1:30:11 > 1:30:15Welcome to the world's largest arts festival, bigger this year than ever before.
1:30:16 > 1:30:20Coming up - shows from South Africa that dazzle and disturb.
1:30:21 > 1:30:25Arthur Smith on the venue that launched many of today's top comics.
1:30:25 > 1:30:30Art meets arcade games, and a war of words over independence.
1:30:30 > 1:30:34All that and some surprise travellers on the city's new trams.
1:30:37 > 1:30:40The Edinburgh International Festival kicked off this weekend with
1:30:40 > 1:30:44an ambitious new trilogy of history plays, all about the turbulent
1:30:44 > 1:30:48times of three Scottish kings and the women in their lives.
1:30:48 > 1:30:50These thrilling stories of violence
1:30:50 > 1:30:53and political intrigue have been given an added frisson
1:30:53 > 1:30:57by a casting coup - Sofie Grabol, the star of The Killing,
1:30:57 > 1:30:59plays Margaret of Denmark.
1:30:59 > 1:31:01I caught up with the company just before the premiere.
1:31:08 > 1:31:10The way people engage with history when it is brought to them
1:31:10 > 1:31:14in an accessible way reinforces my idea that
1:31:14 > 1:31:17people are hungry to understand their own history.
1:31:19 > 1:31:21One of the things that both me
1:31:21 > 1:31:23and Rona have wanted to do is strip away received ideas
1:31:23 > 1:31:27of what a history play is like and how kings should be.
1:31:32 > 1:31:37The way Rona writes, it's so... It speaks to you.
1:31:37 > 1:31:44- We may have to sell something.- Why? - To pay for my choir.- No.
1:31:44 > 1:31:47It's a real shame that these are forgotten kings.
1:31:47 > 1:31:51The idea that we all become invisible in history is both
1:31:51 > 1:31:53terrifying and moving and I think there is something
1:31:53 > 1:31:57about engaging with the people that have walked where you walked,
1:31:57 > 1:32:00not that long ago, that gives you a sense of how
1:32:00 > 1:32:01you are rooted in the world.
1:32:04 > 1:32:08Each set in the 15th century, these epic ensemble pieces
1:32:08 > 1:32:10bring to life three generations of Stuart royalty.
1:32:11 > 1:32:15It's so interesting that two of the most famous female
1:32:15 > 1:32:21detectives in Britain are moving centuries to perform together.
1:32:21 > 1:32:24What does it feel like? I mean, how did you approach this?
1:32:24 > 1:32:27I approached it because it was in rep. I quite like...
1:32:27 > 1:32:30I've never worked in rep before and I like the idea of having
1:32:30 > 1:32:32that challenge.
1:32:32 > 1:32:34Even before reading it - I think Sofie feels the same -
1:32:34 > 1:32:36even before reading the piece,
1:32:36 > 1:32:38I knew that Rona would come up with the goods
1:32:38 > 1:32:40because she is a historian.
1:32:40 > 1:32:43And it's a period of history that not a lot of people know about
1:32:43 > 1:32:44so she has capitalised on that.
1:32:44 > 1:32:47If it's not been written down as fact, she has embellished it.
1:32:47 > 1:32:53Sofie, did you know anything about the Danish connection with Scotland?
1:32:53 > 1:32:57No, I had honestly never heard of Queen Margaret of Denmark
1:32:57 > 1:33:00and what makes me feel a little bit better about that
1:33:00 > 1:33:02is that every Dane I asked,
1:33:02 > 1:33:08nobody had heard of her except really nerdy historically interested people.
1:33:08 > 1:33:13I don't think there is a lot of common knowledge about that,
1:33:13 > 1:33:17- that Queen or that period. - Or history at all.- No.
1:33:17 > 1:33:20- I asked to see the Treasury papers. - Why?
1:33:20 > 1:33:23Because someone has to start helping you. Have you looked at these?
1:33:23 > 1:33:27- God, no.- There is no money, James. - A choir, Margaret. A few singers.
1:33:27 > 1:33:32- How many?- A small choir. - How many?- Only 40 or so.- No.
1:33:32 > 1:33:36Tell me about your relationship, then, with James.
1:33:36 > 1:33:38James III.
1:33:38 > 1:33:41Well, that was actually one of the things that really drew me
1:33:41 > 1:33:42to the project.
1:33:42 > 1:33:46I read the play and those two characters,
1:33:46 > 1:33:52their relationship just jumped off the page. I just...
1:33:52 > 1:33:57- I worry for you, that's all. I worry.- Don't do that.
1:33:59 > 1:34:00Never do that.
1:34:01 > 1:34:05He is... He's not a good king, is he?
1:34:06 > 1:34:10- She is a much more, really, qualified to rule...- And capable.
1:34:10 > 1:34:12And capable. Absolutely.
1:34:12 > 1:34:15NTS artistic director Laurie Sansom
1:34:15 > 1:34:17has taken on the responsibility
1:34:17 > 1:34:20of staging all three of these ambitious works.
1:34:21 > 1:34:25The Jameses were already commissioned by the time you arrived
1:34:25 > 1:34:29so how did you kind of pick up and run with it?
1:34:29 > 1:34:31Well, I think
1:34:31 > 1:34:34I'm probably one of the luckiest incoming artistic directors
1:34:34 > 1:34:37ever to have these three scripts on my desk when I first arrived.
1:34:37 > 1:34:41First drafts. As soon as I read them, I kind of had...
1:34:41 > 1:34:43There was an energy about the writing, an excitement,
1:34:43 > 1:34:46an urgency, really, about it that made me go,
1:34:46 > 1:34:51"OK, if we can get all three of these on in 2014 with one
1:34:51 > 1:34:56"company of actors, I think that's where I should start."
1:34:56 > 1:35:00One of the things that I responded to in Rona's writing was that
1:35:00 > 1:35:02each one had its own style and atmosphere.
1:35:03 > 1:35:06The first has a structure that is probably the most
1:35:06 > 1:35:09conventional of a history play.
1:35:09 > 1:35:12- Sorry. Are you still...- What?
1:35:12 > 1:35:15I don't want to disturb your prayers
1:35:15 > 1:35:18No, I'm finished. I was waiting on you.
1:35:18 > 1:35:19Good, no. I'm finished.
1:35:21 > 1:35:22So...
1:35:23 > 1:35:26- Now we're married.- Yes.
1:35:26 > 1:35:29We will have the wedding blessed again in Scotland
1:35:29 > 1:35:32- and then we can have our wedding night.- Yes.
1:35:32 > 1:35:34Whereas the second one,
1:35:34 > 1:35:36suddenly you are plunged into the middle of a child's nightmare
1:35:36 > 1:35:39because he was six, James II, when he came to the throne.
1:35:39 > 1:35:44- I have dark blood, like snakes under my skin.- No, you don't.
1:35:44 > 1:35:48It'll come out. I'll kill people.
1:35:48 > 1:35:52Well, you might, but not with snakes.
1:35:52 > 1:35:55When we are grown, we can learn killing and I am nearly grown.
1:35:55 > 1:35:59And then the third one, with Queen Margaret, played by Sofie Grabol.
1:35:59 > 1:36:03And Jamie Sives, it's a kind of a sparkling, dark,
1:36:03 > 1:36:05bittersweet relationship comedy, actually.
1:36:05 > 1:36:08Are you telling me, are you presuming to tell me
1:36:08 > 1:36:10that I can't afford music? Scotland can't afford music?
1:36:10 > 1:36:14- James, you can't afford to annoy people like this.- People?
1:36:14 > 1:36:16- The entire nation!- They are my subjects.
1:36:16 > 1:36:18It doesn't matter how much I annoy them, does it?
1:36:18 > 1:36:20What are they going to do? Stop me being king?
1:36:20 > 1:36:23Well, I imagine it's being discussed.
1:36:24 > 1:36:28So many people are making comparisons between these plays
1:36:28 > 1:36:30and Shakespeare's history cycle,
1:36:30 > 1:36:34which of course is just like putting a gun to your head as a writer
1:36:34 > 1:36:36because how could you live up to that?
1:36:36 > 1:36:39However, I did think, wouldn't it be nice
1:36:39 > 1:36:41if there was something like the "sceptred isle" speech
1:36:41 > 1:36:45so that was my attempt to give James I an equivalent.
1:36:46 > 1:36:50The last sight I had of Scotland was no sight at all.
1:36:50 > 1:36:52It was a wet wind.
1:36:52 > 1:36:54It was driving waves and rain in my face so I couldnae see.
1:36:54 > 1:36:56I was ten years old.
1:36:56 > 1:37:00I was greeting more salt water than there was in the sea that was soaking me to the bone.
1:37:00 > 1:37:03I felt that the sky and the sea and the wind of Scotland were
1:37:03 > 1:37:05scolding me, were shouting their anger at me.
1:37:05 > 1:37:09How could I leave my own country? How could I run away?
1:37:09 > 1:37:12That was the speech that I had to audition with.
1:37:12 > 1:37:17And it was the thing that made me want to do it more than anything.
1:37:17 > 1:37:21It's so well written and it really...
1:37:21 > 1:37:26captures exactly how I feel about Scotland
1:37:26 > 1:37:30and I imagine how Scottish people feel about Scotland as well.
1:37:30 > 1:37:3418 years later, I come up to the border.
1:37:34 > 1:37:39I saw the green hills, I saw the dark rock and towering skies
1:37:39 > 1:37:42and far-off mountains of foam and I drew breath,
1:37:42 > 1:37:47ready to shout a greeting back into that dear country and...
1:37:47 > 1:37:48Bam...
1:37:48 > 1:37:53There it was again, a stour of a wet wind knocking me back south
1:37:53 > 1:37:57and roaring its disdain in my face. And I'll tell you this.
1:37:57 > 1:37:58I love that gale.
1:37:58 > 1:38:02So you knew you were going to do a trilogy - James I, James II,
1:38:02 > 1:38:04- James III?- Yes.
1:38:04 > 1:38:07Did you know that it was going to be staged
1:38:07 > 1:38:10bang in the middle of the referendum?
1:38:10 > 1:38:14No, because obviously when I very first pitched it, even though
1:38:14 > 1:38:16the possibility had started to be debated,
1:38:16 > 1:38:19we didn't know there was going to be a referendum this year.
1:38:19 > 1:38:22But then, quite early on in the writing process,
1:38:22 > 1:38:26that did become clear and then, all I thought was I really hope
1:38:26 > 1:38:29they go on this year because that will give them such an energy.
1:38:29 > 1:38:34And, of course, now we know that the James trilogy will play
1:38:34 > 1:38:39at the National Theatre in London slap bang in the middle of the vote.
1:38:39 > 1:38:42- Do you feel quite moved by that?- It's...
1:38:42 > 1:38:47We're all just wondering what that is going to feel like.
1:38:47 > 1:38:51And we're all aware, I think, that the way the plays feel
1:38:51 > 1:38:54before the vote and after the vote will probably be quite different.
1:38:56 > 1:38:58See if that wind had a human face...
1:39:00 > 1:39:03..it would be glowering at me like you are.
1:39:03 > 1:39:06You are like a cold gale roaring in my eyes and shouting
1:39:06 > 1:39:10in my face, "Who do you think you are, laddie?" Well, I'll tell you.
1:39:10 > 1:39:11I'm your bloody king.
1:39:11 > 1:39:14I'm the King of Scots.
1:39:15 > 1:39:18The James plays transfer to the National Theatre
1:39:18 > 1:39:19in London next month.
1:39:19 > 1:39:25And you can see more online at bbc.co.uk/edinburghfestivals
1:39:25 > 1:39:28There is a new addition to the Edinburgh cityscape this year.
1:39:28 > 1:39:33After years of delay, worry and expense, the shiny new trams made
1:39:33 > 1:39:37their debut on the streets between the airport and the city centre.
1:39:37 > 1:39:40So we decided to give some unsuspecting passengers
1:39:40 > 1:39:42some special festival performances.
1:39:42 > 1:39:45Let's take a trip now in the company of former roofer,
1:39:45 > 1:39:49now full-time writer, the poet William Letford.
1:39:52 > 1:39:54There's hundreds of birds on the roofs.
1:39:54 > 1:39:56Here, how, choof, whoof!
1:39:56 > 1:39:58We won't let that pigeon preach the lovey-dovey,
1:39:58 > 1:40:01ruffle your feathers, show me your plume!
1:40:01 > 1:40:04Look at that, Frank. Not to look, not to not, plod on, then.
1:40:04 > 1:40:10Whoot, whoot! Look at that! That's not even a crow, that's a dinosaur!
1:40:10 > 1:40:12There will be teeth in that beak, that's for sure.
1:40:12 > 1:40:16Ooh, beady eye, beady eye, get behind the gable, she's fairly social.
1:40:16 > 1:40:18What a life, Frank, what a life.
1:40:18 > 1:40:21Feeding on scraps, hunting for crumbs. But listen to this.
1:40:21 > 1:40:27Listen to this. We're no dodos. We can fly. Forget what it feels like.
1:40:27 > 1:40:28Look at the sky.
1:40:32 > 1:40:34William Letford, who is appearing
1:40:34 > 1:40:37at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Saturday.
1:40:37 > 1:40:40Now, the sheer scale of the Edinburgh Festivals can be
1:40:40 > 1:40:41rather daunting.
1:40:41 > 1:40:45With thousands of shows on offer, how do you decide what to see,
1:40:45 > 1:40:48and why do performers risk the ridicule of critics
1:40:48 > 1:40:50and return year after year?
1:40:50 > 1:40:51What are the essential dos and don'ts
1:40:51 > 1:40:54if you're in the capital for the first time?
1:40:54 > 1:40:57Stephen Smith's here now with his guide to surviving Edinburgh
1:40:57 > 1:40:59when the circus comes to town.
1:40:59 > 1:41:00UP-TEMPO JAZZ MUSIC
1:41:00 > 1:41:02DOG HOWLS
1:41:04 > 1:41:06Every year, a legion of weird
1:41:06 > 1:41:10and wonderful performers descend on this city with one purpose
1:41:10 > 1:41:14in mind, to persuade the likes of you and me to go and see their shows.
1:41:17 > 1:41:22There are circus acts, dancers, comics, thespians, divas,
1:41:22 > 1:41:26zombies and even ducks and dinosaurs on stage.
1:41:26 > 1:41:30There are more jokes being told here per square mile than anywhere
1:41:30 > 1:41:32else on the face of the earth.
1:41:32 > 1:41:33Some of them are even funny.
1:41:35 > 1:41:36LAUGHTER
1:41:36 > 1:41:37But if you're a festival virgin,
1:41:37 > 1:41:41what on Earth are you supposed to make of these florid flyers,
1:41:41 > 1:41:45each of them promising nothing less than a four or five-star show?
1:41:45 > 1:41:50How do you sift the diamonds from the dross?
1:41:50 > 1:41:53I think I'm going to need some help.
1:41:53 > 1:41:55HIS INNER VOICE: 'What?'
1:41:55 > 1:41:58'Where am I?'
1:41:58 > 1:41:59CELESTIAL VOCALISATION
1:41:59 > 1:42:01'What is this place?'
1:42:01 > 1:42:03- IN ECHOING VOICE:- I am the King of Edinburgh.
1:42:03 > 1:42:07I am sending you on a sacred quest to discover the Holy Grail...
1:42:07 > 1:42:11- VOICE RETURNS TO NORMAL:- Actually, just some shows and stuff in Edinburgh,
1:42:11 > 1:42:13and if you do all right, you can find a cup for me.
1:42:13 > 1:42:15Well, it's a wonder to meet you.
1:42:15 > 1:42:18By the way, has anyone ever told you you bear a small
1:42:18 > 1:42:20- resemblance to the comic Richard Herring?- No, he wishes.
1:42:20 > 1:42:23He wishes he looked this good. He's much fatter than I am.
1:42:23 > 1:42:25Well, the thing is, Rich...
1:42:25 > 1:42:30Er, King, what I was hoping for was some kind of steer about this
1:42:30 > 1:42:34amazing festival. There's just so much to go to.
1:42:34 > 1:42:38How might a humble person find his way through it all?
1:42:38 > 1:42:41Well, you should definitely go and see Richard Herring's shows,
1:42:41 > 1:42:44- The Lord Of The Dance Settee.- Is that you?- No, just I'm a fan of his.
1:42:44 > 1:42:47OK. The festival is so huge now. Is it too much?
1:42:47 > 1:42:51Yeah, it is very big, and it's good in a lot of ways that there's
1:42:51 > 1:42:54so much choice, and what's great about Edinburgh as a festival
1:42:54 > 1:42:57is that anyone can come up. You don't have to pass committees.
1:42:57 > 1:42:59You are taking a chance up here,
1:42:59 > 1:43:01but to come to Edinburgh now to get discovered is foolish.
1:43:01 > 1:43:03You've got to come to Edinburgh...
1:43:03 > 1:43:05There's too many people here, so it might happen, but you're
1:43:05 > 1:43:08coming to Edinburgh to get better at what you do.
1:43:08 > 1:43:12- Well, thank you, my liege, if I can call you that.- No.- Oh.
1:43:12 > 1:43:14Well, thank you, sire.
1:43:14 > 1:43:18But how do I get going on this quest of which you have spoken?
1:43:18 > 1:43:20Well, you're in totally the wrong place.
1:43:20 > 1:43:22We're on a hill in the middle of nowhere.
1:43:22 > 1:43:25You need to be right down there. Somewhere in there, that's the city.
1:43:25 > 1:43:28So, I don't know what brought you up here. Stupid.
1:43:28 > 1:43:32- Mystic forces, I believe, and a taxi. - OK. Well, get the taxi back.- OK.
1:43:34 > 1:43:35CRAZED WHISPERING
1:43:35 > 1:43:36This is very handy.
1:43:38 > 1:43:39What the... ?
1:43:39 > 1:43:41- BOTH CREATURES SPEAK AT SAME TIME: - Hello!- Hello.
1:43:41 > 1:43:45- Who are you?- My name is Sergei and this is my brother Boris.- Hello.
1:43:45 > 1:43:47We have been sent by the King to take you on the next
1:43:47 > 1:43:51- stage of your mystical journey. - Ooh!- Is that right? Wow.
1:43:51 > 1:43:55- This really is BBC Four.- Yes. - Oh, yeah, definitely is, yes.
1:43:55 > 1:43:59- Where are we going to, boys?- Take it away, Boris.- Oh, thank you, Sergei.
1:43:59 > 1:44:01We are going to see the wise old sage of the festival.
1:44:01 > 1:44:06- He's very wise and very old. - Let's go.- OK, here we go!
1:44:08 > 1:44:12The prospect of staging a show in Edinburgh is a daunting one.
1:44:12 > 1:44:15But there's one man who's a real glutton for punishment,
1:44:15 > 1:44:18coming back year after year.
1:44:19 > 1:44:23I came up just after the war to the very first festival, when there were
1:44:23 > 1:44:27a number of shows which had engaged companies from abroad just
1:44:27 > 1:44:29after the war to come over,
1:44:29 > 1:44:31and they had about two venues where they had things
1:44:31 > 1:44:37called On The Fringe, and that fringe has now evolved
1:44:37 > 1:44:42and developed, till now there are over 2,000 shows On The Fringe.
1:44:42 > 1:44:45We counted more than 3,000. What do you think about that?
1:44:45 > 1:44:50It's amazing, isn't it? To me, it is the tail that wags the dog.
1:44:50 > 1:44:54Now, you're a notorious hell-raiser, like O'Toole, Richard Harris.
1:44:54 > 1:44:59- How do you pace yourself?- Where did they find him?- It's just research.
1:44:59 > 1:45:03How do you pace yourself thorough the month or whatever it ends up
1:45:03 > 1:45:07being, because you can't burn the candle every which way, can you?
1:45:07 > 1:45:09Well, I do have a little secret.
1:45:09 > 1:45:14- I take a little drug.- Do you?- Yes. - This is a scoop.- It's called sleep.
1:45:14 > 1:45:20Ah. A lot of younger comedians will be tuning in to glean tips.
1:45:20 > 1:45:24What would you say to them? How do you make it in Edinburgh?
1:45:24 > 1:45:25- You just keep working.- Right.
1:45:25 > 1:45:28And if you can find Nicholas Parsons and say,
1:45:28 > 1:45:31"Could I come on your show and talk about my...",
1:45:31 > 1:45:33that's quite a good tip.
1:45:33 > 1:45:34UP-TEMPO JAZZ MUSIC
1:45:37 > 1:45:39But how do you increase your chances of having a hit?
1:45:39 > 1:45:43After all, there are more than 3,000 shows on in Edinburgh,
1:45:43 > 1:45:47and it's said you're never more than five metres away from a comedian
1:45:47 > 1:45:50telling a joke about Scottish people not eating their veg.
1:45:50 > 1:45:54Well, one answer might be to riff on an already established
1:45:54 > 1:45:56and dearly loved franchise.
1:45:56 > 1:45:57DRAMATIC PIANO
1:45:59 > 1:46:00# No... #
1:46:00 > 1:46:05There's a musical version of 50 Shades Of Grey.
1:46:05 > 1:46:07# Da, da, da-duh-da... #
1:46:07 > 1:46:11There's an all singing, all dancing Game Of Thrones.
1:46:11 > 1:46:13# You are now, now rocking with
1:46:13 > 1:46:16# Walter White and Jesse, bitch! Hit it! #
1:46:16 > 1:46:17ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC
1:46:17 > 1:46:21And a show that's condensed all the episodes of Breaking Bad
1:46:21 > 1:46:22into an hour.
1:46:22 > 1:46:24CHEERING
1:46:24 > 1:46:26If you're a big enough name, you can
1:46:26 > 1:46:30probably command a decent venue here, but lesser fry may have to
1:46:30 > 1:46:34settle for something altogether more intimate, more moist.
1:46:34 > 1:46:39Some venues are downright weird. I give you, for example,
1:46:39 > 1:46:40a rickshaw...
1:46:44 > 1:46:46A giant purple cow...
1:46:46 > 1:46:47MOOING
1:46:47 > 1:46:49In the sea...
1:46:51 > 1:46:56There's even one artiste here who performs under a duvet.
1:46:56 > 1:46:57In a good way.
1:46:57 > 1:47:00But what do locals make of this circus?
1:47:00 > 1:47:03- Where are you from? - Russia, Moscow.
1:47:03 > 1:47:04Bristol.
1:47:04 > 1:47:05Manchester.
1:47:05 > 1:47:08I live in Paris but originally from California.
1:47:08 > 1:47:11- And what brings you to Edinburgh? - The Fringe!
1:47:11 > 1:47:13We've come from London.
1:47:13 > 1:47:14We're from Fareham in Hampshire.
1:47:14 > 1:47:16From Japan.
1:47:16 > 1:47:19Can't find anybody from Edinburgh.
1:47:22 > 1:47:24My liege, you'll be pleased to hear I'm back.
1:47:24 > 1:47:29I've been round the festival, I saw some of its great lessons.
1:47:29 > 1:47:33- Do you have any final words of advice for me?- Go and see some jugglers.
1:47:33 > 1:47:35- ECHOING:- Jugglers...
1:47:36 > 1:47:38- Thank you.- Nice to see you.
1:47:39 > 1:47:43Stephen Smith there with the King of Edinburgh.
1:47:43 > 1:47:46The Edinburgh Art Festival was established just ten years ago,
1:47:46 > 1:47:49but now it takes place in more than 30 galleries,
1:47:49 > 1:47:51museums and pop-up spaces.
1:47:51 > 1:47:55Everything from Ming dynasty porcelain to pinball machines,
1:47:55 > 1:47:58you can play the games but you can't touch the pots.
1:47:58 > 1:48:01In a moment, one of the grand dame of contemporary art, we'll be
1:48:01 > 1:48:05talking to Alastair Sooke, but first, here's his other top tips.
1:48:05 > 1:48:07SCI-FI STYLE THERAMIN NOODLING
1:48:13 > 1:48:14JANGLY TRIP HOP MUSIC
1:48:17 > 1:48:20Surely art shows aren't meant to be like this.
1:48:20 > 1:48:24You're not supposed to smile, you're not supposed to have fun,
1:48:24 > 1:48:27you're definitely not supposed to touch the works.
1:48:29 > 1:48:31But this is a whole different ball game.
1:48:33 > 1:48:37At Summerhall, Brooklyn-based collective Fail have installed
1:48:37 > 1:48:42their eye-popping, gleefully delinquent Deluxx Fluxx Arcade.
1:48:42 > 1:48:46This doesn't remind me of my art history lectures, Patrick.
1:48:46 > 1:48:49Well, that's true.
1:48:49 > 1:48:50Right, 1-1.
1:48:50 > 1:48:53Do you see it very much that this is a work of art?
1:48:53 > 1:48:56Well, when I think about art as a kid, I think
1:48:56 > 1:49:00a lot of the art that inspired us was, like, skateboard culture
1:49:00 > 1:49:04and rock poster culture and commercial art.
1:49:04 > 1:49:07- So a really pop culture sensibility. - Right.
1:49:07 > 1:49:09It does strike me that it
1:49:09 > 1:49:11feels almost nostalgic in here in the arcade.
1:49:11 > 1:49:14It's really retro machinery.
1:49:14 > 1:49:19It's been described as nostalgic and kitsch and all those things.
1:49:19 > 1:49:22But it was the first art show that we'd ever done where people came in
1:49:22 > 1:49:25and were, like, screaming and yelling and laughing
1:49:25 > 1:49:27and kids were having as much fun as the adults
1:49:27 > 1:49:29and it was just such a great experience that
1:49:29 > 1:49:33we're, like, this is a really awesome way to present art and this
1:49:33 > 1:49:36is the fourth time we've done it and just always have fun doing it.
1:49:36 > 1:49:39- So, fun is the main point?- I think so, yeah.
1:49:45 > 1:49:48If the streetwise sensibility of Deluxx Fluxx grabs you,
1:49:48 > 1:49:52then another must-see show is at the Fruitmarket Gallery.
1:49:54 > 1:49:57Jim Lambie is a bonafide international art star.
1:50:00 > 1:50:03His candy-coloured, sight-specific installations
1:50:03 > 1:50:06and ready-made scavenged objects have wowed the art world.
1:50:06 > 1:50:10The great thing about a Jim Lambie exhibition is that you're not
1:50:10 > 1:50:11just looking at work on a wall,
1:50:11 > 1:50:14you actually get to walk across it as well.
1:50:18 > 1:50:21His signature technique is to mark up the outlines of the room with
1:50:21 > 1:50:24successive bands of vinyl tape.
1:50:25 > 1:50:30The effect is a dazzling and disruptive centrifuge of colour
1:50:30 > 1:50:33that transforms the typical white cube of a gallery.
1:50:33 > 1:50:36The thing I like about Lambie's work is its ingenious
1:50:36 > 1:50:41and enterprising, almost DIY aesthetic. Take this piece.
1:50:41 > 1:50:43It's called Shaved Ice. A forest of ladders.
1:50:43 > 1:50:45He's not using anything particularly special,
1:50:45 > 1:50:49these are just ordinary everyday materials, wooden ladders,
1:50:49 > 1:50:52glossy household paint, a few mirrors, and yet, out of them
1:50:52 > 1:50:56he's creating something that feels very joyful, almost poetic.
1:50:56 > 1:50:59It's like he's able to fashion just a little bit of magic
1:50:59 > 1:51:00out of the mundane.
1:51:05 > 1:51:08You don't have to walk into a gallery to catch some of the most
1:51:08 > 1:51:09intriguing art of the festival.
1:51:09 > 1:51:12In fact, some pretty unusual venues have been
1:51:12 > 1:51:15transformed into immersive experiences.
1:51:17 > 1:51:20Within a corner kick's distance of Hibs' Easter Road ground is
1:51:20 > 1:51:23a TARDIS with a surprise inside.
1:51:27 > 1:51:31- Hello. Yann!- Yes.- Great to meet you. - Great to meet you.
1:51:31 > 1:51:35This is slightly surreal. Is this is a real police box?
1:51:35 > 1:51:36This is an original police box.
1:51:36 > 1:51:39It's been here for decades, although a lot of people didn't really
1:51:39 > 1:51:41notice it until we repainted it.
1:51:41 > 1:51:43You didn't just repaint it by the looks of things!
1:51:43 > 1:51:45We've put all these computer fans in here.
1:51:45 > 1:51:47And what's the idea behind the piece?
1:51:47 > 1:51:50The idea is that they will recreate the wind that's
1:51:50 > 1:51:52happening in other places around the world.
1:51:52 > 1:51:55My computer will look up the current weather right now
1:51:55 > 1:51:59and these fans will recreate that much wind in this little box.
1:51:59 > 1:52:02- Turn it on!- All right, let's get it going.
1:52:02 > 1:52:03Ooh.
1:52:03 > 1:52:07Yeah, I can imagine that, being on the beach and there's a nice,
1:52:07 > 1:52:10- cool sea breeze.- Yeah, about the same, maybe a touch more.
1:52:10 > 1:52:14So, this is probably in China, would be my guess.
1:52:14 > 1:52:17And why have you picked the particular places that you have?
1:52:17 > 1:52:21Well, two of them are places where these fans have been made.
1:52:21 > 1:52:23A lot of these are made in South East Asia,
1:52:23 > 1:52:26and these factories can make 20 million of these fans every month.
1:52:26 > 1:52:27This is a piece that really
1:52:27 > 1:52:30is about our connection to the world and how we use technology
1:52:30 > 1:52:33and how we discard it and how we can reappropriate it
1:52:33 > 1:52:35and make it ours again.
1:52:35 > 1:52:36It's a really lovely idea,
1:52:36 > 1:52:39and I had no idea I'd be off to China this morning.
1:52:39 > 1:52:42Well, yeah, you don't even have to pay a plane ticket.
1:52:42 > 1:52:45- I might leave you in your police box.- All right.
1:52:45 > 1:52:48- I'm just going to cool down for a little while in here.- OK. Bye.
1:52:48 > 1:52:50All right. See you later.
1:52:52 > 1:52:54Appearances can be deceptive.
1:52:54 > 1:52:58Just as the cramped confines of a police box can take us
1:52:58 > 1:53:00to far flung corners of the world, so the grand
1:53:00 > 1:53:02facade of the Inverleith House Gallery at the heart
1:53:02 > 1:53:06of Edinburgh's tranquil botanic gardens belies some surprising
1:53:06 > 1:53:08art that you would hardly call polite.
1:53:09 > 1:53:12I love coming to Inverleith House during the festival,
1:53:12 > 1:53:14because the artists that come here usually conform
1:53:14 > 1:53:17to a particular type. They're wild and raucous
1:53:17 > 1:53:20and they've got more than a little whiff of anarchy about them.
1:53:20 > 1:53:23The German artist Isa Genzken, who was born in 1948, well,
1:53:23 > 1:53:25she's no exception.
1:53:25 > 1:53:27PSYCHEDELIC MUSIC
1:53:30 > 1:53:34Her witty, unconventional works of art are all about a surprising
1:53:34 > 1:53:37freedom of expression and the liberating,
1:53:37 > 1:53:39sometimes disturbing power of creativity.
1:53:44 > 1:53:47There's a real precariousness, a kind of volatility to Genzken's
1:53:47 > 1:53:51work that, for me, gives it a devil may care energy, because at
1:53:51 > 1:53:54first glance, it looks so chaotic,
1:53:54 > 1:53:57it could be almost about to disintegrate before our eyes,
1:53:57 > 1:54:02and yet, somehow, against the odds, it still coheres.
1:54:02 > 1:54:05That's partly because of the colour scheme, and in this case,
1:54:05 > 1:54:08also the imagery, which seems to be associated with womanhood.
1:54:08 > 1:54:12You have self portrait, Medusa's head, female genitalia,
1:54:12 > 1:54:16stand-ins for that, even Leonardo's drawing of a foetus.
1:54:16 > 1:54:19And together, these things combine to give the piece
1:54:19 > 1:54:21a sense of order and consistency.
1:54:26 > 1:54:27Back at Summerhall,
1:54:27 > 1:54:29there's a show by another influential artist of the same
1:54:29 > 1:54:33generation whose career has also been dedicated to a restless
1:54:33 > 1:54:36investigation of the hidden undercurrents of human life.
1:54:38 > 1:54:42Born in Florida, just a few years before Isa Genzken, Susan Hiller
1:54:42 > 1:54:47studied anthropology before moving to London and becoming an artist.
1:54:47 > 1:54:52Her exhibition includes the premiere of her Resounding video work.
1:54:52 > 1:54:56MALE VOICE IN VIDEO: 'I saw in the sky a cigar-shaped object,
1:54:56 > 1:54:58'blue-red in colour.'
1:54:58 > 1:55:02This mesmerizing piece combines the faint traces of the Big Bang
1:55:02 > 1:55:05detected by scientific instruments with eye-witness
1:55:05 > 1:55:09accounts of extra-terrestrial experiences.
1:55:09 > 1:55:11You have this sense, I guess, of deep time,
1:55:11 > 1:55:14going back to the Big Bang and then a sense of the here and now
1:55:14 > 1:55:17and people and their encounters - close encounters
1:55:17 > 1:55:19of the third kind, as it were.
1:55:19 > 1:55:21Why are you meshing those two things together?
1:55:21 > 1:55:25Well, it's about how we understand the universe.
1:55:25 > 1:55:30And our understanding is extremely partial and small,
1:55:30 > 1:55:36and we sometimes have experiences that take us out of an
1:55:36 > 1:55:40everyday-ness, that where they seem to take us is into these stories.
1:55:40 > 1:55:44And I guess what I'm hoping people will do is sit back
1:55:44 > 1:55:50and enjoy the film, enjoy the visuals and reflect on these things,
1:55:50 > 1:55:53these elements and how they may or may not go together.
1:55:53 > 1:55:55One of the big themes you've been talking about,
1:55:55 > 1:55:58interest in the occult, mysticism, a sort of spirituality,
1:55:58 > 1:56:00a sense of the paranormal.
1:56:00 > 1:56:04Why have these things been career-long interests?
1:56:04 > 1:56:08Probably because I don't think that they're "paranormal",
1:56:08 > 1:56:15and because I'm not a believer either in them as any more truthful.
1:56:15 > 1:56:19But one of the things you learn in anthropology is that every
1:56:19 > 1:56:24language, every culture has its own world, its own reality.
1:56:24 > 1:56:27Do we, as a culture, put too much stress on rationality?
1:56:27 > 1:56:30Rationality is a very useful tool,
1:56:30 > 1:56:32and so is intuition.
1:56:32 > 1:56:36And I guess I value the intuitive side of things enough to want
1:56:36 > 1:56:40to bring them up in general conversation.
1:56:40 > 1:56:43Do you feel that that intuitive side is dismissed,
1:56:43 > 1:56:44written off, too frequently?
1:56:44 > 1:56:46- Of course it is. - Why do you think that is?
1:56:46 > 1:56:50It's not if men pursue it, but it is if women pursue it.
1:56:53 > 1:56:55I don't need to say any more, do I?
1:56:55 > 1:56:57I think you probably have a point.
1:56:58 > 1:57:01INDISTINCT VOICES FROM INSTALLATION
1:57:03 > 1:57:07Susan Hiller's exhibition continues at Summerhall until 26th September.
1:57:07 > 1:57:11Time now to hop back in the tram for a performance from the talented
1:57:11 > 1:57:13young guitarist Declan Zapala.
1:59:09 > 1:59:13Declan Zapala, who's performing at The Fringe until next Saturday.
1:59:13 > 1:59:16This year's festival has a South African feel,
1:59:16 > 1:59:19with a raft of productions celebrating a momentous
1:59:19 > 1:59:22anniversary, but also reminding us of a troubled past.
1:59:24 > 1:59:26TRADITIONAL SINGING
1:59:29 > 1:59:32It's two decades since South Africa's first
1:59:32 > 1:59:35fully-democratic elections marked the end of the apartheid era.
1:59:37 > 1:59:40This year in Edinburgh, a season of South African productions
1:59:40 > 1:59:43marks the 20th anniversary of the country's momentous shift
1:59:43 > 1:59:46towards racial equality and democracy.
1:59:48 > 1:59:49The most hotly-anticipated piece
1:59:49 > 1:59:53of South African work is the world premier of the innovative Inala.
1:59:55 > 1:59:57TRADITIONAL MUSIC
1:59:59 > 2:00:03Grammy Award winning choir Ladysmith Black Mambazo creates a live
2:00:03 > 2:00:06score for dancers from the Rambert and the Royal Ballet,
2:00:06 > 2:00:08choreographed by Mark Baldwin.
2:00:09 > 2:00:12I am inspired by music.
2:00:12 > 2:00:14I need to listen to it till I'm blue in the face,
2:00:14 > 2:00:16and then I need to move around to it.
2:00:16 > 2:00:19I think this music has really come alive
2:00:19 > 2:00:21because there's dancing with it.
2:00:21 > 2:00:22I don't know why,
2:00:22 > 2:00:25and when I did hear the music without seeing dancing to it,
2:00:25 > 2:00:28I was thinking, "Oh, yes, that's beautiful."
2:00:28 > 2:00:31But actually, it's more than beautiful cos there's dancing
2:00:31 > 2:00:33with it, and I don't often say that.
2:00:37 > 2:00:40Over five years in the making, Inala is the brain child of dancer
2:00:40 > 2:00:44Pietra Mello Pittman and composer Ella Spira.
2:00:44 > 2:00:49I had always wanted to, perhaps slightly arrogantly,
2:00:49 > 2:00:51try and find something that I could approach
2:00:51 > 2:00:53Ladysmith Black Mambazo with,
2:00:53 > 2:00:56cos I grew up listening to a lot of different kinds of music,
2:00:56 > 2:00:58including African.
2:00:58 > 2:01:02So it partly came out of that for me, and Pietra's Brazilian,
2:01:02 > 2:01:07so her connection with that similar kind of rhythmical thing,
2:01:07 > 2:01:11that we thought there might be something there to explore my area,
2:01:11 > 2:01:14which is music and her area, which was dance and this bringing
2:01:14 > 2:01:17together of two things that don't ordinarily exist together.
2:01:22 > 2:01:25The dancers are from a variety of backgrounds.
2:01:25 > 2:01:27They include the principal of the Royal Ballet in London,
2:01:27 > 2:01:30and also South Africans trained in contemporary
2:01:30 > 2:01:32and traditional African dance.
2:01:32 > 2:01:35African dance is a big part of culture in South Africa,
2:01:35 > 2:01:40so all the moves they do, we learned when we were young already.
2:01:40 > 2:01:43And then I started doing ballet, I stated doing contemporary,
2:01:43 > 2:01:47but it's in my blood...it's still there.
2:01:47 > 2:01:50So when we're in the creation process, they'll come up with
2:01:50 > 2:01:53some steps and they will show us some steps, and I'll be like,
2:01:53 > 2:01:55"Yes! I remember this! This is so cool!"
2:01:57 > 2:02:02Inala represents an uplifting fusion of African and Western cultures,
2:02:02 > 2:02:05but in his live installation "Exhibit B",
2:02:05 > 2:02:07the artist Brett Bailey explores a more troubling
2:02:07 > 2:02:10aspect of African history,
2:02:10 > 2:02:11the issue of racial stereotyping
2:02:11 > 2:02:15across the continent in the European colonial era.
2:02:16 > 2:02:19Exhibit B, on one level it's about colonial history,
2:02:19 > 2:02:22on another level it's about how black people, brown people,
2:02:22 > 2:02:26"the other" has been misrepresented in order to legitimise
2:02:26 > 2:02:31colonial policies so that they can be reduced to servitude, dehumanised,
2:02:31 > 2:02:33objectified, their territory can be taken away from them,
2:02:33 > 2:02:36and ultimately they can be exterminated.
2:02:36 > 2:02:38CHOIR SINGING
2:02:43 > 2:02:47Audience members experience each installation in small groups,
2:02:47 > 2:02:49and Bailey encourages his actors to
2:02:49 > 2:02:52make direct eye contact with each person.
2:02:52 > 2:02:54In the human zoo phenomenon, the emphasis was
2:02:54 > 2:02:58definitely on the white spectator gazing at the dark other.
2:02:58 > 2:03:01I put the emphasis on my performers, who are black people,
2:03:01 > 2:03:03looking back at the audience.
2:03:03 > 2:03:04It's about reversing it.
2:03:04 > 2:03:06So I'm dealing with the human being as an object,
2:03:06 > 2:03:12the way of...subverting that, is to really humanise these objects.
2:03:12 > 2:03:15CHOIR SINGING
2:03:20 > 2:03:23Accompanying the installations is the haunting
2:03:23 > 2:03:25sound of a Namibian choir.
2:03:25 > 2:03:27As a spectator, you walk through an installation where
2:03:27 > 2:03:30there are 12 or 13 separate exhibitions,
2:03:30 > 2:03:32but what holds everything together
2:03:32 > 2:03:36and what gives it this emotional quality is this exquisite singing.
2:03:36 > 2:03:40It creates the atmosphere and the environment.
2:03:40 > 2:03:42CHOIR SINGING
2:03:42 > 2:03:44A lot of people are very deeply moved -
2:03:44 > 2:03:45some people break down and cry.
2:03:45 > 2:03:48We've had stories of people who have just walked for several hours,
2:03:48 > 2:03:52into the night just to contemplate. So people are deeply moved.
2:03:55 > 2:03:58The Assembly is showcasing some of South Africa's best
2:03:58 > 2:04:00contemporary playwriting.
2:04:00 > 2:04:03They feature five productions, one of which stars movie actor
2:04:03 > 2:04:05and singer Mbongeni Ngema,
2:04:05 > 2:04:08who's decided to return to the stage for the first
2:04:08 > 2:04:10time in 27 years.
2:04:11 > 2:04:15Zulu means "heaven".
2:04:15 > 2:04:17Kwazulu means "in heaven".
2:04:17 > 2:04:20We call ourselves Abakwa Zulu,
2:04:20 > 2:04:24the Zulus, or the little children of the sky.
2:04:24 > 2:04:27In his play, Ngema explores an area of South African history
2:04:27 > 2:04:31neglected under apartheid, the formation of the Zulu nation
2:04:31 > 2:04:33and its struggles for survival.
2:04:33 > 2:04:36Our heritage has became very important.
2:04:36 > 2:04:38Young people are now wanting to know, "Who are we?
2:04:38 > 2:04:40"Where did we come from?"
2:04:40 > 2:04:43Unfortunately, during apartheid, this history was not taught,
2:04:43 > 2:04:46it was the history of the Afrikaners that was taught,
2:04:46 > 2:04:49so the Zulu is one of those leading projects
2:04:49 > 2:04:52in re-telling our histories.
2:04:53 > 2:04:55THEY EXCLAIM IN OWN LANGUAGE
2:04:57 > 2:04:59The inspiration for the work came from stories
2:04:59 > 2:05:02his great grandmother used to tell him as a child.
2:05:02 > 2:05:04I didn't understand what she was talking about.
2:05:04 > 2:05:07It was not until later on in my life,
2:05:07 > 2:05:09when I began to be an artist, that these
2:05:09 > 2:05:11stories started coming back to me,
2:05:11 > 2:05:15and I realised how important it was that she was saying to me.
2:05:17 > 2:05:19THEY SPEAK IN OWN LANGUAGE
2:05:21 > 2:05:23'It's about Zulu renaissance,
2:05:23 > 2:05:25'and Zulu resilience.'
2:05:25 > 2:05:29It's about the state of mind, the state of victory,
2:05:29 > 2:05:30the state of winning.
2:05:30 > 2:05:34In a democratic society today, if we can all, as Africans,
2:05:34 > 2:05:36have the Zulu state of mind,
2:05:36 > 2:05:39we can win whatever battles we fight.
2:05:39 > 2:05:42CHOIR SINGS
2:05:42 > 2:05:45In post-apartheid South Africa, the fight against crime has been
2:05:45 > 2:05:48a major preoccupation.
2:05:48 > 2:05:51The play Silent Voice tackles the issue
2:05:51 > 2:05:53of armed robbery among young black men.
2:05:53 > 2:05:55Where I grew up,
2:05:55 > 2:05:57there are a lot of guys that I went to school with being
2:05:57 > 2:06:00involved in cash-in-transit robberies,
2:06:00 > 2:06:03and some of them are in jail, some of them are dead,
2:06:03 > 2:06:07so some of those stories have rubbed off onto the story of Silent Voice.
2:06:07 > 2:06:10So it's fictional, but inspired by real events that happened.
2:06:10 > 2:06:12Please, spare my life!
2:06:12 > 2:06:15SHOUTING
2:06:17 > 2:06:19The play deals with the fallout of a raid gone wrong
2:06:19 > 2:06:23and the consequences for the four men involved.
2:06:23 > 2:06:25These boys that are growing without fathers
2:06:25 > 2:06:27and just the results of apartheid,
2:06:27 > 2:06:29where fathers had to go and work out there,
2:06:29 > 2:06:31where families were not stable,
2:06:31 > 2:06:33where people had been turning against each other,
2:06:33 > 2:06:36so it is all those stories that come to make the story
2:06:36 > 2:06:39of Silent Voice explode like that.
2:06:39 > 2:06:41Please keep your head down. Keep your head down.
2:06:41 > 2:06:44I'm self-employed, you see, which is a shit job because, now and then,
2:06:44 > 2:06:48you have to run away from the cops, shoot at them or they shoot at you,
2:06:48 > 2:06:51and God willing, you survive or you die.
2:06:51 > 2:06:54So how healthy a state is South African theatre in
2:06:54 > 2:06:57two decades on from the fall of apartheid?
2:06:57 > 2:07:00South African theatre is well and alive and it's finding its feet,
2:07:00 > 2:07:01but I think that this year,
2:07:01 > 2:07:04as we celebrate 20 years of democracy and freedom,
2:07:04 > 2:07:08we can safely say that South African theatre is more relevant.
2:07:08 > 2:07:10SHOUTING
2:07:16 > 2:07:18You can see more from South Africa online
2:07:18 > 2:07:22and Inala transfers to Sadler's Wells in London next month.
2:07:22 > 2:07:25We're back in the trams now, but staying with our South Africa theme.
2:07:25 > 2:07:28The Dloko High School choir has never been outside Umlazi
2:07:28 > 2:07:31township before, but this month they're in Edinburgh
2:07:31 > 2:07:34performing to raise money for community projects back home
2:07:34 > 2:07:36and they're creating quite a stir.
2:07:38 > 2:07:41THEY SING IN OWN LANGUAGE
2:09:04 > 2:09:09The amazing Township Voices are at the Assembly Rooms until Thursday.
2:09:09 > 2:09:13Now, there is one Edinburgh venue that has propelled itself from very
2:09:13 > 2:09:17humble beginnings to become a very powerful presence in three decades.
2:09:17 > 2:09:22The Pleasance opened in 1985 with just 2 theatres and 18 shows,
2:09:22 > 2:09:24and now it sells one Fringe ticket in five
2:09:24 > 2:09:27and helped launched the careers of people like Graham Norton,
2:09:27 > 2:09:29Miranda Hart and Michael McIntyre.
2:09:29 > 2:09:31To help celebrate its 30th anniversary,
2:09:31 > 2:09:34Pleasance veteran Arthur Smith takes us
2:09:34 > 2:09:36through this venue's amazing history.
2:09:41 > 2:09:43Edinburgh in August, where you're never more
2:09:43 > 2:09:47than 15 feet from a drama student in period costume.
2:09:47 > 2:09:50The Edinburgh Festival and it's Fringe provides one of the great
2:09:50 > 2:09:52playgrounds of the imagination.
2:09:52 > 2:09:54I've been here nearly every year
2:09:54 > 2:09:56since 1977 with a whole range of shows
2:09:56 > 2:09:59and there's one venue I keep coming back to.
2:10:07 > 2:10:10Welcome to this great thriving hub of the Edinburgh Fringe
2:10:10 > 2:10:12and one of my favourite places on Earth,
2:10:12 > 2:10:15the Pleasance and its courtyard.
2:10:17 > 2:10:22Over the last 30 years, the Pleasance has welcomed countless fresh-faced,
2:10:22 > 2:10:26keen young comics on stage and helped turn a few of them
2:10:26 > 2:10:28into household names.
2:10:28 > 2:10:31To me, it's a sort of courtyard of dreams.
2:10:31 > 2:10:34The buzz of all these different people moving through it,
2:10:34 > 2:10:38and just the sense that it really was the coolest place to be.
2:10:40 > 2:10:43I've had some of the greatest highs of my life at the Pleasance
2:10:43 > 2:10:44and some of the worst lows.
2:10:44 > 2:10:47I don't think there's a toilet I haven't cried in.
2:10:47 > 2:10:51There hasn't been a cobble I've not splashed lager on or a tear.
2:10:51 > 2:10:53LAUGHTER
2:10:53 > 2:10:55Every single kind of performer you can imagine,
2:10:55 > 2:10:59every famous comedian, was packed into this courtyard,
2:10:59 > 2:11:02just downing pints of filthy-looking beer.
2:11:04 > 2:11:06The Pleasance is so popular with performers
2:11:06 > 2:11:12and punters that, this year, there are 227 shows across 27 venues.
2:11:12 > 2:11:13So, on an average day,
2:11:13 > 2:11:17they've got 30,000 people streaming through their doors.
2:11:17 > 2:11:19Queues can be long.
2:11:19 > 2:11:23You never quite know who or what you're going to see here.
2:11:23 > 2:11:27- Excellent.- It's a play about... Just over there.
2:11:27 > 2:11:29- Lovely.- ..with cross-dressing women.
2:11:29 > 2:11:31Excellent. Thank you very much, madam.
2:11:31 > 2:11:33Good day to you.
2:11:33 > 2:11:36And I always manage to bump into a few old friends,
2:11:36 > 2:11:37here in this courtyard.
2:11:37 > 2:11:39I always thought I'd attract a stalker.
2:11:39 > 2:11:41No, no, I'm not a stalker.
2:11:41 > 2:11:43I just have an unhealthy interest in you.
2:11:43 > 2:11:45LAUGHTER
2:11:45 > 2:11:49- What's the difference? - A stalker would get more exercise.
2:11:49 > 2:11:52Well, clearly you've had issues.
2:11:52 > 2:11:55I do not have issues, mate.
2:11:55 > 2:11:57My life is way more normal than yours.
2:11:57 > 2:12:01For a start, I'm not the one with a stranger in my hotel room.
2:12:02 > 2:12:05- Paul, what was your first show here? Do you remember?- 1986.
2:12:05 > 2:12:08Myself and Mark Steel had an idea that perhaps we'd come up to
2:12:08 > 2:12:11Edinburgh, but we didn't know anybody up here.
2:12:11 > 2:12:13There was this guy in a straw hat, Christopher Richardson,
2:12:13 > 2:12:16who we didn't know, and he said, "Come and play my venue."
2:12:16 > 2:12:18We thought we would have to go in and try and argue
2:12:18 > 2:12:19that somebody should take us.
2:12:19 > 2:12:22He said, "No, come and play. It'll be great."
2:12:22 > 2:12:24I'm guessing you played some smaller venues here first
2:12:24 > 2:12:26and play bigger ones now.
2:12:26 > 2:12:28- The first... - None of them are that big, but...
2:12:28 > 2:12:29Well, yes, that's right.
2:12:29 > 2:12:31The first one we played here is now the cabaret bar.
2:12:31 > 2:12:34I'm not even sure that was called anything then.
2:12:34 > 2:12:38I've directed a play up in the attic, which seats about 50 people.
2:12:38 > 2:12:40You must have done a few unusual events and shows.
2:12:40 > 2:12:44Yes, there was one night, there was this sort of informal cabaret thing,
2:12:44 > 2:12:46where myself and Julian Clary decided to go on
2:12:46 > 2:12:48and do each other's acts.
2:12:48 > 2:12:50So he went on and did my stuff and I went on and said,
2:12:50 > 2:12:53"Hello, how are you?" And all that sort of stuff and...
2:12:53 > 2:12:54That's quite a good...
2:12:54 > 2:12:57Yeah. I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise.
2:12:57 > 2:13:00- How was Julian doing you? - Oh, well, you know,
2:13:00 > 2:13:04his impression of a heterosexual man is quite strange.
2:13:04 > 2:13:07It's a friendly, lively, beautiful place.
2:13:07 > 2:13:10I wouldn't really play anywhere else, really, in Edinburgh.
2:13:15 > 2:13:18This place would not exist were it not for founder
2:13:18 > 2:13:23Christopher Richardson, the man in the Panama hat.
2:13:23 > 2:13:25Christopher, when you first thought,
2:13:25 > 2:13:29"All right, I'll book that place the Pleasance and see what happens"
2:13:29 > 2:13:3130 years ago, did you...?
2:13:31 > 2:13:33You can't have imagined all this.
2:13:33 > 2:13:34No, I certainly didn't.
2:13:34 > 2:13:36I thought we might keep going to the end of the year
2:13:36 > 2:13:38and the end of the following year.
2:13:38 > 2:13:40But how many venues were there at the beginning?
2:13:40 > 2:13:43Just the two. Yeah, there was the big one upstairs,
2:13:43 > 2:13:45which was 250 seats, which we increased,
2:13:45 > 2:13:47and then there was a cabaret bar.
2:13:47 > 2:13:50I think one thing that Pleasance has that the other venues don't
2:13:50 > 2:13:53so much is the kind of wonderful courtyard here you've got.
2:13:53 > 2:13:55It's such a wonderful place to meet people
2:13:55 > 2:14:00and for audiences to meet actors and performers and whatnot.
2:14:00 > 2:14:02- That was kind of luck, in a way, was it?- Absolute luck.
2:14:02 > 2:14:05There was this place that had a courtyard,
2:14:05 > 2:14:08it looked slightly like Hogwarts or whatever,
2:14:08 > 2:14:10and it was a wonderful place to do things.
2:14:10 > 2:14:12We've had things happening in the middle
2:14:12 > 2:14:16when there were rather less people coming to see things.
2:14:16 > 2:14:18We've had performances in the yard itself, which annoyed
2:14:18 > 2:14:21the neighbours and annoyed most of the people performing,
2:14:21 > 2:14:22so we've had to change that.
2:14:22 > 2:14:24And there was a lovely lady called Betty Brown,
2:14:24 > 2:14:27who lived in a tiny little flat on top of the Pleasance,
2:14:27 > 2:14:30and one day she sort of flung open the window
2:14:30 > 2:14:33and served a pint of beer through the window...
2:14:33 > 2:14:35and the outside bar has sort of grown out of that.
2:14:35 > 2:14:38There's a moment, about seven o'clock in the evening,
2:14:38 > 2:14:42when you look across and you see the sun on the edge of that Quaker hall,
2:14:42 > 2:14:45and you think, "Gosh, this is a good place to be."
2:14:46 > 2:14:48Will you please welcome onto the stage,
2:14:48 > 2:14:53and this year's 1995 Perrier Award winner, Jenny Eclair?
2:14:53 > 2:14:56Many comedians have broken through with shows honed at the Pleasance,
2:14:56 > 2:15:00including the first woman to win the Fringe's top comedy award.
2:15:00 > 2:15:02The Pleasance really helped me
2:15:02 > 2:15:07in my career because they invited me back, they would have me,
2:15:07 > 2:15:10and I think that it's quite important in Edinburgh to set
2:15:10 > 2:15:14yourself... You know, to go back and then people go,
2:15:14 > 2:15:16"Oh, we saw her last year, she was good."
2:15:16 > 2:15:18And then the word of mouth and, pre-Twitter,
2:15:18 > 2:15:21the courtyard was its very own Twittersphere,
2:15:21 > 2:15:24really, because word of mouth goes around
2:15:24 > 2:15:27very quickly in a sort of walled garden.
2:15:29 > 2:15:31For the League of Gentlemen,
2:15:31 > 2:15:37getting a gig at the Pleasance in 1995 was a dream come true.
2:15:37 > 2:15:41We were given a slot in the Pleasance attic,
2:15:41 > 2:15:44which was the smallest venue, but in the Pleasance,
2:15:44 > 2:15:48which felt like it made all the difference and indeed it did.
2:15:48 > 2:15:51It was that rare thing. It was a sort of Edinburgh fairy tale.
2:15:51 > 2:15:56By the end of our stint there, we had a radio show
2:15:56 > 2:15:59and Reeves and Mortimer's agent.
2:15:59 > 2:16:04I mean, one of my best memories is, after we'd won the Perrier in '97,
2:16:04 > 2:16:06the next day, the show the next day,
2:16:06 > 2:16:09we looked out and the queue was immense.
2:16:09 > 2:16:14But right in the middle of it, I just went, "It's Ronnie Corbett!"
2:16:14 > 2:16:17- I've never got over that. - HE LAUGHS
2:16:17 > 2:16:19The Pleasance encourages comedy as an art form,
2:16:19 > 2:16:23not just as a way of making money.
2:16:23 > 2:16:24You know? It's a kind of...
2:16:24 > 2:16:27The idea is that you're trying to do something new,
2:16:27 > 2:16:30you're trying to do something that you believe in,
2:16:30 > 2:16:32and the form of it is not necessarily...
2:16:32 > 2:16:34It doesn't have to be a guy at a microphone,
2:16:34 > 2:16:37it doesn't have to be this or that. It's a bit more...
2:16:38 > 2:16:39..adventurous.
2:16:39 > 2:16:42Now, all around the venue, you can spot tributes
2:16:42 > 2:16:45to the host of stars that kicked off their careers here.
2:16:45 > 2:16:49Oh, all these plaques everywhere, I thought, "Where's my plaque?"
2:16:49 > 2:16:52I asked Anthony, and lo and behold, at the bottom of a cupboard,
2:16:52 > 2:16:56he found this blue plaque for me.
2:16:56 > 2:16:58Yes, they haven't put it up or anything,
2:16:58 > 2:16:59it's the wrong venue and the wrong year.
2:16:59 > 2:17:03But never mind. I'm a plaque in the Pleasance.
2:17:07 > 2:17:09We owe it all so much to the Pleasance,
2:17:09 > 2:17:12and that whole, unique atmosphere of the place.
2:17:12 > 2:17:16It was just a kind of hothouse of excitement, really.
2:17:16 > 2:17:19It's still the first place I head for when I go to Edinburgh.
2:17:19 > 2:17:21You know, if I'm feeling a bit by myself
2:17:21 > 2:17:23and I've got some time to myself,
2:17:23 > 2:17:26want to see some shows, then I will go there.
2:17:26 > 2:17:30OK, well, Anthony and Christopher,
2:17:30 > 2:17:33I'd like to pour this champagne all over your...
2:17:33 > 2:17:37All over the suit that I gather you've had for 30 years.
2:17:37 > 2:17:41- Your very good health. - 30 years of the Pleasance. Bravo.
2:17:41 > 2:17:44And Arthur Smith himself is back at the Pleasance this year,
2:17:44 > 2:17:48performing the songs of Leonard Cohen from next Friday.
2:17:48 > 2:17:50Unsurprisingly at this year's festival,
2:17:50 > 2:17:52there's a whole host of productions
2:17:52 > 2:17:55relating to next month's independence referendum,
2:17:55 > 2:17:59from debates at the book festival, to plays, to sketch comedy,
2:17:59 > 2:18:00members of the cultural community
2:18:00 > 2:18:03are all wading into the referendum debate.
2:18:03 > 2:18:07So, what is the role of artists and writers at a time like this?
2:18:10 > 2:18:12This year at the Fringe,
2:18:12 > 2:18:14it seems there's one topic on everyone's lips.
2:18:15 > 2:18:17Tonight, we're going to be looking at politics.
2:18:17 > 2:18:20We're going to be looking at the big question, the burning issue.
2:18:20 > 2:18:23- We're going to be having a mass debate.- Can I stop you there?
2:18:23 > 2:18:25LAUGHTER
2:18:25 > 2:18:29With the Scottish referendum just over a month away, writers,
2:18:29 > 2:18:33artists and performers across the city have plunged into the debate.
2:18:33 > 2:18:35Oh, my God, when recession hits here,
2:18:35 > 2:18:37you'll wish the English were still with yous.
2:18:37 > 2:18:38LAUGHTER
2:18:38 > 2:18:40One venue, the Assembly Rooms,
2:18:40 > 2:18:45has eight shows tackling the issue, through comedy, cabaret and theatre.
2:18:45 > 2:18:49In his one-man show, The Pitiless Storm,
2:18:49 > 2:18:51David Hayman plays a Labour activist
2:18:51 > 2:18:54who undergoes a political conversion.
2:18:54 > 2:18:56Boris and Nigel Farage
2:18:56 > 2:18:58and Jack "Nippy Sweetie" Straw
2:18:58 > 2:19:01and their zero-hours contracts and their food banks
2:19:01 > 2:19:05and their destruction of everything that is good and dear in humanity.
2:19:05 > 2:19:09So yes, thank you, thank you, Westminster,
2:19:09 > 2:19:12and the great British Commonwealth.
2:19:12 > 2:19:17What do you think is the role of writers, artists, performers,
2:19:17 > 2:19:20in a time of change in a country?
2:19:22 > 2:19:26Well, I think the artist's job at any time in any society is,
2:19:26 > 2:19:29I mean, a real cliche of putting a mirror up to society.
2:19:29 > 2:19:32I love that Scotland is going through an extraordinary period right now,
2:19:32 > 2:19:35where people are debating, discussing, arguing the toss
2:19:35 > 2:19:38in pubs and clubs and workplaces around the country,
2:19:38 > 2:19:42and if we, the performing artists or visual artists or novelists,
2:19:42 > 2:19:46can embody that with a little bit more clarity, aye.
2:19:46 > 2:19:48I'd like to think we're going to make a difference.
2:19:48 > 2:19:49What if Scotland votes yes?
2:19:49 > 2:19:53- SHE GASPS - Jings, crivens, help ma Boab, son.
2:19:53 > 2:19:55Well, Bogle, do you see all of this...
2:19:55 > 2:19:56Tartan.
2:19:56 > 2:19:58Heather.
2:19:58 > 2:19:59Braveheart.
2:19:59 > 2:20:00Bagpipes.
2:20:00 > 2:20:01Tunnock's tea cakes!
2:20:01 > 2:20:03LAUGHTER
2:20:03 > 2:20:06In The Pure, The Dead And The Brilliant,
2:20:06 > 2:20:09playwright Alan Bissett imagines how Scotland's mythical creatures
2:20:09 > 2:20:11would feel about the referendum.
2:20:11 > 2:20:15Scotland will have become...real!
2:20:15 > 2:20:19Too real for us, son.
2:20:19 > 2:20:23They decide to campaign on behalf of a No vote
2:20:23 > 2:20:27and use various enchantments and spells. It's a comedy,
2:20:27 > 2:20:28but underneath it, you know,
2:20:28 > 2:20:31there's serious questions being asked.
2:20:31 > 2:20:33Do you think that there appear to be more people
2:20:33 > 2:20:35in the creative community prepared to say
2:20:35 > 2:20:38that they support independence than there are
2:20:38 > 2:20:41those who say they support the United Kingdom?
2:20:41 > 2:20:43I think it's fair to say that there are more people
2:20:43 > 2:20:47in the creative community who are voting Yes.
2:20:47 > 2:20:49If you look at the nature of what artists do,
2:20:49 > 2:20:53we're interested in risk and experimentation
2:20:53 > 2:20:56and doing things anew,
2:20:56 > 2:20:59which is really what independence is about, actually.
2:21:03 > 2:21:07Loud voices in favour of a No vote are much harder to come by.
2:21:07 > 2:21:11Author Denise Mina, who will be appearing at the book festival,
2:21:11 > 2:21:15is concerned about the decibel level of the Yes campaign.
2:21:15 > 2:21:17I had to come out as a No voter,
2:21:17 > 2:21:23because people were quoting me as if I supported the Yes campaign.
2:21:23 > 2:21:25So I was forced to out myself. I had to say to them,
2:21:25 > 2:21:27"I'm a No voter. Leave me alone."
2:21:27 > 2:21:30I mean, artists make terrible pundits, because, you know,
2:21:30 > 2:21:32you get trapped in this pundits' conundrum,
2:21:32 > 2:21:34where you're on a stage discussing the world economy
2:21:34 > 2:21:37over the next 15 years, and you're a portrait painter.
2:21:37 > 2:21:39You don't know what you're talking about.
2:21:39 > 2:21:42Why do you think it seems that the majority of
2:21:42 > 2:21:45the creative community is for a Yes vote?
2:21:45 > 2:21:48I think it is that the Yes vote is more vocal.
2:21:48 > 2:21:50They're pushing for change.
2:21:50 > 2:21:52It's very hard to argue for the status quo.
2:21:52 > 2:21:55The status quo is not sexy, it's not interesting,
2:21:55 > 2:21:58and I kind of worry that there is a bit of a consensus,
2:21:58 > 2:22:00and consensus is never good in the arts.
2:22:00 > 2:22:02Ladies and gentlemen,
2:22:02 > 2:22:04please welcome to the stage Erich McElroy!
2:22:04 > 2:22:06CHEERING
2:22:06 > 2:22:09American Erich McElroy is one comedian on the fringe
2:22:09 > 2:22:11taking a definite No stance...
2:22:11 > 2:22:12Hello!
2:22:12 > 2:22:15..in his show, The British Referendum.
2:22:15 > 2:22:18Emigrating here and having gotten my British passport in 2007,
2:22:18 > 2:22:19I feel a connection to being British.
2:22:19 > 2:22:23So I saw this as 10% of the country being torn away.
2:22:23 > 2:22:26You know, you would notice if 10% of you was torn away.
2:22:26 > 2:22:29Although I could probably use 10% of me torn away!
2:22:29 > 2:22:31So, that seemed to have an impact.
2:22:31 > 2:22:34It's not actually the first time I've done a show like this.
2:22:34 > 2:22:36I actually did a show during the Crimea referendum,
2:22:36 > 2:22:38and that turned out really well(!)
2:22:38 > 2:22:40You're almost dropping a kind of hand grenade
2:22:40 > 2:22:42in the kind of creative, as it were, establishment,
2:22:42 > 2:22:44who are supporting the Yes campaign.
2:22:44 > 2:22:46It seems so.
2:22:46 > 2:22:48I didn't realise that I would become what appears to be
2:22:48 > 2:22:50the only No comedy show of the festival.
2:22:50 > 2:22:54I've been surprised to see how much the Yes side seems to be
2:22:54 > 2:22:57in the artistic community, or that people who feel No
2:22:57 > 2:22:59don't feel like they can come forward, for some reason.
2:23:03 > 2:23:06Outside of Scotland, some surprising names have backed
2:23:06 > 2:23:09the Better Together campaign, from Eddie Izzard
2:23:09 > 2:23:11to Trinny and Susannah.
2:23:14 > 2:23:17David Bowie even asked Scotland to stay with us.
2:23:17 > 2:23:20The inspiration behind David Greig's All Back To Bowie's,
2:23:20 > 2:23:25a lunchtime variety show supposedly set in the singer's penthouse.
2:23:25 > 2:23:27I feel we should ask you the very, very important question
2:23:27 > 2:23:30and find out whether you are Yes or No.
2:23:31 > 2:23:33And that question is...
2:23:33 > 2:23:38Do you agree that David Bowie should be pronounced "BOUGH-ie"?
2:23:38 > 2:23:40LAUGHTER
2:23:40 > 2:23:42But why have so few of Edinburgh's performers
2:23:42 > 2:23:46been willing to announce themselves as No voters?
2:23:46 > 2:23:49Is it that people feel that they're going to be somehow demonised,
2:23:49 > 2:23:52that it is somehow less noble to be supporting
2:23:52 > 2:23:54the idea of the United Kingdom?
2:23:54 > 2:23:58I think that's actually a mask for the fact that the No campaign
2:23:58 > 2:24:02don't have many artists and creative types they can call upon.
2:24:02 > 2:24:04For whatever reason, they might feel that
2:24:04 > 2:24:08they are embarrassed by their own voting intention,
2:24:08 > 2:24:13or that they don't want to have to defend it publicly,
2:24:13 > 2:24:15and they use this idea that,
2:24:15 > 2:24:18"Oh, we're too intimidated to come out and speak."
2:24:18 > 2:24:23But there is a danger that the tenor of that debate becomes ugly.
2:24:23 > 2:24:24Yeah, yeah, for sure.
2:24:24 > 2:24:27But people care very passionately about these things.
2:24:28 > 2:24:31The author JK Rowling has given £1 million
2:24:31 > 2:24:34to the campaign against Scottish independence.
2:24:34 > 2:24:37The Harry Potter creator's support of the Better Together campaign
2:24:37 > 2:24:39led to a barrage of abuse
2:24:39 > 2:24:43from the vast virtual debating hall that is Twitter.
2:24:43 > 2:24:45People who cannot participate in political debate
2:24:45 > 2:24:48have taken over a lot of the ground.
2:24:48 > 2:24:50They get straight on Twitter and start swearing at people.
2:24:50 > 2:24:52This is on both sides.
2:24:52 > 2:24:55And they will never, ever forgive you.
2:24:55 > 2:24:58As an artist, though, does it silence you, the threat of it?
2:24:58 > 2:24:59It certainly makes you wary.
2:24:59 > 2:25:01You think, I don't want to offend people.
2:25:01 > 2:25:05Now, the problem with an adversarial interaction is, it is reductive.
2:25:05 > 2:25:07It shaves off all the areas of nuance,
2:25:07 > 2:25:10it shaves off all the dog-leg areas,
2:25:10 > 2:25:13and to arrive at a blunt conclusion, which is Yes, or No, who won?
2:25:13 > 2:25:15Now, the adverts.
2:25:15 > 2:25:17UK!
2:25:17 > 2:25:19OK.
2:25:19 > 2:25:21That's it. That's all they've got, right?
2:25:21 > 2:25:25Have you any concern that it's such a sort of polarising affair,
2:25:25 > 2:25:28it doesn't seem to be very nuanced?
2:25:28 > 2:25:30At least in some areas, it's not very nuanced.
2:25:30 > 2:25:33Yeah, I think they're putting people off by saying too much Yes and No,
2:25:33 > 2:25:34or too much attacking with,
2:25:34 > 2:25:37I've got stats that counter yours, and then we'll counter these stats,
2:25:37 > 2:25:40and people are just shutting down and getting sick of it.
2:25:40 > 2:25:42I'm hoping that shows like mine can pierce that a little bit,
2:25:42 > 2:25:45because again, that's the strength that humour has.
2:25:45 > 2:25:47UPBEAT JAZZY MUSIC
2:25:50 > 2:25:53The temperature of the referendum debate may now be rising,
2:25:53 > 2:25:57and it's certainly got the creative community talking.
2:25:57 > 2:25:58Freedom!
2:25:58 > 2:26:00CHEERING
2:26:00 > 2:26:04Most people, I think, are thinking about politics in whole new ways.
2:26:04 > 2:26:06The fact that we're even talking about
2:26:06 > 2:26:09what the arts should and shouldn't do in politics is a move forward.
2:26:09 > 2:26:12You can't say it isn't, because we wouldn't be having this discussion
2:26:12 > 2:26:14if it wasn't for the referendum.
2:26:14 > 2:26:16There is an energy, there's a dynamic,
2:26:16 > 2:26:19going on in this country right now, and if that's reflected on any level
2:26:19 > 2:26:23whatsoever creatively during the Edinburgh festival, then we all win.
2:26:23 > 2:26:24We all win.
2:26:24 > 2:26:25It's really, really exciting.
2:26:25 > 2:26:32# Pretty baby, is it yes or no? #
2:26:38 > 2:26:40Denise Mina and Alan Bissett will be appearing
2:26:40 > 2:26:43at the Edinburgh International Book Festival later this month.
2:26:43 > 2:26:46Do join me again next Sunday for an interview with
2:26:46 > 2:26:49creator of Game Of Thrones, George RR Martin,
2:26:49 > 2:26:52Professor Mary Beard's guide to comedy in ancient Rome,
2:26:52 > 2:26:56and Bruno Tonioli dancing his way around the fringe.
2:26:56 > 2:26:59And you can see even more from the festivals on Edinburgh Nights
2:26:59 > 2:27:02with Sue Perkins, next Friday night at ten o'clock on BBC Two.
2:27:02 > 2:27:05And there's a new performance online every single day
2:27:05 > 2:27:10at bbc.co.uk/edinburghfestivals
2:27:10 > 2:27:13We leave you tonight with the beautiful sound of Song Of The Goat,
2:27:13 > 2:27:15the award-winning Polish theatre company.
2:27:15 > 2:27:19They are performing laments, psalms and songs of exile
2:27:19 > 2:27:22inspired by ancient Scottish Gaelic traditions,
2:27:22 > 2:27:25behind me at St Giles's Cathedral on the Royal Mile.
2:27:25 > 2:27:28I bet you love this. Good night.
2:27:28 > 2:27:35THEY SING CLOSE HARMONIES
2:28:36 > 2:28:41# On the oak leaf I stand
2:28:41 > 2:28:47# I ride on the filly that never was foaled
2:28:49 > 2:28:57# And I carry the dead in my hand
2:29:04 > 2:29:07# On the oak-leaf I stand
2:29:07 > 2:29:14# I ride on the filly that never was foaled. #