0:00:13 > 0:00:21Hello and welcome to Out of the Blue. I'm Graham Little. And I'm
0:00:21 > 0:00:26Joanne Salley. We are live. And with us tonight... She has been on
0:00:26 > 0:00:30the fiddle since she was six. Now she is a Classic Brit Award winner.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Violinist Tasmin Little will be knocking us for six later.
0:00:33 > 0:00:39Christine Trueman is half-way through a 60-minute masterpiece for
0:00:39 > 0:00:42us. Find out how you can get your hands on that later!
0:00:42 > 0:00:49And joining us on our sofas, from Downton Abbey to down-town Belfast!
0:00:49 > 0:00:55Allen Leech, also known as chauffeur Branson. And APPLAUSE.
0:00:55 > 0:01:009 million people watched last night's episode. Why do you think
0:01:00 > 0:01:05you have -- the Edwardian fascinate us? I do not know, but it is
0:01:05 > 0:01:10fascinating. I suppose it is an opportunity to look at a way of
0:01:10 > 0:01:13life you would normally not be able to. It also has the added bonus
0:01:13 > 0:01:19that you not only see the aristocracy, but how the people who
0:01:19 > 0:01:27make their life possible, how they are living and interacting. I am a
0:01:27 > 0:01:32big fan. Great. We will hear more from Allen later.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Class 6 of another kind, there is the fight for one of the biggest
0:01:36 > 0:01:41book prize of the year. The winner of the Man Booker Prize is revealed
0:01:41 > 0:01:45tomorrow after judging by a panel headed by Dame Stella Rimington.
0:01:45 > 0:01:51Northern Ireland has produced a steady stream of the award-winning
0:01:51 > 0:02:00authors, but Colin Bateman has to be discovered and antrum novelist
0:02:00 > 0:02:08who broke every that -- every law every time she put pen to paper.
0:02:08 > 0:02:17Larne, gateway to the games, a land of rolling hills and waters. And
0:02:17 > 0:02:21home to a great literary secret. Once upon a time, billions of Larne
0:02:21 > 0:02:26roamed by a now forgotten novelist whose work can only be described as
0:02:26 > 0:02:36genius. Edinburgh has Robert Louis Stevenson. London has Charles
0:02:36 > 0:02:43Dickens. Nottingham has DH Lawrence. And Larne has Amanda McKittrick Ros.
0:02:43 > 0:02:50You may ask to this is? She was regarded with awe by cs Lewis and
0:02:50 > 0:02:54Aldous Huxley. Off-shore drew inspiration from her. And the time
0:02:54 > 0:03:03has come to finally remove the Bushell that has hit in the light
0:03:03 > 0:03:10of the worst writer in the world. Was I falsely informed of your ways
0:03:10 > 0:03:17and worth? Was I duped to ascend the ladder of Liberty, the hill of
0:03:17 > 0:03:22triumph, not back the Lived here on the street, in fact we have this
0:03:22 > 0:03:30school is now. -- the women lived here on this
0:03:30 > 0:03:35street. Born in 1860, Amanda qualified as a teacher, moved to
0:03:35 > 0:03:41Larne and married the local station master. Though worst writer in the
0:03:41 > 0:03:51world, that is some title. How bad do you have to be to get that? And
0:03:51 > 0:03:55how did she get published? Her husband paid for the publication.
0:03:55 > 0:04:04It was the tenth anniversary wedding present. The point about
0:04:04 > 0:04:08her work is that it is so bad that it is good. She carried the main
0:04:08 > 0:04:15features of the romantic novel to such tremendous extremes that it
0:04:15 > 0:04:22was bizarre and funny. When her characters are in the throes of
0:04:22 > 0:04:29anger or grief, speeches can call on for pages. She was also drunk on
0:04:29 > 0:04:38alliteration. The week in which she found quite ridiculous phrases to
0:04:38 > 0:04:42describe very ordinary things, so legs become bony supports. Sundays
0:04:42 > 0:04:51becomes sanctified measures of time. She probably thought of herself as
0:04:51 > 0:04:53a genius. She was hard at work on her second book. Then something
0:04:53 > 0:05:00happened that transformed a man the from an unknown writer to someone
0:05:00 > 0:05:04on everyone's lips. A copy of her first novel found its way into
0:05:05 > 0:05:12reader in London. He wrote a scathing review and widespread and
0:05:12 > 0:05:18her name was spoken in hushed tones. There were parties were her books
0:05:18 > 0:05:22read aloud. There was a society in Oxford, with a group of academics,
0:05:22 > 0:05:30including CS Lewis and G R Tolkien, with competitions to see who could
0:05:30 > 0:05:37read her work allowed longest without laughing. Other admirers
0:05:37 > 0:05:45included six freed so soon and the great American writer Mark Twain.
0:05:45 > 0:05:52He gave Amanda's hero Ben Amos off the most unintentionally hilarious
0:05:52 > 0:05:59novel. Peru Amanda, but her books were now being read. And she was
0:05:59 > 0:06:09amazing. In her final novel, she named her characters after pieces
0:06:09 > 0:06:09
0:06:09 > 0:06:15of for it. Such as Lord raspberry. This is writing beyond that satire,
0:06:15 > 0:06:20beyond criticism. Her self-belief was bullet proof and Portree poured
0:06:20 > 0:06:27out of a until her death, convinced her work would be read for 1,000
0:06:27 > 0:06:31years. Her books and now all out of print. And let us face it, there
0:06:31 > 0:06:36are many writers who would give the right time for the kind of
0:06:36 > 0:06:41publicity Amanda got from the grades of her day. In this fine
0:06:41 > 0:06:48town of Larne, there are many who wished a man die used her right arm
0:06:48 > 0:06:53for something other than writing. - - which Amanda.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58She could never see that it was not a bad beat back's work. Did you
0:06:58 > 0:07:05know anything about her? Absolutely not. You could be the best that
0:07:05 > 0:07:14being the worst. What she wrote Downton Abbey? I doubt it would
0:07:14 > 0:07:19have been made. And that was written by Julian
0:07:19 > 0:07:25Fellowes, an Oscar winner with Gosford Park. He is writing about
0:07:25 > 0:07:30what he knows. And he has just been made a lord. He is an incredible
0:07:30 > 0:07:38writer. Look at the way he juggles 22 characters, still interested in
0:07:38 > 0:07:40all of them, is a gift. And he won an Emmy for Downton Abbey. Your
0:07:40 > 0:07:50character is in a pretty complicated relationship with Lady
0:07:50 > 0:07:57Sybil. I have told Mary. I see. That is
0:07:57 > 0:08:03the finished, then. Without a reference. No, she is not like that,
0:08:03 > 0:08:08she will not give us a way. But she will not encourage us. No. Why are
0:08:08 > 0:08:16you smiling? I thought you would be angry. Because that is the first
0:08:16 > 0:08:20time you have spoken about us. In those days, upstairs ladies,
0:08:21 > 0:08:27downstairs tradesmen would have been almost impossible. I want to
0:08:27 > 0:08:33know, is it going to happen? cannot tell you. I wish I could,
0:08:33 > 0:08:40and the amount of people asking every day, and I am doing a bit of
0:08:40 > 0:08:47teasing on Twitter. I am giving odds. He is running out of fences,
0:08:47 > 0:08:53as in episodes, so hopefully he will get over the last hurdle. I am
0:08:53 > 0:09:01giving him a living-2. The action has moved forward in this second
0:09:01 > 0:09:05series. Let us see your character, a man of split loyalties.
0:09:05 > 0:09:12I cannot think about it and although war is over. It will not
0:09:12 > 0:09:20be long now, so we wait. I would wait for ever. I am not asking for
0:09:20 > 0:09:25for ever, just a few more weeks. He is an Irish Republican, and
0:09:25 > 0:09:30tipping his hat to the military chiefs of England. Will he keep his
0:09:30 > 0:09:35anger under control? Are I think he will, and he is clever enough, so
0:09:35 > 0:09:40Branson knows if he wants a chance with Lady Sybil, he will keep it
0:09:40 > 0:09:45together. Good for him. The Belfast Festival of Queens
0:09:46 > 0:09:51Lodge last Friday, bringing two weeks of performances and more to
0:09:51 > 0:09:55venues around the city. Ralph McLean has been to Canterbury to
0:09:55 > 0:09:59checkout one show renowned for its tough cast.
0:09:59 > 0:10:06One night at they hear to usually means people talking on stage, some
0:10:06 > 0:10:12singing or dancing. -- one night at the theatre. Maybe a laid-back
0:10:12 > 0:10:20experience, but not these men. ID is not so much laid-back, more flat
0:10:20 > 0:10:25out. This is a high octane mix of circus and dance that becomes pure
0:10:25 > 0:10:29theatre. The Canadian-based out for it has been thrilling people since
0:10:29 > 0:10:36it first got off the ground nearly 20 years ago. It looks dangerous,
0:10:36 > 0:10:44is it? Yes, but we are well trained. It would be more dangerous for you
0:10:44 > 0:10:54to do it. There is a danger factor and I think that is what makes it
0:10:54 > 0:10:54
0:10:54 > 0:10:59exciting and why we do it. The key is to mix concentration between the
0:10:59 > 0:11:04energy, their acting it presents, and the acrobatics itself. These
0:11:04 > 0:11:10days, people expect more and more from the theatre and expect be on
0:11:10 > 0:11:17the law to be pushed. Is that difficult? It is true, people
0:11:17 > 0:11:22expect more. What I think makes us popularity -- what I think makes us
0:11:22 > 0:11:27popular is to focus on acting and energy as well as the acrobatics.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32It is a balance of those. Fantastic, the best sure we had seen.
0:11:32 > 0:11:37students from the school were inspired. Tomorrow, I think we will
0:11:38 > 0:11:44be excited. We thought it was tremendous. A fantastic show, I
0:11:44 > 0:11:50enjoyed it, very energetic. All I can say is, don't miss that. That
0:11:50 > 0:11:54was absolutely amazing, styles from gymnastics to aerobics to
0:11:54 > 0:12:00Jacqueline to skating and suitable for the Hall family. I was tired
0:12:00 > 0:12:05just watching them. -- juggling. It is an absolutely brilliant show.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10Now what did I put my bicycle? We will have to get him in a tight
0:12:10 > 0:12:15vest during those moves. I would rather not see that. No offence if
0:12:15 > 0:12:21you are watching. Cirque Eloize runs that the grand
0:12:21 > 0:12:26opera house from -- Until Saturday next week.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31We have asked four Northern Irish names to tell us what are they
0:12:31 > 0:12:35would like to put on a pedestal. The first is a man who grew up in
0:12:35 > 0:12:45Armagh, cycled the stage of the Tour de France and gets up horribly
0:12:45 > 0:12:57
0:12:57 > 0:13:05Wow. Never disappoints, this painting, or one of my all-time a
0:13:05 > 0:13:10bits. The definitive anti-war painting. -- all-time favourites.
0:13:10 > 0:13:18It depicts the bombing, a small village in Spain during the Spanish
0:13:18 > 0:13:24Civil War. You see dot or on people's faces, -- the horror on
0:13:24 > 0:13:29people's faces, it takes your breath away. It is astonishing.
0:13:29 > 0:13:39Given what I do, it almost says more than any photograph or any
0:13:39 > 0:13:56
0:13:56 > 0:14:03moving footage. The horror in that, What is this? A book, clearly. Yes,
0:14:03 > 0:14:13no prizes why I love this, about an investigative journalist. He
0:14:13 > 0:14:14
0:14:14 > 0:14:20uncovers some very dark doings in Sweden. The author was a journalist,
0:14:20 > 0:14:24who sadly died in 2004, with the main character, an investigative
0:14:24 > 0:14:29journalist. I travelled to Stockholm to go on one of the
0:14:29 > 0:14:35walking tours. It was to look at one of the locations. Because of my
0:14:35 > 0:14:41profession, journalism can matter, we are not all phone hackers and
0:14:41 > 0:14:46doorsteps. It proves that all good journalism can change things and
0:14:46 > 0:14:56uncover things and make things perhaps a tiny bit better. A great
0:14:56 > 0:15:04
0:15:04 > 0:15:09read. I have a great pub debate about
0:15:09 > 0:15:15what is the best 70s sitcom and get out voted. Everyone goes for Fawlty
0:15:15 > 0:15:20Towers, but I go for this. Absolutely marvellous. I don't know
0:15:20 > 0:15:26why you asked me to make it. I can stand conducting at conversation
0:15:26 > 0:15:29when in the lavatory. The central themes are about the tension
0:15:30 > 0:15:35between the aspirational working class man who wants to become
0:15:35 > 0:15:41middle class. He has a white-collar job. And his friend, who is staying
0:15:41 > 0:15:46true to his working-class roots. His that your friend's car? Do me a
0:15:46 > 0:15:50favour, get stuffed. I remember watching it with my brother and my
0:15:50 > 0:15:57brother was very much like Terry, he liked his beer and cigarettes
0:15:57 > 0:16:07and gambling. Everyone knows men like that, it is priceless. I am
0:16:07 > 0:16:19
0:16:19 > 0:16:29taking my driving test. And it goes Some music awaits, I suspect. Yes.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31
0:16:31 > 0:16:36Fantastic stuff. What do you choose? The Beatles. This song
0:16:36 > 0:16:42shows of George Harrison's writing skills. It has his mate, Eric
0:16:42 > 0:16:49Clapton, on it. I remember getting into this in the early 70s when I
0:16:49 > 0:16:59was studying for my O-levels, during the Council strike. The
0:16:59 > 0:17:02
0:17:02 > 0:17:11lights were going out. That is -- art is inextricably linked with
0:17:11 > 0:17:17memory. Don't you love the Beatles?
0:17:17 > 0:17:24Absolutely. Do you have a particular piece of hard work?
0:17:24 > 0:17:34think I would go with music can say Van Morrison. Are you just saying
0:17:34 > 0:17:36
0:17:36 > 0:17:44that because you are in Belfast? No! You have been in lots of
0:17:44 > 0:17:50costume dramas, in Rome and The Tudors. Obvious you like --
0:17:50 > 0:17:55obviously you liked dressing up. have an oversize leprechaun
0:17:55 > 0:17:59costume! It is not really by choice. It is just the stuff I tend to get
0:17:59 > 0:18:03cast in. It is all very different. The costumes are varied and they
0:18:03 > 0:18:09are different periods of time. I seem to do a lot of riding horses
0:18:09 > 0:18:13and driving old cars. The next thing we will see you in is a huge
0:18:13 > 0:18:19departure from Downton Abbey - a thing written by Charlie Brooker.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23It is a little edgier, shall we say? It centres on a terrorist plot
0:18:23 > 0:18:26to kidnap a fictional Princess from the Royal Family. The on the way
0:18:26 > 0:18:31that they will finally release her - I do not want to give away too
0:18:31 > 0:18:35much - you will see if you watch it why I could not talk about it
0:18:35 > 0:18:45before the watershed. Do you find, their bit harder than straight
0:18:45 > 0:18:46
0:18:46 > 0:18:51drama? It is harder. With Charlie because -- with Charlie Brooker's
0:18:51 > 0:19:01stuff, you do not have to be funny. You do not have to try to be too
0:19:01 > 0:19:06funny. You're nicked! You're going to be
0:19:06 > 0:19:10in the Mike Sweeney. Yes, we begin filming in a week and a half. It is
0:19:10 > 0:19:14a modern version of the classic one from the 70s. Have you seen the
0:19:14 > 0:19:21script? Yes, it is great. Have they toned it down a bit for our
0:19:21 > 0:19:25sensitive ears? No. It is really full on. There is an incredible gun
0:19:25 > 0:19:33fight scene that I cannot wait to do. We will be driving cars fast,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37smashing through stuff - fantastic. We look forward to seeing that!
0:19:37 > 0:19:42You can catch Allen in Downton Abbey. It is on on Sunday. Series
0:19:42 > 0:19:46two is out on DVD next month. Belfast City Hall will be showing
0:19:46 > 0:19:49pictures at an exhibition next week as part of the festival.
0:19:49 > 0:19:55photographers and film-makers have come together to form are the
0:19:55 > 0:20:03unique portrait of our rapidly changing city. -- to form a unique
0:20:03 > 0:20:08portrait. We went to take a look. How do you even begin to capture an
0:20:08 > 0:20:15entire city in a work of art? Especially in a potboiler of a
0:20:15 > 0:20:19place like Belfast. Two film makers and three photographers from the
0:20:19 > 0:20:29Belfast Now project have been wrestling with how to put the place
0:20:29 > 0:20:36
0:20:36 > 0:20:42Both films are look at everyday life in Belfast. They are things
0:20:42 > 0:20:51that may not have had a spotlight shone on them so far. My name is
0:20:51 > 0:20:58Jane. I and 67 years old and my grand son is Scott. He is a very
0:20:58 > 0:21:08nice fella. I cannot give too much away but his is about two people -
0:21:08 > 0:21:10
0:21:10 > 0:21:20an 18-year-old lad and his granny. -- but it is about. Adam's film
0:21:20 > 0:21:32
0:21:32 > 0:21:39And there are three photographers involved. They have all got their
0:21:39 > 0:21:47own individual vision. Michael is very much into the buildings of
0:21:47 > 0:21:53Belfast and architecture. Tommy is very much into portraiture. The
0:21:53 > 0:22:00third has a very unique black and white version. How can people make
0:22:00 > 0:22:03a contribution? Our website -- our Facebook page is available for
0:22:03 > 0:22:08people to offload their photographs. By the time the festival is
0:22:08 > 0:22:12finished we will have a mass of photographs that show what the
0:22:12 > 0:22:21citizens of Belfast see in their city.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25I am a great fan of Tommy. Belfast Now runs until the end of October.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30Every week we have an artist making a work of art in only 60 minutes.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35First up is Christine Trueman. This is fantastic. Tell me about it.
0:22:35 > 0:22:43This is a local woman that I wanted to paint. She is known as Ruby
0:22:43 > 0:22:47Murray. She was a singer. You do not just use paint, what other
0:22:47 > 0:22:50materials have you stuck on here? Anything that will stick goes on
0:22:50 > 0:22:58the canvas, as far as I am concerned. If it is bright, bold,
0:22:58 > 0:23:02colourful. You have used children's toys as well? Yes. I draw the line
0:23:02 > 0:23:07at food. I think that might be pushing it a little bit. Have you
0:23:07 > 0:23:14found it difficult to work in the timescale? Very, very challenging,
0:23:14 > 0:23:23yes. And with people watching. I am usually in the studio, Galway, have
0:23:23 > 0:23:27a cup at the, come back again. -- Galway, have a cup of tea. Your
0:23:27 > 0:23:33only became a professional artist about two years ago. Why so late?
0:23:33 > 0:23:36It was really just a hobby. When I had a bit of spare time I went and
0:23:37 > 0:23:46did a class for beginners. I posted things online and people started
0:23:47 > 0:23:48
0:23:48 > 0:23:52asking about it. Do you like icons for painting? People with strong
0:23:52 > 0:23:55bone structures make very good subject.
0:23:55 > 0:24:01If you do like Christine's work and would like to buy this, here is
0:24:01 > 0:24:07your chance. All of the works of art created on Out Of The Blue will
0:24:07 > 0:24:13be auctioned off with the proceeds going to BBC Children In Need. Log
0:24:13 > 0:24:16on to that Children in Need website. -- on to the Children In Need
0:24:16 > 0:24:20website. From art to music, on Friday the
0:24:20 > 0:24:26Ulster Hall will be filled with the rich sound of the Ulster Orchestra,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30playing Elgar's Violin Concerto and Brahms' Symphony No. 3. Joining
0:24:30 > 0:24:35them on stage will be one of the best violin players in the world,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Tasmin Little. Fine you for joining us here before Friday. You have
0:24:38 > 0:24:45brought your violin to stop it does not look like your average one, I
0:24:45 > 0:24:50have to say! It was made 250 years ago. It is a beautiful, passionate
0:24:50 > 0:24:56instrument with lots of red flames of varnish up the back. I hope I
0:24:56 > 0:25:00look that well when I am 250 years of age! What will be in the show
0:25:00 > 0:25:04one Friday? The highlight for me is being back in Belfast, where I have
0:25:04 > 0:25:09been coming for more years than I care to remember. I love the
0:25:09 > 0:25:13audience and the Ulster Hall. The Elgar is a beautiful, passionate
0:25:13 > 0:25:18piece. I was thrilled earlier this year to get a Brit award for my
0:25:18 > 0:25:24recording of it. It has everything a violin concerto should have -
0:25:24 > 0:25:28some great themes, tricky passages and great bits for the orchestra.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33The Ulster Hall, obviously, is a tremendous venue, but you are also
0:25:33 > 0:25:38very happy playing classical music outside places that are a bit out
0:25:38 > 0:25:41of the ordinary. If you have played in a prison and you have let people
0:25:41 > 0:25:46download tracks from your website for nothing. Is this part of your
0:25:46 > 0:25:52campaign to bring classical music to more people? Yes. I started a
0:25:52 > 0:25:55project called The Naked Violin about three years ago. It is
0:25:55 > 0:25:58designed to bring classical music to people who never had an
0:25:58 > 0:26:02opportunity before. I think most of us are comfortable with the
0:26:02 > 0:26:07internet and I thought it would be good to put some music up there. I
0:26:07 > 0:26:11have had letters from people all over the world and about 500,000
0:26:11 > 0:26:15people had downloaded it. A incredible. Tasmin, we're very
0:26:15 > 0:26:24excited to have you here to play tonight. I will let you get over
0:26:24 > 0:26:29there and get ready. Thank you. Tasmin is that the Ulster Hall this
0:26:29 > 0:26:34Friday and hard Delius and double concerto recordings are not now.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37We will be back next week with the story behind railway posters that
0:26:37 > 0:26:40are no posting big prices in art auctions.