The 14 best Second World War novels — chosen by William Boyd and Max Hastings
The first group contains only poets; the second is all novelists. How can this schism, this paradox between the two art forms be explained? Why was poetry the chosen means of literary expression in the Great War and the
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Western Telegraph
4 days ago
- Western Telegraph
Tenby Male Choir raised £2,000 for Wales Air Ambulance
Tenby Male Choir's recent concert at St Mary's Church in Tenby raised £2,000 for the Wales Air Ambulance, with around 250 people in attendance. Anthony 'Tony' Key, OBE, aged 79, is the choir's MC and a former regional fundraising manager for the air ambulance. Mr Key said: "We have performed 13 concerts so far, seven of which have been fundraisers for charities and good causes. "We have raised £7,000 and have a few more events ahead." On the latest concert, he said: "We packed out St Mary's, around 250 people supported our event in aid of Wales Air Ambulance. "The atmosphere was electric. "We raised £2,000, that's the most we have ever raised at just one concert. "We only charge £10 per person and children under 16 go free, so we are delighted to be able to donate so much." Mr Key said it means a great deal to support the Wales Air Ambulance once again. He said: "I am hugely proud to be connected with the charity. "I worked for the air ambulance for five years before stepping down in 2016 to have more family time. "We live in such a rural part of Wales, so if something serious happens to you, your best hope is the onboard clinicians. "The service brings all the expertise that you would find in an emergency department to your doorstep or roadside. "I am so pleased that we have been able to support this incredible cause." The Wales Air Ambulance relies on public donations to raise the £11.2 million needed each year to keep its helicopters flying and rapid response vehicles on the road. Mike May, regional fundraising manager for South West Wales, said: "Congratulations to all the Tenby Male Choir members on your amazing milestone. "We are delighted that as you celebrate your 50th anniversary, you have chosen us as one of the beneficiaries of your fundraising. "We'd like to extend a big thank you to all those who took part in the concert in aid of us and the generous supporters who attended on the night. "£2,000 is an incredible amount and every pound raised will help save lives." The choir opened the concert with the Welsh hymn Rachie, originally sung during the First World War, which Mr Key dedicated to the 'loyal and brave' pilots and clinicians of the air ambulance service. He said: "It's been so wonderful to bring together two things I am hugely passionate about, my singing and the amazing work of the Wales Air Ambulance." The choir's 50th anniversary concert will take place on September 4 at the De Valence Pavilion, with special guests including president Wynne Evans and feature choir Bella Voce.
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Daily Record
Outlander star auditioned for not one but two other roles before landing iconic Blood of My Blood part
Outlander Blood of My Blood has finally arrived, telling two love stories across two different timelines. WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Outlander Blood of My Blood. A Blood of My Blood star has revealed that she originally auditioned for a key role in Outlander before landing her part in the prequel. Actress Hermione Corfield has landed the role of Julia Moriston, Claire Fraser's (played by Caitriona Balfe) mum in the newly released Outlander prequel Blood of My Blood. The MGM+ romantic drama delves into Julia's own love story with Claire's dad Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine) as they fall head over heels during the First World War. Of course, it wouldn't be Outlander without the mystical element of time travel which tears the loved-up couple apart, flinging their story into 18th Century Scotland. But Corfield revealed during a Q&A at the Blood of My Blood screening that she had previously auditioned for two other roles in the Outlander universe. She shared: 'It does feel like a full circle moment I think. 'My audition was six, seven, maybe even eight years ago. I read for Brianna [Fraser]. 'I was going to screen test for it and then had it clash with something else so it's kind of wild.' Brianna, who is played by actress Sophie Skelton, is Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire Fraser's daughter which, in turn, means that Corfield now plays her grandmother. But this wasn't the only part that Corfield tried to get prior to playing Julia, adding: 'I also read for Ellen originally on this which is also crazy.' 'So Jamie [Roy] and I did a screen test which is good because we probably have more scenes together than Jeremy [Irvine] and I do so it's all worked out quite well really.' Brian Fraser star Jamie Roy also auditioned for another role in Outlander but it wasn't exactly for a big role. He remarked: 'It does feel very poetic, because I auditioned once for Militia Man number one, a dear place in my heart, which was literally one line. 'And then after that, I auditioned for a slightly bigger role in season seven, didn't hear back from that but then got the audition for Brian and it all worked out with considerably more lines than Militia Man number one so I'm very, very thankful.'
Sunday Post
10-08-2025
- Sunday Post
INTERVIEW: Harriet Slater on Outlander: Blood of My Blood
Get a weekly round-up of stories from The Sunday Post: Thank you for signing up to our Sunday Post newsletter. Something went wrong - please try again later. Sign Up With her flame-red hair and sky-blue eyes, Harriet Slater looks as much at home standing on a rugged Scottish hillside as a Highland thistle. But this new face in the Outlander television universe is not Scottish at all – she hails from the English Midlands. In fact, before she was cast as the lead in the upcoming epic series, Outlander: Blood of My Blood, she had hardly spent much time north of the border. 'I had only really been to Edinburgh for the Fringe and some filming,' said Harriet. 'I'd never seen any other part of Scotland. But coming back to film season two has felt like coming home. I don't usually feel like that about places, but Scotland has become very important to me.' To be commissioned for a second season before the first has aired is almost unheard of in the cutthroat world of television, but such is the Outlander effect. The series remains a cultural juggernaut, continuing to pull in huge audiences seven seasons after its 2014 debut. But with Outlander wrapping its eighth and final season early next year, fans faced the bleak prospect of no longer following the tumultuous lives of Claire and Jamie. While their story may be coming to its natural end, the showrunners have decided there is more to tell – at the very beginning, before either of the original series' romantic leads were born. © Victoria Will Outlander: Blood of My Blood, traces the love stories of Jamie and Claire's parents – Jamie's in 18th Century Scotland and Claire's during the perilous years of the First World War. Harriet plays Ellen, a fiery young woman grieving the death of her father, clan laird Red Jacob MacKenzie (played by Peter Mullan). His death has created a power vacuum, leaving her caught between two brothers vying for control. 'Ellen would be perfect for the role of clan laird,' explained Harriet. 'She's the oldest, she's really smart and determined and she's really good at reading a room. The only reason she can't be the leader is that she's a woman. 'Because she must adapt in order to survive, she's always got a wall up. The only time that really slips is when she meets Brian Fraser – with him, she's able to be her true self.' Brian is the bastard son of Lord Lovat (Tony Curran), the sworn enemy of the MacKenzie clan. Ellen and Brian's tempestuous love affair must weather many storms before the eventual birth of their son, Jamie Fraser. Brian is played by Jamie Roy, who is just as swoon worthy as Sam Heughan was when Outlander hit TV screens over a decade ago. But while Ellen and Brian's first meeting in Blood of My Blood is achingly romantic, Jamie and Harriet's in real life was a little on the awkward side. 'We had a weird chemistry read,' recalled Harriet. 'I was up in Scotland filming another project, and Jamie happened to be in Glasgow, but he was heading down to London the next day to do more chemistry reads there. 'They wanted me in London, but I couldn't make it because I was filming in Edinburgh. So they said, 'Can you get to the studio in Glasgow on bank holiday Monday? That's the only time we can get you both together'. 'It was just me, Jamie and a camera man in the room, while the director, producers and casting team all watched on Zoom. But I think the connection between us was quite instantaneous. The director said the chemistry between us was palpable, even through a Zoom screen. Chemistry is a weird one – I don't think you can fake it.' The tangible connection between Harriet and co-star Jamie makes their scenes together sizzle on screen, and with Scotland's breathtaking scenery acting as an essential supporting character, their windswept romance will leave viewers yearning for more. That powerful sense of place was a crucial part of the acting process for Harriet, as well. 'The landscape is so dramatic, and it really lends itself to the drama of the show,' she explained. 'When there are romantic scenes, we're in these incredibly romantic locations. There's one scene in particular where we're on a bridge, and it's the most perfect fairytale bridge. I don't know how they found it because it's in the middle of nowhere, but it was perfect for the scene. 'Being out there really helps because you just don't have to imagine anything – you're there. And when you're in costume, and everyone around you is in costume, it really does feel like you've stepped back 300 years. It makes it a lot easier as an actor.' © Supplied Shooting entirely in Scotland had other benefits too – particularly in helping Harriet maintain her Scottish accent. 'Being in Scotland, with a fully Scottish crew, really helped!' laughed Harriet. 'Accents are always hard, and you have to work really hard to make them convincing. Sometimes I'll do 'ear-work' – just listening to conversations or sitting in the hair and makeup truck and tuning into the chatter. I try to get into the rhythm of it because an accent has two parts: the sounds, like the vowels, and the tune. Even if the sounds are right, if the tune is wrong, it doesn't sound right. 'The Scottish accent is so particular, and it changes depending on where you are. I quite enjoy getting nerdy about it, working hard to nail it. 'Your tongue has to work in a different way when you're doing accents. Sometimes I feel like my tongue is a bit lazy and it gets in the way – especially when going from an R to an L. I can feel my tongue being lazy. So every morning, I do vocal warm-ups in my trailer to loosen it and get it ready for the day.' Harriet has been a leading lady before, starring in both TV series Belgravia: The Next Chapter and horror film Tarot last year. Still, nothing could prepare her for the level of attention being the lead in the latest Outlander series brings. 'It definitely feels different. I've never done anything on this scale before,' said Harriet. 'I've never been part of something this big, and I've certainly never been one of the leads in something like this. It's definitely a first for me.' It has been a lot to get her head around, especially as she had never watched Outlander before she was cast in Blood of My Blood. 'I had never seen it, but I was aware of it,' said Harriet. 'I knew it was a huge show. When I got the tape for my very first audition, I started watching it and it probably took me until midway through shooting season one to finish it – it's a long show. 'I especially found it helpful whenever there was a reference to my character in the series. I took that as a little nugget of information and found it really useful. It just helped me immerse myself even further in the world. 'Now I've seen the whole thing, I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in season eight with the rest of the fans.' 'Jamie took us under his wing' © Supplied Harriet moved to Glasgow while filming the first season of Blood of my Blood – and now she's back for the second season. She credits co-star Jamie Roy for helping her settle into her home away from home. 'A few of us moved up from London to film. He's originally from here, and he took us under his wing and showed us all the places to go,' said Harriet. 'Glasgow is such a brilliant city – it's warm, friendly, vibrant, and there's so much to do. I'm vegetarian and there are so many amazing vegetarian restaurants, especially in the area where we're based. A favourite is Sylvan. 'Also, Glasgow is great because you can hop in the car and within an hour, you're out in the middle of nowhere and can climb a mountain – which the cast do together quite regularly. I love that.' The four leads are now firm friends, and while Harriet and Jamie do not get to share scenes with Hermione Corfield and Jeremy Irvine, who play Claire's parents, they all spend more than enough time together off-screen. 'We all really get on,' explained Harriet. 'But we hang out almost every weekend, and now we've spent a lot of time together in the States doing press. We've built a really lovely friendship, which I think helps the overall feel of the show.' New episodes of Outlander: Blood of My Blood' air every Friday on MGM+
