Latest news with #Taggart
The Courier
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Courier
My Blairgowrie: Actress Susan Coyle reveals where she goes to learn her lines in her Perthshire hometown
Susan Coyle is everywhere. From Outlander and Taggart to national pantos and nursing college training videos, she's a familiar face to many. But none more so than residents of Blairgowrie. The Perthshire town is where Susan grew up, and she's now back living there after a couple of decades away. Here she shares with us the special spots that make up her Blairgowrie. I think of home. It's where I was born and grew up so I think of family, school friends, the house I lived in most of my childhood and…berries! When I was younger Blair had loads more berry fields than it does now. Berry picking was a big part of every summer holiday for me. Unlike some, I loved it. Jumping on the back of an open van, shoogling about on the journey there, the camaraderie, getting a suntan, getting soaked, berry fights over the dreels, eating your pieces on your black bucket, filling your luggie earning your own money. I have 3 siblings so we'd all go together – as did my mum who was also on holiday, being a teacher. I lived in Blairgowrie until I was 17 when I went off to study primary teaching in Glasgow. After a couple of years, I decided it wasn't for me so went travelling and working abroad for a bit before returning to Blair and eventually pursuing one of my earliest passions – acting. Firstly at Dundee College then moving to Edinburgh to study BA Acting at Queen Margaret, where I lived for the next 16 years. My family and I returned to Blairgowrie just over four years ago – only a few streets away from my childhood home in which my mum and dad still live. One of the people who has had the biggest impact on my life is my mum. She has had a huge part to play in enthusing my love of acting and being on stage. When I was younger my mum would often perform in amateur dramatics and I'd help her with her lines. She also played piano for Blairgowrie Players pantos and I'd go with her to the Hill Church and watch them rehearse for hours! It was with Blairgowrie Players that I got my first opportunity to perform on stage in Blairgowrie Town Hall at the age of 11. I was cast as a munchkin in the Wizard of Oz. I perform in the pantos every year for the following six years. It felt a bit like being a local celebrity being up on that stage – I'm pretty sure nobody else regarded me in that way but it was fun to dream! Hmm, I don't often go out in Blair anymore but when I was younger, on a Thursday night my friend Anne and I would go to an aerobics class at 'the reccy' then head out to the hotspots of Blair and end up in the Carty (Cartwheel Inn) for some karaoke. Our songs of choice – every week – were I'm So Excited and Tulips From Amsterdam. Don't ask! Ha, ha! It has happened but not regularly. Although, it's funny where people remember me from. As an actor, you find yourself doing an eclectic and interesting mix of jobs. A few years ago, I was working in my brother's coffee shop serving lunch to a customer when she said: 'Oh, I recognise you. You've been on telly.' I thought: Ah yes she'll have watched my episode of Outlander. 'That's it,' she said. 'I'm a student nurse and it's you in that training video!' It's not actually in Blairgowrie but a few miles outside in Murthly there's a lovely place called Uisge. I like the chilled out atmosphere, the log burning stove on a cold day. My family and I have been known to nip in there for a coffee and snack after walking round Kinclaven Woods. I'd recommend. The Wee Coffee Shop is small but very friendly, reasonably priced and you get a very tasty lunch. I also like The Dome as I worked there when I was younger – as did my gran before me and the old, ornate seats and layout at the front of the shop have stayed the same for years. To get away from it all – within walking distance – is my favourite walk in Blairgowrie along Cargills Leap and up The Knockie hill where you can see beautiful views across Blair and Rattray. It feels very peaceful too. I walked up there often whilst learning my lines for Nan Shepherd. It felt very apt as she loved to be surrounded by nature. Although I noticed fellow walkers may have been avoiding me as the eccentric one who chats to always herself! I can't tell you how delighted I am to be back working in Pitlochry Festival Theatre again. The last time I performed here was in 2007 when I was part of the ensemble. To this date it is one of my favourite jobs. Pitlochry holds so many happy memories for me. It's also where I met my husband. To perform in Richard Baron and Ellie Zeegan's 'Nan Shepherd: Naked and Uashamed' is an honour and huge challenge for me as it's been quite a while since I was last on stage. As an actor there's nowhere to hide in this play and in the performance space, the Studio Theatre at PFT because the audience is in such close proximity to the performers. You can see the white's of their eyes! So it will be an interesting feeling seeing the faces of people I know in the audience. Nan Shepherd was such an inspirational woman. The more I learn about her, the more I want to find out. I hope I can do her character justice.
The National
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The National
I've voiced ScotRail trains for 20 years. No one told me AI was replacing me
Fletcher Mathers, a Scottish voiceover artist and actress with credits on Shetland and Taggart, has told The National she was sent a recording of the AI announcer by her friend who asked if she had been replaced. The Government-owned train operator recently rolled out 'Iona', an AI voice on some routes, which replaced older messages recorded by Mathers since 2005. READ MORE: SNP's 2026 candidates 'ignore' grassroots independence campaigners While established Scottish voiceover artist and actress Gayanne Potter is seeking 'an apology from ScotRail and an acknowledgement they have made a mistake' when basing "Iona" on recordings she made in 2021 without her consent, Mathers has revealed she also had no knowledge of the AI rollout. 'I got a WhatsApp message from a friend, an audio message, and she just went, 'listen to this,' and she was on the train. She recorded the voiceover on the train and let me hear it. 'And that's the first I knew that they were looking at changing over to AI,' Mathers shared. 'To be honest, after 20 years, it was a bit hurtful that they hadn't informed me that they were changing. 'I get things are moving in that direction. But I think we have be really careful about it and just let people know. Let people know if their voices are going to be taken over by AI.' Mathers then got in touch with her agent, who went to ScotRail and asked if their client was now out of a contact. ScotRail told Mather's agent which trains the AI has now been rolled out on and contracted the actress for another six months of usage. 'I think that was the compromise that ScotRail and my agent came to: That I would be paid for six months of usage,' Mathers, originally from just outside Perth, explained, adding: 'There's not much I can do. I do the voiceover, and I love that job. 'That's a third of my life I've been the voice on ScotRail. I don't take it for granted. I love the job. I think it's quite a privilege to do that job to be the voice that so many people hear.' Passengers also don't take her for granted. One 21-year-old man wrote to Mathers thanking her 'on behalf of all passengers' for her voice making him feel cared for when his living situation didn't feel safe as a child. A woman also got in touch and thanked her for keeping her company when travelling to her husband who was undergoing chemotherapy in hospital. Mathers shared: 'She said 'I never felt lonely because I felt as if you were with me on the train,' and that's a lovely thing for someone to say. They would no one will say that with an AI voice.' READ MORE: Pat Kane: Language really matters if we're to save ourselves from AI overlords Mathers isn't necessarily upset about the move to AI, but the way in which it has been handled for all involved. She stressed her support for Potter as well as voiceover artist Diane Brooks — a second Scottish woman who has discovered a synthetic version of her voice being used, this time on Edinburgh bus operator Lothian Buses. 'I know I'm not there forever. I thought what might happen is they may go with a male Scots voice after me. I didn't know that it would be so quickly to AI." From what Mathers understands, the AI's possibly not quite ready, and she doubts it's ability to pronounce words in Scots. 'I would like them to wait until it's ready. I haven't heard much of it, but I'm not sure it's good on the 'CH' pronunciation in Scots. Mathers works with Braw Clan, a Scots language theatre company, to create plays in Scots for audiences in Clydesdale and southern Scotland. "We cannot put out an AI system that mispronounces key aspects of the Scots language. And this is a national company — it's important," she said. 'Its intonation pattern doesn't sound quite right. So why not wait until it's ready? 'It feels rushed and feels kind of lurched towards it.' She added: "Let's just stop for a moment and think, take a more considered and careful path moving forward, a path on which which people own their own body and voice, a path in which multinationals pay for their voiceovers in a fair and just manner, a path in which people are informed in advance if their work is being replaced by AI. "Let's simply be human, be thoughtful and respectful to everyone involved. That's surely the answer." The rail operator has told media it does not intend to remove the AI voice from its trains. A sign of changing times Since originally recording announcements two decades ago with the team who rolled out the voiceover on the Hong Kong underground, Mathers has intermittently recorded and re-recorded updated lines. Around 10 years ago, Mathers changed agent and ScotRail struggled to get in touch with her. 'But they sought me out for that continuity,' Mathers stressed, comparing the contrasting treatment she has faced in the last week. 'If I'd been the announcer on them for two years or five years, maybe even seven years, then fair enough, but I've been there for 20 years.' Mathers has still not been contacted by anyone from ScotRail and is in the dark on whether her voice will disappear suddenly from the trains. 'I hope they use both,' she said, referring to human voices and AI, adding: 'I think there's a place for both. I think, for example, when you arrive at a station, I could say, 'you are now arriving in Edinburgh Waverley,' or whatever, and then if there's a delay or something changes, AI could be helpful in updating that.' READ MORE: Labour's migration crackdown will shrink UK economy, expert analysis says 'Even if AI can say the words right, it doesn't have the same feeling. It's that connection that matters." When The National approached ScotRail, a spokesperson said: 'ScotRail has been in contact with Fletcher Mathers' agent and confirmed that her voice would be used on all of the remaining trains in our fleet until at least December 2025.' The voice, 'Iona,' is the same that will be used on a remote real time system currently being developed for future use, the operator shared. They added: 'Place names and words can be entered phonetically. Milngavie is input as Mill-guy, Achnasheen as Akna-sheen for instance. This ensures that ScotRail staff have control over the current pronunciation of stations throughout the country. "It has been used on the class 156 fleet for small additional announcements in relation to East Kilbride, and also on the HST trains for announcements to advise of things like single door operation.'
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Taggart star 'couldn't be happier' with new career in music
'But actually that's not quite true. I was singing in a choir in my very first episode of Taggart.' That debut performance on STV's famous police drama may not have forced her to consider how she'd define herself, however it's a question she has waited a long time to be asked. 'I've been 21 years in Taggart and 21 in the theatre. But the amount of people who have said to me: 'I didn't know you could sing.' I suppose at a certain point in your life it's very hard to be revelatory because people know who you are, but I've always sung, just not in public. People have grown up with you, brought their kids up with you, and they just think: 'That's her from Taggart'. I'm totally happy with that.' She's happy to challenge it, too. Duff might have been a singer but she didn't have a platform to show it. As the woman from the stalls at the Lyceum observed, the singing detective she wasn't. Then came Christmas 2020. In the middle of the pandemic, with the impending strain of families held apart by socially distanced Christmas restrictions, she and Fife songwriter Cameron Barnes recorded a version of The Fairytale of New York, which transposed the context of Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl's battling Manhattan lovers into a mother and son held apart by the government response to a global virus. Incredibly, their Pogues cover – a tearjerker ripe for the aggravated emotion of the time – scored a Top Ten position in the UK download chart, landing at No 6. 'I suppose that allowed folk into that part of my world,' she says, of becoming chart singer in her late 50s. 'But now that I have been singing with this band, I just love it,' she says. This band is Lacunas Music Society, an experimental collaboration between Duff and composer Malcolm Lindsay, with Inverclyde folk singer Yvonne Lyon. Lacunas means gap, the resonance between unfulfilled and realised ambition perhaps unintentional. The trio share lead vocals, harmonies and spoken word deliveries over layers of atmospheric soundscape. Having performed together just once, in Glasgow last November – a performance of music and complementary visuals so beguiling it belied any notion of debut – they'll embark on a mini-tour of Scotland in coming weeks, with an album due for release at the end of the summer. 'I like the fact that it's more a music society than a band,' laughs Duff. 'It's not so easy to pin down what our show is and I quite like it for that. It takes on the best parts of what we each do and I think that's what's lovely about it – we can be inspired by each other's world.' The experience has been as revelatory for her collaborators. Lyon had been a long time fan of Lindsay's compositions and met him at a memorial gig for a friend. 'I loved his album Solitary Citizen. We got talking about music at the memorial and it went from there. I really wanted to explore layers of composition,' says the Greenock-based singer, who juggled this project and another separate collaboration with Boo Hewerdine. (Image: Lacunas Music Society) 'Then when Malcolm said Blythe was interested I was star struck again. I grew up watching Taggart and she was one of the first strong female characters in my psyche, a big image in my mind growing up. It was exciting to get into a room and make some music together. She carries storytelling in her vocal performance so well.' For musician Lindsay, the connection with Duff dates to his time as a composer on Taggart, although they only met towards the end of the series' decades-long run. 'You'd be staring at the actors and actresses for six or eight weeks, so you feel like you know them,' he says. 'I had no idea Blythe wanted to do music. I didn't know her well enough to know she was musical. It was a very pleasant surprise to find out. You might think Blythe coming from an acting background into music means she would be a lesser player but it's the opposite. She's as much an influence as Yvonne or I which is a nice surprise. 'She brings a totally different attitude to the performance.' The project will return Duff to Edinburgh's live stage weeks after her acclaimed turn in Wild Rose, the musical version of Glasgow writer Nicole Taylor's stirring Britflick starring Julie Walters and Jessie Buckley. With the stage show widely expected to tour (it was originally conceived as a possible opener at the refurbished Citizen's in Glasgow until date clashes scuppered the plan), Duff is likely to be back on stage alongside Sievewright and Louise McCarthy soon. 'There's no three ways about it, the singers on Wild Rose are big singers who can belt it out with extraordinary range,' she says. 'I know I'm not that so I have to find the right platform with the right songs and with people who understand I am an actress who enjoys singing.' With Lacunas Music Society, she might just have found it, finally playing the role she always wanted: the singer in a band. 'I like the fact that it seems to be a revelation for folk,' she says. 'I'm fortunate the people I have been able to be in tow with have so many things they bring to the party. The more I sing, the more folk ask me to and I'm quite enjoying that. Maybe that's an ego thing but if people are having a good time and saying it for the right reasons then I'm tickled pink. I really couldn't be happier.' Love Loss Data by Lacunas Music Society is released in September. They play Edinburgh's Traverse on June 12, Glasgow's Cottiers on June 26 and Birnam Arts, Dunkeld, on June 28.
West Australian
23-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Perth Glory and Socceroos striker Adam Taggart reflects on former coach Ange Postecoglou's success
Perth Glory captain Adam Taggart says his former Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou's unwavering belief in his methods and players is what sets the triumphant Tottenham manager apart. It comes as Tottenham captain Son Heung-min called for the Spurs boss to keep his job in the wake of his breakthrough Europa League title. The plaudits are still piling up for Postecoglou after he overcame a raft of injuries and horrid English Premier League form to steer Tottenham to a first trophy in 17 years and a first European title since 1984. Taggart, who was part of Postecoglou's 2014 Socceroos World Cup squad and featured in their final two group games off the bench, said he was thrilled to see his former boss break Spurs' barren run. 'He obviously had a lot of doubters, but I think all of us who have seen him close up always had the full belief that he was going to do it,' he said. 'We all sort of had that almost guaranteed feeling, just knowing the way that he is, that he'd get the job done.' Much was made of Postecoglou's now famous statement he always wins silverware in his second season at a club. 'He's got balls of steel. To say that and then go and do it, it's an unbelievable thing that he's done, and the belief that he has in himself and what he's doing is so strong,' Taggart said. 'But there's obviously clear backing behind that, because it works, he's seen it work and he knows 100 per cent that it will keep working. 'He was the perfect man to obviously guide them into their first trophy in a long time and you're only going to be able to do that with that kind of belief and attitude. The striker, currently in camp with the Socceroos in Abu Dhabi ahead of their crucial world Cup qualifier against Japan in Perth, said the belief Postecoglou was able to instill in his players was irrepressible. Taggart was just 21 years-old when he played at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and said Postecoglou's high standards and specific tactical requests stood out, even at an early age. 'It was very clear about your responsibilities and roles and what you needed to contribute to the team but as a young player, it was an invaluable experience to have that time with him,' he said. 'I wish it could have been longer, and I wish it could have got to work with someone like Ange for a lot longer and a lot more throughout my career. 'His standards are obviously very high, but there's a specific way that he likes to do things, and it makes it easier for players in terms of what you need to do, because there's no doubt; it's about executing it and because you're doing it consistently, the execution becomes easier and easier, and it starts to flow more.' Following Spurs' Europa League win, Korean superstar Son threw his support behind Postecoglou to stay in the job despite poor domestic form which has left Tottenham in 17th in the EPL. 'He won the trophy. Nobody (else) did it,' he said. 'Look, it's not up to me or the players, but we just have to look at the facts, at the fact we haven't won in 17 years and this is the day we finally won it. It's the manager who wins the trophy, so we see what's going to happen.'
Belfast Telegraph
17-05-2025
- General
- Belfast Telegraph
Calls for thatch training after ‘tiger trap' health and safety risk spotted at NI folk park
One member of the public warned that the 'tiger trap' was spotted at eye height on a property that was first built in the 1850s in Coshkib, Cushendall before being dismantled and moved to the museum in 1965. They said the pegs 'could have taken someone's eye out'. 'It is unbelievable for a thatcher to leave a job that way so someone over 5ft 10 could lose an eye or worse;' they continued. The unimpressed visitor, who spotted the problem last October, informed National Museums NI (NMNI) of the hazards. But after not receiving an initial response they approached the Health and Safety Executive and Ards and North Down Borough Council with concerns. A spokesperson for NMNI, which cares for 24 thatched buildings across its two outdoor museums, insisted swift action was taken. 'In November 2024, following a complaint about exposed pegs on a thatched outbuilding at Coshkib Hill Farm, Ards and North Down Borough Council carried out an inspection,' they said. 'We acted promptly by closing the area in question, and bringing in a specialist contractor to resolve the issue.' But a trained master thatcher with over 30 years' experience in the trade believes more needs to be done to protect the craft in Northern Ireland. Mark Taggart is demanding that museums which don't properly reflect our thatched heritage be held accountable. Mr Taggart said the blame lies with the training provided to those tasked with carrying out specialist work as there is no set specification currently in place when working on thatched roofs. 'It's a real shame that museums like these — which are supposed to be preserving these trades and old traditional skills — are lacking,' he said. 'Of all the places to be correct, it is a shambles that the Ulster Folk Museum are not representing our heritage properly. 'They are not across the (specification) of the methods used as some are spotted as English methods using English tools, not like what way we would have built them here. 'The state of some of the roofs is appalling as well with huge dips in the thatch.' The 59-year-old craftsman said that an official depth specification for working with thatch — which all workmen need to abide by — is the only solution to 'combat cowboy thatchers'. 'This type of thatching really should be lasting longer, not just a couple of years, and the reason it doesn't is all down to who is carrying out the work,' he said. 'Where are they trained? Who is teaching our future thatchers? Who vets the trainers teaching the craft? 'They say the craft is under extreme risk, but it already is, and if nothing is done about it, it will die out. 'I personally believe that these training schools that are currently running and teaching people these skills are sewing the seeds of total destruction of the trade and something needs to be done about it.' A spokesperson for the Department for Communities confirmed that there is 'no dedicated thatch training school in Northern Ireland.' 'However, the department's Heritage Skills Centre at Moira runs heritage skills training and taster days in a range of areas such as thatching,' they added. CITB NI is the Industry Training Board and Sector Skills Council for Construction. A spokesperson for the body said that 'there is no British Standard governing the specification of work to thatched roofs'. 'Though there are common depths employed for thatch in England, this is not the case in Northern Ireland,' they said. 'The key issue, therefore, in respect of training, is that students are clear on the implications for weathering, loading and longevity of applying different depths of thatch to roofs and that owners are clear on what they are purchasing when work is proposed.' Earlier this month, CITB NI received £739,878 from the National Lottery Fund for their Future for Thatch project which aims to provide a training programme for a new generation of thatchers and support thatched building owners to care for their roofs. The spokesperson continued: 'Depth will form part of the case-by-case specifications for works undertaken as part of the Future for Thatch training programme.' In 2022, the Department for Communities published a report that recorded 186 thatched buildings in Northern Ireland. The survey recorded that 36 of these buildings had metal coverings and that 29 of these sites were in very poor condition.
