:00:10. > :00:13.Hello, and welcome to Hull, the UK city of Culture.
:00:14. > :00:21.Hello, and welcome to Hull, the UK City of Culture.
:00:22. > :00:23.Showcasing the brightest and the best
:00:24. > :00:34.of contemporary culture has brought us here to Hull's Cemetery
:00:35. > :00:35.for a circus performance with a difference.
:00:36. > :00:38.And continuing our celebration of difference, we meet Matt Fraser
:00:39. > :00:40.who will be putting his disability centre stage to play
:00:41. > :00:43.I'm a deformed actor playing a deformed character
:00:44. > :00:46.for the first time in Britain, which is extraordinary that it
:00:47. > :00:49.should be the first but it's exciting that I get to do it.
:00:50. > :00:51.We will meet the army of 2017 volunteers giving
:00:52. > :01:02.# There's a star man, waiting in the sky...
:01:03. > :01:15.And go on a trip down memory lane with a Spider from Mars.
:01:16. > :01:22.Hello, I'm Anne-Marie Tasker, and I'm the arts and culture
:01:23. > :01:25.correspondence for the BBC here in Hull and this is Kofi Smiles.
:01:26. > :01:28.I'm the face of Hull, chosen by the BBC with a mission,
:01:29. > :01:30.to bring you culture whenever and wherever it happens.
:01:31. > :01:33.Today, we are taking it quite literally because we are not
:01:34. > :01:36.in a concert hall or in a theatre, we are here in a graveyard.
:01:37. > :01:40.It's a setting for a performance which is quite difficult to sum up
:01:41. > :01:46.It's part-circus acrobats, part music, part dance and it
:01:47. > :01:54.all takes place under the cover of darkness.
:01:55. > :02:00.Areialists, acrobats, video artists, singers.
:02:01. > :02:02.Coming together to tell the story of an ancient Greek
:02:03. > :02:06."Depart" explores the tragic love story of Orpheus when he descends
:02:07. > :02:09.into the underworld and tries and fails to bring his dead wife,
:02:10. > :02:12.The audience happens upon the action as they wander
:02:13. > :02:20.We are trying to find the right trees, and battling
:02:21. > :02:22.the British weather has been challenging.
:02:23. > :02:23.Performing outdoors definitely has its challenges like that.
:02:24. > :02:28.Quite often you will find yourself quite drippy, and wet.
:02:29. > :02:31.It's also kind of really exciting in the outdoors because it's not
:02:32. > :02:34.often in the outdoors that you get the chance to perform in a tree,
:02:35. > :02:39.What's magical about it is that the audience is in the outside
:02:40. > :02:45.in the wilderness with you, so that you get to share
:02:46. > :02:48.an experience a lot more than in a theatre
:02:49. > :02:57.The show is by the world-renowned Australian company Circa who only
:02:58. > :02:59.arrived to rehearse a few days before the first performance,
:03:00. > :03:01.and although this graveyard closed in the 1970s,
:03:02. > :03:04.the choice of venue has caused some controversy.
:03:05. > :03:08.If you approach something with respect and with care,
:03:09. > :03:20.and if your intent is to help bring a community to this place,
:03:21. > :03:23.to improve this place and a great deal of nurture has
:03:24. > :03:25.been given to this site, then I think you are
:03:26. > :03:29.The show premiered last summer, but for these performances,
:03:30. > :03:31.Circa are working with one of Hull's community choirs.
:03:32. > :03:37.More than 100 members of the Freedom chorus have spent months rehearsing
:03:38. > :03:41.and add an ethereal soundtrack to the performance.
:03:42. > :03:47.It's absolutely brilliant to be part of the city of culture,
:03:48. > :03:50.but to be able to perform alongside Circa as well is really incredible.
:03:51. > :04:02.It's not a venue that anybody knows is a venue, of course.
:04:03. > :04:05.Of course, great respect will be paid because of where we are.
:04:06. > :04:07.Well, it's getting dark now and everyone is here waiting
:04:08. > :04:24.It's Friday night, walking around a graveyard, so I thought
:04:25. > :04:27.it was brilliant the way they brought out a different
:04:28. > :04:35.I've only got one difficulty, how do you describe it
:04:36. > :04:42.The setup, where it was, where it is held, the performers,
:04:43. > :04:53.Captivating. Enthralling, absolutely brilliant.
:04:54. > :05:12.And after Hull, the play moves from Brighton to Blackpool.
:05:13. > :05:14."Depart" is just one of hundreds of events taking part
:05:15. > :05:18.In fact, an event has been promised every day of the year.
:05:19. > :05:21.And when you make a promise like that, you are going to need
:05:22. > :05:24.a lot of people to help with the staging and that's where
:05:25. > :05:39.They've given up their free time to lend a hand.
:05:40. > :05:42.There are more than 2,000 of them, ranging in age from 16 up to 84.
:05:43. > :05:45.Caroline has been to meet some of them.
:05:46. > :05:48.They are the blue-coated army, an army of volunteers
:05:49. > :05:58.from all backgrounds, ages, from all over the UK.
:05:59. > :06:00.From greeting people at events to performing as extras in plays,
:06:01. > :06:03.the 2017 volunteers are the engine that is helping to drive this
:06:04. > :06:08.In much the same way as the games makers did at the London Olympics,
:06:09. > :06:10.Hull's volunteers of the welcoming face of this city
:06:11. > :06:19.There's no way I was going to miss this year volunteering.
:06:20. > :06:26.There's no way I was going to miss this year's volunteering.
:06:27. > :06:29.Sue caught the bug at London 2012 and she was one
:06:30. > :06:34.Tonight, the blue jacket is being left at home.
:06:35. > :06:37.The green tabard is the uniform for this event in one
:06:38. > :06:40.Sue, and other volunteers, have been collecting
:06:41. > :06:49.We are finding in most of the activities we do
:06:50. > :06:51.there are people from all over the world coming.
:06:52. > :06:58.Are you here to join the search for the seven...
:06:59. > :07:06.Well, you can't say the job of a volunteer isn't varied.
:07:07. > :07:09.At this one event alone, they have been directing all these
:07:10. > :07:13.people to where they need to be, collecting their data
:07:14. > :07:15.and some are even part of the performance itself.
:07:16. > :07:24.We wanted to be city of culture volunteers because we couldn't
:07:25. > :07:45.resist being involved in such a fantastic opportunity.
:07:46. > :07:47.The toilets are downstairs on the ground floor.
:07:48. > :07:50.Mum of two Louise also works full-time as a teacher.
:07:51. > :07:52.She is squeezing in her volunteering shifts on evenings and weekends.
:07:53. > :07:55.When you put that jacket and it gives you license
:07:56. > :07:57.to strike up a conversation with absolutely anybody.
:07:58. > :07:59.Even out of the uniform, I'm finding that I'm more likely
:08:00. > :08:03.to start a conversation with people who I don't know that I was before.
:08:04. > :08:19.Volunteering for her is stepping completely out of our comfort zone,
:08:20. > :08:22.but today, she is helping out at a stress test for
:08:23. > :08:26.Well, this is a rehearsal of a performance due to take place
:08:27. > :08:29.in a couple of weeks' time and it will involve live ands and require
:08:30. > :08:31.the audience to move around the performance space,
:08:32. > :08:35.so the volunteers are being used to put it to the test and make sure
:08:36. > :08:39.It's been interesting to see how a theatre company works on its first
:08:40. > :08:45.Talking to people, strangers, but I feel now I'm
:08:46. > :08:53.I've seen already in the first few months that she has just flown
:08:54. > :08:59.She is one of the welcoming faces of Hull and for me,
:09:00. > :09:01.that's a gift that the city of culture has given
:09:02. > :09:13.At first, I didn't think we would be able to be involved.
:09:14. > :09:15.Enid and Jason have also thrown themselves out of their comfort zone
:09:16. > :09:25.Some people see us as visually impaired and we should be
:09:26. > :09:28.in a corner, but we have been put out the front because it's nice.
:09:29. > :09:31.You feel more engaged with what is going on with this
:09:32. > :09:34.process in general, but it gives you a little insight
:09:35. > :09:42.in things that you thought you couldn't do which you can,
:09:43. > :09:44.with that support network going on in the background.
:09:45. > :09:47.I think we should give something back to our communities.
:09:48. > :10:10.And this has given people such a massive opportunity to do that.
:10:11. > :10:13.I think it's that it's absolutely wonderful that I have been
:10:14. > :10:17.Hopefully, at the end of the year, we will have a huge army of people
:10:18. > :10:20.then in a position to volunteer for all sorts of organisations
:10:21. > :10:22.and really lift the community life of the city.
:10:23. > :10:25.The city of culture goes global with celebrations
:10:26. > :10:26.in Hull's Twin city, Freetown.
:10:27. > :10:30.We remember David Bowie and the spiders from Mars
:10:31. > :10:35.But first, here's my guide to some 2017 highlights and a little look
:10:36. > :10:42.North Atlantic Flux took us on a four-day journey of musical
:10:43. > :10:53.discovery bringing in Icelandic and Scandinavian musicians to Hull.
:10:54. > :10:55.On the Orchard Park estate, local residents collaborated
:10:56. > :10:57.with artists to put on a vibrant parade around the neighbourhood.
:10:58. > :11:00.The Ferens Art Gallery has an amazing new exhibition called
:11:01. > :11:03.Skin, which features work by Ron Mueck, Lucian Freud
:11:04. > :11:07.and the Sea Of Hull photographs taken by Spencer Tunick of over 3000
:11:08. > :11:21.And I don't care if anybody sees me or not.
:11:22. > :11:23.We are looking forward to Assemblefest which takes over
:11:24. > :11:25.an ordinary shopping street, turning unlikely places
:11:26. > :11:33.Nearly 30 years ago, the beautiful South performed
:11:34. > :11:35.in Hull, and in June, Paul Heaton and Jackie Abbott
:11:36. > :11:43.East Park will be transformed to the fictional Malarkey
:11:44. > :11:49.Park for Hull's first childrenchildren's
:11:50. > :11:50.Park for Hull's first children's literature Festival.
:11:51. > :11:53.And in July, the BBC Proms will come to Hull for a day
:11:54. > :11:56.of outdoor concerts, the first time recently that this
:11:57. > :12:05.British institution has travelled outside of London.
:12:06. > :12:11.Well, from a circus performance in a graveyard to something more
:12:12. > :12:18.traditional. We are talking Shakespeare, Richard III to be
:12:19. > :12:27.precise. But Hull being Hull, it's with a difference. We are sitting in
:12:28. > :12:32.with the lead actor, mat Fraser. He is returning to his theatrical
:12:33. > :12:41.roots, after role in American horror story. Can you imagine a mark on
:12:42. > :12:55.this normal body? I could have ruled the world. Mat Fraser has been in
:12:56. > :13:00.rehearsals for three weeks now. And for him, it's one of the toughest
:13:01. > :13:11.roles he's ever had with 685 lines to learn. Director, Barry Rutter
:13:12. > :13:19.started Northern broadsides 25 years ago with the aim of making
:13:20. > :13:28.Shakespeare access the ball to all. His success means others are sure to
:13:29. > :13:41.follow. You have done lots of theatre, but never any Shakespeare.
:13:42. > :13:52.Why now? I did Puck, in a chaotic version of a Midsummer night 's
:13:53. > :13:58.dream. The reason why now is because I was intrigued to be asked to
:13:59. > :14:03.audition and I'm what we might call a mid-term career artist, and each
:14:04. > :14:08.time you do something it is less shocking dangerous the next time you
:14:09. > :14:14.do it. It had been a long time since I had been scared of something and
:14:15. > :14:19.just the notion of doing that wonderful, eponymous character. It's
:14:20. > :14:25.not the easiest of Shakespeare's plays, is it? It's one of the most
:14:26. > :14:31.famous plays, it's done more than Hamlet, even. And it is the only one
:14:32. > :14:38.where the character talks directly to the audience and they are in on
:14:39. > :14:46.his secrets of evil, he's one of the most famous villains and famous
:14:47. > :14:52.disabled people. I think I'm one of the first people to say I'm a
:14:53. > :14:55.deformed Akhtar laying deformed character. It's extraordinary that
:14:56. > :15:02.it should be the first but exciting that I get to do it. It must be a
:15:03. > :15:09.big deal for you, isn't it? It wasn't from me, I didn't push to get
:15:10. > :15:15.it. I was offered it. Although we could say it's about time, Barry
:15:16. > :15:19.offered it to me and not anybody else, so I'm going to run with it
:15:20. > :15:29.and see what we do. I'm fascinated to see what audience members make of
:15:30. > :15:35.it. He horrible to everyone. He was stabbed you in the back by any means
:15:36. > :15:40.necessary. As a disabled person, I camera late to having to think round
:15:41. > :15:48.the corners, -- I am used to having to think round the corners. I can't
:15:49. > :16:01.really relate to the murder and decay that he causes though. For me,
:16:02. > :16:08.the challenges to step up to playing one of the biggest characters. I've
:16:09. > :16:14.never played the lead before. You have two on that. I'm very much a
:16:15. > :16:19.team player. I have any go, obviously. I wouldn't be an actor
:16:20. > :16:29.otherwise, but I don't have a monstrous ego that wishes to be the
:16:30. > :16:36.star. So owning the lead, that's my challenge. In terms of challenges
:16:37. > :16:46.for the audience, it is whether my deformity Pauls out of the play. But
:16:47. > :16:51.Lenny Henry doing their low... There's been a lot of boot polish
:16:52. > :17:02.going on over the years, so now, let's go!
:17:03. > :17:15.-- Lenny Henry playing Othello. Hull is twinned with Freetown in Africa.
:17:16. > :17:21.It started with William Wilberforce trying to abolish the slave trade.
:17:22. > :17:25.Hull and Freetown were twinned many years ago and it's a relationship
:17:26. > :17:31.being celebrated in 2017 with a concert later this summer. Surely
:17:32. > :17:40.Henry has been finding out more about Freetown and how it's being
:17:41. > :17:43.involved with the City Of Culture. A message from Freetown to Hull. This
:17:44. > :17:50.is the capital of Sierra Leone and as its partner enjoys its year as
:17:51. > :17:55.the city of culture, expectations are growing as to what this will
:17:56. > :18:05.mean for Freetown. I expect people will want to see a treat coming from
:18:06. > :18:11.Freetown. All the stuff we've got going on, I'm sure it's true. They
:18:12. > :18:19.don't have a choice but to be treated. That the many people,
:18:20. > :18:29.Sierra Leone is not known for its culture, but that this, Ebola. It's
:18:30. > :18:42.impact still resonates. 50,000 people also died in a civil war in
:18:43. > :18:50.the 1990s. Sierra Leone's Refugee All-stars was formed during the
:18:51. > :18:56.crisis. People were killed in front of my eyes. I saw people burned in
:18:57. > :19:06.front of me. I lost my brother, my sister, my friends. It was too bad.
:19:07. > :19:14.The All-Stars translated their suffering into lyrics that inspire
:19:15. > :19:17.and uplift. As part of the city of culture celebrations, they have
:19:18. > :19:28.travelled to Hull to spread hope, joy and faith. Culture means a lot.
:19:29. > :19:37.Good connections between Freetown and Hull City, so I'm excited. This
:19:38. > :19:41.year is not just about showcasing talent like this, but building
:19:42. > :19:50.educational links and letting people know that Freetown is open for
:19:51. > :19:54.business. To cement their future relationships, the Twin cities are
:19:55. > :20:06.now building connections through education. Pupils at schools can
:20:07. > :20:11.share cultural links via Skype. Your pen pal wants to know what your
:20:12. > :20:18.favourite food is. This is not just for the children, but it is for them
:20:19. > :20:23.to access more information to develop more creative thinking. I
:20:24. > :20:30.like school, because when I go there, I can express myself and I
:20:31. > :20:37.like many books. When I finish, I want to become a lawyer. This is
:20:38. > :20:48.Freetown's version of the promotional film that propelled
:20:49. > :20:51.Hull's place as the city of culture for this year. Freetown now wants
:20:52. > :20:59.the world to know it is open for business.
:21:00. > :21:08.It's one of rock music's most celebrated partnerships, during the
:21:09. > :21:14.1970s, David Bowie and the spiders from Mars changed the face of music.
:21:15. > :21:17.The spiders from Mars had a very different musical apprenticeship.
:21:18. > :21:27.They honed their skills on the club pub circuit from Hull, playing as
:21:28. > :21:33.the Rats. Sadly, only one of them is left, Woody Woodmansey. We went on a
:21:34. > :21:39.trip down memory lane with him. # There's a star man, waiting in the
:21:40. > :21:45.sky. # He'd like to come and meet us...
:21:46. > :21:56.David Bowie introduced Britain's music fans to cities that are dust
:21:57. > :21:59.-- the spiders from Mars. Woody Woodmansey is the only surviving
:22:00. > :22:04.member of the group and he has come back home to visit some of the
:22:05. > :22:11.places where he hung out before he was famous. The spiders were
:22:12. > :22:23.originally called the Rats. I recorded with the Rats with Mick
:22:24. > :22:25.Ronson. He'd been in with the Rats with another drummer and they done
:22:26. > :22:40.the rise and fall of Bernie Gripplestone. I don't think
:22:41. > :22:57.that would have worked for David Bowie. As the Rats played their
:22:58. > :23:06.first gig is in a Hull and East Yorkshire, from pubs clubs. We were
:23:07. > :23:11.in the Duke Of Cumberland in 1969. How much has it changed since then?
:23:12. > :23:20.Directed noise anything. Different net curtains! -- I don't recognise
:23:21. > :23:26.anything. We would come back to Hull and we would come here. We would
:23:27. > :23:31.have a night out, watch bands. It doesn't look like you would fit on
:23:32. > :23:44.there with your drum kit. M it would fit on there but the band would not.
:23:45. > :23:47.-- my drum kit. The rise and fall of Ziggy stardust and the spiders of
:23:48. > :23:55.Mars was the album may play. But there was one place they never
:23:56. > :24:02.performed it, Hull. Finally, coming to play here. It was the biggest gig
:24:03. > :24:08.in Hull, so it was with my dream to play here. How does it feel to be up
:24:09. > :24:14.here. Getting ready to play. It's great. It's somewhere that David
:24:15. > :24:19.wanted to play himself because he knew we were from Hull, so it was
:24:20. > :24:27.always on our wish list but it just never happened. To come back now,
:24:28. > :24:33.Hull, the city of culture, it's amazing. To be able to celebrate
:24:34. > :24:37.David's legacy and do it for Mick and Trevor. It would've been nice
:24:38. > :24:50.for them to be here in their city to be playing.
:24:51. > :25:02.More than four decades since that talk, with the Tony bus and he
:25:03. > :25:04.performance the full album the first time ever, live as part of the
:25:05. > :25:22.celebrations. -- Tony Visconti. Woody buzz dream
:25:23. > :25:30.of playing the album in Hull has finally come true. That is it from
:25:31. > :25:35.Hull's General Cemetery and our latest look at the highlights from
:25:36. > :25:41.the UK city of culture. We will be back in the summer, but you can get
:25:42. > :26:04.your cultural fix on our website. Goodbye. Goodbye.
:26:05. > :26:11.All the energy being stored up in the atmosphere is going out with a
:26:12. > :26:14.bang in parts of England. Severe thunderstorms about. Flashflood in
:26:15. > :26:15.being reported, and a