Big Lit 2025 in Gatehouse announces exciting programme of literary performers
An exciting programme of literary performers from across Scotland and beyond has been announced for this year's Big Lit.
The Gatehouse literary festival will take place in the Mill on the Fleet between July 18 and 20.
The volunteer-run festival, organised by The Bakehouse Community Arts, will be welcoming back old and new faces and promises something for everyone.
Highlights include Big Lit cabaret open mic evening with poet Charlie Gracie on the opening night.
There will also be the chance to enjoy Bards for Breakfast on July 19 with storyteller and former Scots Scriever Sui Briggs and writer and musician Alan McClure.
The pair are long time collaborators with song, storytelling, plays and poetry. They co-created globally loved storytelling show Oor Wee Podcast together as well as the play Drookit for Braw Clan theatre.
The same day, Gatehouse author Karen Campbell will be speaking about her latest novel, This Bright Life, and journalist Gerry Hassan will be in conversation with Alec Ross discussing his new book Britain Needs Change: The Challenge for labour and the Politics of Hope.
Sunday will see the launch of Southlight 37 – with writers talking about the 37th edition of Dumfries and Galloway's leading creative magazine.
Award-winning voice actor from Gatehouse, Ruth Urquhart, will be sharing her decade long experience of narrating more than 200 books for listeners all over the world.
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Scottish Sun
40 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
New adult-only indoor playground with pub games and prosecco-flavoured candyfloss to open in the UK
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Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Festival Fringe becoming 'more Scottish festival' due to rising costs
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is becoming a 'more Scottish festival' due to rising costs of attending the event, the founders of Underbelly have said, as the venue marks 25 years since its launch in a 'dirty and grimy' space in the Cowgate. Ed Bartlam and Charlie Wood, who launched Underbelly in 2000 with a single venue and now run 20 venues across four main sites, say more tickets are being sold to Edinburgh locals and other Scots, as people from further afield are increasingly priced out of the Fringe. 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Summerhall has done extremely well, in terms of new theatre, physical theatre, while Zoo does it very well in terms of dance. I think audiences like going to places where they have an idea of what a venue is programming.' Underbelly is looking to continue to diversify, not only at the Fringe, but in other areas including London, where it opened Underbelly Boulevard in Soho in October 2023. Last year, a production of Macbeth starring Ralph Fiennes was performed at Edinburgh's Royal Highland Centre, as well as in Liverpool and Washington DC. However, Mr Bartlam and Mr Wood still regard Edinburgh as the brand's base. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The Fringe is extraordinary,' Mr Bartlam says. 'It is basically built on creative entrepreneurism, because we know there's no funding. It has grown and is what it is, because of artists that take risks, promoters that take risks, venues that take risks, and it's properly entrepreneurial.
Daily Record
3 hours ago
- Daily Record
Scots wrestler who lived in his car with his dog now a rising ring star in USA
Meet the former Motherwell carer, Luke Scouler, turned wrestling star taking America by storm. A former Scots carer who once lived in his car with his dog is now making waves across the Atlantic as one of the rising stars in American wrestling. Luke Scouler, 33, from Motherwell, better known by fans as Crixus, and he's quickly become one of the breakout stars of Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) — the same promotion that launched WWE legends like John Cena and Batista. Nicknamed the Scottish War Machine, Luke's journey has taken him from sleeping in a gym car park to headline matches in the US, including casket matches and cage fights. He made history as OVW's first-ever Scottish champion, and now appears regularly in the cult promotion recently featured in the hit Netflix documentary Wrestlers. Before the body slams and bright lights, Luke had worked as a fitness instructor and in residential care for young people at Inspire Scotland. 'I really loved that job. But it was tough emotionally,' Luke said. 'I've always had a bit of a Batman complex - I thought I was going to save everybody. 'I was in a bad place with it. I knew it wasn't for me and I was burned out. I was in a bad place and I remember sitting in my house in Newmains watching TV with my dog, Odin, when wrestling came on and I just thought: 'Screw it. Let's go.' Scots have made it big in this business – why couldn't I?' That same night, he packed up his car, grabbed his dog, and drove through the night to enroll at a wrestling academy in London run by former WWE star Al Snow , who is now OVW's head trainer. 'I drove through the night with no plan and no place to stay. Me and the dog slept in the car for a bit,' Luke recalled. 'Eventually the guy who ran it asked if I was serious. I told him I'd already quit my job and left my house. That was it. We moved into the gym and didn't go back.' After topping a 300-person wrestling combine in 2019, Luke earned a coveted spot at OVW. But his momentum was stalled when the pandemic hit, forcing him back to the UK for two years. Now, fully based in Kentucky, he's cementing himself as one of the promotion's leading names. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. 'We've got thicker skin, especially in Glasgow. You're battle-ready by the time you leave primary school, so wrestling comes naturally to us,' Luke said. 'I'm a smartass cheeky b******, and the accent helps too. Over here in the States, people already think we're mental which helps. I just turned my personality up to 11. I wasn't pretending to be someone else — just the version of me you probably wouldn't want to sit next to in a pub. I get to act like an a**** and they still love me. They boo you, but they're cheering underneath.' His rise comes during what insiders are calling a golden period for Scots in pro wrestling. Joe Hendry , from Edinburgh, appeared at WrestleMania this year, while Drew McIntyre , from Ayrshire and also an OVW alumnus, became Scotland's first WWE Champion in 2020. OVW head coach Al Snow, himself a former WWE European and Hardcore Champion, believes Luke could be next. 'With the success of Joe Hendry and Drew McIntyre, Scotland is increasingly a potential source of talent. ICW did amazing things. I know Grado — though don't tell him I said this — but he's incredibly charismatic and doing so well across TV, radio and stage,' Snow said. 'With Crixus, we may have another superstar on our hands. His dedication has been incredible. To make it in this business, you have to sacrifice and do things out of the ordinary. And that's why I think he's got what it takes.'
