Latest news with #GarryFraser
Edinburgh Live
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh gangster series uncovered life in one of city's roughest schemes
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info It is not every day that you have a gangster thriller series that explores Scotland's drug underworld set, filmed and produced in the capital. But Edinburgh filmmaker Garry Fraser, 44, who grew up in the scheme in Muirhouse, created a project that celebrates working class culture. The cast of Supply and Demand is mostly made up of non-actors who have experienced trauma in their life, whether as ex-veterans or martial artists from economically challenged backgrounds. The series is based on a family that is torn apart by addiction and involvement in the international drug trade. It focuses on the war on drugs, the role of the establishment in propagating the issue, as well as the real life stories of those caught up in the illegal narcotics trade. Garry, who is a former heroin addict and double BAFTA winner, is proud of the series for a number of reasons, from its authentic portrayal of personal trauma to the fact it was self funded without help from establishment media. Not only this but he says that the project used schemes like Pilton, Granton and Leith as its set. Of course this did not come without issue, after one scene involving a machete spooked North Edinburgh police into racing into a shop, only for them to be calmed by Garry after he explained they were in fact on part of Supply and Demand set. On the basis of the series, he said: "The war on drugs is something that can evoke many different images and emotions about the characters who might be involved in this complicated, contentious issue, but very rarely is the desire for change explored, or the abuse of power and the information network linked to deprived Scottish communities examined in-depth." "In Supply and Demand, however, this powerful desire for change is the common thread which binds our characters together. Told from the perspective of a broken, grieving family, this often-unexamined front line gives our intertwining plots a coherent dramatic structure, accompanied by original, intoxicating, local music that underscores the gritty tone." (Image: No credit) (Image: Supply and Demand.) (Image: No credit) (Image: No credit) "Drawing on the personal experiences of the cast of mainly non-professional actors, through an intense rehearsal period we have been able to tap into powerful emotions to tease out raw and authentic performances from my actors, often drawing upon their own lived experiences." "This authenticity shines through on screen as together, we tackle themes of what masculinity means in the modern world, alcoholism, drug addiction, family breakdowns, PTSD, and the constant strain of living under regular abuses of power from the people who are ostensibly there to protect us the police." Garry elaborates that Edinburgh is no different from any other major European city with regards to having a criminal underbelly. He cites shows such as Snowfall and The Wire that are set in the US, and portray the role of law enforcement in the drug trade whilst telling the real life stories from the perspective of those living on the projects, as motivation. That is what he has tried to deliver with Supply and Demand. A journey through the eyes of those who have lived through war in their communities through the drug trade. He says that there is a lack of storytelling from the perspective of working class people in Edinburgh. Too often he says, stories depict drug addict mums or down and out drug dealer villains hell bent on destroying their community, when in reality the stories in schemes are often more complex and diverse. It was important for Garry to use non-actors who had experience of trauma as he wanted to get a cathartic realistic performance from cast members. The project started two years ago in lockdown and has been a painstaking journey of drama workshops and meetings to bring the idea to life. The premise of the series follows a character Frank who has just returned from a tour with the British Army in Iraq, only to discover his cousin Charlie is heavily involved with high level drug dealing. Frank is recruited by MI5 to infiltrate and unravel his cousin's enterprise. "I don't think there has been a film made like this before in Edinburgh. As a screenwriter I have had to research our criminal underworld past and I was amazed to discover that we have had foreign mafia involvement in schemes like Pilton in the past", Garry said. "It was important to create an artwork that is from the perspective of ground zero and not the establishment. In countries like France, Italy and Poland there is a celebration of social realism but in Scotland it feels as though the arts have been hijacked by the middle class which means real working class stories are not told properly in this way." "We stay in a country where an addict dies every seven hours but where is the media telling the story from their perspective? There is a crazy inequality when it comes to life in Edinburgh and Scotland as a whole." "We have had refugees from Afghanistan and Ethiopia, veterans of the Iraq war and everyday folk from the scheme involved in the film making process for Supply and Demand. The project has been about breaking down barriers and opening doors." "I think if there are thirteen young bairns shouting 'action' and 'cut' alongside me on set, whilst seeing how passionate I am, then they may end up thinking they can build a career in film too." Garry says that wherever they went, whether Muirhouse, Pilton, Granton or Leith, they were met with love and support from the local community. Whether it was being offered food, tea or electricity or by local youths refraining from nicking equipment, Supply and Demand was a hit with whatever area they filmed in. The Muirhouse father-of-five added that local businesses were always up for offering their shops as sets. But on one occasion this sparked a response from local police. "We took over communities like Pilton, Muirhouse and Leith and had no trouble. We involved everyone and people were so generous towards us." "A big thing was turning the schemes into a filming location. A shopkeeper offered us his shop to film a scene where someone was brandishing a machete in a robbery." "It caused a stir and for a minute we thought we were getting charged with brandishing a weapon in public. But a senior officer listened to the shopkeeper who backed our claim that it was a live film set - art had taken over life in the community." "When people are struggling in poverty there is a lot of negativity and self defeat. This is not helped by the portrayal of working class culture in our media." "A large part of making Supply and Demand was to bring confidence to those living in schemes and to dispel a lot of the self defeating lack of empowerment. We wanted to show the empathy and complex nature of life on a housing estate." Garry, who is father to Gary J 20, Billy 16, Destiny 13, Faith nine, Lee four weeks and boyfriend to Xanthia, says he has not received any national funding for the series and as a result he is trying to fundraise to continue the project.
Sky News
27-03-2025
- Health
- Sky News
Forth Valley Royal Hospital blackout after generator failure 'should serve as a wake-up call'
Why you can trust Sky News A major hospital was left without power for 70 minutes after backup generators failed during a severe storm, prompting warnings it should serve as a wake-up call for the NHS across the UK. Forth Valley Royal Hospital (FVRH), in Larbert near Falkirk, suffered the blackout during Storm Eowyn's red danger-to-life weather warning in January. Two whistleblowers, who were on shift that day, have told Sky News it was "scary" as well as "horrendous" and allege patients were "at risk" during what has been officially classed as a "major infrastructure failure". Computers used for monitoring medications went down, phone lines failed, and ventilators relied on internal short-life batteries to keep critically ill patients breathing. NHS Forth Valley said no patients were harmed and the cause of the incident was a power surge that caused the electricity supply to trip. Bosses said maintenance on the generators was up to date but a review on how to avoid a repeat incident was under way. 'It can't happen again' One nurse, with decades of experience, contacted Sky News over concerns about how the crisis was handled on the day. They said: "We were getting on with our shift and the lights went out. That can happen, but the generators normally kick in right away but that day they didn't. "It was pretty horrendous. It was quite scary. That is the first time in my career that that's ever happened. It can't happen again. "It is a hospital and staff and patients were really at risk when that [happened]. We really do need reassurance that that can't happen again." Another whistleblower expressed concern, saying: "All of the security on the doors also wasn't working so the doors were automatically open. None of the wards were locked. "It's absolutely horrendous for patient confidence within the NHS." A report, seen by Sky News, compiled in the aftermath of the incident suggested neighbouring NHS boards were on standby to help, if required. The document, authored by NHS Forth Valley Director of Acute Services Garry Fraser, states "no identified risks were highlighted with no interruption to the continuity of care, with staff working together to support patients and each other during this very challenging time". Mr Fraser said: "No patients required to be manually ventilated... there was no patient harm recorded as a result of the infrastructure failure." The health board refused to do an interview with Sky News. 1:45 'It has to be a wake-up call' FVRH has more than 800 beds. It describes itself as one of the most modern hospital estates in Europe. SNP MSP Michelle Thomson, who represents Falkirk East, suggested the incident must act as a wake-up call. She said: "The observation I would make is after the 2008 credit crunch, the Bank of England put in processes to stress test all the banks. "Maybe it is time for governments, both UK and Scottish, to put in place stress tests for our national institutions so that as we get more of these kinds of events there is a higher threshold to meet." She added: "It has to be a wake-up call. I hope that every other hospital and health board area is looking at what happened and comparing and contrasting it with their own processes and procedures." Health leaders elsewhere in the UK have joined calls to urge other hospitals to review their systems, especially in light of the chaos at Heathrow Airport last week. The runway was ground to a halt due to a major fire at a nearby electricity substation. 0:32 NHS Confederation speaks for the healthcare system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Chief executive Matthew Taylor told Sky News: "Your report, plus what happened at Heathrow last week, will, I think, lead many hospital managers to have another think about energy security. "What has happened in Scotland is a one-off, but actually it points to a more systemic set of risks which we are having to deal with on a regular basis in the health service."
