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Edinburgh Reporter
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Fringe 2025 – Wellpark Wanderer ⭐⭐⭐⭐
It is often said that Scottish performers are hard to find in the Festival and Fringe. Writing in 1976, the historian Owen Dudley Edwards suggested that 'there is little of Edinburgh, and even less of Scotland in the Festival'. Many see the Festival and Fringe as something imposed from outside on the people of Edinburgh. Such narratives persist. It's also widely argued that working class voices are marginalised within the Fringe. Especially, in the sphere of comedy, the Fringe is often seen as London-centric and dominated by middle class voices and perspectives. There are, fortunately, exceptions. In Wellpark Wanderer, Oliver Robertson, provided a very Scottish and distinctively working class aspect to the Fringe. His elegiac take on the East End of Glasgow was well-performed and engaging. His language was both poetic and urgent. In truth, though its themes of the dislocating effects of urban change would resonate with many, it's not the type of show that is likely to attract massive audiences. But it is the type of show that adds richness to the Fringe. I was the first member of the audience to make my way in and for a few minutes I wondered if I would be the only one. That's never a comfortable position to be in so for a few seconds I considered looking for another show (the classy Markus Birdman was performing next door). I'm glad I didn't. What makes the Fringe is finding hidden gems such as Wellpark Wanderer. Though there were only four in the audience, this was also the number when I saw Rob Auton about a decade ago in the very same room (Banshee Labyrinth's– Banqueting Hall). Auton has since gone on to become a Fringe star. An internal monologue Robertson's narrative focused on his wanderings in Glasgow's streets, especially in the East End, where he grew up. This section of Glasgow has long been the unfashionable and overlooked area of the city, really featuring in tourist guides, or the work of influencers. Visitors are generally pointed towards the West End and, more recently, the Southside. This is changing and some of the tensions inherent in this evolution ran through the show. Robertson's show was simple and low tech. He's switched between delivering his poetic text live and recordings of his readings. These switches gave the performance a nice variety – and also a sense of Robertson conversing with himself. A sense of internal monologue with Robertson, the Wanderer, trying to make sense of what he witnessed and experienced on the East End streets. His character of the Wanderer was more of an active participant in what was happening rather than the more disconnected flaneur, found in many works of psychography. The Worst Street in Scotland His lyrical and poetic musings on the changing character of the East Ending in Glasgow connected to a number of widely held concerns. In short, fears of whether gentrification will erase the local character of a place. Robertson's particular focus was on Duke Street, Britain's longest street, running from Glasgow city centre through the heart of Glasgow's East End. It was the character of the street and its inhabitants that was the heart of the show. Prominent in the show was the sense of pride about the area in which you were brought up in. As a result, you take it personally when it gets criticised. So, Robertson was annoyed when he saw Duke Street described as the worst Street in Scotland, in terms of boarded up shops etc. The state of our high streets has become a huge theme of political debate, with some seeing their 'derelict' state as evidence of a wider social decline. In retrospect, we may look back on our current era as one of transition but, right now, the narrative of perpetual decline is widely held. This was an example of Robertson's ability to connect to themes of significance beyond his local area. Robertson's sense of hurt when his local area was criticised in the press, is combined with a sense of concern about the gentrification of the area. For instance Dennistoun has recently been dubbed one of Scotland's coolest urban areas. This is bringing new groups to the place and pushing up prices and the emergence of new blocks of flats. This adds to the sense of social erasure. As Robertson noted, such social erasure has been happening for some time. His concerns were expressed in the 1960s folk song about Glasgow slums, They're Pulling Doon the Buildin' Next Tae Oors by Adam McNaughtan. Robertson's words contain a similar sense of regret about some of the changes taking place. Only stories are left One of his most powerful sections was about the impact of the building of the M8 through Glasgow. This was a 'scar' which had 'severed the heart of the city', destroying a number of communities. In these areas (such as Anderston) 'only stories are left'. Robertson argued that without this destruction, Glasgow could have been a UNESCO Heritage site to rival Edinburgh. Certainly, even with this destruction, Glasgow is packed with fantastic architecture (the work of Alexander 'Greek' Thomson and others). Robertson argued that a motorway would never have been sliced through a middle class area, such as Hyndland in the West. When he visits such 'untouched' places, he feels he is in 'alien' territory. The sense of a city with vast disparities (manifested in the very different life expectancies in different areas of the city) was a theme that, like the M8 runs through Glasgow, ran through the performance. Alien territory There was also the sense that, for Robertson, being in Edinburgh was also uncomfortable; that this too was alien territory. Certainly, voices such as Robertson's are rarely found on the Edinburgh Fringe. It's a credit to PBH's Free Fringe that they provide access for such powerful voices. In his 'bucket speech', Robertson lavished praise on the Free Fringe, without whom he would be able to perform the show. Robertson's show is perhaps too niche to reach large audiences, but those who have seen it will surely leave with a really rich picture of the East End of Glasgow, well beyond the stereotypes that linger. I'm sure we will be hearing much more from Roberson in the years to come; on stage and in print. Note: Wellpark Wanderer's Fringe run is now over. You can follow Oliver Robertson at: Like this: Like Related
The National
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Yes supporters need to avoid the rhetoric of nihilism and despair
I want to state quite categorically that placing Scotland within that anti-colonial radical tradition is a nonsense. Why? From 1707 around 50-plus MPs have been sent down to London to warm the green benches of Westminster as the lawful political representatives of an acquiescent 'nation'. READ MORE: Legal arguments grounded in international covenants remain symbolic So calling Scotland a colony of the UK or England is intellectually absurd. (Martinique sends deputies to the French Parliament so it is a 'departement of France', not a colony.) Scotland has participated in the colonial 'British' historical process managing and 'book-keeping' the Empire. However, the British parliament under devolution exercises sovereignty over Scotland with the authority of parliamentary power within British law (see the Supreme Court decision). This Westminster power leaves Scotland dormant with a wholly subaltern status within the UK, even with Holyrood and its neo-colonial devolutionary settlement. This neo-colonial occupation of Scotland by the British imperial Westminster Parliament is a damaging reality. So the focus of political action is not Scotland's colonial status but rather its subaltern position vis a vis the UK. There are three subaltern characteristics that help shape Scotland's current dilemma. One is the cultural resistance movement led by numerous public intellectuals, writers, artists and progressive academics. But this is a resistance that participates in a challenging oppressive cultural ambience, characterised by London-centric power and lack of serious liberating funding. This bleak outlook can only be resolved when cultural resistance takes on a political role rather than obscuring the political challenges with idealism. READ MORE: Would a Scottish sovereign wealth fund be possible after independence? The second task within the current climate is the urgent need to avoid the rhetoric of nihilism and despair. Avoidance of surrender is critical. Too many independence 'supporters' have succumbed to the nihilism of helplessness or sought solace in the weedy pastures of tiny protest organisations. This leads on to the third role for the broad independence movement under the current oppressive British state represented by the failed British Labour Party. How, and in what political manner, can pro-indy people understand and cope with the psychological stresses provided by the failure to gain sovereignty? Subjection is the dominant mode within nation semi-states like Scotland and can only be resolved by winning sovereignty. Hope, redemption, resolution, 'positive futurism' are all urgent priorities in this subordinate time. Yet we cannot frame the current struggle within a wholly negative paradigm of oppression. Arguing that Scottish history is all misery and degradation simply ads to the negative paradigm that needs overthrowing. WE CAN WIN even if we accept the condition of subjection; it can be defeated. Scotland needs to overcome negative tropes and become something new and positive with much greater focus on the future rather than the past. That is a task of a devolved Scottish Government led by the SNP. READ MORE: Explosive new poll puts Corbyn-Sultana party level with Labour Time is not on our side. Global capitalism will not sit back and admire Scotland's vulnerability of size; rather it consumes fragile states. Asserting sovereignty is the urgent requirement that will need young people to move on from their virtual-game-based world and work to build their real future. Our current 'phoney-sovereignty' will only make our country poorer and our future darker . London only funds Scotland sufficiently to let it fail. Only by harnessing the social and political energy of our young people (and others) will we be able to overcome the present political malaise. Unfortunately the flawed engine of renewal, hope and redemption is the SNP. It is the only political engine that can drive the independence movement to sovereignty. There are some who might need the 'peg on the nose', but 2026 is the last-chance saloon. Objectively, only the SNP and the Scottish voters can deliver independence with the support of progressive patriots. Thom Cross Carluke
Fashion United
21-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
Byredo expands beyond London with Victoria Leeds flagship
Moving away from the typical London-centric trajectory of luxury beauty, Swedish fragrance house Byredo is preparing to open its first standalone store outside the capital — a 2,154-square-foot boutique in the heart of Victoria Leeds. This move marks a geographic milestone for the cult label, but also reflects the broader rise of niche beauty in regional luxury retail environments. The new space, located in Victoria Quarter — already home to Aesop, Jo Malone, and Mulberry — signals Byredo's confidence in the northern market's appetite for elevated beauty and lifestyle products. It follows the brand's successful concession within Harvey Nichols Leeds, where sustained footfall and strong sales performance provided a reliable proof of concept. Best known for its minimalist bottles and conceptual scent narratives, Byredo has built a loyal global following since its founding in 2006 by Ben Gorham. Acquired in 2022 by Puig, the brand remains emblematic of the niche fragrance category — one that continues to outperform the broader beauty market. According to market research firm NPD Group, prestige niche fragrance sales in the UK grew 13 percent year-on-year in 2023, compared to 7 percent growth in mass-market fragrance. This trend is further amplified by Gen Z and Millennial consumers, who are drawn to the artisanal positioning, perceived authenticity, and layered storytelling of independent brands. The Leeds opening will see Byredo expand its physical retail experience to include not only its core fragrance line, but also cosmetics, home goods, leather accessories, and small luxuries — part of a deliberate shift toward full lifestyle branding. The move dovetails with Puig's strategy of cultivating vertical retail experiences to drive both brand equity and margin control. 'The luxury nature of Byredo means they will be a perfect fit with our leading tenant mix," commented Rachel Bradburn, leasing director at Victoria Leeds. "Yet another strategic brand decision to launch its first standalone store outside of London. Byredo's flagship further cements Victoria Quarter as the go-to premier destination for luxury brands.' Victoria Leeds has been steadily positioning itself as a regional luxury hub, with recent arrivals such as Aesop and the announcement that sustainable womenswear label Nobody's Child will also open its first northern store there. These moves reflect a growing recalibration of retail geography, as brands increasingly seek to balance London flagship dominance with broader national relevance — and direct-to-consumer economics. For Byredo, the Leeds opening is less a test case than an assertion: niche beauty has matured, and its market is no longer confined to urban centres or online exclusivity. In a post-pandemic retail environment where experience, locality, and curation are gaining renewed importance, the move underscores a simple truth — niche is no longer niche. It's the new mainstream, and it's going regional.
The Guardian
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Helena Bell obituary
From 2016 until her death, at the age of 64 after being diagnosed with cancer, Helena Bell was the artistic director of Kali Theatre, a company founded by Rita Wolf and Rukhsana Ahmad in 1991 to encourage writing by south Asian women, and now based at the Albany theatre in Deptford, south London. Helena believed that all theatre should be political, and she dedicated her life to unearthing stories from writers silenced by the mainstream, whether on account of their class, race, gender or sexuality. At Kali, in 2018, she created the Discovery programme, which sought to 'discover' new south Asian women playwrights and produce their work. An open call-out saw writers submit their scripts, four of which were chosen for a script-in-hand performance. Any writer unsuccessful in getting through would receive extensive written feedback from the dramaturgs and directors involved in the programme in order to help them develop their craft – an unusual courtesy in the theatre industry, but one that Helena insisted upon. She was also keen to counter the London-centric bias of British theatre, and launched Discovery programmes in Oldham, Leicester and Birmingham. Helena was also instrumental in the publication of a collection of play excerpts for Kali's 30th anniversary, 30 Monologues and Duologues for South Asian Actors, published by Bloomsbury in 2021. I first met Helena in 2018 when she asked me to join the inaugural Discovery programme as a dramaturg after having seen my play Abi (a response to Abigail's Party). During one rehearsal, I remarked that I felt bad about getting paid to sit in a room and have such engaging conversations. In many rehearsal rooms, the director is the ruler, but Helena flattened hierarchies and established a space where everyone's voice – regardless of rank – was welcomed. She had a knack for incubating new talent and provided a warm place for playwrights to thrive. She was known for her laugh, which she would launch into the room and loop others into. It was contagious. Helena was born in Bristol to Jean Bell, who soon after Helena's birth married Mervyn Uren. Helena went to Ashton Park school in the south of the city and, after graduating from Warwick University in 1982 with a degree in English literature, began training to be a teacher in Brighton. There she was diverted on to her theatrical journey, in 1988 co-founding Alarmist Theatre with Stephen Plaice and continuing as co-artistic director of the company until 1998. In 1990 Helena directed Stephen's adaptation of Vladimir Mayakovsky's play The Bedbug, depicting a cryogenically frozen Russian hipster thawed 50 years later into a fictitious European superstate. After its initial run at the Pavilion theatre, Brighton, and the Brighton and Edinburgh festivals, it was one of the first productions to tour in glasnost Russia. Feeding the cast and crew in Moscow was a feat, as food was scarce, so the company travelled to an international hotel where they could pay in dollars. At dinner Helena encountered an American who said he had fallen foul of the local mafia. Helena liked to recount how she came to the rescue and lent him her Russian fur hat by means of a disguise. Back in Britain, she met and was mentored by the director Clare Venables, who provided support in a male-dominated industry. In 1996 Helena directed Fossil Woman, by Louise Warren, about the extraordinary life of the Dorset fossil hunter Mary Anning (and coincidentally also one of Helena's ancestors). A co-production between Alarmist and Shaker Productions at the Hawth theatre, Crawley, in West Sussex, then the Union Chapel, Islington, north London, subsequently transferred to the Lyric Hammersmith and was a Time Out Critic's Choice. Shortly after this, she was chosen to be one of six directors on the Arts Council directors' bursary, a programme designed to train the next generation of British theatre makers. Through this she formed close creative partnerships with the directors Rosamunde Hutt and Pat Trueman. Helena once remarked that she loved to curate not only pieces of work, but people. She put artists in touch with each other, which led to lifelong friendships. She met her own partner, the writer Grant Watson, in 1997. Helena went on to direct Grant's play The Lamellar Project, an epic snapshot of a near future where food systems have collapsed and two scientists clash over how to fix it, at the Arcola theatre in east London for the theatre and film company Pursued By a Bear, where Helena worked for a decade until 2016. Although adopted as a baby by Mervyn, Helena grew up with the knowledge that she was of mixed heritage; her father had been a Punjabi Sikh student with whom her mother had had a brief relationship. Helena subsequently made a research trip to India and Pakistan for Ahmad's play The Gatekeeper's Wife, which was produced by Alarmist Theatre. There she began the process of integrating the two continents from which she hailed. The insights gained from her trip to the subcontinent would inform her work and eventually culminate in her taking up the role of artistic director at Kali Theatre. Helena is survived by Grant and their son, Jake, and by her younger brothers, Geoff and Robert. Helena Bell, theatre director, born 31 January 1961; died 31 January 2025
Daily Record
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Coronation Street Tina O'Brien's unlikely link to huge Netflix star
Coronation Street star Tina O'Brien, famed for her role as Sarah Platt, has a surprising link to an Adolescence star marking a key role in their career. Coronation Street fans have been left stunned after discovering a surprising link between actress Tina O'Brien and popular Netflix star Owen Cooper. Famed for his role in Adolescence, the rising child actor shot to fame for his leading role. Cobbles actress Tina, who is known for her long-running role as Sarah Platt on the ITV soap, has an unlikely connection to Owen, 15. The young star was just 14 years old when he was filming alongside Stephen Graham for the Netflix show. Adolescence, which amassed global audiences and broke Netflix streaming records when it was released earlier this year, details the story of a tragic murder as a 13-year-old boy is accused of brutally killing an older female classmate. In harrowing events, his family, the school, and a therapist are left in complete turmoil as the detective in charge of the case is looking into the details of what really happened. The short Netflix series has been a smash-hit and is currently the number one programme on the global platform, becoming the most-watched streaming TV show in the UK in a single week. It also reached the top 10 most-watched lists in numerous countries. Owen Cooper plays the lead role of 13-year-old Jamie Miller in Adolescence, which also stars Ashley Walters and Stephen Graham, who plays the role of his dad, Eddie Miller. Marking his first ever on-screen debut on Adolescence has been a huge milestone for the child actor. However before this, he did attend acting classes run by a Corrie legend. Coronation Street actress Tina O'Brien revealed that Owen honed his skills at The Drama MOB, the Manchester-based acting school she co-founded in 2013, according to reports in the Sun. Tina, who has similarly been in the showbiz spotlight since the age of 10, runs the school alongside her pal Esther Morgan, helping local talent break into TV and film. It comes after another actor gave The Drama MOB a shout-out for its key part in Owen's journey, as Tina shared the praise whilst also targeting the industry's London-centric bias. The school has since posted its own tribute to Owen, calling his Adolescence performance 'incredible' and celebrating the work of their teaching team. They posted a message saying: "Where do we even begin?! We are beyond proud of Owen for absolutely smashing this role and tackling such a challenging and sensitive subject. "Being able to secure such a major role is incredible in itself, but Owen has completely blown everyone away – and the reviews say it all!" Meanwhile, Tina posted on her Instagram: "Elitist mentality that anything in the North isn't worth mentioning. Thank you for highlighting this @ricomorris2020. "We work incredibly hard at the @thedramamob and we are very proud of the work we do and will continue to do." Despite only breaking into acting a few years ago, Owen has taken Hollywood by storm. The 15-year-old has now landed a huge new role with an award-winning actor. He will star in Emerald Fennel's remake of Wuthering Heights, which is based on the 1847 novel by Emily Brontë. When Owen stars in the remake, he will be playing young Heathcliff, with the older version of Heathcliff played by Jacob Elordi.
