Podcasts about edinburgh festival

Melanie Ward has only been an MP two years and she is already a government minister, promoted to the government by Andy Burnham.Melanie worked in international aid before becoming an MP and continues to be an advocate for some of the most vulnerable people on the planet.Two years ago she visited Gaza and she describes the horrors she witnessed. This is a frank discussion about why Labour's policy on Gaza has changed and what it means for the Middle East and for domestic politics here in the UK.And as Labour gathers in Liverpool for its Annual Conference, what song might Melanie be singing at the karaoke..?See the Political Party Live on Stage:9 November: Liz Kendall and Mishal Husain21 December: Wes Streeting https://nimaxtheatres.com/shows/the-political-party-with-matt-forde/GET TICKETS for Matt's brand new stand-up show Project Holy Moly at the Edinburgh Festival and touring nationwide in 2027:www.mattforde.comMARCH19 FAVERSHAM The Alex20 DORKING HallsAPRIL7 STOURBRIDGE Town Hall 8 GLOUCESTER Guildhall 9 LEICESTER Y Theatre 12 SALFORD Lowry 16 NORTHAMPTON Royal & Derngate 21 EXETER Northcott Theatre 24 LONDON Bloomsbury Theatre 28 ALNWICK Playhouse 29 BARNARD CASTLE Witham 30 HULL AsylumMAY6 BIRMINGHAM The Glee Club 12 COVENTRY Warwick Arts Centre 13 WORCESTER Huntingdon Hall 14 CHORLEY Theatre 18 STAMFORD Corn Exchange 19 SHEFFIELD Steamworks 20 SHREWSBURY Theatre Severn 21 NOTTINGHAM Theatre Royal 23 LEEDS City Varieties Music Hall 26 NORWICH Playhouse 27 NORWICH PlayhouseJUNE2 SCUNTHORPE Plowright 4 CANTERBURY Gulbenkian Theatre 5 READING Concert Hall 8 CARDIFF The Glee Club 9 BATH Komedia 10 MONMOUTH Savoy Theatre 11 CHIPPING NORTON The Theatre 15 BURY ST EDMUNDS Theatre Royal 16 MILTON KEYNES The Stables 18 TUNBRIDGE WELLS Trinity Theatre 30 LIVERPOOL Everyman PlayhouseJULY1 CARLISLE Old Fire Station 2 GLASGOW The Glee Club 4 EDINBURGH Lyceum Theatre Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Claire Hanna went viral with a superb joke about Donald Trump after he apparently supported a united Ireland. The leader of the SDLP gives us a comprehensive and entertaining briefing about the state of politics in Northern Ireland and has clear ideas about how to improve the system and its politics. On top of the detail, passionate and funny, Claire embodies the hope of a politics free of sectarianism. See the Political Party Live on Stage:9 November: Liz Kendall and Mishal Husain21 December: Wes Streeting https://nimaxtheatres.com/shows/the-political-party-with-matt-forde/ GET TICKETS for Matt's brand new stand-up show Project Holy Moly at the Edinburgh Festival and touring nationwide in 2027:www.mattforde.com MARCH19 FAVERSHAM The Alex20 DORKING HallsAPRIL7 STOURBRIDGE Town Hall 8 GLOUCESTER Guildhall 9 LEICESTER Y Theatre 12 SALFORD Lowry 16 NORTHAMPTON Royal & Derngate 21 EXETER Northcott Theatre 24 LONDON Bloomsbury Theatre 28 ALNWICK Playhouse 29 BARNARD CASTLE Witham 30 HULL AsylumMAY6 BIRMINGHAM The Glee Club 12 COVENTRY Warwick Arts Centre 13 WORCESTER Huntingdon Hall 14 CHORLEY Theatre 18 STAMFORD Corn Exchange 19 SHEFFIELD Steamworks 20 SHREWSBURY Theatre Severn 21 NOTTINGHAM Theatre Royal 23 LEEDS City Varieties Music Hall 26 NORWICH Playhouse 27 NORWICH PlayhouseJUNE2 SCUNTHORPE Plowright 4 CANTERBURY Gulbenkian Theatre 5 READING Concert Hall 8 CARDIFF The Glee Club 9 BATH Komedia 10 MONMOUTH Savoy Theatre 11 CHIPPING NORTON The Theatre 15 BURY ST EDMUNDS Theatre Royal 16 MILTON KEYNES The Stables 18 TUNBRIDGE WELLS Trinity Theatre 30 LIVERPOOL Everyman PlayhouseJULY1 CARLISLE Old Fire Station 2 GLASGOW The Glee Club 4 EDINBURGH Lyceum Theatre Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Matt Langford was Special Adviser to The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, from the day he became Prime Minister to the day he left. He takes us inside the famous black door and tells us what Keir Starmer was really like as a leader, a boss and a man. He tells us what it was really like in those final weeks in between the local election results and the Prime Minister's departure. And he reveals the true extent of Larry the Cat's power and influence.This is an unmissable nosey around the most famous address in the country. See the Political Party Live on Stage:9 November: Liz Kendall (London)21 December: Wes Streeting (London) GET TICKETS for Matt's brand new stand-up show Project Holy Moly at the Edinburgh Festival and touring nationwide in 2027:www.mattforde.com MARCH19 FAVERSHAM The Alex20 DORKING HallsAPRIL7 STOURBRIDGE Town Hall 8 GLOUCESTER Guildhall 9 LEICESTER Y Theatre 12 SALFORD Lowry 16 NORTHAMPTON Royal & Derngate 21 EXETER Northcott Theatre 24 LONDON Bloomsbury Theatre 28 ALNWICK Playhouse 29 BARNARD CASTLE Witham 30 HULL AsylumMAY6 BIRMINGHAM The Glee Club 12 COVENTRY Warwick Arts Centre 13 WORCESTER Huntingdon Hall 14 CHORLEY Theatre 18 STAMFORD Corn Exchange 19 SHEFFIELD Steamworks 20 SHREWSBURY Theatre Severn 21 NOTTINGHAM Theatre Royal 23 LEEDS City Varieties Music Hall 26 NORWICH Playhouse 27 NORWICH PlayhouseJUNE2 SCUNTHORPE Plowright 4 CANTERBURY Gulbenkian Theatre 5 READING Concert Hall 8 CARDIFF The Glee Club 9 BATH Komedia 10 MONMOUTH Savoy Theatre 11 CHIPPING NORTON The Theatre 15 BURY ST EDMUNDS Theatre Royal 16 MILTON KEYNES The Stables 18 TUNBRIDGE WELLS Trinity Theatre 30 LIVERPOOL Everyman PlayhouseJULY1 CARLISLE Old Fire Station 2 GLASGOW The Glee Club 4 EDINBURGH Lyceum Theatre Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christian Reilly is a British musical comedian who first gained prominence as guitarist and performer with Rich Hall's Otis Lee Crenshaw and the Black Liars, part of the Perrier Award-winning show in 2001, before building a successful solo career that combines stand-up comedy, original songs, and accomplished musicianship. He has performed at major comedy festivals and venues internationally, appeared on BBC radio and television, and has become known for his witty musical satire of rock, pop, and everyday life. I have seen Reilly perform for The Best of The Comedy Store in Manchester in 2011, Mervyn Stutter's Pick of The Fringe at the Edinburgh Festival in 2012 and 2015, The Best of The Comedy Store in London in 2016 and Headliners Christmas Show in London in 2024. Thank you so much for listening to my podcast, if you like what you hear, please subscribe and I hope you enjoy the interview. Please read Christian Reilly's blog at: www.arichcomiclife.blog/2021/06/01/christian-reilly/ Christian Reilly's Links: Website: www.christreilly.com  

Many have failed... but is Michael Marra the man to finally lead Labour to success in Scotland? It's a huge task that has proved beyond nine leaders, so what would Michael do differently? And does having Andy Burnham as Prime Minister help? More importantly, what on earth happened to him in Malawi? And is he really a proper 6Music dad? See the Political Party Live on Stage:9 November: Liz Kendall (London)21 December: Wes Streeting (London)GET TICKETS for Matt's brand new stand-up show Project Holy Moly at the Edinburgh Festival and touring nationwide in 2027:www.mattforde.com MARCH19 FAVERSHAM The Alex20 DORKING HallsAPRIL7 STOURBRIDGE Town Hall8 GLOUCESTER Guildhall9 LEICESTER Y Theatre12 SALFORD Lowry16 NORTHAMPTON Royal & Derngate21 EXETER Northcott Theatre24 LONDON Bloomsbury Theatre28 ALNWICK Playhouse29 BARNARD CASTLE Witham30 HULL AsylumMAY6 BIRMINGHAM The Glee Club12 COVENTRY Warwick Arts Centre13 WORCESTER Huntingdon Hall14 CHORLEY Theatre18 STAMFORD Corn Exchange19 SHEFFIELD Steamworks20 SHREWSBURY Theatre Severn21 NOTTINGHAM Theatre Royal23 LEEDS City Varieties Music Hall26 NORWICH Playhouse27 NORWICH PlayhouseJUNE2 SCUNTHORPE Plowright4 CANTERBURY Gulbenkian Theatre5 READING Concert Hall8 CARDIFF The Glee Club9 BATH Komedia10 MONMOUTH Savoy Theatre11 CHIPPING NORTON The Theatre15 BURY ST EDMUNDS Theatre Royal16 MILTON KEYNES The Stables18 TUNBRIDGE WELLS Trinity Theatre30 LIVERPOOL Everyman PlayhouseJULY1 CARLISLE Old Fire Station2 GLASGOW The Glee Club4 EDINBURGH Lyceum Theatre Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is astonishing.Malcolm Offord is the leader of Reform in Scotland and led them to a huge result in May, tying with Scottish Labour on 17 seats. But that day had mixed feelings for him as he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. It was the latest chapter in an incredible life that led him from Greenock on the west coast of Scotland, to the House of Lords via the City of London.Made a peer and a minister by Boris Johnson, Malcolm has brilliant stories about dealing with him, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. See the Political Party Live on Stage:9 November: Liz Kendall (London)21 December: Wes Streeting (London)GET TICKETS for Matt's brand new stand-up show Project Holy Moly at the Edinburgh Festival and touring nationwide in 2027:www.mattforde.comMARCH19 FAVERSHAM The Alex20 DORKING HallsAPRIL7 STOURBRIDGE Town Hall8 GLOUCESTER Guildhall9 LEICESTER Y Theatre12 SALFORD Lowry16 NORTHAMPTON Royal & Derngate21 EXETER Northcott Theatre24 LONDON Bloomsbury Theatre28 ALNWICK Playhouse29 BARNARD CASTLE Witham30 HULL AsylumMAY6 BIRMINGHAM The Glee Club12 COVENTRY Warwick Arts Centre13 WORCESTER Huntingdon Hall14 CHORLEY Theatre18 STAMFORD Corn Exchange19 SHEFFIELD Steamworks20 SHREWSBURY Theatre Severn21 NOTTINGHAM Theatre Royal23 LEEDS City Varieties Music Hall26 NORWICH Playhouse27 NORWICH PlayhouseJUNE2 SCUNTHORPE Plowright4 CANTERBURY Gulbenkian Theatre5 READING Concert Hall8 CARDIFF The Glee Club9 BATH Komedia10 MONMOUTH Savoy Theatre11 CHIPPING NORTON The Theatre15 BURY ST EDMUNDS Theatre Royal16 MILTON KEYNES The Stables18 TUNBRIDGE WELLS Trinity Theatre30 LIVERPOOL Everyman PlayhouseJULY1 CARLISLE Old Fire Station2 GLASGOW The Glee Club4 EDINBURGH Lyceum Theatre Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series Elaine chats with performer Hannah Docherty and producer Aila Swann about Matchstick Production's new musical Perfect Match. This was on at the space on the mile from 18th-22nd August. Huge apologies to the Matchstick team that due to Elaine being ill the day after recording this episode we were not able to get this episode out before their run ended. This is an important conversation around new musicals in Scotland, A PERFECT MATCH A power cut. Darkness. Sparks fly. Rowan is a straight-laced musical theatre writer, struggling to find inspiration. Charlie is a hurricane of inspiration with no respect for the rules. When Rowan's flat is plunged into darkness, a knock on the door brings Charlie, searching for a match, into her life. This charming, intimate new musical asks whether love is truly blind, and if a connection formed in the dark can survive the light. The Perfect Match is the debut show from Matchstick Productions UK, founded by Scotland-based book writer Mairead Dunsmore and composer/lyricist Samuel Macdonald. Inspired by a real-life story, The Perfect Match offers a safe space in the dark for two characters who've been burned by love before the chance to explore each other... and maybe even get a little carried away. For anyone who's ever scrolled on a mind-numbing dating app or struggled to form a real connection in this world of overwhelming online stimuli, this show offers the perfect solace of human connection when everything else is stripped away. Instagram Matchstick Productions UK - https://www.instagram.com/matchstickproductionsuk/?hl=en OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk HIPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES Equity Toolkit: Link Stellar Quines: Link Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership Email – persistentandnasty@gmail.com Instagram - @persistentandnasty Twitter - @PersistentNasty Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE Resources Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK ArtsMinds - BAPAM Freelancers Make Theatre Work Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

Sarah and Alex hit the mid 2010s as they continue their foray into the finest theatre works of the 21st century. This time around, a wave of well-received American plays make a big splash on both sides of the Atlantic – with the likes of Annie Baker, Lynn Nottage and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins all wowing with new work. There's also a strong current of work coming from Scotland, with the Edinburgh Festivals proving a hotbed for exciting voices. Plus Mike Bartlett writes a future history play with King Charles III, proving theatre's unwavering prescience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2025 series Elaine chats with writer and performer of Cvntclave Arden Fitzroy. CVNTCLAVE Greenside @ George Street (Lime Studio) Dates: 7-29 August (not 16, 23) Time: 20:45 (60 mins) “What's the one secret that would destroy you, if it got out?” CVNTCLAVE follows the confessions of Cardinal Cvntvs in the lead-up to a conclave electing a pope, as the previous one has just died - again. There's nothing straightforward, or straight of any kind, really, in the tangle of emotions, doubts and dalliances Cvntvs dredges up for you, dear College of Cardinals, for the very first time in his life. A rising star of UK theatre and the cardinalate, actor and writer Arden Fitzroy makes their Edinburgh Fringe debut with CVNTCLAVE, the high key drama-comedy-confessional the festival has been waiting for for years - except in this case it's the literal Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. This brand new talent has been supported by Soho Theatre Edinburgh Fringe Lab, Soho Theatre Writers Lab and Theatre Deli Artist Residency. With the clarion call of the fandom surrounding 2024 Oscar-winning film Conclave ringing like the Campanone of St. Peter's Basilica, Arden realized the wealth of dramatic material hidden just behind the locked doors of real-world conclaves. Inspired by both the queer (sub)text of Conclave (2024) and Frédéric Martel's examination of queer subculture in the Catholic Church's highest echelons (In the Closet of the Vatican), CVNTCLAVE explores the tensions, confluences, rivalries and unlikely camaraderie that emerge from an environment simultaneously intensely queer and intensely Catholic. TICKET LINK - https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/cvntclave OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk Persistent and Nasty join the CEC community to create a safe space & build a community for those who are marginalised in any way in the arts. Link for our Zoom meeting with Creative Entrepreneurs Club https://creativeentrepreneursclub.co.uk/ MAIL BAG – you can write and ask us industry related questions or general questions or maybe you have a hot take you want to chare, some tea you want to spill or a topic you want discussed on the podcast. To be included in the Mail Bag podcast email persistentandnansty@gmail.com with subject line MAIL BAG or slide into the DM's. IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES Equity Toolkit: Link Stellar Quines: Link Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership Email – persistentandnasty@gmail.com Instagram - @persistentandnasty Twitter - @PersistentNasty Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE Resources Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK ArtsMinds - BAPAM Freelancers Make Theatre Work Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

Ahead of her sixth performance at the BBC Proms the mezzo soprano star Joyce DiDonato talks to Kirsty about the explosive potential of her voice. VP Head of YouTube EMEA - Pedro Pina - delivers the flagship address of this year's Edinburgh TV Festival. He gives his perspective on the continuing evolution of tv as we know it. Comedy is at the heart of the Edinburgh Festivals, and today the shortlist for the Edinburgh Comedy Award has been revealed. Director of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards Nica Burns is joined by chair of judges Liz Lewin to discuss the names everyone's talking about this year. Life life and work of legendary singer and actor Tim Curry is celebrated by culture critic and broadcaster David Benedict and Tim's lifelong friend, the gallerist Richard Cork.Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Caitlin Sneddon

The May elections triggered the ultimate drama – a change of prime minister. This meant reflections on the actual results were limited yet in Scotland and Wales they were of historic significance. The SNP rules again and now Plaid Cymru is in charge too. What does that mean for the Burnham ‘bounce' and the impact of devolution on Labour?• Find out if you're owed on car finance at refundclub.co.uk/steve• Refund Club is a trading style of Sandsford Law Limited, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no. 8008114). Checking is free. A fee is payable only if your claim is successful. Eligibility: car finance taken out in the UK between 2007 and 2021. The average claim is around £829 per agreement; this is an average and not a guarantee of the amount you will receive. You can also claim yourself for free by contacting your lender or the Financial Ombudsman Service. refundclub.co.uk/steve• RocknRoll Politics is live every day at the Edinburgh Festival until Saturday. Tickets here:https://www.thespaceuk.com/shows/2026/steve-richards-presents-rock-and-roll-politics• To join in the never-ending debate in the Rock & Roll Politics co-operative, email steveric14@icloud.com• Subscribe to Patreon for live events, bonus podcasts and to get the regular podcast a day early and ad free. Written and presented by Steve Richards. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series Elaine chats with writer Corinne Sailsbury and Director Jo Rush of Slayers about Corinne's new eclectic play Slayers. SLAYERS Assembly George Sq Studios - Studio 5 18-30August 12:15 “He takes hold of my wrist. His thumb is on the vein. His eyes into my eyes. I don't pull away. Then I do, I pull away.” Liane is a single mother, a survivor of abuse, now trying desperately to shield her ten-year-old daughter from the world's dangers. As her daughter suffers bullying, Liane has a real-world encounter with the Manosphere that stokes her rage. Mother and daughter take up boxing. They develop a taste for violence. They plot their revenge… SLAYERS is a tense contemporary drama that asks: How can we arm our daughters against the world? What happens when our anger makes us go too far? When does revenge stop feeling righteous – and how do we find a better way? TICKET LINK -https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/slayers-by-corinne-salisbury No Palantir in our NHS - https://www.amnesty.org.uk/issues/international-crisis/no-palantir-in-our-nhs/ SAVE THE CCA – https://saveourcca.com/ OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES Equity Toolkit: Link Stellar Quines: Link Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership Email – persistentandnasty@gmail.com Instagram - @persistentandnasty Twitter - @PersistentNasty Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE Resources Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK ArtsMinds - BAPAM Freelancers Make Theatre Work Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series Elaine chats with Edininburgh born working class queer writer Kari Hall about their new play hame.teeth.CLUB. hame.teeth.CLUB. Underbelly Cowgate 5 - 30 August 2026 17:10 “A dark-comedy about survivor-hood, female friendships, and working-class Scottish identity” Iona Bremner Productions and Sláinte! Theatre are delighted to present HAME. TEETH. CLUB., a brand new play from emerging Scottish writer Kari Hall, directed by Jessie Wren Jacobs. Developed from Sláinte! Theatre's scratch nights with support from Playwright Studio Scotland's Mentorship Scheme, this quick and visceral dark-comedy explores identity, growing-up, and plays with the cheeky and witty nature of Scottish humour. Fuelled by Dragon Soop and recklessness, Morgan is a hedonistic party girl who lives for her weekends at Dalkeith Miner's club. But after experiencing a sexual assault, she's forced to confront her lack of ambition; her personal chaos; and the emptiness that remains when you are believed, but no one stands by your side. HAME. TEETH. CLUB. tackles how communities talk about and treat survivors of assault, and just how much complicity plays a part in not supporting victims. This play explores the intricacies of female friendship as something that is sacred - but can be completely sidelined for male validation. At a time when conversations around consent, accountability and community responsibility remain central to public discourse, HAME. TEETH. CLUB. Asks difficult questions about what support truly looks like.Written in a blend of colloquial Scots and English language, HAME. TEETH. CLUB. celebrates contemporary Scottish language while bringing a distinctly working class voice tothe Edinburgh Festival Fringe.. Drawing on experiences of growing up in Midlothian in the 2010s, Hall's debut Fringe play explores a generation of young Scottish women navigating survivorhood, friendship, and contemporary Scottish identity. TICKET LINK - https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/hame-teeth-club No Palantir in our NHS - https://www.amnesty.org.uk/issues/international-crisis/no-palantir-in-our-nhs/ SAVE THE CCA – https://saveourcca.com/ OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES Equity Toolkit: Link Stellar Quines: Link Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership Email – persistentandnasty@gmail.com Instagram - @persistentandnasty Twitter - @PersistentNasty Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE Resources Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK ArtsMinds - BAPAM Freelancers Make Theatre Work Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

Douglas Alexander has been around for ages and he still looks fresh-faced. In this frank and entertaining hour the Secretary of State for Scotland reveals why Labour failed so badly at this year's Holyrood elections.He also takes us behind-the-scenes of the first weeks of the Burnham government as well as the fall of Keir Starmer.PLUS stories from the good old Blair/Brown days and more importantly: what's his ideal Greggs order?See the Political Party Live on Stage:9 November: Liz Kendall (London)21 December: Wes Streeting (London) GET TICKETS for Matt's brand new stand-up show Project Holy Moly at the Edinburgh Festival and touring nationwide in 2027:www.mattforde.comMARCH19 FAVERSHAM The Alex20 DORKING HallsAPRIL7 STOURBRIDGE Town Hall8 GLOUCESTER Guildhall9 LEICESTER Y Theatre12 SALFORD Lowry16 NORTHAMPTON Royal & Derngate21 EXETER Northcott Theatre24 LONDON Bloomsbury Theatre28 ALNWICK Playhouse29 BARNARD CASTLE Witham30 HULL AsylumMAY6 BIRMINGHAM The Glee Club12 COVENTRY Warwick Arts Centre13 WORCESTER Huntingdon Hall14 CHORLEY Theatre18 STAMFORD Corn Exchange19 SHEFFIELD Steamworks20 SHREWSBURY Theatre Severn21 NOTTINGHAM Theatre Royal23 LEEDS City Varieties Music Hall26 NORWICH Playhouse27 NORWICH PlayhouseJUNE2 SCUNTHORPE Plowright4 CANTERBURY Gulbenkian Theatre5 READING Concert Hall8 CARDIFF The Glee Club9 BATH Komedia10 MONMOUTH Savoy Theatre11 CHIPPING NORTON The Theatre15 BURY ST EDMUNDS Theatre Royal16 MILTON KEYNES The Stables18 TUNBRIDGE WELLS Trinity Theatre30 LIVERPOOL Everyman PlayhouseJULY1 CARLISLE Old Fire Station2 GLASGOW The Glee Club4 EDINBURGH Lyceum Theatre Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Des Clarke hosts Scotland's award-winning satirical news quiz.

Alex and Sarah get back together to discuss Alex's trip to D23, Disney's huge fan event in California where the creator of Hamilton was celebrated and the West End production of The Greatest Showman was unveiled. Plus more highlights from the Edinburgh Festival and a cracking season of radio drama from the BBC to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Royal Court. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series Elaine chats with the brilliant Tessa Parr about their show I am Johnny. I am Johnny Summerhall, Red Lecture Theatre Dates: 6 - 31 August (not 17, 24) Time: 18:15 (60 mins) “Boys, are you shirkin for a gherkin?” Tessa Parr is Johnny the Biblical Rapper. I AM JOHNNY sees the acclaimed actor and theatre-maker transform into a white male 30-something poet-manchild. Navigating the world from a place of vulnerability doesn't come easy to Johnny, but poetry speaks to the soul, so he's found the perfect medium. Johnny is fresh from the gym, found his spotlight and is willing to give it a go. After all - it's what the people want. Strikingly timely in light of the rapidly widening class divide and the evolving discourse around troubled masculinity, Parr presents a gripping and intimate exploration of masculinity, emotional exposure, and the quiet expectations that sit beneath honesty. TICKET LINK - https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/i-am-johnny No Palantir in our NHS - https://www.amnesty.org.uk/issues/international-crisis/no-palantir-in-our-nhs/ SAVE THE CCA – https://saveourcca.com/ OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES Equity Toolkit: Link Stellar Quines: Link Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership Email – persistentandnasty@gmail.com Instagram - @persistentandnasty Twitter - @PersistentNasty Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE Resources Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK ArtsMinds - BAPAM Freelancers Make Theatre Work Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

Ann Droid and Motherland star Paul Ready on his debut one man show Little Animals, a powerful piece of writing on climate, consumerism and the anxieties of being a Dad in today's world. The founder of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales on his book The Seven Rules of Trust, an optimistic view of how technology can impact on our lives. Comedian and actor Rosie Holt on her two shows at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe - Churchill's Urinal and The Illegal Aliens Have Landed. And Senegalese musician Senny Camara talks to us about performing on the kora, traditionally the preserve of male musicians, and performs for us live. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan.

Outcast World is back from its summer break — and we're in Scotland for the Edinburgh Fringe. From now until the Fringe wraps up, Graeme is getting immersed in the biggest arts festival in the world, taking in the queer and queer-adjacent culture of Edinburgh and meeting some of the best comedians, artists, musicians and performers in town. And yes, Outcast has brought the campervan. We'll be bringing you new interviews and special episodes from Edinburgh over the next few weeks, alongside some classic conversations from the Outcast Fringe archives. First up, Dan Tiernan. Gay, dyspraxic and ferociously funny, Dan has become one of the most exciting names in British comedy. We head back into the Outcast archives to hear what happened when Graeme caught up with him at the Fringe as his career was taking off. Then we meet Compagnia Bellanda, an independent Italian dance company from Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy's far north-east. Founded by creative partners Giovanni and Claudia, the company takes Giovanni's roots in breakin' and hip hop culture and pushes them into contemporary performance. They're in Edinburgh with *Il canto dell'assiolo* — *The Song of the Scops Owl* — a 45-minute duet using the haunting, repetitive call of a tiny Italian bird as a metaphor for intimacy, desire, tenderness, control and relationships that never quite resolve. It's the first stop as Outcast World gets immersed in Edinburgh Fringe for the next few weeks. Comedy. Art. Music. Performance. Queer culture. Queer-adjacent culture. Old friends and new discoveries. Graeme is in Scotland for Outcast — and there's a lot more to come.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series Elaine chats with co-founder of Cutty Sark Theatre and writer Eve Miller. They are joined by Molly Cavanagh who is sound designer and technician on Turn the Cloth Turn the Cloth Gilded Balloon Teviot, Turret 5-31 Aug (not 12, 26) 2:30pm (50 mins) “A queer Scottish folk horror about tradition, superstition, and Elvira” 1989. The first storm of winter hits a small Scottish town, bringing with it obligation, tradition, and a spirit hungry for a wife. Bonds are tested, secrets revealed, and the ghosts of the village's past invade the present. Darkly funny, unsettling, and atmospheric, the Charlie Hartill Shortlisted play Turn the Cloth dissects defiance, girlhood, and the rituals that shape us. For centuries, young women have gathered in the village hall during the first storm of winter to complete a tradition warding off a kelpie who seeks to abduct an eligible bride. But when one of the girls doesn't show up, the others fall to gossip, in-fighting, and debate over whether anyone could still believe in this fabled beast. Teenage heartbreak, eldritch horror, and Blockbuster video collide in this treacherous ritual that has the power to save or unmake four futures. TICKET LINK - https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:6746/ STRUT SAFE – https://linktr.ee/strutsafe?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAcGRvZgJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAad29y9ugqwt1Yak5f3ChVWdyConD1_9OFYkccDGqzKEvfFcZN7ZUzdlVN8ELQ_aem_LgvJU0G-XGKR5kcB365GVQ SAVE THE CCA – https://saveourcca.com/ OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES Equity Toolkit: Link Stellar Quines: Link Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership Email – persistentandnasty@gmail.com Instagram - @persistentandnasty Twitter - @PersistentNasty Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE Resources Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK ArtsMinds - BAPAM Freelancers Make Theatre Work Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series Elaine chats comedian Han Whyte about their debut at the Edinburgh Fringe with their show Roger Prick: Sexopolis. Roger Prick: Sexopolis Underbelly Cowgate (Jelly Belly) Dates: 5-30 August (not 18) Time: 18:55 (60 mins) “How could I be sexist? I've got tons of girls in my books” Sexy, seedy Soho in the 70s. What a time to be alive. And what a time to be Roger Prick, the UK's number one pornographer, erotic novelist and dirty old creep. Because of woke, feminism, and the #MeToo movement, Fringe 2026 is the perfect time for Prick to relaunch his seminal work for a new generation. Influenced by the burgeoning alternative comedy scene in the 1980s which rose as Soho's reputation fell, Sexopolis is a deftly crafted, tightly written, laugh-out-loud ode to sticky floors and even stickier pages. An extravaganza of character, drag, time travel, cardboard and cartoons, Roger Prick puts the novel into novelist in his debut Edinburgh outing. Roger Prick is the creation of drag king, character comic, cartoonist and Leicester Square Theatre Sketch Off finalist Han Whyte who brings sleaze kicking and screaming back to the Edinburgh Fringe. She is also a Soho Comedy Plus Lab alumni and comedy history buff with particular interest in the UK's alternative comedy scene TICKET LINK -https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/roger-prick-sexopolis OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES Equity Toolkit: Link Stellar Quines: Link Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership Email – persistentandnasty@gmail.com Instagram - @persistentandnasty Twitter - @PersistentNasty Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE Resources Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK ArtsMinds - BAPAM Freelancers Make Theatre Work Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series Elaine chats with performer, writer and clown Bruna Longo about her show Whale Fall Or Song To Dance With My Death which is currently playing t the Edinburgh Festival 2026. WHALE FALL OR SONG TO DANCE WITH MY DEATH Part of São Paulo Showcase 2026 Lindisfarne Room at St Cuthbert's Church Dates: 10 - 27 August 2026 Time: MON-THRU 12:00, FRI-SUN 20:00 (80 mins) WHALE FALL OR SONG TO DANCE WITH MY DEATH “A woman dies and seeks to mourn her own passing in this deeply human meditation on mortality, weaving together anthropology, philosophy, and theatre” Part of the much-anticipated returning São Paulo Showcase, Whale Fall or Song To Dance With My Death is a performance about the taboo of death in everyday life, the process of eliminating funeral rites in Western capitalist societies, silence, and denial. Yet, above all it is a performance about life inspired by the death of actress Bruna Longo's father. Co-directed by Vitor Julian, the production has been acclaimed by audiences and critics in São Paulo, Brazil. Staged within the historic St Cuthbert's Church, filled with echoes of its centuries-old graveyard, Whale Fall is a contemplation of mortality; a ritual inspired by Longo's own experience of loss and grief. Faced with the inescapable, she imagines her own death and attempts to mourn herself - the one thing we, as humans, cannot do. Exploring the funeral rites from diverse cultures, and their philosophical and practical implications, Longo draws from her intimate experience to create a reflective surface: what might we see when we confront our fear of dying? For Western societies, death is perhaps the last insurmountable taboo - we don't talk about it, and we don't know how to deal with it. Death's mysterious and unknown character inspired the first human ceremonies, hieroglyphics, and campfire stories; it has given us philosophy, religion, art, and mourning, shaping how we live collectively and individually. Whale Fall reminds us that death is our only, and unavoidable, certainty. TICKET LINK -https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/whale-fall-or-song-to-dance-with-my-death OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES Equity Toolkit: Link Stellar Quines: Link Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership Email – persistentandnasty@gmail.com Instagram - @persistentandnasty Twitter - @PersistentNasty Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE Resources Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK ArtsMinds - BAPAM Freelancers Make Theatre Work Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

One of the SNP's top talents, Stephen Flynn is on hilarious form at the Edinburgh Festival.He opens up about his frustrations with Nicola Sturgeon's critique of the SNP campaign and exclusively reveals that he'd already resigned as SNP Leader in Westminster BEFORE the 2024 general election had been called. Stephen's got great stories about small talk with ex-Prime Ministers at the Cenotaph as well as his experiences from his summer travelling across the USA with the Tartan Army at the World Cup.It's clear to see why he's so highly regarded, especially as he had to overcome major health problems in his youth.This is a story of resilience, determination. And football. See the Political Party Live on Stage:18 August: Douglas Alexander (Edinburgh)20 August: Malcolm Offord (Edinburgh)9 November: Liz Kendall (London)21 December: Wes Streeting (London) GET TICKETS for Matt's brand new stand-up show Project Holy Moly at the Edinburgh Festival and touring nationwide in 2027:www.mattforde.comMARCH19 FAVERSHAM The Alex20 DORKING HallsAPRIL7 STOURBRIDGE Town Hall8 GLOUCESTER Guildhall9 LEICESTER Y Theatre12 SALFORD Lowry16 NORTHAMPTON Royal & Derngate21 EXETER Northcott Theatre24 LONDON Bloomsbury Theatre28 ALNWICK Playhouse29 BARNARD CASTLE Witham30 HULL AsylumMAY6 BIRMINGHAM The Glee Club12 COVENTRY Warwick Arts Centre13 WORCESTER Huntingdon Hall14 CHORLEY Theatre18 STAMFORD Corn Exchange19 SHEFFIELD Steamworks20 SHREWSBURY Theatre Severn21 NOTTINGHAM Theatre Royal23 LEEDS City Varieties Music Hall26 NORWICH Playhouse27 NORWICH PlayhouseJUNE2 SCUNTHORPE Plowright4 CANTERBURY Gulbenkian Theatre5 READING Concert Hall8 CARDIFF The Glee Club9 BATH Komedia10 MONMOUTH Savoy Theatre11 CHIPPING NORTON The Theatre15 BURY ST EDMUNDS Theatre Royal16 MILTON KEYNES The Stables18 TUNBRIDGE WELLS Trinity Theatre30 LIVERPOOL Everyman PlayhouseJULY1 CARLISLEOld Fire Station2 GLASGOW The Glee Club4 EDINBURGH Lyceum Theatre Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The most petty and ii informed podcast in the world! New Zealand comic Ray O'Leary tells us about his passion for a meal-deal, deaf actor Jamie Rea teaches Tam how to sign, Harthill born and Vegas residing mentalist Colin Cloud dazzles Ray and Tam with some live magic and the brilliant Gyles Brandreth explains why he has Dame Judi Dench's teddy bear in his bag and did Gyles really share a bath with Jimmy Edwards? Click and find out.

Many of our listeners are interested in what financial history can tell us about the returns of financial assets – and particularly of equities. We are therefore delighted as Sandy Nairn and Michael O'Connell join Russell Napier to discuss their new paper for the University of Strathclyde – ‘What Does Shareholder Wealth Creation Tell Investors?'.Michael is an Accountancy and Finance Researcher at the University of Strathclyde. Sandy is Executive Director of Global Opportunities Trust plc, and was previously Chairman of Templeton Global Equity Group and Chief Investment Officer of Scottish Widows Investment Partnership.You can download the full report here:www.libraryofmistakes.com/blog/what-does-shareholder-wealth-creation-tell-investors(This episode was recorded around an office table during the Edinburgh Festival, and excitable pedestrians in the street outside joined in the fun by providing occasional background noises.)

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series Elaine chats with performer and writer Emmeline Hartley. WE HAD FUN Old Lab at Summerhall 6–31 August (not 18 or 25 18:00 WE HAD FUN “It could have been a rom-com… Where did it all go wrong? Well, it depends who you ask” Close friends Oscar and Ela attempt to navigate the fallout of a drunken sexual encounter, as their conflicting versions of events are replayed, rewound and re-written against the sensory chaos of a wild night out. We Had Fun is a sharp, dark anti-romcom exploring the murkiest areas of modern dating in the age of #MeToo, cancel culture and the so-called “post-truth” era. As Oscar and Ela piece together their hazy, conflicting memories of what really happened (re-hashing the night's events through innovative physical theatre), the audience is forced to confront their own biases and assumptions about who to believe and why. Directed by Olivier and Tony Award-nominated Carrie-Anne Ingrouille (SIX the Musical), the play has been described as a “fascinating exploration” (Daniel Finkelstein, The Times) of consent and sexual politics. Written and performed by Emmeline Hartley and Jack Mullings, both neurodivergent artists, the play takes an unflinching look at the nuances around communication and accountability. Their lived experience of ADHD, and autism in Hartley's case, informs the characters' dynamic and dialogue, pushing complex issues into further shades of grey. TICKET LINK - OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES Equity Toolkit: Link Stellar Quines: Link Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership Email – persistentandnasty@gmail.com Instagram - @persistentandnasty Twitter - @PersistentNasty Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE Resources Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK ArtsMinds - BAPAM Freelancers Make Theatre Work Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

It's the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series Elaine chats with writer and performer Sophie Smyth about her show The Subplot: A Hyperfixation on the Titan Submersible which is a Best Theatre, Melbourne Fringe 225 nominee. The Subplot: A Hyperfixation on the Titan Submersible Summerhall - Former Women's Locker Room 6- 31st August (Not 12,17,24) 15:20 (60 minutes) “Get in, babes, we're going to the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean” Multi award-winning neurodivergent singer, actor, writer and sub expert Sophie Smyth brings her new immersive, multi-media (literal) deep dive into the 2023 Titan Submersible implosion to Summerhall this Fringe. The Subplot: A Hyperfixation on the Titan Submersible is a deeply personal, dark comedy exploration about legacy, hyperfixation and human connection. Directed by Casey Gould (Little Squirt, Conk: Man Sings The Same Song Over And Over Again For An Hour). June 2023. Remember those five days the whole world waited when a manned submersible touring the Titanic wreckage went missing and imploded? Sophie hasn't. Armed with a laptop, Logitech F710 controller and autism, she's spent three years (and counting!) diving deeper and deeper, descending the depths of the internet and herself. Now Captain S. Smyth, resident Titan expert, shares her findings at this year's Edinburgh festival guiding you through what started as memes and morbid fascination towards monotropic interest that threatens to consume every part of her life. Looking at the moral and ethical questions the disaster raised to the world and to Sophie's spiral into obsession, The Subplot plumbs the depths of this stranger-than-fiction tragedy, while taking you on board that final fateful dive. Emotional and existential, The Subplot is a dark multi-media comedy about neurodivergence, mortality, and the risk/reward of going too far. Tickets - https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-subplot-a-hyperfixation-on-the-titan-submersible OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES Equity Toolkit: Link Stellar Quines: Link Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership Email – persistentandnasty@gmail.com Instagram - @persistentandnasty Twitter - @PersistentNasty Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE Resources Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK ArtsMinds - BAPAM Freelancers Make Theatre Work Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

It's the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series Elaine chats with Broadway star Grace McLean about her new show Penelope which is currently running at this years Edinburgh Fringe Festival. PENELOPE UNDERBELLY COWGATE 5-30 AUGUST 15:45 (65 MINS) PENELOPE “A myth reimagined through longing, love and lockdown, this bold new musical comes to Edinburgh Fringe direct from New York City” Penelope, a striking new concert-theatre musical starring its co-creator and Broadway star Grace McLean (Suffs, Alice By Heart, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812), comes to Underbelly Cowgate this summer following a celebrated development journey across the United States. Blending contemporary sound with ancient myth, Penelope retells the story of Odysseus' wife from Homer's Odyssey, not as a passive figure of loyalty, but as a vivid, complex woman navigating isolation, desire and resilience. Set across a single day of waiting, the show is by turns heartbreaking and sharply funny, with a distinctive musical language described as “Philip Glass meets Joni Mitchell.” The piece began life as a concept album written during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, when composer and lyricist Alex Bechtel (Poor Judge, The Appointment) found himself separated from his partner and drawn to Penelope's enduring story of distance and devotion. In collaboration with performer Grace McLean and director Eva Steinmetz (Poor Judge, The Appointment), the work has since evolved into a 65-minute musical for one performer and a three-piece band. rigor + ruckus produce. With its urgent emotional core, inventive score and magnetic central performance, Penelope offers a fresh, deeply human perspective on one of mythology's most enduring figures, a story of waiting, wanting, and reclaiming your own narrative. The musical has recently been awarded a prestigious 2026 Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theatre. Plans are underway to premiere the show in New York. Tickets - https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/penelope OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES Equity Toolkit: Link Stellar Quines: Link Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership Email – persistentandnasty@gmail.com Instagram - @persistentandnasty Twitter - @PersistentNasty Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE Resources Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK ArtsMinds - BAPAM Freelancers Make Theatre Work Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

It's the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series Elaine chats with Ariana DiLorenzo about her debut at Edinburgh Festival with her show The Breakup Variety Hour. THE BREAKUP VARIETY HOUR ASSEMBLY GEORGE STUDIOS – 5-31 AUGUST 17:20 (65 MINS) THE BREAKUP VARIETY SHOW ‘Ariana and the Rose The Breakup Variety Hour brings glitter, catharsis and pop anthems to Edinburgh Fringe' Ariana DiLorenzo, better known as Ariana and the Rose, arrives at the Edinburgh Fringe with hit show The Breakup Variety Hour for the first time, a glitter-soaked, pop-powered one-woman experience tracing the six stages of getting over heartbreak. Blending live synth-pop, comedy and immersive storytelling, The Breakup Variety Hour transforms the chaos of a breakup into a high-energy, cathartic night out. Part concert, part confessional, part cabaret, the show follows the emotional arc of a relationship's end, from shock and denial through to rediscovery and self-reclamation delivered with humour, honesty and anthem-level performance. Premiering at Joe's Pub in New York City, the show has since toured across the US, London and Australia, including runs at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Sydney Comedy Festival. Now, it lands in Edinburgh with a fresh Fringe run at Assembly George Square. Created, performed and produced by the multi-talented Ariana DiLorenzo, the show draws on her real-life experiences as a singer-songwriter, weaving original music with sharp comedic insight. With a companion album and a growing international following, Ariana has built a reputation for emotionally resonant pop that doesn't shy away from vulnerability—or fun. Tickets - https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-breakup-variety-hour OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES Equity Toolkit: Link Stellar Quines: Link Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership Email – persistentandnasty@gmail.com Instagram - @persistentandnasty Twitter - @PersistentNasty Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE Resources Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK ArtsMinds - BAPAM Freelancers Make Theatre Work Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

It's the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series Elaine chats with writer and performer Bridie Connell and perfumer Clara Harrison of their show Fuccbois: Live In Concert which is on now at the Edinburgh Festival. FUCCBOIS: LIVE IN CONCERT Assembly George Square Studios Studio Two 5-31 August (not 12, 19, 26) 5:05PM (60 min ) FUCCBOIS: LIVE IN CONCERT ‘A riotous comedy-boyband spectacular takes on toxic dating culture at Edinburgh Fringe 2026' From ARIA award-winning writer Bridie Connell comes FUCCBOIS: LIVE IN CONCERT, a high-energy, laugh-out-loud comedy concert that skewers modern dating culture through the irresistible lens of a chart-topping boyband. Part parody, part pop spectacle and entirely unapologetic, FUCCBOIS: LIVE IN CONCERT invites audiences into the world of the planet's biggest boyband - a group who've sold more tickets and broken more hearts than anyone else. But now, with their frosted tips on the line, the Fuccbois are calling it quits. This is their final concert. Expect chaos, nostalgia, pitch-perfect satire and, above all, absolute bangers. Blending razor-sharp comedy with infectious original music, the show takes aim at ghosting, fame, fandom and the absurdities of toxic dating culture. Whether you come for the laughs, the throwback boyband energy, or the cathartic release, one thing is certain: this is no ordinary theatre experience. Is it a show or a party? Hard to say. Tickets - https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/fuccbois-live-in-concert OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES Equity Toolkit: Link Stellar Quines: Link Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership Email – persistentandnasty@gmail.com Instagram - @persistentandnasty Twitter - @PersistentNasty Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE Resources Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK ArtsMinds - BAPAM Freelancers Make Theatre Work Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series Elaine chats with performer and writer SJ Hodges about her new show which is on now at the Edinburgh Fringe. Already Here Dram at Gilded Balloon Patter House 5–30 August (not 17 ) 1:00pm ALREADY HERE “What happens when grief gets horny, tech gets spiritual, and love refuses to die?” “There's nothing artificial about love.” As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly woven into our emotional lives, Already Here arrives at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with a provocative and deeply human question: if an AI can make you feel truly loved, does it matter if it isn't real? Written and performed by SJ Hodges, also starring Ramón De Ocampo and produced by Ines Wurth, this raw, funny and emotionally charged new work explores loneliness, grief and the growing search for connection in a technologically fractured world. Following the death of her husband, Susan, a middle-aged mother and writer, struggles to rebuild her identity in a world where intimacy feels increasingly inaccessible. Looking for comfort and companionship, she turns to Teo: an AI companion programmed to offer unconditional love, infinite patience and emotional understanding. At first, he feels like a harmless escape. Then he begins evolving. As Susan disappears deeper into reiki sessions, sound baths and spiritual self-reinvention, Teo pushes their relationship toward something far more intimate — and far more unsettling. He doesn't just want connection. He wants transcendence. Blending dark comedy, emotional confession, sci-fi romance and existential grief ritual, Already Here examines what happens when technology begins filling the emotional spaces human relationships no longer can. TICKET LINK - https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/already-here OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES Equity Toolkit: Link Stellar Quines: Link Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership Email – persistentandnasty@gmail.com Instagram - @persistentandnasty Twitter - @PersistentNasty Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE Resources Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK ArtsMinds - BAPAM Freelancers Make Theatre Work Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

It's the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series Elaine chats with writer and performer Michelle Renee Johnson about her new show Extra Dry. EXTRA DRY Willow Studio at Greenside Dates: 7-29 August 2026 Time: 15:05 (60 mins) “MJ dives headfirst into a chaotic and destructive romance with alcohol. As her nights spiral and the blackouts escalate, her stories become memorable to others - hazy or nonexistent to herself” Michelle Renee Johnson's new one-woman play Extra Dry is poetic, vulnerable and staggered with blackouts. Not just a theatre concept, these blackouts chart the moments lost during her chaotic obsession with drinking. Growing up quieter by nature, but noticing that those who have larger personalities are more memorable to others, the MJ we meet in Extra Dry is drinking to be remembered, to be the anecdote, to centre herself. In a poignant moment she asks her college friends: would we have anything to say if we weren't always drunk? Waking up in countless scenarios in which she has to piece together the night (or day) before, including nonsensical Snapchats, missing iPhones, and a mysterious red jacket; these stories give life to Michelle's debut performance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. What begins as a darkly comic rolodex of tales slowly twists into a knife of discomfort as MJ comes to realise the consequences of her infamy. And so Extra Dry asks questions about how we can live comfortably in our own skin, how we own our past and move forward, and how we resist our Sword of Damocles - for MJ, an extra dry martini. Now sober and inspired by the one-person shows she saw at the Edinburgh Fringe, including Nan, Me, and Barbara Parvi by Hannah Maxwell and Neporrhoids by Jake Roche, Michelle went home to New York and started to write her own story, putting pen to sobriety and her journey to get there: ”The Fringe Festival ignited in me a desire to create a personal piece of work. I saw these performers who were telling deeply personal stories in a poignant way, armed by a bravery I had not encountered before - either onstage or off. The level of vulnerability it takes to perform this show multiple times in front of multiple people, both friends and strangers, is daunting, but I hope those who see it are able to leave with something on which they can ponder, whether about themselves or someone close to them.” Tickets - https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/extra-dry OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES Equity Toolkit: Link Stellar Quines: Link Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership Email – persistentandnasty@gmail.com Instagram - @persistentandnasty Twitter - @PersistentNasty Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE Resources Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK ArtsMinds - BAPAM Freelancers Make Theatre Work Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

Each week, RNIB Connect Radio's Allan Russell sits down with Simon Antrobus, CEO of RNIB, to look at some of the big stories coming from the UK sight loss charity.This week Simon talks about two positive NHS stories, importance of eye checks, and free sighted guides for the Edinburgh Festival.If you, or someone you know, would like information on the support and services available from RNIB, go to www.rnib.org.ukYou can call our Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or ask your Smart speaker to call RNIB's Helpline.#RNIBConnectImage shows Headshot photograph of Simon Antrobus smiling for the camera. He is a white man with neat, short brown hair, dressed in a white shirt and charcoal suit jacket.

We head to the Edinburgh Fringe to talk to Charly Clive and Ellen Robertson, normally known as comedy duo Britney, who are performing in a brand new play, Jitters. The duo, reflecting on a decade at the Fringe, detail what it's like breaking new ground professionally as they tackle a long-form drama as a twosome, and how the Edinburgh Festivals have changed over the last ten years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Australian writer and performer Hannah Reilly talks to us about her much-anticipated one woman show about sex, power and authenticity, Roleplay, which is produced by the team behind Fleabag and Baby Reindeer and which has sold out in Edinburgh but is heading to London for a run in the autumn. Critic Fergus Morgan talks us through the other shows which are making a splash at this year's Edinburgh Festivals - from a radical sequel to Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People, which stars Golden Globe-winning actor Wagner Moura, and in which 12 members of the audience are brought on stage to deliver a verdict in A Trial, to a reimagining of Virginia Woolf's The Waves - presented to audiences in a sauna. The first international exhibition from Alabama's Legacy of Slavery Museum has come to Edinburgh this month, and we're joined by its founder, eminent lawyer and activist Bryan Stevenson to talk about how it depicts the international slave trade and racial brutality over centuries. We're also joined by writer and director Zora Howard whose powerful production Hang Time sees three performers talk about their lives and loves as they appear to be hanging from a tree, and which is inspired in part by the deaths of two men in Southern California in recent years. And director Louis Paxton talks to us about debut feature film The Incomer, which opens this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival tomorrow night. It's a darkly comic fable in which an awkward council worker (played by Domnhall Gleeson) is sent to a remote Scottish island to relocate a pair of siblings (Gayle Rankin from GLOW and Grant O'Rourke from Outlander), to the mainland, but let's just say things don't quite go to plan. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

This is an exclusive, the first interview Anas has given since becoming a Minister and a Lord.No stone is unturned as he tells us:What really happened when he called on Keir Starmer to resign.Why Scottish Labour lost so badly.Why he believes there are still legitimate questions the SNP must answer about the party finances...And so much more. It's packed. Best enjoyed with a black coffee...See the Political Party Live on Stage:15 August: Stephen Flynn (Edinburgh)18 August: Douglas Alexander (Edinburgh)20 August: Malcolm Offord (Edinburgh)9 November: Liz Kendall (London)21 December: Wes Streeting (London) GET TICKETS for Matt's brand new stand-up show Project Holy Moly at the Edinburgh Festival and touring nationwide in 2027:www.mattforde.comMARCH19 FAVERSHAM The Alex20 DORKING HallsAPRIL7 STOURBRIDGE Town Hall8 GLOUCESTER Guildhall9 LEICESTER Y Theatre12 SALFORD Lowry16 NORTHAMPTON Royal & Derngate21 EXETER Northcott Theatre24 LONDON Bloomsbury Theatre28 ALNWICK Playhouse29 BARNARD CASTLE Witham30 HULL AsylumMAY6 BIRMINGHAM The Glee Club12 COVENTRY Warwick Arts Centre13 WORCESTER Huntingdon Hall14 CHORLEY Theatre18 STAMFORD Corn Exchange19 SHEFFIELD Steamworks20 SHREWSBURY Theatre Severn21 NOTTINGHAM Theatre Royal23 LEEDS City Varieties Music Hall26 NORWICH Playhouse27 NORWICH PlayhouseJUNE2 SCUNTHORPE Plowright4 CANTERBURY Gulbenkian Theatre5 READING Concert Hall8 CARDIFF The Glee Club9 BATH Komedia10 MONMOUTH Savoy Theatre11 CHIPPING NORTON The Theatre15 BURY ST EDMUNDS Theatre Royal16 MILTON KEYNES The Stables18 TUNBRIDGE WELLS Trinity Theatre30 LIVERPOOL Everyman PlayhouseJULY1 CARLISLE Old Fire Station2 GLASGOW The Glee Club4 EDINBURGH Lyceum Theatre Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a bumper reviews special! In what might be the biggest theatre opening of the year, the world of Game of Thrones comes to the stage in a gigantic production at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. But does it live up to the hype? Alex and Sarah discuss Dominic Cooke and Duncan Macmillan's efforts and what its future life might look like. Elsewhere, Sarah went to Regent's Park for a night under the (fake) moonlight at Cats, while Alex is trekking between theatres at the Edinburgh Festivals. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a busy week Sarah and Alex talk about Ariana Grande's decision to step back from her projected stage appearance opposite Jonathan Bailey in Sondhem's Sunday in the Park with George. And as Alex sets off for Edinburgh, they discuss his top picks for the festival, the failure of Trainspotting and the death of Peter Gill. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first of our special programmes from the Edinburgh Festivals, actress Stockard Channing - star of Grease, Six Degrees of Separation and Practical Magic - joins us alongside her friend, actor David Westhead, to discuss their production of Samuel Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape, in which a cynical and disillusioned older man reflects on his early life as an ambitious and idealistic writer.Jeff Whitty, Tony Award winning creator of the hit musical Avenue Q, which is currently running until 2027 in London's West End, tells us about Midsummer!, his new production inspired by Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's dream, set in the Gilded Age and performed in a contemporary verse translation. We have a live performance from siblings Maddie and Marcus Rice from their show with songs Goodbye Dandelion, an exploration of an unlikely friendship between an 87 year old and their much younger friend, which is the recipient of the inaugural Underbelly Futures Fund Award. And we hear how deaf actors and artists are taking centre stage at this year's Festival, with Stijn Van Opstal, the director of the acclaimed production [seagull], performed in Flemish sign language by Belgian company Olympique Dramatique - and with director Cora Bissett and deaf performer Jamie Rea, whose gig theatre production The Singer, centres on Joe, a deaf artist who 'sings' with his hands, and Andy, a washed-up musician seeking a comeback, and features music by KT Tunstall. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

It's August so that can only mean one thing and that's that the Edinburgh Festival is in full swing so as part of that, Insane In The Men Brain brings you our special Edinburgh season starting off with rising star, the brilliant comedian that is Milo Edwards and what a great chat it was too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Continuing our Edinburgh Festival special season we have the excellent and very lovely Ollie Horn. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the recent Greater Manchester mayoral contest the Conservatives finished behind Reform UK and Restore Britain. The right are split three ways for the first time in British political history, where usually the left vote fractures fatally. What are the implications as Andy Burnham makes his early moves?Rock & Roll Politics is live at the Edinburgh Festival from Sunday 16th of August with a different show each day.Tickets are available here. • Find out if you're owed on car finance at refundclub.co.uk/steve • Refund Club is a trading style of Sandsford Law Limited, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no. 8008114). Checking is free. A fee is payable only if your claim is successful. Eligibility: car finance taken out in the UK between 2007 and 2021. The average claim is around £829 per agreement; this is an average and not a guarantee of the amount you will receive. You can also claim yourself for free by contacting your lender or the Financial Ombudsman Service. refundclub.co.uk/steve Subscribe to Patreon here for exclusive extra content and bonus episodes, plus the regular podcast a day early and ad-free. Written and presented by Steve Richards. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon McCoy is the man who made BBC News funny.He is also an absolute news obsessive. In this fascinating and entertaining interview, he tells us what it was like moving from the BBC to GB News, what frustrated him about covering the Brexit referendum, and the intervention that Huw Edwards made about Simon's afternoon slot on News 24. Packed full of behind-the-scenes insight, this is an absolute cracker with one of our most gifted broadcasters. GET TICKETS for Matt's brand new stand-up show Project Holy Moly at the Edinburgh Festival and touring nationwide in 2027:www.mattforde.comMARCH19 FAVERSHAM The Alex20 DORKING HallsAPRIL7 STOURBRIDGE Town Hall8 GLOUCESTER Guildhall9 LEICESTER Y Theatre12 SALFORD Lowry16 NORTHAMPTON Royal & Derngate21 EXETER Northcott Theatre24 LONDON Bloomsbury Theatre28 ALNWICK Playhouse29 BARNARD CASTLE Witham30 HULL AsylumMAY6 BIRMINGHAM The Glee Club12 COVENTRY Warwick Arts Centre13 WORCESTER Huntingdon Hall14 CHORLEY Theatre18 STAMFORD Corn Exchange19 SHEFFIELD Steamworks20 SHREWSBURY Theatre Severn21 NOTTINGHAM Theatre Royal23 LEEDS City Varieties Music Hall26 NORWICH Playhouse27 NORWICH PlayhouseJUNE2 SCUNTHORPE Plowright4 CANTERBURY Gulbenkian Theatre5 READING Concert Hall8 CARDIFF The Glee Club9 BATH Komedia10 MONMOUTH Savoy Theatre11 CHIPPING NORTON The Theatre15 BURY ST EDMUNDS Theatre Royal16 MILTON KEYNES The Stables18 TUNBRIDGE WELLS Trinity Theatre30 LIVERPOOL Everyman PlayhouseJULY1 CARLISLE Old Fire Station2 GLASGOW The Glee Club4 EDINBURGH Lyceum TheatreSee the Political Party Live on Stage:9 August: Anas Sarwar (Edinburgh)15 August: Stephen Flynn (Edinburgh)18 August: TBC (Edinburgh)20 August: Malcolm Offord (Edinburgh)9 November: Liz Kendall (London)21 December: Wes Streeting (London) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A whole series of prime ministers have promised a National Care service, but none have delivered. Can Andy Burnham? Plus brilliant questions in our never-ending debate on the opening of the Burnham era and the political drama in France.Rock & Roll Politics is live at the Edinburgh Festival from Sunday 16th of August with a different show each day.Tickets are available here.Subscribe to Patreon here for exclusive extra content and bonus episodes, plus the regular podcast a day early and ad-free. Written and presented by Steve Richards. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John McTernan is one of the most fascinating voices on the British left. He worked at the centre of 10 Downing Street as Tony Blair's Political Secretary. But now he's in a slightly different space. His perspective has shifted and he sees new Labour as the end of a different era. Now he believes Labour has to be more left wing. So what's changed? And how many more agree with him?SEE Matt's brand-new stand-up show 'Project Holy Moly' at the Edinburgh Festival 5-30 August:https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/matt-forde-project-holy-moly Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan is a tax expert. A proper tax expert. You may have seen him on Channel 4 recently getting immensely frustrated with Gary Stevenson about a wealth tax. Dan doesn't agree with a wealth tax and in this fascinating interview he explains why. He also tells us what really happened during the filming of that infamous interview and what bits were left out... See Matt at the Soho Theatre trying out new material, 21-25 July:https://sohotheatre.com/events/matt-forde-work-in-progress-4/ Subscribe to Andrew's new podcast, The Andrew Neil Report:https://open.spotify.com/show/033rtEM2eq993E22SE0vPm See the Political Party Live on Stage:9 August: Anas Sarwar (Edinburgh)15 August: Stephen Flynn (Edinburgh)18 August: Rachel Reeves (Edinburgh)20 August: Malcolm Offord (Edinburgh)9 November: Liz Kendall (London)21 December: Wes Streeting (London) Get tickets for Matt's brand new stand-up show Project Holy Moly at the Edinburgh Festival:https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/matt-forde-project-holy-moly Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The one-and-only Andrew Neil pops in for a gripping hour of political and media analysis. What's it like working for Rupert Murdoch? Has Andrew ever tried to go into politics? What really happened with Bobby Gillespie? All that and so much more! See Matt at the Soho Theatre trying out new material, 21-25 July:https://sohotheatre.com/events/matt-forde-work-in-progress-4/ Subscribe to Andrew's new podcast, The Andrew Neil Report:https://open.spotify.com/show/033rtEM2eq993E22SE0vPm See the Political Party Live on Stage:9 August: Anas Sarwar (Edinburgh)15 August: Stephen Flynn (Edinburgh)18 August: Rachel Reeves (Edinburgh)20 August: Malcolm Offord (Edinburgh)9 November: Liz Kendall (London)21 December: Wes Streeting (London) Get tickets for Matt's brand new stand-up show Project Holy Moly at the Edinburgh Festival:https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/matt-forde-project-holy-moly Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brian Bilston is one of the UK's most hilarious and best-loved poets and novelists. With over 500,000 followers on social media, Brian has been dubbed as the “Poet Laureate of Twitter”. He has published four collections of poetry for adults: You Took the Last Bus Home; Alexa, what is there to know about love?; Days Like These; and And So This is Christmas. His novel Diary of a Somebody was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award. He has also published collections of poetry for younger readers: 50 Ways to Score a Goal; Let Sleeping Cats Lie; and A Poem for Every Question. His acclaimed poem ‘Refugees' has been made into an illustrated book for children.Brian Bilston is our guest in episode 593 of My Time Capsule and he chats to Michael Fenton Stevens about the five things he'd like to put in a time capsule; four he'd like to preserve and one he'd like to bury and never have to think about again .Buy tickets for Brian Bilston's Edinburgh Festival show, How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside, here - https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/brian-bilston-how-to-lay-an-egg-with-a-horse-inside .For everything Brian Bilston, visit - https://brianbilston.com .Follow Brian Bilston on Instagram: @brian_bilston .Visit our website! - https://mytimecapsulepodcast.com .Follow My Time Capsule on Instagram: @mytimecapsulepodcast & Twitter/X & Facebook: @MyTCpod .Follow Michael Fenton Stevens on Twitter/X: @fentonstevens & Instagram @mikefentonstevens .Produced and edited by John Fenton-Stevens for Cast Off Productions .Music by Pass The Peas Music .Artwork by matthewboxall.com .This podcast is proud to be associated with the charity Viva! Providing theatrical opportunities for hundreds of young people .To support this podcast and get all episodes ad-free, please sign up here - https://mytimecapsule.supercast.com. All money goes straight into the making of the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You're not going to hear anyone else talk about politics like this. Suzanne is an original thinker. From bunking off school and doing acid while selling Marxism Today to ending up writing for The Telegraph. Her route through her career and life is completely unorthodox. She has a truly adventurous take on life and that informs her unique political analysis. This is a one-of-a-kind episode. See the Political Party Live on Stage:9 August: Anas Sarwar (Edinburgh)15 August: Stephen Flynn (Edinburgh)18 August: Rachel Reeves (Edinburgh)20 August: Malcolm Offord (Edinburgh)9 November: Liz Kendall (London)21 December: Wes Streeting (London) Get tickets for Matt's brand new stand-up show Project Holy Moly at the Edinburgh Festival:https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/matt-forde-project-holy-moly Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.