12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow Telly Festival's programme of activities revealed
Taking place from May 29 to June 1, the inaugural event aims to showcase Glasgow's TV talent whilst attempting to address the challenges facing the Scottish TV industry.
The festival, conceived by Scottish author, producer, and screenwriter Claire Duffy, will feature a series of events across the city, showcasing the work of Glasgow's writers, producers, directors, and actors.
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The festival programme was launched at Glasgow's VOCO Grand Central Hotel, the birthplace of television, where the first-ever TV broadcast took place in 1927.
Scottish TV stars, including Colin McCredie, Sanjeev Kohli, and John Scougall, who will all be performing during the festival, attended the launch event.
Festival organiser Claire Duffy joins Scottish actors Sanjeev Kohli, Colin McCredie and John Scougall to launch the programme of events (Image: Supplied)
Other Scottish TV talent involved in the festival include Taggart's Blythe Duff, Scots Squad stars Jordan Young, Karen Barke, and Chris Forbes, and celebrated actor Siobhan Redmond.
The festival has also garnered support from Scottish TV stalwarts, including actors Brian Cox, Dawn Steele, Joe McFadden, and Shauna Macdonald.
As well as presenter Carol Smillie, and Still Game and Chewin' The Fat director Michael Hines.
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The festival will kick off on May 29 with the Glasgow Telly Legends Pick of the Pilots event, a panel discussion featuring stars and creators of some of the most iconic Glasgow series.
Meanwhile, a guerrilla-style campaign of one-minute pilot videos showcasing the work of both Scotland's well-known and undiscovered TV talent will feature throughout the festival's run.
These videos will be shown in pubs and other venues across the city.
It will conclude on June 1 with a TV Pilot Open Mic Night, where scenes from potential new TV dramas will be performed live by some of Scotland's most fantastic actors.
Claire Duffy, founder and organiser of the festival, said: "It's so exciting to be at this stage of festival prep.
"Not many people realise that TV was actually invented in Glasgow almost 100 years ago - with the first-ever television broadcast taking place from the Grand Central Hotel in 1927.
"It was incredibly meaningful to launch our programme of events at the same venue and, while we may have lost our way in the Scottish TV industry in recent years, it's so inspiring to be at the start of what I truly feel will be a resurgence for Scottish TV talent.
"The Glasgow Telly Festival will be the catalyst to a new way of doing things to help bring back hope, creativity, risk-taking and opportunity into the TV industry again, and we can't wait to share our talented creatives with Glasgow audiences."
