Latest news with #ClaireDuffy
Glasgow Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Crime drama written by Glasgow doorman to screen at TV festival
The festival, which runs from May 29 to June 1, is the creation of Scottish author, producer, and screenwriter Claire Duffy. It aims to spotlight Glasgow's TV talent while driving change to help the crisis-hit Scottish TV industry. Now, a new event has been added to the festival line-up. On Saturday, May 31, there will be a Q&A and special screening event of the Glasgow crime drama Concrete Jungle. The drama, which has attracted a large audience on STV Player since its release, was written by former Glasgow doorman Anton O'Donnell. Anton will appear at the special Glasgow screening to discuss the creation of his hit show. Some of the cast of Concrete Jungle, including writer Anton O'Donnell (Image: Supplied) Read more: Gritty Glasgow gangland film available to watch for free on STV Player This adds to the long list of events planned for the festival, including the Glasgow Telly Legends Pick of the Pilots Event on Thursday, May 29, from 7.30pm to 9pm at Maison by Glaschu. A host of Scottish TV talent, including actors Colin McCredie, Blythe Duff, Sanjeev Kohli, Jordan Young, Karen Bartke, Chris Forbes, Siobhan Redmond, and Maureen Beattie, are involved in the festival activities and events. The festival will feature a series of events across the city, spotlighting Glasgow's writers, producers, directors, and actors. The Glasgow public, known for its direct feedback, will be key to spotting potential TV hits through an innovative audience feedback app. The festival opens with a panel discussion from stars and creators of some of the most iconic Glasgow series. The final cast has also been revealed for the TV Pilot Open Mic Night, taking place at BAAD on Sunday, June 1, from 2pm to 4pm. Read more: Scottish TV stars back first-ever Glasgow Telly Festival Claire Duffy, founder and organiser of the festival, said: "The level of interest in the festival has been incredible, and quite overwhelming. "From TV talent who want to be involved, to people supporting from behind the scenes, it's been wonderful to see the strength of community that exists within the Scottish TV industry. "The whole idea behind all of the events is to give actors, directors, and writers - all at any stage of their career - the chance to showcase their work, and to really bring audiences into the fold to share their views. "I have no doubt that, collectively over time, we can bring creativity, opportunity, and prosperity back into the Scottish TV industry, and the Glasgow Telly Festival is just the start of what will be a very exciting journey."
The National
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Glasgow Telly Festival flips script with one-minute pilots
As part of the inaugural event, people in Glasgow will be able to see actors from some of the country's most beloved TV shows, like Still Game, in short one-minute pitches in a bid to unearth the country's next big series. The festival, which is the brainchild of Scottish author, producer and screenwriter Claire Duffy, aims to shine a spotlight on Scotland's TV sector and has been backed industry stalwarts like actors Dawn Steele, Blythe Duff, Colin McCredie, Joe McFadden and Shauna Macdonald, along with presenter Carol Smillie and Still Game and Chewin' The Fat Director Michael Hines. Originally from Glasgow, Duffy has worked across film and TV for more than 20 years and across the world, including London, Vancouver, and Stockholm, and has launched the festival after always being 'frustrated' by the industry. READ MORE: Scottish screenwriter pays tribute to Palestinian journalist killed by Israeli strike Duffy said: 'I had come up with this idea to look at sort of different ways of getting projects straight to audiences, which I think is something that the industry badly needs right now.' The one-minute pilots, which there are 57 confirmed to be shown so far, are designed to cut out the middleman of pitching to executives who are 'incredibly risk-averse' and are aimed at seeing what the Scottish public really wants to see on their screens. Duffy envisioned the project as a version of the industry where creatives just came together and 'jammed' like a bunch of friends in a band. And according to her, that's exactly what has happened. 'I keep calling it the playing to manky pubs and student unions,' Duffy (below) said. (Image: Shots by Sherrie) 'It's the level of the industry where new talent, but also new ideas from established talent, can just get out there into the world and start to be developed and start to see if people are interested in it. 'I just think that it's so much more robust than what we do right now.' People will be able to watch the short pilots in around 20 pubs and cafes in Glasgow and will be able to simply say if they like or didn't like what they watched by voting on the festival's dedicated app. According to Duffy, the pilots have been created by Scottish filmmakers from across the industry, ranging from students all the way to veterans of the industry, and cover 'almost every genre'. The guerilla-style campaign is also a response to how Scottish TV reflects the country's society, which Duffy said there is very little that actually authentically represents Scots on the small screen. 'There's really precious little,' she said. 'Even more so with the sort of imminent end of River City. 'There's very little that Scottish people can look at on screen and see actual, authentic representations of all of the wonderful sides that make up Scotland, and that really resonates with us. 'I always say that you switch on the TV to watch something Scottish, and you've either got sexy Jacobites or gloomy crime drama. 'And we're so much more than both of those.' Duffy argued that although there is a place for 'sexy Jacobites or gloomy crime drama,' it is also 'really important' for Scottish people to have TV series that they can relate to. She added that series like Taggart and Still Game are great examples of TV programmes which have gone down well with Scottish audiences due to them being more authentic in their representation, but highlight that they are around a decade old. 'I don't know when I've seen a Glasgow that I really truly recognise on screen, and I think that's a problem,' she said. Duffy believes that by including audiences right at the beginning of projects will help offer invaluable insight into creating shows that Scots will want to watch. 'People out there in the world, the audiences, are just looking for something to entertain them. 'They are so much more open-minded and discerning and sophisticated than the powers that be often give them credit for.' Duffy said that at the end of the festival, she aims to take all the data that is collected from those who vote and develop the 'real standouts' into future projects to be shown on digital platforms. A series of events at the Glasgow Telly Festival will be held across the city, from May 29 to June 1, putting Scotland's talented writers, producers, directors, and actors centre stage. Other planned events include rehearsed readings - where audiences can watch live performances of TV pilots - with the opening event co-hosted by Scottish Producers Circle's Maureen Hascoet. There will also be the TV equivalent of an open-mic night, where actors, writers, and directors will perform short pilots of new drama series in front of an audience who will get to decide which ones they'd want to see more of. You can click here for tickets and more information for events.
Glasgow Times
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow Telly Festival's programme of activities revealed
Taking place from May 29 to June 1, the inaugural event aims to showcase Glasgow's TV talent whilst attempting to address the challenges facing the Scottish TV industry. The festival, conceived by Scottish author, producer, and screenwriter Claire Duffy, will feature a series of events across the city, showcasing the work of Glasgow's writers, producers, directors, and actors. Read more: Glasgow show to celebrate iconic member of The Beatles The festival programme was launched at Glasgow's VOCO Grand Central Hotel, the birthplace of television, where the first-ever TV broadcast took place in 1927. Scottish TV stars, including Colin McCredie, Sanjeev Kohli, and John Scougall, who will all be performing during the festival, attended the launch event. Festival organiser Claire Duffy joins Scottish actors Sanjeev Kohli, Colin McCredie and John Scougall to launch the programme of events (Image: Supplied) Other Scottish TV talent involved in the festival include Taggart's Blythe Duff, Scots Squad stars Jordan Young, Karen Barke, and Chris Forbes, and celebrated actor Siobhan Redmond. The festival has also garnered support from Scottish TV stalwarts, including actors Brian Cox, Dawn Steele, Joe McFadden, and Shauna Macdonald. As well as presenter Carol Smillie, and Still Game and Chewin' The Fat director Michael Hines. Read more: Glasgow fashion shop saves 12,500kg of clothing from going to landfill The festival will kick off on May 29 with the Glasgow Telly Legends Pick of the Pilots event, a panel discussion featuring stars and creators of some of the most iconic Glasgow series. Meanwhile, a guerrilla-style campaign of one-minute pilot videos showcasing the work of both Scotland's well-known and undiscovered TV talent will feature throughout the festival's run. These videos will be shown in pubs and other venues across the city. It will conclude on June 1 with a TV Pilot Open Mic Night, where scenes from potential new TV dramas will be performed live by some of Scotland's most fantastic actors. Claire Duffy, founder and organiser of the festival, said: "It's so exciting to be at this stage of festival prep. "Not many people realise that TV was actually invented in Glasgow almost 100 years ago - with the first-ever television broadcast taking place from the Grand Central Hotel in 1927. "It was incredibly meaningful to launch our programme of events at the same venue and, while we may have lost our way in the Scottish TV industry in recent years, it's so inspiring to be at the start of what I truly feel will be a resurgence for Scottish TV talent. "The Glasgow Telly Festival will be the catalyst to a new way of doing things to help bring back hope, creativity, risk-taking and opportunity into the TV industry again, and we can't wait to share our talented creatives with Glasgow audiences."
