
Post your questions for Edwyn Collins
Now 65, Collins was born in Edinburgh and raised in Dundee, before he headed to Glasgow where he worked as an illustrator for the city's parks department, drawing 'chaffinches and squirrels and moorhens for park leaflets' he later remembered. But he was also frontman of the burgeoning band Orange Juice, who came to define a moment in Scottish indie-pop with spirited tunes such as Rip It Up, Blue Boy and Falling and Laughing (the latter one of Keir Starmer's Desert Island Discs), topped by Collins's untutored yet romantic croon.
After they split in 1986 Collins went solo. He will always be remembered for his Northern soul song of total infatuation, A Girl Like You, which became a global hit in 1995 – but his discography is full of other gems such as the 2002 LP Doctor Syntax. He suffered two strokes in 2005 which left him unable to speak for a time – save a handful of words, including 'the possibilities are endless' – but he has recovered well enough to record another five albums since.
Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation is the latest of these, and the first since 2019, drawing its title from an old BBC motto. Collins will answer your questions on it and anything else in his career – post them in the comments below before Wednesday 26 February. His answers will be published on 7 March.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Gladiators thrown into chaos as four stars injured while filming new series
Filming for the new series of Gladiators has been thrown into chaos after a number of its stars got injured during filming for the new series, as the programme prepares to return to our screens Filming for the new series of Gladiators has been thrown into chaos after a handful of stars were injured on the set. The latest batch of episodes for the BBC programme, which was revived in 2024 with father-and-son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh at the helm, is currently in production but things have not gone entirely to plan. Legend, Bionic, Diamond and Athena are the four stars of the series that have been landed with injuries. Legend, whose real name is Matt Morsia, tore a bicep, whilst Matty Campbell, who is better known to fans as Bionic, has dislocated his shoulder. Livi Sheldon, whose Gladiators alter-ego is Diamond, ruptured the ACL and MCL in her knee. As well as all that, Athena, whose real name is Karenjeet Kaur Bains, smashed her knee. Speaking about the incidents, a source told The Sun: "Gladiators is the ultimate test of speed, strength and endurance - and four of its champions have paid the price. It just goes to show that these games are tough and even our professionals can suffer injuries!" It comes as ITV axes Noel Edmonds' big TV comeback after just one series. READ MORE: Final Strictly Come Dancing star announced as fans fume over 'underwhelming' line-up According to the outlet, all of the injuries were sustained at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield whilst cameras were rolling for the next series of the programme. But despite the individual ordeals, it has been claimed that all the stars will feature when the show goes to air later this year, and they will also all be taking part in the live tour when that hits the road this autumn. But this is not the first time that the stars have suffered such injuries, as fans will remember that Comet, real name Ella-Mae Rayner, broke her ankle and had to undergo an operation to rebuild her foot. What's more, Sheli McCoy, better known as Sabre, tore her hamstring during production, and at the time noted to Metro that the 'competitive' nature of her job meant that nothing on set 'came without risk.' However, a spokesperson for the BBC previously insised that health and safety is taken seriously on the set as they said: "The health and well-being of all Gladiators, contenders and crew is of paramount importance. Gladiators is one of the toughest and most physically demanding programmes on TV and due to the high-impact nature of the show it is not unusual for those competing to suffer injuries. "In each instance, as soon as it became apparent that a potential injury had occurred, the correct protocol was immediately followed. "The injured Gladiators are currently following medical advice and working on their recoveries.' This is the second time Gladiators has been revived on television since starting life in the 1990s, and, Athena, Bionic, Comet, Cyclone, Diamond, Dynamite, Electro, Fire, Fury, Giant, Hammer, Legend, Nitro, Phantom, Sabre, Steel, and Viper will be back on screen in 2026. The BBC's version of the hit became the most watched Saturday night series on BBC iPlayer and the third most watched Entertainment series overall. The show averaged 5.3m viewers, with nearly two fifths streaming on demand. The revival of the show has also capture younger viewers with 1.3 million tuning in for each episode, accounting for nearly a quarter of the show's overall audience. Speaking on the news, Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC says: 'Audiences have loved getting together to watch our mighty Gladiators take on contenders from all across the UK with younger fans especially excited to cheer on their Saturday night superheroes. "With this brand-new series and another Celebrity Special confirmed there will be even more epic battles, more high-octane action and of course even more foam fingers than ever before for everyone to look forward to!" Before the next series hits screens, fans will be able to catch Nitro competing in the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing, and he will be putting his footwork to the test for judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke. Also known as Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, he appeared in last year's Christmas edition of the programme. Upon his casting for the main competition, he said: "After the Christmas Special, it was so nice I just had to do it twice! I'm so excited to be part of the Strictly family this series and I'm ready to give it all I've got. I'll be bringing tons of energy to light up the dance floor. Let's hope I'm as quick picking up the routines as I am on the track!"


The Sun
25 minutes ago
- The Sun
Molly-Mae missing from Tommy Fury's BBC premiere after he admitted being ‘too drunk' to remember their split
MOLLY-MAE Hague did not attend the premiere of Tommy Fury's new documentary this evening. The boxer, 26, was joined by his parents in Manchester for a screening of BBC show The Good. The Bad. The Fury, which sees him rehash details of their recent split, as well as make a series of shock revelations about it. 6 6 6 Tommy looked in good spirits as he posed on the red carpet with his family and a number of reality stars - including Love Island's Kaz Crossley. Despite their recent reconciliation and loved-up displays, Molly - the mother of his daughter Bambi - swerved the bash. It comes after he made the shock revelation that he was downing "20 shots a night" and drinking to get "blackout drunk" ahead of their split last year. The news of their split in August 2024, just more than a year after their engagement, sparked shock and speculation he had been unfaithful. Tommy, the half-brother of boxer Tyson, denies the rumours in his new doc, saying he started drinking heavily after injuring his hand. He said: "The reason for our ending the relationship was alcohol." He added: "I couldn't train, box, lift weights, that was all gone. "My right hand was messed up, I was in dire pain, it's just what happens over years of impact on the hand. "I had lost my entire identity, lost my life." In the first episode of the show, Tommy''s father John says he urged Molly to leave his son, saying: "I knew from dealing with Tyson, when the drinking started to come into play I thought 'Not again'. Watch awkward moment Tommy Fury is quizzed over his engagement to Molly Mae after booze battle and cheat claims "I did say to Molly, because she came to me, what you're best off doing with him, Molly, is walking away, because if he's not going to change himself, he doesn't think that much of you." Revealing how much he was drinking at the time, Tommy said: "I hold my hands up, drink got hold of me - 20 shots a night, 20 beers. "Every day I would have a drink and I would drink to get blackout drunk, and that is what led to me not being the right partner to Molly." He admitted he was drunk when she eventually walked out, taking their daughter with her. 6 6 He said: "I've never even said this before, but when they'd actually left the house, I was actually drunk at that point, so I don't actually remember it that well, which was even more upsetting. "I woke up. I was like shit, and I was listening to probably the silence of the house for like an hour. I was like, f***. And that was the last time they've been here. "I'm not going to lie and say I knew the feeling of what it was like when they walked out - I didn't because I was intoxicated." The couple have since rekindled their relationship, with Molly saying she believes their relationship is "worth saving". Part one of Tommy: The Good, The Bad, The Fury is available on BBC iPlayer and BBC Three, with part two scheduled for later in the year.


Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Mark Petchey reveals truth behind Emma Raducanu & Carlos Alcaraz romance rumours
Mark Petchey has shot down rumours of tennis superstars Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz being in a secret romantic relationship. Some media outlets have speculated that Raducanu and Alcaraz have been dating behind the scenes – but Petchey insists this is not the case. Alcaraz and Raducanu are playing together in the US Open mixed doubles this year, which has further fuelled talk that the the two players might secretly be boyfriend and girlfriend off the court. The rumours have been around for a while – with Alcaraz quizzed aboutthe 'jokes on social media' in a Wimbledon press conference last year. In June this year, Raducanu laughed off the speculation, with the British No.1 insisting that she was 'just friends' with the Spanish star. Raducanu's former coach Petchey has now weighed in on the rumours about the two 22-year-olds in an interview with OLBG. 'They are just good friends,' Petchey said about Alcaraz and Raducanu. 'She's good friends with a lot of people out there on the tour. 'The media is going to be the media. Obviously, I know there's suggestions that they are going out. 'That's not the case. They're just good friends. The reality is they're only there [at the US Open] to play tennis.' The US Open's revamped mixed doubles tournament got underway today (Tuesday, August 19), featuring a blockbuster lineup of star-studded teams. The two-day knockout competition has been controversial and has led to criticism from some players and pundits. Defending US Open mixed doubles champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori blasted the changes as a 'profound injustice' and a 'pseudo-exhibition' that disrespects doubles specialists. Tennis icon Martina Navratilova added that it 'makes a mockery of the title' by excluding doubles experts. More Trending Petchey, though, has defended the US Open mixed doubles and said: 'It's exciting for us as fans and I think it's actually very exciting for the players that are involved in it as well. 'Emma and Carlos are excited to play and all the players that I spoke to at Montreal and Cincinnati are all excited to play. They're all thrilled with the opportunity. 'I'm a big fan of the event, I'm a big fan of what they've tried to create, and there may be a bit of tweaking here and there as we go forward. 'The thing about tennis is if you don't try it, you'll never know, and you can go back if it doesn't work. But I think it's going to be a massive success.' MORE: Cole Palmer can get Chelsea's misfiring attack off the mark at West Ham MORE: Jannik Sinner made shock Serena Williams request before US Open mixed doubles withdrawal MORE: US Open 2025: How to watch on TV and live stream in the UK