As two more sites in northern England and Scotland earn Dark Sky status, Paul F Cockburn hears how they achieved the award. Light pollution has been a growing problem for the past century, which has seen our view of the night sky obscured by the glow of artificial lighting. One ongoing response to light pollution […]
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Focus on… Berwickshire
Scotland’s Splendid South East Berwickshire is renowned for its crystal-clear waters, diverse wildlife, remarkable senery and tumultuous history – a forgotten gem in the Scottish Borders. EYEMOUTH Eyemouth has always earned its living from the sea, whether you’re talking about the fish–especially herring–that are still landed on its harbour quay today or the darker activities […]
Robert Softley Gale
The latest production from Glasgow-based Birds of Paradise Theatre Company is the first under its new artistic regime. Paul F Cockburn spoke with co-artistic director Robert Softley Gale about Wendy Hoose. How would you describe Wendy Hoose? It’s basically a sex comedy. We wanted to put on the kind of theatre people want to come […]
Journey to the Kingdom
As someone born and raised in Edinburgh, who later lived and worked for more than 20 years in Glasgow, it’s all too easy to assume that Scotland’s two largest cities have always been at the heart of the country’s history. Yet, actually, there’s plenty of evidence to the contrary, not least that built in solid […]
Unsung Gems
Not every television SF/fantasy series becomes a household name, but they can still be something special, as Paul F Cockburn discovers. For every Doctor Who and Star Trek, every Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Battlestar Galactica, there are numerous TV fantasy and SF shows that didn’t quite reach the big time. Some may have managed […]
Comic Turns
The 1980s aren’t everyone’s favourite decade but, for theatre producer Nica Burns OBE, there’s at least one thing to look back on with some pride–the comedy. “I was there when ‘Alternative Comedy’ started,” she explains. “The whole point of it was to change things. It had a mission; that jokes that were homophobic, racist or […]
A Polite Queer Revolutionary
Last November, the film and video artist John Smith became the latest recipient of the annual Film London Jarman Award. Smith, who has already built-up an internationally recognised body of work, follows in the steps of, among others, 2012 Turner Prize nominee Luke Fowler, who won the inaugural Jarman Award in 2008. “The breadth and […]
