Latest news with #BrownGirlsDoItToo
Scotsman
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Edinburgh festivals diary: The X-rated Underbelly press launch and close-to-home Jason Byrne encounter
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 has officially kicked off. But for me, it already feels like the city has been in full-on Fringe mode for a lot longer than that. The best of what is on offer at the major venues has been showcased in press galas this week, with everything from the renowned it-shouldn't-work-but-somehow-it-does Garry Starr show - where the comedian is naked from the waist down while performing all Penguin literary classics - to an impressive acrobatic circus such as Ten Thousand Hours, shown in short snippets. Underbelly goes X-rated Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Underbelly decided to take full advantage of the fact that Starr's let-it-all-hang-out appearance meant it had had to slap a 16+ rating on the event. The venue operator also opted to include a steamy performance from jaw-droppingly impressive and scantily-clad contortionist Soliana Ersie of Bernie Dieter' Club Kabarett, as well as live podcast show Brown Girls Do It Too, which saw hosts Poppy and Rubina discuss - and indeed sing about - their no-holds-barred attitudes to sex. The overall vibe was something of a contrast to the welcome address from Underbelly directors Charlie Wood and Ed Bartlam, who took the opportunity to read out their address books in what was presumably a work in progress for a surrealist piece of performance theatre I could see doing well next year. Poppy Jay and Rubina Pabani, hosts of Brown Girls Do it Too podcast and stage version Brown Girls Do It Too: Mama Told Me Not to Come. | Tilted Jason Byrne encounter hit close to home At Assembly, comedian and MC Jason Byrne targeted one woman in the audience who he spotted had left the show to take a phone call. He demanded her companion call her, took the phone from him - and a very public chat ensued, where the woman, Claire, explained in huge detail, with much hilarity from Byrne, the problems her friend was having in arriving in Edinburgh by train. I did think the woman's voice sounded vaguely familiar, but I didn't realise why, until at the Gilded Balloon gala two days later, I ran into Scotsman arts reviewer and my long-time colleague Claire Smith, who sheepishly admitted she had been the mysterious voice on the other end of the phone. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mother-and-daughter team Karen and Katy Koren had an emotional moment at the Gilded Balloon launch, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. A performance by Darby James included a song specially written as an ode to Gilded and the Fringe more generally. 'Get your hankies out,' Karen told the audience, after daughter Katy had already had a bit of a blub, talking about her childhood being 'brought up in Gilded'. Real life Louis One artist has recently had good news after a much-loved TV star agreed to lend his voice to a scene for her Fringe theatre show. Writer and performer Gaia Mondadori's Centre of the Universe at Summerhall includes a scene where the lead character, Mary, imagines being interviewed by documentary journalist Louis Theroux for a series called Driven Women. After reaching out to the broadcaster, he agreed to record the scene so that his actual voice is heard. The comedian is bringing his new show '1994' to the Darwen Library Theatre on February 8 | Show poster Sold out run for Connor Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And finally, three cheers for local boy comedian Connor Burns, who sold out his entire month-long Gallus Fringe run days before the Fringe even began, joining stablemate (they share a producer) Daniel Sloss.
BBC News
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
BBC podcast Brown Girls Do It Too return for series six
Your favourite unfiltered podcast is back! Brown Girls Do It Too returns to BBC Sounds for its sixth series, and Poppy Jay and Rubina Pabani are bringing a whole new level of honest, hilarious, and thought-provoking conversation. The BBC Radio 5 Live commission is launching on Friday 31 January. This new series dives headfirst into the topics we all think about but don't always talk about. Think relationship sacrifices and are they really worth it? The female icons of our generation will be discussed on International Women's Day, and the sting of friendship breakups will be covered on a Valentine's special. They'll also be tackling some bigger questions about the rise of sexual personalities - are we oversharing about sex these days? And why is weight still such a massive deal for women? This series is fresh off the back of the hugely popular spin-off series 'Big Boy Energy' where Poppy was joined by a roster of celebrity male co-hosts including comedian Asim Choudhary and Netflix star Ryan Lanji, for an entertaining and candid exploration of love, sex, and relationships—from a man's perspective Speaking of the new series, Poppy said: 'After doing the spin off 'Big Boy Energy', I welcome my comrade in arms into my 33B bosom and cannot wait to get into all of life's trials and tribulations. 2025! What an exciting time it is to be alive; expect more cackles, more filth and top tier shameless bants - put on your marigolds cause it's about to get messy." Rubina, says: 'I've birthed another baby and here comes another series of this podcast - Brown Girls Do It Too is back - as one of us hits 40 and the other one comes to terms with being a mother of two. This season we go deep into the complexities of our relationships with our parents, our lovers and the wider British Asian community. From silly to mind bending, we'll share all our secrets, from discussing our vaginal health to the biggest thing we've sacrificed. Series 6, were older, bolder, but still brushing the dirt off the shoulder!' Series six of Brown Girls Do It Too is a BBC Radio 5 Live commission and out on BBC Sounds this Friday 31 January. AG / MCL
The Independent
27-01-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
960-seat Soho Theatre Walthamstow to open in May with programme announced
The new Soho Theatre Walthamstow is to open its doors for the first time in May with a programme including performances from comedians Dara O'Briain, Mark Watson and Suzi Ruffell. The 960-seat venue is housed in the Grade II-listed former Granada Theatre building in the London area, and also features new studio spaces, four bars and a restaurant, after it was developed by Soho Theatre, which currently runs a venue in the capital's Dean Street, and Waltham Forest Council. Along with its comedy programme, the theatre will also hold a number of shows such as Natalie Palamides's Weer, Neon Nights and Aladdin And The Magic Lamp. Alongside the creative powerhouse that is our Dean Street home, we'll be presenting world class artists to even larger audiences in our new and gloriously refurbished venue in Walthamstow, east London Dame Heather Rabbatts Speaking about the venue's launch, chairwoman of Soho Theatre, Dame Heather Rabbatts said: 'It's been an incredible journey for Soho Theatre. We're a small theatre, always managing to creatively punch above our weight and with an impact that has been felt in TV, film and commercial theatre. 'The fantastic array of artists that we've worked with, together with our presence at Edinburgh Fringe, in India and elsewhere is testament to that. But we're no longer a small theatre. 'Alongside the creative powerhouse that is our Dean Street home, we'll be presenting world class artists to even larger audiences in our new and gloriously refurbished venue in Walthamstow, east London.' Other performances at the venue will include live versions of popular podcasts Brown Girls Do It Too and Tifo Football, along with a two-day film festival, while Soho Theatre Walthamstow will also host a number of taster workshops to nature young talent. Co-executive directors of Soho Theatre Walthamstow, Mark Godfrey and Sam Hansford, added: 'We're thrilled to be announcing Soho Theatre Walthamstow's opening and first shows. 'Decades in the making, this iconic building with a remarkable history is reinvented as a fantastic new venue for the future, supporting culture-led growth and regeneration. 'None of this would be possible without the passionate grassroots campaign to save it, and the commitment of Waltham Forest Council to invest in it. 'We thank the very many people who have contributed to it and can't wait to announce more and to welcome you in from May.' During its days as the Granada Theatre, the venue featured performances from the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Ronettes, and Chuck Berry. The venue has also served as a pub and cinema, while one owner once tried unsuccessfully to transform it into a church. Tickets will go on sale at 10am on Thursday, January 30 on the Soho Theatre website, with 15,000 tickets for £15 available for those living nearby throughout the venue's debut year. The venue's full programme can be seen on the Soho Theatre website.
