Latest news with #NTS
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Overnight closures for Humber Bridge toll upgrade
Overnight tag lane closures are scheduled on the Humber Bridge as the project enters phase two of its toll system upgrade. The New Tolling System (NTS) will see booths removed for the first time in the bridge's 44-year history, with payments being made through a website or app. Work on the scheme began in March and the first phase of civil engineering works have now been completed. The next phase involved installing a new gantry, meaning overnight tag lane closures will be in place from 20:00 BST on Thursday until 05:00 BST on Friday. During the works, motorists would still be able to cross the bridge in either direction, with or without a HumberTag, but only using the toll booth lanes, a Humber Bridge spokesperson said. They advised drivers to allow for extra time for their journey during these hours. The scheme is expected to launch in late Autumn. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Work to start on automated toll system for bridge Free flow tolling system for bridge moves forward Removal of Humber Bridge toll booths a step closer Humber Bridge
Glasgow Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Hit Scottish TV comedy returns as musical 30 years on
A MUCH-LOVED 90s TV comedy which made stars of its original cast is back - and this time, it is a musical. The High Life, by The Crown and EastEnders star Forbes Masson and Traitors US host Alan Cumming follows the most useless cabin crew ever to have graced the skies. First commissioned and broadcast by the BBC, it attracted cult status for its sharp wit, farcical storytelling and joyous buffoonery. This revival, a co-production between the National Theatre of Scotland and Dundee Rep, follows the Air Scotia crew as they find themselves growing older in an ever-changing world. The cast in rehearsal (Image: NTS) It will feature new and original music, and according to Forbes and Alan 'is stuffed full of camp silliness." They added: 'Never say never. We are both beyond excited to be donning those nylon slacks and crimplene blazers and connecting with our inner trolly dollies after all these years. 'Returning to these characters alongside the genius that is Johnny McKnight has been a joyful experience and we can't wait to share what madness we've come up with around Scotland.' Johnny McKnight (Image: NTS) Celebrated panto writer and actor Johnny McKnight is joining the creative team. He said: 'I am absolutely thrilled to join the Air Scotia cabin crew. I grew up watching The High Life, wishing that one day I could get to fly thirty thousand feet with Alan, Forbes, Siobhan and Patrick. 'I never believed that a reunion show would happen, let alone that I would get to be part of the team working on it. 'The bags are packed, the tena-man pants on, and I am ready for check in … ' Joining Forbes and Alan, who play inept trolly dollies Steve McCracken and Sebastian Flight, are the sitcom's other original cast members, Siobhan Redmond as Shona Spurtle and Patrick Ryecart as Captain Hilary Duff. Alan and Forbes first worked together as 'Kelvinside men' Victor and Barry (Image: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan) Forbes and Alan met at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 1982 where they formed the original 'Kelvinside men' comedy double act Victor and Barry. READ NEXT: 'Townhead was obliterated': Billy Elliot star on his Glasgow roots 'We're so lucky to have the Citz': Free drama lessons as Glasgow theatre re-opens Famous Glasgow musicians give young choir a boost with special song They recently chronicled the early days of their careers in the book Victor and Barry's Kelvinside Compendium – A Meander Down Memory Close, a 40th anniversary celebration of their birth. The High Life was first introduced to TV audiences in a pilot in 1994 and then in a series of six episodes which were broadcast in early 1995. The series is currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer. The High Life will tour to Dundee Rep Theatre, His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh and King's Theatre, Glasgow between March 28 and May 16.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hit Scottish TV comedy returns as musical 30 years on
A MUCH-LOVED 90s TV comedy which made stars of its original cast is back - and this time, it is a musical. The High Life, by The Crown and EastEnders star Forbes Masson and Traitors US host Alan Cumming follows the most useless cabin crew ever to have graced the skies. First commissioned and broadcast by the BBC, it attracted cult status for its sharp wit, farcical storytelling and joyous buffoonery. This revival, a co-production between the National Theatre of Scotland and Dundee Rep, follows the Air Scotia crew as they find themselves growing older in an ever-changing world. The cast in rehearsal (Image: NTS) It will feature new and original music, and according to Forbes and Alan 'is stuffed full of camp silliness." They added: 'Never say never. We are both beyond excited to be donning those nylon slacks and crimplene blazers and connecting with our inner trolly dollies after all these years. 'Returning to these characters alongside the genius that is Johnny McKnight has been a joyful experience and we can't wait to share what madness we've come up with around Scotland.' Johnny McKnight (Image: NTS) Celebrated panto writer and actor Johnny McKnight is joining the creative team. He said: 'I am absolutely thrilled to join the Air Scotia cabin crew. I grew up watching The High Life, wishing that one day I could get to fly thirty thousand feet with Alan, Forbes, Siobhan and Patrick. 'I never believed that a reunion show would happen, let alone that I would get to be part of the team working on it. 'The bags are packed, the tena-man pants on, and I am ready for check in … ' Joining Forbes and Alan, who play inept trolly dollies Steve McCracken and Sebastian Flight, are the sitcom's other original cast members, Siobhan Redmond as Shona Spurtle and Patrick Ryecart as Captain Hilary Duff. Alan and Forbes first worked together as 'Kelvinside men' Victor and Barry (Image: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan) Forbes and Alan met at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 1982 where they formed the original 'Kelvinside men' comedy double act Victor and Barry. READ NEXT: 'Townhead was obliterated': Billy Elliot star on his Glasgow roots 'We're so lucky to have the Citz': Free drama lessons as Glasgow theatre re-opens Famous Glasgow musicians give young choir a boost with special song They recently chronicled the early days of their careers in the book Victor and Barry's Kelvinside Compendium – A Meander Down Memory Close, a 40th anniversary celebration of their birth. The High Life was first introduced to TV audiences in a pilot in 1994 and then in a series of six episodes which were broadcast in early 1995. The series is currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer. The High Life will tour to Dundee Rep Theatre, His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh and King's Theatre, Glasgow between March 28 and May 16.
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Alan Cumming to reprise iconic High Life role in major new 'unashamedly Scottish' musical 'romp'
The new play comes 30 years after the cult TV comedy series was originally aired 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... It was a hit Scottish series which ran for just six episodes and a pilot, gaining cult status before being axed due to one of its stars' burgeoning Hollywood career. Now Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson are to reprise their original High Life roles in an 'unashamedly Scottish' stage musical version of the cult 1990s TV series. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad NTS Mr Cumming and Mr Masson will star as Sebastian Flight and Steve McCracken in High Life The Musical, which will tour Scotland next year. Siobhan Redmond and Patrick Ryecart will also star as Shona Spurtle and Captain Hilary Duff. The High Life was first commissioned and broadcast by the BBC 30 years ago, created by and featuring Mr Cumming and Mr Masson, who met as students at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Taking place in the fictional Air Scotia airline flying out of Prestwick Airport, the High Life centres around air stewards Steve, Sebastian and Shona. Launched as an initial pilot in 1994 and a series of six episodes which were broadcast in early 1995, it was understood a second series was never made due to Mr Cumming's increasingly successful career, which has seen him act in productions including James Bond hit Golden Eye and TV show The Good Wife. He has also hosted the US version of The Traitors, filmed in Scotland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Cumming and Mr Masson told The Scotsman the idea to create the play initially came from the National Theatre of Scotland, which has commissioned the production. 'It's a really good idea, it makes total sense,' says Mr Cumming. 'A Scottish property that was loved, turning it into a theatrical version of that, it's a no brainer.' However, years passed and the pair admit they 'didn't get it together', until a chance meeting with Scottish stage writer Jonny McKnight created the 'spark' which saw the project come to fruition. 'I was doing a show in Glasgow and Forbes came to see it the same night as Johnny McKnight came to see it,' recalls Mr Cumming., Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We had such a laugh, the three of us. It was such fun. Then the next day, Johnny called me up said, 'Hey, have you guys ever thought of doing a musical of the High Life? 'I said, 'You know what, we have, Johnny. And would you like to help us write it?' The production will be touring Scotland in spring 2026, with previews and opening performance at Dundee Rep Theatre from 28 March, the onward touring to HMT Aberdeen, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Eden Court Theatre and King's Theatre Glasgow until 18 May 2026. The stage show, which will feature new and original music, focuses on the sale of Air Scotia. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Cumming hopes the musical will retain the 'bit scrappy, bit surreal' atmosphere of the original show, but admitted some more serious issues are touched upon, due to Flight and McCracken's more mature age. He says: 'People are obviously coming with reminisce and fondness. People really love it, so I think they will be coming with that love, but also to see what [the characters] are up to now.' Both characters still work as air stewards, but Mr Masson admits their advancing age has changed the focus of the show. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Both of the main protagonists, Steve and Sebastian, are now over 60, so there are all the things that come with that, and all of the reminiscences and the sudden realisation that their lives are now in their autumn years,' he says. 'Scotland has changed as well [since the original show] and it's about how the characters embrace the present and the future, but also remember what the past taught us. Age is a big theme in it.' Mr Cumming adds: 'It's a celebration of a show that was a huge success 30 years ago. We're doing in a different form. We're older, we're coming back together.' He says he was 'surprised by how little' material was 'potentially offensive', 30 years later, but admits that some cultural references have had to be updated, recalling a part in the script which mentioned a Stanley cup - the cult water bottle propelled to fame on social media. 'Neither of us had any idea what that was,' he admits. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The pair, who began their working life together when they formed comedy double act Victor and Barry in 1982, describe the concept as 'really surreal', and 'unashamedly Scottish'. They describe the new show as a 'romp', freed of restrictions implemented on the original series by the London-based BBC. 'It's that long Scottish tradition of surreal comedy,' Mr Masson says. 'And the show is really bonkers. 'We're playing with silly ideas and it's great that we can be unashamedly Scottish, because it's a Scottish tour, it's a Scottish show, we're not having to water it down in any way, as we had to do slightly when we did the TV show. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We stood our ground, but because the TV show was made in London, there was a lot of things that London people didn't understand. And that was quite good, in a way, because they didn't understand a lot of the swearing.' NTS Mr Cumming adds: 'I think we are leaning into our Scottishness a bit more than we would have done.' Recently chronicled in the book Victor and Barry's Kelvinside Compendium – A Meander Down Memory Close, a 40th anniversary celebration of their birth, Mr Cumming and Mr Masson's original characters were morphed into the High Life's Steve and Sebastian. As well as cult fans of the show, Mr Cumming and Mr Masson hope to attract a new audience too young to remember it the first time around. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, they say they are unlikely to do future High Life spin offs - although don't rule out working together in the future.
Business Recorder
4 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
NA body briefed about NTS, PEC issues
ISLAMABAD: The 9th meeting of the Standing Committee on Science and Technology was held Tuesday at the Parliament House, under the chairmanship of Khawaja Sheraz Mehmood, MNA. The meeting agenda included briefing on the National Testing Service (NTS) and the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC). During the briefing on NTS, the committee has directed the Ministry of Science and Technology to fully resolve the matter concerning the NTS. It has also recommended involving the Ministry of Law to ensure a comprehensive and formal resolution of the issue. The ministry was instructed to take prompt and decisive action, ensuring all steps taken are in complete compliance with the relevant statutory requirements. Members of the committee reaffirmed their commitment to the principles of transparency, accountability, and the rule of law. They stressed that the collaboration between the NTS and the Ministry of Law must result in a coherent and sustainable solution that upholds public confidence in institutional processes. In the second agenda item, PEC presented a detailed briefing on its ongoing initiatives and strategic direction. PEC continues to play a pivotal role in advancing Pakistan's engineering sector by adhering to international accreditation standards and fostering lifelong learning among professionals. The Council has successfully implemented an internationally benchmarked Outcome-Based Education (OBE) and Accreditation System, ensuring that engineering programs across the country meet global quality standards and produce competent, industry-ready professionals. To support continuous learning, PEC is actively promoting Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in collaboration with various Professional Engineering Bodies (PEBs). These CPD activities are designed to enhance technical and soft skills, enabling engineers to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving global environment. Furthermore, PEC conducts the Engineering Practice Examination (EPE) nationwide, granting successful candidates the esteemed title of 'Professional Engineer', which enhances their credibility and employability within the engineering sector. To bridge the gap between academia and industry, PEC has introduced a six-month structured training program for fresh graduates. This initiative equips young engineers with practical exposure, technical competencies, and essential soft skills, preparing them for real-world challenges. PEC reiterated its commitment to developing a highly skilled and resilient engineering workforce, essential for sustainable development and technological innovation across Pakistan. The meeting was attended by MNAs, Shahnaz Saleem Malik (On Zoom), Seema Mohiuddin Jamili, Irfan Ali Leghari, Ramesh Lal, Mahtab Akbar Rashdi (On Zoom), Khurram Shahzad Virk (On Zoom), Mian Ghous Muhammad, Muhammad Moazzam Ali Khan ,Minister for Science and Technology Khalid Hussain Magsi along with senior officers from the Ministry of Science and Technology. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
