be a babysitter. This was followed quickly by Sweet Valley High… A…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Andrew Meehan: ‘I don’t think I go a day without thinking about Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout’
Andrew Meehan on the influence of Elizabeth Strout, the book he’s most looking forward to this year, and how love in later life is complicated. The first book I remember reading: I’ll swerve Enid Blyton to tell the story of the time one of my older brothers, Niall, now a designer, bought one of the…
Read MoreLife With Jonny & the Baptists: ‘Scotland is just a very wonderful place all round’
Musical comedy duo, Jonny & the Baptists (Jonny Donahoe and Paddy Gervers) on their love of Scotland, their new show The Happiness Index and their guilty pleasures. Where did you grow up? Jonny: I grew up in Reading, where many people have changed trains. Queen Victoria hated Reading so much she insisted her statue…
Read MoreScotland Through A Lens: A love of the Scottish Borders with Rod Hanchard-Goodwin
The Scottish Borders are often overlooked by visitors, but for Rod Hanchard-Goodwin the diversity of historic buildings and landscapes make it picture perfect. I started taking photos on a two mega pixel Canon camera 18 years ago and after winning my first photographic competition in a local gallery I caught the bug. At first, I…
Read MoreArt exhibition from David Smith and Peter Davis to open at Strathearn Gallery
Two Perspectives, a dual exhibition featuring renowned Scottish artists David Smith RSW and Peter Davis RSW is opening at Strathearn Gallery this month. The exhibition in Crieff explores Scotland’s landscapes, seascapes, and still lifes through two distinctive artistic approaches. David Smith RSW presents bold, expressive oil paintings that range from windswept coastal views and peaceful…
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