Here's Alex Norton having a wee sing song in the famous Britannia Panopticon. He's following the footsteps of many a Scots actor who started their career in the music halls before making it onto the silver screen. Director John MacLaverty filmed Alex singing 'Cead Mile Failte' during a break from shooting Dream Me Up Scotty: The Scottish Accent on Screen. The documentary will screen on BBC1 Scotland on December 23rd at 9pm so make sure to tune in!
The Kelvingrove has announced its plans to exhibit a retrospective of Alasdair Gray's work, marking the artist's 80th birthday next year.
Meanwhile Brian Fergusson has commended Kevin Cameron's film Life in Progress in the Scotsman...
"If I needed any further convincing about my new-found affection for documentaries, I found it at the CCA in Glasgow when BAFTA hosted a screening of a recently completed documentary about Alasdair Gray.
Kevin Cameron has spent well over a decade with Glasgow’s best-known artist – and has produced a remarkable profile of him at work on some of his best-known murals in the city, as well as tracing his hugely varied career from his days studying at art school.
Many of Gray’s supporters feel he was unfairly maligned after the publication of his “settlers and colonists” essay last December.
The film, A Life in Progress, should help to redress the balance if and when it is released, thanks to the insight it offers into Gray’s entertaining, complex and quirky characteristics, as well as the contributions from the likes of Ian Rankin and Liz Lochhead. It is no exaggeration to say it could completely redefine how Gray is perceived as he prepares to turn 80 next year."
In celebration of Benjamin Britten’s centenary year, Nova Music Opera present an intriguing operatic double-bill exploring the themes of loss, redemption and forgiveness.
The Old Testament story of Hagar and Abraham is vividly brought to life by multi award-winning composer Sally Beamish and librettist Clara Glynn in their new chamber opera, Hagar in the Wilderness. The opera’s uncomfortable account of social injustice is particularly pertinent in society today and in many ways echoes similar sentiments conveyed in Curlew River.
It will be performed on Wednesday 21 August, 7.45pm at St Andrew’s Church, Presteigne (details)
Have a look at what Clara and Sally had to say on the project
Hagar Interview from Presteigne Festival, UK on Vimeo.
John Archer will be travelling to Sheffield this week, along with director Iain Scollay, where they have the pleasure of pitching Accidental Birth of an Anarchist at the BFI Film fund meet. Go along on Saturday 15th June and give them your support! (check the website for further details.)
Based on his book The Leaderless Revolution, the documentary follows former diplomat Carne Ross, as he rebels against the system to support the Occupy movement. Watch this exclusive trailer...
Accidental Birth of an Anarchist from John Archer on Vimeo.
Exclusive look at the trailer for Kevin Cameron's playful and extensive documentary on the great artist and writer Alasdair Gray. The film will be appearing at Dunoon Film Festival, June 16th 4pm, as a work in progress. Kevin will be on hand to answer questions.
For more information see the Dunoon Film festival website.
We hope to see you there, enjoy the taster!
Alasdair Gray, A Life in Progress, Trailer from Kevin Cameron on Vimeo.
Clara Glynn's three part series Behind Closed Doors will be airng on BBC Radio4 next week. Lawyer, Rebecca Nyman takes on a sexual discrimination case in the first episode One of the Lads on Wednesday June 12th, 14:15. Tilting the Odds on Thursday 13th features a vet who might be struck off for doping a racehorse. And Safe House, Friday 15th, is a Closed Material Procedure terrorism case taking place partly in secret.
We are delighted that Tilting the Odds has been selected for Drama of the Week, and will be available to enjoy as a download.
Writer: Clara Glynn, Producer/ Director: David Neville
Starring Claire Rushbrook as Rebecca
Find more details and tune in here.
Hopscotch production, Enlighten Up, has featured in the Scotsman arts section, published on Thursday 18th and featured on the arts blog online. Journalist, Jay Richardson, interviews Robert and Iain on the challenges of writing educational comedy for kids.
For full article click here.
Photograph by Helen Jones.
We've teamed up with Burnistoun stars Robert Florence and Iain Connell to discover what philosophical thinking is all about. Enlighten Up takes some of the major ideas of the Scottish Enlightenment and explores them in comedy sketch form. From the big questions like 'how can we know the world exists?' to moral quandary 'why should I care about you?' Florence and Connell are here to give you the philosophical know-how with the stars of Scottish philosophy; David Hume, Thomas Reid and Adam Smith.
Here are some exclusive pics of the boys in action!
All photographs by Helen Jones
Enlighten Up is a commission for BBC Learning Scotland
Watching Ourselves celebrates 60 years of Robert Burns on the box this January 25th.The programme looks at the weird and wonderful ways television has celebrated the life and works of our most cherished national hero. From the kitsch to the clever, the far-out to the fabled, Burns has been a staple of Scottish television since the formative years. We see how different genres have embraced Burns. Variety, documentary, comedy, animation and live transmissions have all done their bit to keep the bard on the box, and in the brains of successive generations.
Featuring interviews with John Cairney, Kirsteen McCue, Janice Forsyth, Andrew O'Hagan, William McIlvanney
Greg Hemphill returns to celebrate more of Scottish television with a festive season of swashbuckling action, hogmanay celebrations and the best of the art and music scenes.
Starting on 23rd December with Swashbucklers, Greg looks into the well remembered and best forgotten from the BBC and STV archives. There's also plenty of stars to give their inside perspective, including Michael Gambon, Billy Connolly, Alex Norton, Iain Glen, Eileen McCallum and many more.
We hope you'll get yourself a mince pie and enjoy the show!
BBC Radio is celebrating 90 years of broadcasting this week, and we can't think of a better way to showcase the relevance of radio than exciting radio drama Enquirer! Based on the recent scandals that rocked the newspaper industry, Enquirer is based on real interviews with over 40 journalists. Get the insider's perspective, tune into Radio 4 at 9pm!
Edited and directed by Vicky Featherstone and John Tiffany, co-edited by Andrew O'Hagan, the Enquirer cast includes Maureen Beattie, John Bett, James Anthony Pearson, Gabriel Quigley and Billy Riddoch. Produced for Hopscotch Films by Clara Glynn and Carolynne Sinclair Kidd.
Blending fact, anecdote and passionate opinion, Enquirer is a rapid response to the unfolding events in the newspaper industry. It is based on interviews with over forty journalists and was first performed in June as a site-specific piece of theatre performed in an empty media office block in Glasgow. Hopscotch Films are proud to have produced Enquirer for Radio 4 and it will be aired on Friday 16th November at 9pm. The Telegraph have chosen it as their highlight of the week here.
Enquirer, BBC Radio 4, 16 November, 9pm
Enquirer is produced by Clara Glynn and Carolynne Sinclair Kidd in association with the London Review of Books and the National Theatre of Scotland. Edited and directed by Vicky Featherstone and John Tiffany, co-edited by Andrew O'Hagan, the Enquirer cast includes Maureen Beattie, John Bett, James Anthony Pearson, Gabriel Quigley and Billy Riddoch.
