Video: Clare Grogan at Aye Write!
From Herald Scotland:
Clare Grogan has given us a special video interview about Altered Images, female musicians and Gregory's Girl.
Clare Grogan and Ken McCluskey. Picture by Martin Shields. Source: Herald Scotland
The actress and singer appeared at the Aye Write! festival with Ken
McCluskey from The Bluebells to talk about What Presence!, a book that
celebrates the photography of Harry Papadopoulos.
Musical twist: Clare Grogan will be speaking at Ken McCluskey's event Celebrating Harry Papadopolous at Aye Write!
William McIlvanney, Denise Mina, Alasdair Gray, Janice
Galloway, Val McDermid – the list reads like a who’s who in Scottish
literature.
But the cream of the country’s writing crop have come together for
the city's eighth Aye Write! festival, which returns on April 12.
Writers from north of the border will be appearing side by side with
the likes of Sandi Toksvig, Darcey Bussell, Jeremy Vine and Tracey Thorn
during the ten day book festival.
Last year more than 40,000 people attended events at Aye Write! and with talks including I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue – the Best of Forty Years and Ian Buxton’s 101 World Whiskies selling out within weeks of going on sale.
However there is a tinge of sadness hanging over this year’s
festival. Following the news that Iain Banks is battling terminal
cancer, The Wasp Factory writer has cancelled his appearance at Aye Write!
Read more at STV
In
the year they both turn 50, the two stars of Gregory's Girl return, for
the first time together, to the school where the film was shot to share
memories of making and promoting the film as teenagers. For ArtWorks
Scotland, they trace their subsequent parallel careers as actors,
singers - Clare in the band Altered Images and Gordon in stage musicals -
and more recently as authors.
Broadcast details: Tue 11 Dec 2012 at 22:00 Duration: 30 minutes BBC TwoScotland only
Source: BBC
31 YEARS ON, IT’S BACK TO SCHOOL FOR GREGORY AND GIRL
John Gordon Sinclair and Clare Grogan take a nostalgic trip back to Abronhill High
At last, Gregory gets one of his girls back to the old school that made them both famous.
Film stars John Gordon Sinclair and Clare
Grogan are taking the nostalgic trip back to Abronhill High in
Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire, which formed the backdrop for their 1981 hit
film Gregory’s Girl.
The pair are reunited at the school in documentary
When Clare Grogan Met John Gordon Sinclair, to be broadcast by BBC2 on
Tuesday, December 11.
These days, Abronhill High is set to be bulldozed, despite a campaign to save it.
Having both turned 50 this
year, Grogan and Sinclair enjoy a meander down memory lane as they
recall working together for the first time on the film that catapulted
them to stardom at the age of 19.
Directed by Bill Forsyth, the cast list was a Who’s Who of Scottish
talent with veterans such as Chic Murray, Alex Norton, John Bett and
Dave Anderson also on board.
After sharing memories of making and
promoting the film as teenagers, they reflect on their subsequent
parallel careers as actors and singers – Grogan in the band Altered
Images and Sinclair in stage musicals – though more recently he has
taken to writing novels.
Glasgow-born Sinclair took the role of infatuated
Gregory, with Clare and Dee Hepburn playing the girls who stole his
heart. Hepburn, 51, capitalised on her break with a three-year stint on
popular ITV soap Crossroads before quitting showbiz disillusioned to
become a full-time mother to two children.
Clare said: “I always thought of it as John Gordon Sinclair’s film. He’s amazing in it.
“The highlight was finding out
what catering had for us, as the food was great. It was a blast.”
Abronhill High is facing
closure under plans by North Lanarkshire Council to merge it with nearby
Cumbernauld High.
A consultation into the proposed package of savings, which includes the closure of Abronhill, closed last week.
The council proposes to close
the school from August 2013, with pupils going to Cumbernauld High,
which itself may be replaced at a later date by a a new-build school.
The Abronhill closure will save the council £1million a year.
Breast cancer awareness campaign breaks government’s online records
A shock new health advert featuring women's breasts has
outperformed a major campaign to promote the Scottish Homecoming, new
figures have shown.
The Homecoming
advert - part of a multi-million campaign - had previously been the
most successful ever to be commissioned by the Scottish Government with
almost 112,000 views.
But the Detect Cancer Early drive starring actress and comedian Elaine C Smith has smashed previous records to become a chart topper on YouTube.
A total of 125,048 people have viewed the video to date which carries the message that lumps are not the only sign of cancer.
The campaign is predominantly aimed at women over the age of 55, as this is the group most at risk of developing breast cancer.
Video statistics from YouTube show that men aged 45–54 years have
been the most likely group to watch the advert online so far, followed
by men aged 35–44 and then women aged 45–54 years.
Brian Coane, accounts partner from The Leith Agency, who made the
advert, said: "The campaign was developed to get the attention of a
female audience. And the first thing that we want the campaign to do is
to help women spot the signs and symptoms of breast cancer.
“But cancer is something that affects many people, male and female.
So we hope that the message of 'Don't get scared, get checked' is one
that people want to pass on, especially through word of mouth."
Official government figures show that there were 1,024 cases of breast cancer in women in Greater Glasgow and Clyde in 2010 and five cases in men.
Launched earlier this year, the Detect Cancer Early campaign aims to
increase the early detection of cancer by a quarter by 2015 and save 300
lives across Scotland.
Speaking about the creative process behind the advert Phil Evans,
copywriter from The Leith Agency, said: “We always felt that showing
real breasts, with real symptoms, would make for a powerful advert.
“And that's when we hit on the idea of cards being held up over the
chest. We thought that if we could get a high-profile woman to go
topless and hold them up so that it looked like they were her breasts,
this would instantly grab the viewer's attention.
“Full-frontal naked breasts had never been seen in an advert before,
but we thought if ever there was a time when this could be appropriate,
it was now - for this campaign.
“There was something about Elaine that we thought women in Scotland
would relate to. And when we found out she'd lost her own mum to breast
cancer, it was never going to be anyone else.
“When I thought about what she should say while holding the cards, I
felt it was important to reflect her personality and warm people to the
information by making a joke at the start of the advert.
“That's where the ‘Three kids later ones’ line came in. It shows this
is about real women with real breasts. This honesty set the tone for
the whole advert. It is a straightforward, honest appeal to the women of
Scotland.
“I'm absolutely over-the-moon with the reaction. As Elaine put it
when she had a wee teary moment during filming, ‘If it prevents one
death from breast cancer it was all worth it’.”
The average survival rate for cancer has doubled in the past 30
years, and half of all people diagnosed with the disease now survive for
at least five years.
Between 1986 and 2010, the survival rate of those being diagnosed
with cancer across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has increased by 17%.
Responding to the success of the campaign, Health Secretary Alex Neil
says that the “upfront and honest” advert has made a bold step in
tackling breast cancer survival rates head-on.
He said: “One in nine women in Scotland will be diagnosed with breast
cancer in their lifetime, highlighting the gravity of this disease and
the importance of staging a public health campaign that directly
addresses the awareness of symptoms.
“We needed to give women across Scotland the confidence to deal with
breast cancer and to recognise the potential visual signs and symptoms
of the disease.
“The creative route is a UK first by showing real pictures of women’s
bare breasts with visible signs of breast cancer in a television
advert.
“It has drawn widespread, positive responses across the nation that
have helped to galvanise conversation around the topic of breast
awareness.
“The Scottish Government is proud to have introduced this
groundbreaking campaign which we believe will help pave the way to
improve the health of generations of Scottish women to come.”
Following in the footsteps of Elaine C Smith, a group of celebrities
have since joined together to make an online spin-off video and help
reinforce the Detect Cancer Early campaign messages.
Featuring Kaye Adams, Tom Kitchin, Clare Grogan, Michelle McManus,
Amanda Hamilton, Grant Stott, Phil Kay and Greg McHugh, the celebs are
hopeful that the light-hearted approach, which has had over 10,000 views
so far, will strike a chord with the public.
Kaye Adams said: “I think the tone of the advert is just right. The
important thing in any media campaign is to make a connection and a
lasting impression. A stern 'in one ear and out the other' message is no
good to anyone.
“Scots respond to humour, they enjoy humour and remember it and if it
can help them take on board an important message, then it is doing its
job.
“I thought the original advert was inspiring from the off. It caught
my attention immediately and drove me online to look at it again. Elaine
is the perfect choice, she is known for her humour but also her
intelligence and integrity.”
The Wee Man: Paul Ferris film set for cinema release in January
A hard-hitting feature film about the life of Glasgow
gangland figure Paul Ferris is set to get a cinema release.
The Wee Man, which has a star-studded cast, will get a world première in Glasgow in January shortly before it hits screens nationwide.
Martin Compston, who shot to fame as a teenager in the Ken
Loach drama Sweet Sixteen, has landed the key role of Ferris. John Hannah will play Ferris’s nemesis, Tam McGraw, in the
film, which has been made and is being distributed by London-based Carnaby
International.
The film, scheduled for release on January 13, was famously
shot in London due to problems securing permission to film in Ferris’s home
city from Glasgow City Council and Strathclyde Police.
It has been directed by Ray Burdis, who also made The Krays
movie, with other stars including Star Wars actor Denis Lawson, Comfort and
Joy’s Clare Grogan, and Stephen McCole, one of the stars of Neds.
The film charts the life of Ferris from his childhood in
1960s Glasgow and his rise through what the film-makers describe as the city’s
“murky underworld.”
A spokeswoman for Carnaby International said: “The Wee Man
follows Paul growing up an ordinary young kid with decent, hardworking parents
in the notorious area of Blackhill, Glasgow and the journey through his teenage
years to manhood.
“The story begins in the sixties. At the age of just 11,
Paul has already learned that life on the street is tough. Everybody knows his
place. Poverty breeds corruption, crime, violence and bullying.”
Ferris was famously cleared of murdering Arthur “Fat Boy”
Thompson in 1992 after a jury delivered a not-proven verdict, but was later
jailed after being found guilty of gun-running.
The film is based on the autobiography of Ferris, written
after his release from jail in 2002.
The true-life
story of Paul Ferris, an ordinary young kid from decent hardworking
parents, brought up in the notorious area of Blackhill, Glasgow and his
journey through his teenage years to manhood. Set in the sixties, at
aged 11, Paul is already familiar with how tough life is on the street.
Everybody knows his place, poverty breeds corruption, crime, violence
and bullying and Blackhill was top of the list. Fighting on the streets,
a corrupt police force, which dealt with the violence in their own way.
No one dared to ask why. The lesson from his father. "Know nothing, say
nothing, do nothing, and you can survive. Never grass".
Source: YouTube
The Wee Man stars John Hannah, Martin Compston, Denis Lawson, James Robinson, Joy McAvoy, Clare Grogan and many other Scottish actors.
More info at IMDB
Genesis Film Sales is in
Cannes with The Wee Man, a new crime thriller that has a market screening today
(16 May).
The film is based on the
true story of Glaswegian gangster Paul Ferris.
John Hannah (Four
Weddings and a Funeral) and Martin Compston (The Disappearance of
Alice Creed) lead the cast, which also includes Rita Tushingham, Stephen
McCole, Patrick Bergin, Clare Grogan and Dennis Lawson.
Ray Burdis (The Krays)
directs.
Ferris described as ‘the
most feared man in Glasgow,’ was brought up in the 1960s on the notorious Black
Hill estate before turning to a life of crime.
Ian Hall, CEO of
Genesis, said: “We are very proud of our Cannes slate this year, and we expect
this to be our strongest market to date. We are especially excited to be premièring The Wee Man which tells a great, gritty British story with fantastic
performances.”
