Latest news with #KarenDunbar
Times
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Karen Dunbar: ‘Personal struggles are always funny'
Born in Glasgow and brought up in Ayr, Karen Dunbar is an actress, DJ, comedian and writer, best known for Chewin' the Fat. She's about to start an 80-date solo tour. The first half is all new material based on what I've been up to in the last year — I've just written stuff on winning the Bafta — and some of the issues I've had. Personal struggles are always funny. The second half is about my time on Chewin' the Fat and The Karen Dunbar Show, so the audience can expect to see some of the well-loved characters from these shows. We only ever had one destination: Blackpool. Every year we got the bus from Ayr down the west coast and, oh
Daily Record
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Scottish comedy legend Karen Dunbar bringing new show to Dumfries and Galloway
Scotish comedy legend Karen Dunbar is bringing her new show to Dumfries and Galloway . The comedian , DJ and Chewin' The Fat Star will be sharing stories from her life and talking about her career – with a heap of humour and jokes – on her 80-date tour. And that includes visits to Newton Stewart Cinema and Stranraer's Millennium Cinema on Friday, May 16. She'll also be appearing in Dumfries later in the year, with fans able to enjoy An Evening with Karen Dunbar at the Easterbrook Hall on Thursday, November 13. This is a brand new show for 2025 and is Karen's fourth tour with promoters Breakneck Comedy since 2023. Breakneck Comedy founder, Naz Hussain, said: 'This is the biggest tour we've ever organised, and I'm delighted that we're working with Karen for it. 'This is a big year for Breakneck Comedy – it's our 15th anniversary and to be able to deliver such a huge tour for such a well-loved Scottish act is the icing on the cake. 'Anyone who's been to one of Karen's shows before will know that it's a great night of laughs, jokes, stories, and anecdotes from her career, covering everything from her time on Chewin' The Fat, right through to her latest adventures as a DJ. Click here for more news and sport from Dumfries and Galloway. 'This is a brand-new show for 2025, and the fact that Karen has so many fresh new stories to share is testament to her talent as a comedian, and her amazing career. 'I love bringing big names to towns that some promoters might overlook. 'It's really exciting to be able to put on shows all over Scotland and make it easier for people to be able to enjoy a great night of comedy and entertainment without them having to worry about catching a train home from the city.' To buy tickets, click here.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Astro Bot sweeps Bafta Game Awards with five wins
PlayStation game Astro Bot was the big winner at the 21st Bafta Game Awards, picking up five awards, including best game. The platform game, which was released to mark PlayStation's 30th anniversary, also picked up the awards for animation, audio achievement, family and game design. British game Still Wakes the Deep, a horror game set on a Scottish drilling platform, won three awards – new intellectual property, performer in a leading role for Alec Newman and performer in a supporting role for Karen Dunbar. The winner of the 2025 BAFTA for British Game is…Thank Goodness You're Here! 🎮 #BAFTAGamesAwards — BAFTA Games (@BAFTAGames) April 8, 2025 Elsewhere, independent Yorkshire studio Coal Supper's Thank Goodness You're Here! won the award for British Game and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, which had led the field with 11 nominations, won the technical achievement award. Poker-themed Balatro won the award for debut game. There were also two wins for Helldivers 2, while Metaphor: Refantazio won the prize for narrative and Tales of Kenzera: Zau won the game beyond entertainment award. Meanwhile, the Bafta Fellowship was awarded to composer Yoko Shimomura, in recognition of her contribution to music in video games, which has included her work on the Kingdom Hearts series.
Forbes
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
2025 BAFTA Games Awards Winners: ‘Astro Bot' Wins Deserved GOTY
'Astro Bot' took home five BAFTA Games Awards, including Best Game. Astro Bot dominated the 2025 BAFTA Games Awards, claiming Game of The Year along with four more gongs for Audio Achievement, Family, Animation, and Game Design. Anyone who's played Astro Bot will be in no way surprised, despite strong competition, in another typically BAFTA affair with surprises along the way. Last year, Baldur's Gate 3 unsurprisingly led both the nominations (11) and awards won (4); in 2025, the top nominee was a bit more of a shock, as local favorite Senua's Saga: Hellblade II was the frontrunner (also with 11), albeit missing out on the all-important Game of the Year shortlisting. In the end, Hellblade II took home just one BAFTA for Technical Achievement. Still Wakes the Deep came second with three BAFTAs — New Intellectual Property, and both Performers in Supporting and Leading Roles — a particular high point being Karen Dunbar, the actor behind Finlay who was, delightfully, the most Scottish person on the internet tonight, saying 'I'm not even an actor, I'm a gynecologist!' Even with six nominations, Black Myth: Wukong got nothing. Thank Goodness You're Here!, the hometown fave, grabbed just one award from seven, even though it felt like a contender in every one of its categories. It's worth noting just how much that sole trophy meant to its developers at Coal Supper; they're an incredible bunch, and they deserve every success in the future. Will Todd and James Carbutt rightfully received a BAFTA for 'Thank Goodness You're Here!'. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Sadly, Balatro didn't get its dues; if it was going to win Game of the Year anywhere, it was the BAFTAs. Just look at Vampire Survivors, which beat God of War Ragnarök to the top gong in 2023, but also fairly picked up tonight's award for Evolving Game. After the first award Balatro was nominated for — New Intellectual Property — went to Still Wakes the Deep, winning dev The Chinese Room admitted they thought Balatro had it in the bag. Despite all this, Balatro had the biggest laugh of the night when the poker-based roguelike (and my own GOTY) collected its sole award for Debut Game. Ben Starr, who's played the part of Jimbo the Joker on behalf of the famously public-averse solo dev LocalThunk, read the funniest speech of the night, saying how 'he has shoes made of gold and he thanks you for making him that way.' Most importantly, he ended the speech saying: 'Oh, and play more independent games like Animal Well, they are the lifeblood of this industry and they deserve your respect.' The BAFTA Games Awards was hosted for the second year in a row by comedian Phil Wang, who compared himself to the Nintendo Switch 2 — 'not noticeably better, but I did charge a lot more this time' — but only after the ceremony opened with the year's industry highlights powered by the (literally) golden guitar skills of Pendulum star Peredur ap Gwynedd, who played a selection of the band's hits that featured in video games. Other highlights included Tales of Kenzera: Zau winning Game Beyond Entertainment, even though Surgent Studios faced major and heartbreaking circumstances after the title's launch; nerd-turned-hunk Matthew Lewis, A.K.A. Neville Longbottom, rocking up to present the BAFTA for Game Design; and deserving BAFTA Fellowship Award-winning Yoko Shimomura's translator, who I hope was being paid by the hour. Plenty of other smaller titles deservedly got their moments in the sun: Tiny Glade, The Plucky Squire, Little Kitty, Big City, Botany Manor, Paper Trail, A Highland Song, and Pacific Drive. Even triple-As were rightly lauded; the clip packages for both Astro Bot and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 only reminded everyone of how varied and brilliant both games were. There were a couple of other nice surprises, namely Metaphor: ReFantazio claiming the Narrative award in the face of big local competition, and Neva's much-deserved win for Artistic Achievement. Five awards: Astro BotThree: Still Wakes the DeepTwo: Helldivers 2One: Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, Thank Goodness You're Here!, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Vampire Survivors, Neva, Balatro Read the full list of 2025 BAFTA Games Awards nominees on the organization's website.
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Karen Dunbar reveals her favourite Chewin' The Fat character ahead of new tour
Karen Dunbar has revealed her favourite Chewin' The Fat character ahead of her new tour. The 53-year-old comedy legend confirmed that the hilariously prude science teacher she played on the BBC sketch show was her top persona to create. Karen spoke to the Glasgow Times ahead of her new up-coming tour this May, which will see her bring some of her famous characters alive again. She explained how the science teacher was one of her first ever creations, and was based on her own school experience. READ MORE: Anti-abortion group challenged during protest near hospital Karen Dunbar (Image: Sourced) Karen told the Glasgow Times: 'I loved the teacher character. She could be my favourite, the part was based on my biology classes at Ayr Academy. 'We had a love-hate relationship because I was always shouting out that if I saw something funny, I couldn't help myself. 'I wasn't a bad lassie but I had everyone laughing, I just couldn't keep my mouth shut. 'I have actually been stopped by people who recognise the teacher after seeing me play her on Chewin' The Fat, they said I had her to a T. 'I will be bringing back a lot of my character for my new tour, it will have new stand up as well but definitely nostalgia too.' Karen started her career off in the sketch show Chewin' the Fat, before going on to star in her own show, The Karen Dunbar Show, which received various awards and nominations. Since then she has also featured in everything from Glasgow Panto to West End Theatre, performed Burns, Shakespeare, stand up and DJ-ed all in New York and last year DJ-ed at TRNSMT and in Ibiza. In 2014 she opened the Commonwealth Games in front of forty thousand folk and one billion viewers. Now she will take the stage in the city at Websters Theatre on Friday, May 2. There will also be opportunities to meet the Chewin' The Fat star and take photos with special VIP ticket options. Karen said: 'At the majority of my shows most people are pleased to see me before I even open my mouth. 'That familiarity from Chewin' The Fat and The Karen Dunbar Show gets crowds in the door, but it doesn't make them stay. 'I need to make sure I give good stuff that they can enjoy and work hard, but I love doing that. 'Performing in Glasgow means there is always a wee element of a ruckus, you can make the jokes more local too.' Speaking about her new fans and loyal followers Karen shared what they can expect at her tour. This includes life back when she first got famous to how she has been navigating life since - including her love and frustrations with new technology. She said: 'I have a lot of young fans coming and ones who have been there from the start. "The young ones surprised me but they love all the old stuff and seem to enjoy my new stuff which is great. 'For the tour I will be telling stories from Chewin' The Fat and the Karen Dunbar show, but also what my life is like now. 'I will be talking about my important relationship with my Amazon Alexa, we get in a lot of fights. 'For inspiration I am always looking about ordinary life and just thinking, is that funny? Can I make it something? 'I just love making people laugh, I have been that way since I was a kid. I think that is why I am always talking to my Alexa - it feels like I always have an audience.' You can get tickets here.
