Edinburgh with Anneka Rice BBC at the Edinburgh Festivals

Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together

and welcome your host for this evening, Anneka Rice.

APPLAUSE Hi there, hello.

Oh, hello, everyone. How lovely to see you all.

Thank you so much for coming along.

Brilliant to see you, welcome to the Radio 2 Arts Show Presents Edinburgh.

Very exciting. Any of you with me in the Pink Tent last night?

Oh, that's awkward, isn't it? That's a really awkward start.

Well, we did a whole show in the Pink Tent last night.

Tonight we're expanding, we're in the Blue Tent, so that's TWO TENTS.

That's how I'm feeling right now, frankly.

The Fringe has really got to me.

I've been hugged by complete strangers,

I've played a kind of wink-murder game with blind Hamlet,

and I got up one morning at sunrise and went to the beach at...

What's it called? Portobello Beach.

- And, erm... - Whoooo!

Are you from there, by any chance?

No, you just went, "Oooohh!" That's fine, you can do that at any point!

Anyway, we went along to the beach

and there was the most extraordinary thing going on,

some actors waded out to sea, there was beautiful opera played,

and, let's face it, Edinburgh is completely bonkers.

I've had Shakespeare at breakfast with croissants,

I've sat and eaten ice cream with some comedy.

Tonight we thought it was time to rein it all in.

No zombies, no nudity, but we do have some...

- Awwwwww! - Oh.

Shall we see how the evening presents itself?

We might be able to present one of our wonderful guests to help out

on that front. We have some wonderful entertainment for you, OK?

We're moving from Brazil to France,

we're going from the Western Isles of Scotland to the Deep South...

of Surrey. OK?

But first we're going to start with a man who's no stranger,

certainly, to Radio 2, or to Edinburgh in fact.

He's here with his show which is called Songs On Film.

Please give a warm welcome for Joe Stilgoe.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

- You look so dapper, Joe. - Thank you, Anneka, you too.

Thank you so much for coming along.

Could you please tell us what you're about to do?

Yes. Hello, everyone.

Well, I start my show, Songs On Film, with an overture.

I try to include every film theme I can think of in my small head.

But as there will be some I'll miss out I wondered if you could help.

Any film theme you can think of, I'll try to add it in to my overture.

Anyone? SHOUTS

Lawrence Of Arabia. What was this down here?

Supergirl. Godfather. At the back?

- Indiana Jones. - Indiana Jones.

- Carry On. - That's enough!

Jurassic Park!

Jurassic Park's already in there. Thank you very much.

- See how loud they can get? - OK.

HE PLAYS THEME FROM JAWS Jaws!

I'm already playing it.

- Jaws 2! - This is Jaws 2.

HE PLAYS THEME FROM CASABLANCA

Here's looking at you, kid.

HE PLAYS THEME FROM LOVE STORY

HE PLAYS THEME FROM THE GODFATHER

HE IMITATES MARLON BRANDO MURMURING

HE PLAYS THEME FROM STAR WARS

HE PLAYS THEME FROM CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG

HE PLAYS THEME FROM GONE WITH THE WIND

Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.

HE PLAYS DO-RE-MI FROM SOUND OF MUSIC

Anyone know this one?

Bambi.

LAUGHTER

HE PLAYS JARRING NOTES FROM PSYCHO

HE PLAYS THEME FROM THE DEER HUNTER

Anyone?

Deer Hunter.

There goes Bambi.

LAUGHTER

HE PLAYS THEME FROM CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

HE GASPS

Very clever.

HE PLAYS THEME FROM WEST SIDE STORY

HE PLAYS THEME FROM E.T.

Elliott...

HE PLAYS THEME FROM JAMES BOND FRANCHISE

HE WHISTLES THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

# Wah-wah-wah

HE WHISTLES # Wah-wah-wah... #

HE PLAYS SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS

HE PLAYS THEME FROM THE DAM BUSTERS

HE PLAYS THEME FROM THE WIZARD OF OZ

HE PLAYS THEME FROM JURASSIC PARK

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Joe! Wonderful stuff!

But, frankly, could you not just have cheated then

- and shoved in any old thing? - I did.

No, in the show it's sort of planned

but I added some bits in as people suggested.

- I hope I got them in in time. - I think you did.

- Was anyone disappointed with that? - No!

It's important we get the integrity of this show this evening absolutely.

We're being live streamed, for God's sake.

I've never been live streamed.

I haven't either, I find it quite exciting, live stream. Yes.

Joe, so your show is on... starts next week?

No, it's on now. You've been to see it.

Do you know, I've been to see it!

LAUGHTER

It was so good that it sort of caused a temporary amnesia,

I haven't been the same since!

I sat through the whole thing!

- Sorry, Joe. - Completely forgettable.

No, it was really lovely, but you did have balloons then, didn't you?

- Yes. - You see?

And you had two very good-looking men.

Yeah, I have a band with me onstage.

I'm slightly disappointed they're not here.

They're currently tied up, one of them's doing a ceilidh

and the other one's doing something else.

As you do, as you do. Now, listen, when I was at the show,

which I remember vividly now,

it's absolutely flashing back to me. When I was at the show

something remarkable happened, when you told me about your childhood.

- Yes. - I realised you were my son.

No! No, but we grew up in the same town,

the town of Oxted in Surrey. Yeah?

Quite forgettable. And we used to go to the same cinema. Extraordinary.

- They had this wonderful cinema. - And I didn't realise.

Yeah, it's a cinema called the Plaza,

and it's one of those great cinemas, everything was velvet,

the curtains, the seat, the staff, everything.

LAUGHTER

But I wrote this song about my time, going to see the first film,

which was The Jungle Book,

going to see my first film and just loving that cinema,

and there was this sign outside which said, "Ahhh! Popcorn."

So I thought I'd write a song about that.

OK, and you're going to play that for us now?

- Yeah, this is Popcorn. - Ladies and gentlemen, Popcorn.

APPLAUSE

Oh, thank you.

# You might be happy in your multiplex

# I find I'm more an Everyman man

# Don't say you love the cast-off 3-D specs

# You might as well just fly to Cannes-Cannes

# Give me those velvet seats, those tiny pocket sweets

# Just let me like it how it used to be

# Bring back the old cartoons, ice cream with wooden spoons

# I'm always happy in this company

# But I don't mind getting old

# I will do as I'm told

# Never change my favourite cinema

# You can keep your drinks going large

# I don't want Coke in a barge

# Only need that poster saying, "Ahhh! P-P-P-P-Popcorn"

# The very first one was The Jungle Book

# Then Santa Claus with Dudley Moore

# The whizzing wonders took my eyes and shook

# Till all my sweets were on the floor

# Bring back the organist Roll on the Pathe reel

# It's not as good unless I'm much mistaken

# There's nothing quite so bad as all those mobile ads

# I think we've had enough of Kevin Bacon

# But I don't mind getting old

# I will do as I'm told

# Never change my favourite cinema

# You can keep your drinks going large

# Don't want Coke in a barge

# Only need that poster saying, "Ahhh! P-P-P-P-Popcorn, Popcorn"

# "Ahhh! Popcorn"

# "P-Popcorn Ahhh! Popcorn"

# If you want somewhere to sit, see something special at the Ritzy

# Ahhh

# It's the king of cinemas, a host of stars at the Plaza

# Ahhh

# If you want somewhere to sit, see something special at the Ritzy

# Ahhh

# It's the king of cinemas, a host of stars at the Plaza

# Ahhh

# Ahhh, I don't mind getting old

# I will do as I'm told

# Never change my favourite cinema

# You can keep your drinks going large

# I don't want Coke in a barge

# Only need that poster saying, "Ahhh!

# "P-P-P-P-Popcorn"

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Lovely, Joe. Thank you so much. Joe Stilgoe, ladies and gentlemen.

Obviously currently on at the Assembly Checkpoint until August 22.

I'll never forget that again, Joe, that was absolutely unforgettable,

that performance, wasn't it, ladies and gentlemen?! Fantastic.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Now, don't forget we're live tonight.

Sorry, I'm quite excited about that. Streamed on BBC Arts online.

And this year our online presence in Edinburgh is massive,

bigger and better than ever,

with the minimum of one performance a day from the festival,

which is fantastic, and an act which has been scorching

and sizzling the cobblestones of Edinburgh is the sensational

dance group Brazuca, and we're going to see a bit of them in a minute.

They're recreating the story of dance from the toughest

streets of Brazil and tonight I'm joined by their producer,

Pamela Stephenson Connolly, who's going to paint the picture for us,

talking about the performances tonight.

Pamela! APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Hi!

This is so mad that we've come all the way to Edinburgh

and I'm interviewing you just to say hello to you.

We've known each other for years.

Would you like to sit down at my little interview area?

- Which one? - Over there, please. Thank you.

Doesn't Pamela look gorgeous? CHEERING

Yes! Smouldering, ready for the scorching sizzle of Brazil.

Oh, they are. They are, they're just amazing.

So, yes, what are you up to? What's going on?

Well, this dance, I'm completely addicted to Brazilian dance.

And I went to Brazil

and I began to see these amazing dances that I'd never seen before.

Probably like you,

I had thought of Brazilian dance as being sort of one kind of dance,

a bit of samba, erm, feathers,

and actually there are these amazing partner dances, one of them

called lambazouk, that I am absolutely in love with,

gorgeous, sensual, hair flying, lots of lifts and tricks.

And another one called

Samba de Gafieira. Which is the partners samba dance.

I thought someone was going to attack me just then!

I thought somebody from the audience was getting over enthusiastic.

Is this a stunt? Am I actually going to have to dance myself right now?

But thank you. Um...

Where was I? -That was the sound department.

You were talking to us about the various...

Did you go to Brazil specifically to find dances

after your lust for the dances on Strictly Come Dancing?

I went to write about dancing and in the process discovered...

There I was, Annie.

I'm on a beach at midnight.

Just before midnight and there's all these absolutely gorgeous

people like the ones you're about to see standing there all in white.

They've got flowers, they've got a little something to drink

and just before midnight they all jump in the water,

send flowers so Yemenja, the Queen of the Sea.

And then they all go and start

dancing on the beach. In the moonlight.

That's just an ordinary Saturday night?

That's an ordinary Saturday night in Brazil.

It was so beautiful and then this sort of went on for weeks.

Cos you have got a habit of, sort of, nestling into a country.

Yes.

Usually involving scuba diving. She's got a new sport now which is dance.

I know. I know.

You sound a little bit like my husband who is a little bit

accusatory about all of this.

Very amusing.

Cos you've usually in the South Pacific islands somewhere

and now you've gone Brazilian on us.

I know, I've gone Brazilian.

AUDIENCE LAUGHS

Steady!

Steady, steady!

Look, since I've been doing this show those jokes have all been done, OK?

Could there be a prize for someone who comes up with a new one, perhaps?

Work on it.

Our slogan for the show is The Ultimate Brazilian

so I think we're pretty safe with that.

It's hard to do with Strictly Come Dancing which you did

so magnificently.

Thank you.

I watched in amazement.

I really had fun. I really loved it and rediscovered my love of dance.

And I was really looking for a dance to continue.

And when I found Lambazouk that was the one

and then I began to, you know, meet

some of the people who are the masters in the world at these dances.

And one in particular Braz Dos Santos, I met him

and his family who all dance.

And began to hear this incredible story of a young teenage

fisherman who managed to...

Well, he had been faced with an awful choice.

To either dance and make a living from dancing or probably

die at sea because the seas were so dangerous at that time.

The way the fishing was happening.

And I thought it was a poignant story we could begin to weave

together with the dances and amazing Brazilian music.

Then Arlene Phillips got involved.

Did you go, "Hello, Arlene. I think I've got a new show?"

I asked her to come to a workshop in London.

She didn't get the Brazil trip?

I brought some of the dancers to London and she met them

and she said that she'd never seen anything like it.

She said she's been dancing for all these years

and she'd never seen dancing like it.

Really? That is praise, indeed.

Because it was such a different dance

and she thought that the men spin these girls like spinning plates.

Which is exactly what it is.

Are they going to do that now?

They are.

How do we organise the furniture here?

You can just stay right there. But keep your arms by your side.

I thought you were going to say keep your legs together.

Don't make any sudden movements, Annie.

I'm going to keep all limbs pinned to my side.

But Brazouka is on at 5:30 at the Assembly.

So please come and see it. It's just a fantastic... I don't know.

People go out telling me that they feel really good afterwards

and I like that.

Because it's one thing to be very tormented by a show

but another thing to feel fantastic.

- Are you still dancing yourself? -I am.

Are you going to dance now?

We have the experts here so I think I'll just stay exactly where I am.

But sometimes when they have a little bit of time off they're quite

kind to elders so they do invite me to dance from time to time.

Did you ever get Billy to dance?

I did. He was a jiver from way back.

Then I found him a very gorgeous French woman to begin to learn tango.

- He got quite motivated. - And you haven't seen him since? No?

He has tried this dance. It was just a wonderful moment

when he staggered in after a night at the theatre.

My last birthday party I had an I Dream of Genie

Lambazouk party.

Quite gutted I wasn't there at that point.

It was in New York. Everybody in harem pants.

It was pretty silly

and Billy stumbled into the middle of all this.

And thought it was absolutely wonderful.

Pam, you've set the scene. We just stand here with our limbs pinned.

These are six of the dancers from Brazouka.

Brazilian, wonderful people. And one of them is Braz Dos Santos.

The one in the middle in the coloured shirt.

And it's his story and they're going to start by dancing freestyle

Lambazouk.

And then they're going to move into a choreographed piece.

I hope you love the dance as much as I do.

I'm very excited. Are you going to cue them on?

Yes, come on, guys. I think we need the music.

Music helps, doesn't it?

There we go.

MUSIC PLAYS

APPLAUSE

APPLAUSE

That was amazing. That was absolutely fantastic.

Well done.

So, Assembly checkpoint.

Thank you so much. It was absolutely magnificent.

Chiselled, by God. Don't you think?

My goodness. That's amazing.

So that's at the Assembly Checkpoint until August 22nd.

Until the 24th.

And then we're going to

be in Wimbledon at the

New Wimbledon Theatre from the 16th of September.

So you could come there.

And then we go on a tour to South Africa, Australia and then

we'll be back. Come see us.

Thank you so much. Pamela Stephenson, ladies and gentlemen.

Can you manage to man handle... So lovely to se you.

Take care. Well done.

That was very good, wasn't it?

Next diversity here tonight.

Has anyone here ever heard of a poetry slam?

AUDIENCE: Yeah!

OK, steady. Steady. I hadn't. I literally hadn't.

But we have someone amazing coming on who's made it an art form

and here to tell us about this is slam winner herself Sara Hirsch.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Hi, Sara.

Come and take a seat. Come and tell us all.

You've got people who are totally on message with what a poetry slam

is but I hadn't actually heard of it.

You haven't heard of a poetry slam?

I'm so out of the... So not on message on the poetry front.

Tell me about it.

So a poetry slam is competitive poetry.

So as terrifying as that sounds it's actually really fun.

Normally you have a time limit.

About three minutes to do your best and most effective poetry to

an audience like this who hold up terrifying scorecards...

No!

..and judge you out of 10.

I was reading the rules of it and there was pages of rules.

And eliminating rounds and then the next round.

And then only half the audience decides.

It sounds a slightly aggressive thing for something as gentle as poetry.

I think it can do but actually

when you're part of the scene it's a kind of, I think

it's an amazing chance push yourself as far as you can

and it's actually really, really supportive.

It sounds very aggressive and competitive but...

It sounds terrifying. Are you making this up on the spot?

No, definitely not.

It's all stuff you prepared.

It's all stuff you know so you'll give it a theme? How does it work?

No, it's completely independent

and you just present original poetry in your time limit.

It can be about anything unless it offends anyone.

In the world or in the audience and yeah.

It's like Britain's Got Talent with judges going, "Off!"

Is it quite ruthless?

It's not as ruthless as it sounds.

It's really friendly and it's more about finding that poet that

can really affect an audience or make people think or laugh or whatever.

Your themes of your poetry,

what sort of poetry do you like presenting?

Are you a challenging poet? Do you think or...

All my stuff's really different.

I like to tell stories or narrate parts of my life or things

I've seen or other people's lives.

I'd say they're all really different. There's no running theme.

But it's all honest.

I always write honestly about myself or about things I've seen.

Did you start off just writing poetry

and then you realised there was this extraordinary form?

I'd never heard of a slam either.

Thank you for sharing that.

I'd heard of it.

I've heard of it, obviously(!)

But I never thought I'd be doing it.

None of the stuff I've written has been for poetry slams.

That's a really difficult thing and I don't know

if anyone writes specifically for poetry slams.

It's your own work...

You trained as an actress.

So I suppose you're prepared to put yourself out there?

Yeah, the performance stuff is what I really enjoy about it

and a poetry slam just takes poetry to a slightly different level.

So how do you present it here at Edinburgh?

So, I'm doing various things.

I'm kind of gigging all around and there's varying different types

of performance poetry gig but they're all as exciting as each other.

I'm associated with the Loud Poets who are amazing.

- I know they're here. - Are they here?

So that's the main thing I'm doing at the festival

and to be honest I'm biased but they pretty much sum up what

performance poetry and slam poetry is.

And if anyone after my performance is still confused,

100% get down to their show on the Royal Mile.

Because it's so...

When do you do your stuff?

The next little run of it is tomorrow to the 13th.

I'm guest featuring on the 13th and it's 9:00 at the Storytelling Centre.

They've got some of the top notch poets in the country in it.

You've sold this very well. Hasn't she sold that well?

Will you give us a demonstration?

Absolutely.

Want to hear maybe two or three, I think.

Whatever you want. Entertain us.

Which one...?

I don't know. Where did they even come from?

This one.

Right.

I'll do the one that you know I'm going to do and then

if you want to hear another one, that's great.

This is a poem I wrote back in November.

Definitely not for a slam and you'll know why when you hear it.

And I have done this at slams since but it's called Tonight, Matthew.

I'm rushing so fast through life It's like I'm on a high speed rail.

Like I'm a dog going round and round in circles

but never quite catching up with its tail.

And as I sail through time aboard this superpower

100 mile an hour train,

watching the days fade into a blur through the wind-whipped windowpane

I wonder how I'll ever get off it again.

See, I missed my stop.

I missed my stop in 2001.

I don't know if you remember that November?

It was the mess of you losing your hair

and the stress of hospital appointments.

And mumbled greetings on the stair with me never quite sure

if you were really there with me or somewhere in your memory.

It was nervous nights in front of the TV with you

laughing at Stars In Their Eyes even though it wasn't even funny.

Or at least it wasn't meant to be.

And you repeating, "Tonight, Matthew,

I'm going to be like a broken record."

And for the first time I realised that you really were ill.

You tried to explain cancer to me.

"See there's something wrong with my head," you said.

"That's why I'm always in bed," you said.

That's what the pills are for.

But instead I just saw the hallway side of your bedroom

door and mum going to parents evening alone

and suddenly you weren't at home.

But a cracking voice on the end of the phone and a 12-year old me -

that's not what dads were supposed to be.

So I boarded my train.

And for 12 years I've been running from the words

"The cancer has spread to my brain"

Trying to pretend like a time never came

Where I stood at a grave that bore my father's name.

But now, after 12 years on the track

Each summer spent and each promise meant

At each point on the map, each memory I've made

Collected like postcards lining the bottom of my rucksack.

After 12 years of travels

I think it might be time to go back.

Because now, I have not known you for longer than I knew you

And I can't get over that.

So I stand before you tonight fresh from the station

After nearly a whole generation

And although I stand before you as Sara Hirsch

A name distinctly different to the one you gave me at my birth

With a world of experience from 12 more years on this Earth

Tonight, Matthew, I'm going to be Sara Green

And tonight, Matthew, I'm going to tell my dad all the things

I've done and seen and he's going to be the father

That for 12 years he hasn't been.

Tonight, Matthew, I'm going to remember

Because on the 25th of November I reached the halfway mark.

And every day after that is taking the further from the start

Like the Earth moving around the Sun too quickly

So it's always getting dark and as the Earth spins

It will take us further and further apart.

Tonight, Matthew, I'm going to know him like this for the very last time.

I'm going to take this moment to commit his memory to mine

And then tomorrow, I will be wearing his green woollen jumper.

And I will put the photo I have of him

from before it all went wrong into the pocket of my rucksack

And my headphones will blare out his favourite song

And I will catch the first train that comes along

And I won't look back.

APPLAUSE

Sara, that was amazing.

Thank you so much.

That was quite extraordinary.

Oh, I love that, I love that.

Very popular.

We're actually, BBC Arts Online,

are actually hosting the final of the Poetry Slam here on 16 August.

So put that in your diaries.

My producer's going, "We can't really fit in any more

"because we've got elephants backstage."

You'll just have to come and see the loud poets, won't you?

So we'll come and see you in situ and enjoyed it.

You've been brilliant, I loved that.

Thank you very much, Sara Hirsch, ladies and gentlemen.

It was so lovely, thank you so much. Bye.

Well, that was amazing, wasn't it?

So, don't forget that BBC Arts Online is streaming live

and On Demand the most extensive online coverage

of the Edinburgh Festival's daily performances, events,

interviews, behind the scenes, acts,

lots of opinions and fun,

so well worth checking that out.

Now, you can also tweet the show here

with your thoughts at #BBCEdFest.

And talking of Twitter, the next act we've got on,

I sort of got to know through Twitter really.

I kept seeing their names mentioned, had a bit of a chat with them

and introduced myself, because I was looking for acts for the show

we did last night, the Arts Show.

And also for tonight.

And I think I found something rather wonderful

and I'm delighted to introduce to you

The Three Belles, ladies and gentlemen.

APPLAUSE

Thank you so much for coming along.

It's so nice to see you properly

after we've had a little flurry on Twitter, haven't we?

A few tweets. What are you going to sing for us, first of all?

- Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy. - Go for it.

# You are the, you are the...

# He was a famous trumpet man from out Chicago way

# He had a boogie style that no-one else could play

# He was the top man at his craft

# But then his number came up and he was gone with the draft

# He's in the army now Blowin' reveille

# He's the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B

# They made him blow a bugle for his Uncle Sam

# It really brought him down because he couldn't jam

# The Captain seemed to understand

# Because the next day the Cap' went out and drafted a band

# And now the company jumps when he plays reveille

# He's the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B

# A-toot a-toot A-toot diddle-ee-ada-toot

# He blows it eight to the bar in boogie rhythm

# He can't blow a note unless the bass and guitar

# Is playin' with 'im

# He makes the company jump when he plays reveille

# He's the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B

# He was the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B

# And when he plays a boogie-woogie bugle

# He's as busy as a buzz bee

# And when he plays he makes the company jump eight to the bar

# He's the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B

# Toot toot, toot diddle-ee-ada Toot-diddle-ee-ada, toot-toot

# He blows it eight to the bar

# He can't blow a note

# If the bass and guitar isn't with 'im

# And the company jumps when he plays reveille

# He's the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B

# He puts the boys to sleep with boogie every night

# And wakes them up the same way in the early bright

# They clap their hands and stamp their feet

# Because they know how he plays

# When someone gives him a beat He really shakes it up

# When he plays reveille

# He's the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B

# Da-daa, da-day-da-daa

# Da-daa, da-day-da-daa

# Da-daa, da-day-da-daa

# Da-daa, da-day-da-daa

# And the company jumps when he plays reveille

# He's the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B. #

APPLAUSE

That was so fantastic, thank you very much. Can you introduce yourselves?

Hello. We are The Three Belles.

- My name is Sally. - I'm Anneka.

And I'm Izzy.

Oh, yes, the Anneka thing. Was that because...?

Yes, it was, actually.

I was born in 1989 which was just as Challenge Anneka was getting going.

Oh, my goodness. That is so weird. Oh, I feel quite embarrassed.

That's extraordinary.

So... Oh, God!

Are your parents here?

No, but they are tuning in.

- Are they tuning in? - Yes, they are.

All, hello, Mum and Dad.

And have...? Sorry, I'm absolutely gripped by this.

Because there's lots of Annekas

who were all born in 1989 or thereabouts. That's so weird.

I played Challenge Anneka at school,

people used to challenge me to do crazy things.

This is hilarious.

Anyway, moving on, are you enjoying yourselves at the Festival?

- Yes, we love it. - It's an amazing experience.

How did you all get together?

We met at university in Portsmouth about three years ago.

And now we've been professionally producing shows

all around the country,

all with a World War II vintage 1940s theme,

but this show we're bringing up here is premiered here

and we are very terrified - well, I am - and excited about it.

OK. What are you going to sing for us now?

We're going to sing a song which we hope gets you In The Mood.

Great.

MUSIC: "In The Mood" by Glenn Miller

# Mr Whatchacallim Whatcha doin' tonight?

# Hope you're in the mood because I'm feelin' just right

# How's about a corner with a table for two?

# Where the music's mellow in some gay rendezvous

# There's no chance romancin' with a blue attitude!

# Got to do some dancin' to get in the mood

# Sister Whatchacallim that's a timely idea

# Something swing-a-dilla would be good to my ear

# Everybody must agree that dancin' has charms,

# When you got that certain one you love in your arms

# Steppin' out with you will be a sweet interlude

# Oh, build her up And that would put me in the mood

# In the mood

# That's it, I got it

# In the mood

# Your ear will spot it

# In the mood

# Oh, what a hot hit

# Be alive and get the jive You've got to learn how

# Hep-hep-hep! Hep like a hepper!

# Pep-pep-pep! Hot as a pepper!

# Step-step-step! Step like a stepper

# From muggin' to huggin' We're in the mood now

# Mr Watchacallim All you needed was fun

# You can see the wonders that this evening has done

# Your feet were so heavy till they hardly could move

# Now they're light as feathers and you're right in the groove!

# You were only hungry for some musical food

# You're positively absolutely in the mood!

# Sister watchacallim That's a kinky idea

# Tell me, do you have a band you want me to hear?

# Everybody must agree my stockings are charms

# When you got a stocking on and love in your arms

# Just a lookin' like a sweet interlude

# I'm flickin' through the pages gets me in the mood

# In the mood

# That's it cos I got it and I'm

# In the mood

# Your ear will spot it when you're

# In the mood

# Bobbity bop a diddly-bop-a-bop-a

# Be alive and get the jive You've got to learn how

# Hep, hep, hep, you're hep like a hepper full of

# Pep, pep, pep You're hot as a pepper

# When you step, step, step Step, step like a stepper

# We're muggin'

# And now we're huggin'

# Cos we're in the mood. #

APPLAUSE

Fantastic, thank you so much,

The Three Bells, ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you so much. Good luck.

Fantastic.

I don't know where to stand, there's a plethora of microphones

which will be removed by magic around me.

Now, we've got a bit of stand-up coming up

which isn't usually an artform that I particularly warm to.

I don't know why, I've always had a slight irrational dislike of it

and my producer knew that the only way

she could slip some into the line-up tonight

was to dress it up in the form of a rather delicious Frenchman.

OK? So she's done very well because I'm agog.

I'm quite excited, I love a Frenchman.

A joke and a French accent and I'm probably anybody's.

So, ladies and gentlemen, can I give you Yacine Belhousse.

APPLAUSE

Oh, it's so nice to meet you. Yes, very good, Julie, that's very good.

Can I just say... No, can I just explain...

I'm not trying to take him away immediately.

Yacine, you worked with Eddie Izzard? Cos Eddie was in here.

Is he still in here or is he backstage?

- I think he's backstage. - You actually... Come to the mic.

- You actually opened for him... - Yes.

..while he was on his French tour.

Yes, during the French tour, tout en francais.

- And he spoke in French. - Yes, he speaks very well French.

Yes. OK, so you got to know each other well then.

For the opening thing, yes. It was a big adventure

- and fantastic for me. - Fantastic.

So then he's now persuaded you to come back here?

Yes, "Just open a bridge and just try it in English here.

"You know Edinburgh?" I said... "I don't know much Scotland."

It's my first time in Scotland, I enjoy it, it's fantastic for me.

Fantastic.

So it's like a kind of French exchange.

He goes over and you come here and perfect your language.

A university exchange, yes, exactly that.

Listen, take it away. Thank you for joining us.

Thank you.

Hello.

APPLAUSE

That's the one. Welcome!

So, yes, um...I'm French.

But don't worry, don't worry,

I learned English this afternoon just for you tonight.

Don't worry, it will be fine.

I'm sure that you will understand my English.

I just have little problems sometimes, little problems,

when I improvise, with conjugating verbs in the past tense.

When I improvise. And in the past tense, OK?

And I have a technique for that.

If that case happens, I will say the verb in the infinitive form

and add "This is in the past" OK?

And then you will be able to translate it in your head.

We'll just do an example. I run "in the past".

That means that was yesterday.

OK? But my English is like that

because I didn't learn English at school.

I learned English by watching TV and movies,

by comparing the dialogue with the subtitles.

That was my technique - dialogues and subtitles.

That's why I can't have a deep conversation about my feelings

because I have a lack of vocabulary.

But I can easily rob a bank because I...

I know the line, "Put the money in the bag, bitch.

"Please."

I want to say please. I want to say please if I rob a bank

because I learn English with Downton Abbey.

So I want to say,

"Would you be so kind as to put the money in the bag, Lady Crawley?

"You bitch!"

But even if I rob a bank... Imagine me anyway.

I think that my English is a little bit random, OK?

I know I talk funny, so my hostages could mock me.

"Everybody, get cold!

"Get cold! Colder! Colder!"

"You mean freeze." "Yes."

"Put your hands up in the air!"

It looks like a French rap concert.

What is that? I tried, OK?

I tried to rob this bank, but I'm not sure of myself.

"But be careful. If you don't do what I want, I used to kill you."

That's not correct.

"I will have killed you.

"In the future."

"No, I refuse to be threatened by bad conjugation.

"Go back in France and threaten people correctly, OK?"

So, yes, I'm French.

Um...

My English...my English is OK,

but I'm very happy to be here in Scotland because

now I understand some cliches

that British people have about the French.

For instance, what you hear now is the French accent.

It's the real French accent from Paris.

I grew up in the Paris area, and this is the French accent.

Cos I heard a lot of...

EXAGGERATED FRENCH ACCENT: "Hello. What's your name?

My name is Jean Pierre. Your name? What is your name?

This is not an accent.

This is a disease.

Nobody talks like that in France.

We killed the last one in October.

OK?

Also, people say, "Oh, Paris! You come from Paris! It's so romantic."

Paris is a romantic city if you are already in a romance.

If you are looking for someone you should try Calais.

Some neighbourhoods are fantastic in Paris.

I know that, like...Montmartre.

Montmartre is fantastic.

You should go to Montmartre. It's fantastic.

That is where the movie Amelie have been filmed.

It's beautiful, romantic.

But if you go down the hill from Montmartre, you find Pigalle.

Montmartre looks like Amelie, Pigalle looks like The Walking Dead.

A lot of men walking like...

HE MAKES GROANING SOUNDS

"Who are you? I am the mayor of Pigalle!"

"I run this place."

A lot of aggressive people, also.

There is a lot of very macho, sleazy men.

And you think we are romantic? No.

A lot of very macho,

aggressive guys that try to pick-up girl with the pick-up line, "Hey!

"Oh!

"Hey!"

That's a pick-up line in Paris.

Nobody understand why they do that. There is no logic in it.

Yelling to be loved. Nobody understand.

Maybe one day one man tried that technique and it worked for him.

You see a girl, you fancy the girl, he say...

HE SCREAMS

and the girl say, "Absolutely. Yeah."

"Rarr!

"I love talking with you.

"Whoo!

"You are such a poet. That's fantastic."

That doesn't work.

So, Paris is a bit violent.

And I am used to that violence

because I grew up in a tough neighbourhood.

My school was run down, that explain also this English.

In fact, just to explain how shitty my school was,

the first time I ever saw a living chicken

that was in my high school playground.

And the first time I ever saw a boy kill a chicken

that was the same day.

A boy from another school, posh school,

he throw a chicken over the fence of my high school playground

just to mock us.

Like, "Oh, you peasants."

But it didn't work

because everybody in my school was very happy about the chicken.

Because a chicken is funny.

A chicken is funnier than me, it's funnier than you,

because it's a chicken.

HE MIMICS CHICKEN CALL

So, we had the chicken in the playground

and everybody was happy, it became our new mascot.

And the boy from the other school was frustrated because of that.

Because it didn't work.

He was jealous of the chicken's success.

So, he took a rock on the floor and threw - in the past - that rock.

At the chicken.

So, the chicken was like that...

HE SINGS AS A CHICKEN

And...

the chicken took the rock just there.

In the white meat.

And he fall down.

He look at us and said...

HE MIMICS CHICKEN CALL

Which means, "Why? Why?"

HE MIMICS CHICKEN

"Who are you to judge me?

HE MIMICS CHICKEN

"Aren't we all god's creatures?"

HE MIMICS CHICKEN

"In the back."

HE MIMICS CHICKEN

HE MIMICS CHICKEN

No need to translate that last sentence.

Everybody understood that. That's basic chicken.

And then he died.

But he died very proudly. he died screaming.

HE MIMICS CHICKEN

Which means....Freedom!

Like William Wallace in Braveheart.

Which is a very good movie.

Which came out last week in France.

Thank you very much.

My name is Yacine Belhousse. You've been lovely with me tonight.

- Thank you. - Thank you so much.

Ladies and gentlemen, Yacine Belhousse.

There you see, that's all it took.

Bit of a French accent, I'm sold on it. That was fabulous.

Everyone has their hot things and recommendations

that they tell everyone to see at the Edinburgh Festival.

One thing I must share with you, the other night I went to see it at

the St Giles Cathedral, the very brilliant Song Of The Goat Theatre.

They are a Polish group.

And they were performing their new piece Return to the Voice,

which is a new work drawing on

Scotland's ancient musical traditions.

And it was so moving, haunting and brilliant.

And before they came on there was also an extra surprise,

if you like, because there were three Scottish and Gaelic musicians

who just came on very simply and just sang, and it was so pure

and stunning that people really were really moved by it.

And I've managed to persuade Linda MacLeod to come on her own tonight

and sing for us. Linda.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much for coming.

You're very welcome.

Take the stage.

SHE SINGS IN GAELIC

SHE SPEAKS IN GAELIC

Thank you.

Thank you so much. Let me just talk to you.

I just want to ask you...

And it's really lovely of Linda to come and do it

because she's usually accompanied by two colleagues.

I'm all by myself tonight.

She's usually got whistles and flutes and pianos and everything else.

Yes. I was very lucky the other night.

Quite often I sing by myself.

I love having my friends along to play with me, and it was just lovely.

Them accompanying me and having them on stage was just lovely.

I just find it so haunting. It moves me to tears.

I'm sorry, I just found that really beautiful.

And it was so funny trying to research you on YouTube and things.

It's all in Gaelic. Do you say Gaelic?

Gaelic. Yes.

It's very little that I could understand,

so I have no idea what that song was about.

- Can you tell us? - Of course.

That song, I've done a lot of research both sides,

my mother's family and my father's family,

and that one was from my father's family.

It was a cousin of my grandfather who had composed it.

When a few of the families from the Isle of Bernera,

up in the Western Isles of Scotland,

quite a few families had moved over to Vancouver, so we decided to

compose this song for a cousin of his who was going over there on holiday

so we could sing to the families that had left home to resettle over there

and that they could tell how everyone was and what was going on at home.

I suppose, all the goss and all the news.

- So, that's what that song is about. - Oh, it's just fabulous.

Are you enjoying being the support act, if you like?

Yes, it was lovely.

The performance itself and how they learned Gaelic and I know that

Marie Smith had been over there with lots of songs and things.

It was just amazing to see it in a different context.

It's the best night I've seen in Edinburgh because you

and your colleagues singing, which is just mesmerising,

then this extraordinary piece of theatre Return to the Voice,

and as you spill out onto the Mile, it just times it brilliantly with

the Military Tattoo, and the fireworks start.

I mean, it's exhaustingly brilliant the whole evening.

Listen, we wish you luck.

You're going to be supporting them the whole of the run, are you?

We've just done our little stint.

They've got different Gaelic acts over the festival,

so we've just done our bit. It was lovely to be part of.

I know there are some brilliant Gaelic acts coming up as well.

So, if you do get a chance to go, please make sure you do.

Thank you so much for coming along.

Thank you very much, again. Bye-bye.

I loved that.

I thought we could have something very pure and simple after all

the madness, the bedlam, that is the Edinburgh Festival.

That just about wraps it up for this evening.

I've so enjoyed being here tonight.

It's been lovely.

Thank you for going, "Aw." That's really nice of you.

Joe Stilgoe's lurking out the back

and he's going to treat us to one more song.

And then that's it. We'll be spilling out into the street.

It's Saturday night. Where will it all end?

Hopefully we'll all be together in some nice hostelry having a wee dram.

See you later. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

Joe Stilgoe, again.

Thanks. Hello.

I'm going to do this song from Groundhog Day.

Do we all know this film?

This is a song called Almost Like Being In Love.

I'm going to do this song from Groundhog Day.

Do we all know this film?

LAUGHTER

# What a day this has been

# What a rare mood I'm in

# Why it's almost like being in love

# There's a smile on my face

# For the whole human race

# Almost like being in love

# The music of life seems to be

# Like a bell that is ringing for me

# And from the way that I feel

# When that bell starts to peal

# I would swear I was falling, swear I was falling

# Almost like being in love

# The music of life seems to be

# Like a bell that is ringing for me

# And from the way that I feel

# When that bell starts to peal

# I would swear I was falling, swear I was falling

# Swear I was falling

# Swear I was falling

# It's almost like being in love. #

Thank you, Joe Stilgoe. And thank you for being such a great audience.

And it's goodbye from us from Radio 2 Arts Show Presents Edinburgh.

Thank you for your company. You've been lovely.

Have a great evening. Bye.