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The National
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Viral primary school pupil hailed as budding TV success
Carly, 11, and her dad Ryan Pollock, better known on the video sharing platform as Daddy & Carly (or Wee Mary and Jimmy Boy), first started posting comedy sketches online during lockdown. Now, the pair have taken the app by storm with their 'Pilton Tea' videos and Carly's presenter-esque "hello, my lovelies" catchphrase. Talking to the Sunday National, Carly and Ryan shared how they ensure the youngster isn't exposed to trolling, the opportunities that have arisen from their online popularity, and Carly's hopes for the future. READ MORE: 'It's just great': Japan ambassador tries Irn-Bru on visit to whisky distillery 'It started during lockdown, when Carly wanted TikTok. Me and mum were a bit hesitant at first, thinking she was too young, then I was volunteered by mum to do it with her', Ryan explained. 'I thought 'och we'll just have a carry on with it', so we started putting our own twist on trends and doing sketches where Carly was dressed up as an old lady and pretending Nicola Sturgeon was her pal. It ended up going quite viral. 'We did shoutouts on our page for a bit and ended up raising about £1000 for the NHS.' When lockdown ended and Ryan went back to work, they stopped posting for a few years. A couple of months ago they started doing their 'Pilton Tea' series and from there, their popularity exploded. Their original account was deleted, but within two weeks the new account amassed around 190,000 followers — alongside 9.7 million views on one particular video, leading to a special shopping trip for Carly and her family. Carly said: 'There's so many more opportunities now. We got invited to Boots a few days ago and we have an agent now which is so cool. It's just amazing.' Because of Carly's age, the account is run by and heavily monitored by her parents. They don't let the 11-year-old read any comments or make videos by herself, and ensure that any hateful messages left under their videos are deleted and the users blocked from the page. Though she comes across as extremely confident and excitable online, the youngster described herself as actually being 'quite shy', noting that her on-camera personality is partially a character. She told the Sunday National that some boys were showing her videos through a window on her visit to a secondary school, but she seems to take it all in her stride. 'People from school watch my videos a lot, and sometimes it's a wind up, but most of the time they're being really nice. It's quite funny', she explained. READ MORE: Edinburgh Film Festival to conclude with Irvine Welsh documentary premiere The way she carries herself in her videos has led to an influx of comments demanding the TikTok star is given a slot on television, remarking she could be the next big thing à la Lorraine or Alison Hammond. High praise and growing celebrity haven't went to her head, however — Carly 'So I want to go to acting school and hopefully one day be on the telly like all the comments say. 'But if not, I go to a lot of youth centres and one day I want to be a youth worker, open my own centre and do drama classes for other kids.'
The National
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Scottish independent cinema to reopen doors after ‘extraordinary' support
In an extremely rare occurrence in the age of streaming services like Netflix, the independent cinema – which has stood in the centre of Edinburgh for almost half a century – is poised to reopen at the end of June. Known for screening one of the most varied and exciting cinema programmes in the UK, the sudden closure of the Filmhouse in 2022 threw almost 100 people out of work. READ MORE: Co-op board votes to remove all Israeli products from shelves Its closure was also a major blow for Scotland's screen sector but thanks to a campaign backed by actors, filmmakers and the public, it has been saved and refurbished, with a fourth screen added to the existing three and a revamped café and bar. An announcement is imminent on the reopening date next month, with the celebrations involving high-profile guests, whose names are currently under wraps. Speaking to the Sunday National, the new executive director, Andrew Simpson, said the reopening would not have been possible without the 'extraordinary' support of the public. 'It's a collective effort by the public and the creative industry to get this venue back,' he said. 'To get here, I think, is something quite special and hopefully that's reflected in what happens when we actually, finally, open the doors hopefully at the end of next month.' READ MORE: Fears for Scotland's cinemas as Filmhouses close, with more than 100 jobs set to go An amazing £324,000 was raised to save the cinema in a Crowdfunder appeal which helped secure funding from Creative Scotland, the UK Government and the city council for just over £3 million. 'People put their hands in their pockets at what is not an easy time financially,' said Simpson. 'The Filmhouse has obviously been incredibly important – a vital and much loved cultural institution in Edinburgh and Scotland and it was a real tragedy for the city when it shut in 2022 and very shocking.' Simpson believes the Covid pandemic has led to a greater understanding of the importance of institutions like the Filmhouse, as well as the threat they are under. 'It's a very fragile climate for the arts, and the Filmhouse closing was an acute example of the real impact and sense of loss that these closures can have on people,' he said. He added that it was 'incredibly unusual' that an organisation like the Filmhouse could be resurrected after what it went through in 2022. 'I think that's really exciting and meaningful as well as hopeful,' he said. Simpson also paid tribute to the former staff members who began the campaign to save the building and eventually secured a 25-year lease with new owners Caledonian Heritable. He said the refurbished venue would be even bigger and better than before, with a solid business plan in place to make sure its future is secure. 'We've got a really robust business model that takes in the factors that you would expect in terms of the challenges that independent cinemas are facing in the era of Netflix and changing audience behaviours,' he said. 'We've invested in order to make the organisation successful so there are better screens than before and the extra fourth screen will allow us to do lots more in terms of programming, events and activity.' The refurbished bar café will be able to seat 100 people for lunch and dinner, with drinks available throughout the day and a focus on Scottish producers. 'That will be an important revenue generator for us and we're also going to deliver an absolutely world-class film programme that audiences are not going to want to miss out on, as we want to offer something that's relevant and vital to people,' said Simpson. He added that it would be an expanded programme based on the kind of programmes the Filmhouse previously specialised in. 'We've got extra space to do more. We're a venue that exists to celebrate independent cinema in all its varied and dynamic forms, along with wraparound elements like discussions, community events and educational work with schools. 'We will be showing films on 35mm and 70mm that other cinemas aren't able to do and reflecting the real breadth of current and historical cinema in a way that no other venue can deliver.' Charlotte Wells was one of those who lent her support Simpson said the Filmhouse would continue to play a vital role for the film industry in Scotland. 'The Filmhouse has been a place which has been really important in the growth of filmmaking careers, providing a venue for the films that are being made in Scotland to be seen, for directors and producers to talk about their work, to host discussions with the public and to connect with audiences around the work that they're making and also in terms of professional development,' he said. 'That will continue, especially as a lot of film and film-related organisations will be based here which will hopefully create an ecosystem that helps to support the filmmaking community.' Simpson stressed: 'We see being a platform for emerging and established independent filmmaking talent in Scotland as a vital part of our mission as a venue. 'So, yes, absolutely, you'll see Scottish films and Scottish filmmakers being very, very prominent in terms of what we do.' With regard to US president Donald Trump's recent threat to impose 100% tariffs on films made outwith America, Simpson said it still was not clear what would happen. 'The message from Mr Trump seems to be just the latest in a long series of uncertainties and wobbles that are getting thrown our way,' he said. 'I guess we don't really know exactly what impact it's going to have, or whether he really means any of it so we'll see where it goes. 'If he does what he says he's going to do, then presumably it will have an impact of some sort on what gets produced and maybe what gets exhibited in the UK as a result. But again, that sort of pushes you towards doing more, I think, of what the Filmhouse is there to do, which is actually to celebrate global independent cinema and not just American film. 'So we will adapt and thrive against sort of whatever the challenges we may face,' Simpson said.
The National
11-05-2025
- General
- The National
Cost-cutting to blame for lack of specialist domestic abuse courts
Scotland's first dedicated domestic abuse court was set up in Glasgow in 2004, followed by Edinburgh in 2012. Although the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service – responsible for the judiciary – still describes these courts as 'dedicated domestic abuse courts', charities advocating for victims have argued that the original model for specialist courts has been 'abandoned'. These courts, and several others around Scotland, schedule domestic abuse cases to take place together in 'clusters'. However, campaigners say that specialist sheriffs and prosecutors – originally a core feature of the specialist courts – are no longer in place and that this has had an adverse impact on victims. Scottish Women's Aid CEO Dr Marsha Scott told the Sunday National: 'The regression in access to a specialist court, which has happened as a result of cost-cutting in the courts, is absolutely shameful. Marsha Scott, CEO of Scottish Women's Aid'Because of cost-cutting, some local sheriffdoms now call all their courts that deal with domestic abuse 'specialist domestic abuse courts', but they are not. 'They might cluster the domestic abuse cases in some places but they certainly aren't getting them to court in eight to 10 weeks, and they're not being operated by people with specialist training.' The purpose of setting up specialist courts was to better manage the complexity of domestic abuse cases and the risks to victims and to take account of those factors throughout the process, including at the sentencing stage. READ MORE: Scottish council gives update after 'phishing attack' on schools In 2007, an evaluation was carried out into Glasgow's domestic abuse court which, according to Scott, demonstrated that the model 'worked brilliantly' but 'was a little more expensive'. Scottish Women's Aid has called for this model to be rolled out to other parts of Scotland. Scott said the key elements essential to a specialist court, which were in place at the time of the evaluation, are 'specially trained sheriffs and judges, specially trained fiscals [prosecutors], an independent service that supports victims, and you need to have cases to court in a certain window in order to reduce witness attrition'. She added: 'The original model, which evaluated so positively for domestic abuse victim-survivors, has been abandoned. 'We hear lots of very positive discussion about the case management pilots the courts have been running, but we are not confident that the outcomes of those cases have improved victim-survivors' experience of the criminal justice system, as there hasn't been any serious evaluation with victim-survivors. 'The court process, convictions and sentencing in domestic abuse cases all affect the safety of women and children involved and influence whether they feel confident about reporting domestic abuse ever again. 'We need a system that consistently offers responses that reflect specialist expertise about domestic abuse and trauma. We are farther away now than some years ago, in part because commitment to good specialist courts has disappeared.' Domestic abuse charity SafeLives, which is currently developing a national accreditation programme for Domestic Abuse Court Advocacy (DACA) workers in Scotland, also raised concerns about a step backwards in specialist domestic abuse courts. Gemma Gall, DACA accreditation lead at SafeLives, said: 'Over the past five or so years, possibly slightly more, there has been a move away from specialist domestic abuse courts. 'We had specialist domestic abuse courts in parts of Scotland where sheriffs and prosecutors were specially trained and focused on domestic abuse cases, so they really had a buy-in to understanding domestic abuse. We've moved away from that. 'If this is just a general part of your work, that's really different to 'this is something that I'm invested in that I do day to day, that I do additional training on'. I think that's a real challenge.' All members of the judiciary, including sheriffs and judges, undertake training in relation to domestic abuse. However, organisations supporting victims have argued that this training is 'generic' and distinct from the kind of specialist training they feel is required. A spokesperson for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service said: 'Domestic abuse cases continue to be prioritised, accounting for around a third of all evidence-led trials called in summary courts, with dedicated domestic abuse courts continuing to operate in Glasgow and Edinburgh. 'Domestic abuse cases receive earlier trial diets and with the Summary Case Management (SCM) initiative being rolled out across Scotland, many cases are being resolved early without the need to go to trial, minimising trauma, inconvenience and delay for complainers, and witnesses. READ MORE: Israel 'sending soldiers to commit war crimes in Gaza', says former army chief 'SCM involves early disclosure of evidence, early engagement between the defence and the Crown and pro-active judicial case management. During the SCM pilot, 530 summary trials did not require to be fixed and 18,000 witnesses were not cited or recited. 'In addition, Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service and justice partners continue to work together on developing a more trauma-informed approach for domestic abuse cases, and the use of remote evidence where appropriate. 'The number of scheduled domestic abuse trials has fallen from nearly 7500 at its peak to under 3000 despite an increase in the number of complaints registered.' The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), which is responsible for the prosecution of cases, has a joint protocol with Police Scotland with the aim of ensuring a consistent approach when dealing with criminal conduct arising from domestic abuse. Scotland's Procurator Fiscal for Domestic Abuse, Dr Emma Forbes, is the COPFS lead on these crimes. She said: 'We are committed to tackling domestic abuse. It is a priority for Scotland's prosecutors. If you have experienced domestic abuse, please know that reporting it means you will be listened to and taken seriously. 'Ground-breaking Scottish legislation has improved how domestic abuse is understood and prosecuted by recognising a much wider range of abusive and controlling behaviour. 'Our prosecutors have specialist training in both domestic abuse and in understanding trauma. 'The SCM initiative being rolled out across Scotland has enhanced our engagement with victims and improved our understanding of their views and needs. As a result, many cases are being resolved early without the need to go to trial. We hope this minimises trauma for victims and witnesses of domestic abuse. 'Improving their experiences is a focus of our work. No-one should have to live in fear of a partner or former partner.'
The National
04-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Anti-immigration policies 'cutting jobs at Scottish universities'
A House of Commons Library briefing shared with the Sunday National showed that policies such as banning students from bringing over family members will put off people from abroad from studying in the UK. It comes after Dundee University, which relies on income from foreign students, announced it was cutting 300 jobs as it attempts to tackle a financial crisis which will also rely on it seeking increased public funding. The Sunday National understands that Dundee recruits overseas students from countries like Nigeria, where the ability to bring over family members is highly attractive. For students from places like the US, this has less of an impact. (Image: NQ) The Tories changed immigration rules in 2024 by shutting off routes to the UK for the dependents of international students unless they are studying for a PhD. It was part of a wider crackdown on immigration which also made it harder for health and social care workers to bring over family. Labour have maintained the rules, despite calls for a reprieve in light of the impact they are having on universities. Research from the House of Commons library showed that the Migration Advisory Committee had advised the UK Government early last year that clamping down on students bringing their families to live with them would 'mechanically reduce the number of graduate visas'. It also highlighted that the most recent data, published in February 2025, showed that student visa applications had dropped by 13% last year while there was an 84% fall in applications from the dependents of students. SNP MP Stephen Gethins, a former St Andrews University academic, said Labour's tough stance on immigration meant Scottish universities were paying the price. He said: 'Higher education in Scotland has been impacted disastrously by the decisions that are taken at Westminster, decisions that have led to the hostile environment, Brexit and other areas which act as a counterweight to the internationalisation agenda that has been pursued by our universities in recent years that has put them in positions of excellence in terms of research and in terms of teaching. 'What we know from Dundee and the acting principal has highlighted, for example, the detrimental impact that this is having on jobs, and in some of our institutions in Scotland. 'In Dundee, for example, the drop in postgraduate students coming along has had a very significant impact on the institution and a significant on their income. That's something that should concern us all.' (Image: Newsquest) Scotland's status as a home of 'world-leading' universities was at risk, unless the UK Government changed course, Gethins (above) warned. He said: 'Having institutions that are internationally competitive is why our higher education sector, our universities are world-leading. There's no other word for it, they are world-leading. 'And if we want to remain world-leading, we must tackle, we must challenge Westminster on some of its damaging policies that are having a material impact right now on some of these institutions.' A Dundee University spokesperson said: "The changes to visa regulations have undoubtedly impacted on international student recruitment across the higher education sector in the UK. "The downturn in international recruitment has been one of the significant factors in the financial challenges facing the university. We are working intensively with partners around the world to bring students to Dundee.' Scottish Higher Education Minister Graeme Dey said: "International students are welcome in Scotland and they make an important contribution to our campuses and local communities. 'We recognise the issues raised by the sector around a decline in international student numbers and damaging UK migration policies which is why we have proposed a Scottish Graduate Visa. This would act as a bridge between the existing Graduate Visa and a Skilled Workers Visa, allowing us to attract international students and retain international graduates from Scottish institutions.' The UK Government was approached for comment.
The National
04-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Sabir Zazai: Scotland dodged riots as refugees better integrated
Swathes of England descended into chaos in July and August last year after the fatal mass stabbing of children at a dance class in Southport, Merseyside – following fake online rumours that the perpetrator was a Muslim refugee. But riots never spread to Scotland, something the Scottish Refugee Council's chief executive, Sabir Zazai puts down to the country's approach to integrating migrants. Zazai, himself a refugee from Afghanistan, told the Sunday National: 'We have taken a rights-based whole-society approach to integration in Scotland and since 2013, the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy is heralding a new course to building and expanding diverse and integrated communities across Scotland.' The strategy aims to ensure that refugees are 'included in and contribute to society and to their communities' from the first day they arrive in Scotland. He said the strategy meant refugees were seen not as 'a threat or a burden but as people who have so much to contribute to our society'. Asked whether this had helped Scotland avoid last year's riots, Zazai (above) said: 'Partly that, partly how we work together, partly it is the framework that has been created as part of the successful delivery of New Scots engaging with the police, engaging with other authorities, when the riots were happening we were here, speaking with the police, speaking with local authorities, speaking with others, looking at how we avoid a situation like this. 'I'm not getting into Scottish exceptionalism, we do have our own issues here as well, the riots could have been worse here, too but we do have those frameworks.' Scotland has proportionately lower rates of immigration than the rest of the UK, taking in around 6% of the total number of immigrants compared with a population share of 8%. The country also has more positive attitudes about immigration than the UK, with data showing that 38% of Scots said more people should come to the country, versus 22% of people in the UK as a whole. When asked whether it should be reduced, 28% of Scots said immigration should be reduced against 48% of people across the UK. Zazai called on the UK Government to follow Scotland's lead, saying: 'In Scotland, we have that strategy, it's world-renowned, it's been flagged by the [UN Refugee Agency] as the best model for integration and the UK Government has got an opportunity to learn from that. 'We do have an opportunity in the UK to learn from the devolved government's approach to refugee integration, to create a UK-wide integration strategy and invest in that. Integration needs investment, you cannot expect people to sound like us and be part of our society when you put them below the poverty line and expect them to rebuild their lives.' As well as being beneficial for society, Zazai said there was a moral imperative for Britain to take in asylum seekers, adding: 'When people arrive, fleeing from some of the most dreadful conflicts around the world, it's everyone's responsibility to help them rebuild their lives.' Zazai also accused Labour of aping the far-right with some of their policies, especially a new policy to publish the ethnicities of criminals awaiting deportation, which critics say will result in 'league tables' of the worst-offending groups. After British nationals, the worst-offending groups are Albanians, Poles and Romanians – none of which are in the top nationalities of people claiming asylum in the UK. He said: 'Whether it's the criminal league tables or preventing refugees from seeking citizenship, the UK Government has announced a number of headline-grabbing measures. These are hostile statements which only increase divisions and fuel misinformation in our communities.' (Image: Henry Nicholls/PA Wire) Zazai added: 'We've got to take that whole society approach and not divide communities by labels in that way. That is what the far-right does.' On 'league tables', Zazai said that they would create the impression that foreigners were responsible for more crime than in reality, adding: 'The criminal league tables, the Government would never do an achievement league table of refugees.' He also blasted Labour's citizenship ban on asylum seekers who arrive in the country illegally – such as by arriving in small boats – saying that getting his British passport was a major moment for him in feeling part of society. He said: 'Citizenship was an important moment in my own journey. That sense of belonging and that sense of being part of a society starts at that moment.' The UK Government was approached for comment.
