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Channel Hopper
Dispatches from the sofa, with Brian Donaldson
■ It’s cliché number 64 in the film and TV thriller world to have someone already in an advanced state of vulnerability being placed into further terrible danger. This might be a child alone at home (Home Alone), a posh bint being weighed down by her jewels when trying to escape the clutches of a murderous felon (see Grace Kelly in Rear Window) or a one-armed German wheelchair-using dwarf (OK, that one’s yet to be filmed). In The Silence (BBC1, Mon
12–Thu 15 Jul, 9pm), our waif in peril is Amelia, a deaf teenager whose parents (Gina McKee and Hugh Bonneville) try hard but are not overly disappointed when she goes to stay with his brother (copper Douglas Henshall) and their open-minded family: in an unlikely scene designed to crowbar in a plot furtherance by having Amelia do a spot of lip- reading which ultimately leads to her flirt with mortal danger, the brood gather round Dougie’s laptop to cackle at the CCTV build-up to an ‘orrible murder.
There’s quite a lot in here that gets in the way of pure enjoyment (when it came to decide who would do the other’s accent to prove they were brothers, Shuggie obviously lost the toss and dipped into his High Road VHS archive to come up with that accent), but the four consecutive nights you will need to commit to for this are rewarded by a pleasingly bleak conclusion.
A RO U N D TOW N Edinburgh’s Village Store at Out of the Blue has reopened, following the venue’s renovation selling a range of ethical goods including fresh, local and seasonal fruit and vegetables, eggs, jam, cakes and more. Shoppers can also enjoy cooking tips and recipe ideas. Check it out on Sat 10am–2pm. BOOKS The National Library of Scotland has announced plans for a new online educational resource for Scottish schools. Featuring images from its own collection, as well as the Scottish National Portrait Gallery and the National Maritime Museum, it celebrates Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish pioneer medical missionary; Ralph Abercromby, the British lieutenant general who was noted for his services during the Napoleonic Wars; David Livingstone, a Scottish missionary and explorer; James Watt, a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer and Florence Nightingale, made famous by her pioneering work in nursing. See more at www.nls.uk/jma/who/smiles/heroes.
Singer and actor Tam White has died, aged 67 MUSIC The List is sad to report that Scottish singer and actor Tam White has died, aged 67. Best known as a blues singer, White also appeared in Braveheart, Taggart and Rebus in the course of his career. Back in Festival land, Aberdeen’s Wizard Festival, running from 27–28 Aug, has announced additions to its line-up: Sandi Thom, Proud Mary, the Dykeenies, Hip Parade, Kid British, Root System and Dangleberries will all rock up to this year’s event at the New Deer Showground. See www.wizardfestival.com/ tickets.html for more. Elsewhere, Badly Drawn Boy has been announced as headliner for this year’s Belladrum Tartan Heart festival in Beauly from 6–7 Aug.
THEATRE Happy birthday to the RSAMD, who celebrate their 60th anniversary with a special theatre season this autumn. Tam Dean Burn will direct Edwin Morgan’s The Play of Gilgamesh to mark Morgan’s 90th birthday. While elsewhere, the drama school stage nine world premieres, including plays by Nicola McCartney, Peter Arnott and Chris Hannan.
FILM Birthday bumps time over at Edinburgh Filmhouse this month, as it celebrates 25 years of screenings. To commemorate its anniversary, check out the special programme of films they’re putting on, harking back to years gone by, as well as a Family Fun Day in Festival Square on Sat 17 Jul, with free screenings of classic family films on the BBC’s Big Screen, including Albert Lamorisse’s 1956 fantasy The Red Balloon and Disney animation The Jungle Book. VISUAL ART The Big Yin is to be immortalised as a sculpture. Billy Connolly will be recreated as a steel structure following a commission by housing charity, Sanctuary Scotland. Artist Andy Scott – whose public artworks include the M8 Heavy Horse and Falkirk Helix Water Kelpies – is expected to deliver the sculpture next spring. The piece will overlook the Clydeside Expressway, in Anderston, close to the shipyards where Connolly worked as a welder.
8 THE LIST 8–22 Jul 2010
I said, will you come back this side of the ‘do not cross’ line!