A Kick Up The Arts with Nicola Meighan

Send us Fan Mail This episode was recorded live at the brilliant Portobello Bookshop , in (near!) Edinburgh - thank you so much to Euan and the gang for making us so welcome - as ever - and to everyone at Birlinn . And thanks to the legend Val McDermid - folk singer; football fan; Fun Loving Crime Writer ; creator of heroes like Lindsay Gordon, Wire in the Blood ’s Carol Jordan and Allie Burns - a...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we’re chatting about comedian, writer and director Paul Black's terrific new BBC short film - Govan Fair Queen - which sees nine-year-old Abigail reluctantly roped into entering the annual local pageant by her fired-up granny Linda - played by Elaine C Smith.  It’s a really warm and funny love letter to family, community and pride, via footballers, flatpack furnitu...

Send us Fan Mail Before we get to this episode, recorded at the brilliant Glasgow Women’s Library, a reminder that A Kick Up The Arts is live at the Edinburgh Fringe in August… I’d love you to join me at the Stand, which is only a five-minute walk from Waverley Station, for lunchtime chats with guests Gavin Mitchell on August 18, Gordon Buchanan on the 19th, Barbara Dickson on the 20th, Grant Stot...

Send us Fan Mail We’re at one of my old places of work for this episode - The Tron theatre in Glasgow, to celebrate a terrific one-man play called Man’s Best Friend - you might have seen the dogs who’re ostensibly at the heart of it all over social media - and it’s there until the 12th of July, before touring Aberdeen, Ayr, Dundee, Edinburgh, Greenock and Inverness in the Autumn. It’s written by S...

Send us Fan Mail Before we get wired into this week’s episode, I’ve just announced that wildlife cameraman, film-maker and rock ‘n’ roll lion tamer Gordon Buchnanan is the latest guest to join me for A Kick Up The Arts at the Edinburgh Fringe… We’ll be at the Stand on August 19th, and we’d love you to join us.  My other guests that week - so far - are Gavin Mitchell on the 18thl, Barbara Dickson o...

Send us Fan Mail Just very quickly, a reminder that I’d love you to join me for A Kick Up The Arts - live at at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe , I’ll be at The Stand, with Still Game's Gavin Mitchell on August 18th, Barbara Dickson on August 20th, Grant Stott on August 21st, and Del Amitri’s Justin Currie on August 23rd - and I’ll be announcing more fab special guests soon… Before that, the awe...

Send us Fan Mail Just very quickly, a reminder that I’d love you to join me for A Kick Up The Arts - live - at at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, I’ll be at The Stand, with Barbara Dickson on August 20th, Grant Stott on August 21st, and Del Amitri’s Justin Currie on August 23rd - and I’ll be announcing more fab special guests soon… Before that, the awesome Val McDermid will join me at The Portobello...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we’re celebrating brass bands, activism, teenage angst and community spirit, thanks to the National Theatre of Scotland ’s latest production - KELI , which opened last week at Stirling’s Macrobert Centre and Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum . It’s running at Dundee Rep this week, before marching on to Perth Theatre and Glasgow Tramway in June… Marking 40 years since the m...

Send us Fan Mail Just very quickly, a reminder that I’d love you to join me for A Kick Up The Arts - live - at at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe , I’ll be at The Stand , with Barbara Dickson on August 20th, Grant Stott on August 21st, and Del Amitri’s Justin Currie on August 23rd - and I’ll be announcing more special guests soon… Before that though, the brilliant Val McDermid will join me at The Por...

Send us Fan Mail Before we jump on board with this episode, I’m delighted to tell you that the writer and legend Val McDermid will be joining me for A Kick Up The Arts live from Edinburgh’s Portobello Bookshop to celebrate her latest book, Queen Macbeth, on July the 9th. She’ll also chat about a favourite Scottish album, film and book - and we’d love you to come along. I’ll put ticket links everyw...

Send us Fan Mail Before we get wired into this episode, I’m delighted to tell you that the podcast is coming to the Edinburgh Fringe this Summer! I’ll be at The Stand, which is a five minute walk from Waverley Station, with very special guests every lunchtime, from August the 18th to the 24th… So far, I can tell you that I’ll be joined by Barbara Dickson on August 20th, Grant Stott on August 21st,...

Send us Fan Mail Just before we get wired into this episode, a quick reminder I’ll be in conversation with the brilliant writer David Keenan - whose hallucinogenic books include Xstabeth and This Is Memorial Device - about his new collection of music writing, Volcanic Tongue, live from Edinburgh's Portobello Bookshop, on March 27th - there’ll be loads of tunes too - and we’d love you to join...

Send us Fan Mail Just before we get wired into this episode, a quick reminder that I’ll be in conversation with the brilliant writer David Keenan - whose hallucinogenic books include Xstabeth and This Is Memorial Device - about his new collection of music writing, Volcanic Tongue, in Edinburgh later this month… It raves about, and roves across, artists like The Pastels, Nick Cave and John Martyn,...

Send us Fan Mail Before we dive into this week’s episode - recorded live at Aberdeen’s Granite Noir festival - a reminder that if you’re in or around Glasgow on the afternoon of March 1st, we’d love to see you at the Glad Cafe for A Kick Up The Arts live with award-winning poet and writer Michael Pedersen - Alan Cumming loves him, Shirley Manson from Garbage loves him, Nicola Sturgeon loves him -...

Send us Fan Mail Thanks so much if you joined us at Granite Noir in Aberdeen on Sunday, for a lovely live recording with actor Dawn Steele - that podcast is coming soon! And don’t forget, if you’re in Glasgow, I’m joined by writer Michael Pedersen and musicians Siobhan Wilson and Raveloe for A Kick Up The Arts live from the Glad Cafe , that’s on Saturday afternoon, March 1st - and then, the mighty...

Send us Fan Mail I promise I’ll stop going on about this soon, but I’m still very excited about the first three LIVE episodes of A Kick Up The Arts - at Aberdeen’s Granite Noir on February 23rd with actor Dawn Steele , at Glasgow’s Glad Cafe on March 1st with writer Michael Pedersen AND musicians Siobhan Wilson and Raveloe … PLUS - on March 27th, I’m joined by David Keenan to celebrate his new boo...

Send us Fan Mail Just a reminder that I’d love you to join us for A Kick Up The Arts live in Aberdeen at Granite Noir festival with the fab actor Dawn Steele , that’s on February 23rd - then award-winning poet and writer Michael Pedersen will join me at Glasgow’s Glad Cafe on March 1st, with live music from the sublime Siobhan Wilson and Raveloe - and THEN literary livewire David Keenan launches h...

Send us Fan Mail Just a reminder that there are a few live events coming up, and I’d love to see you there - actor Dawn Steele - who’s starred in Monarch of the Glen and Shetland among others - joins me at Granite Noir in Aberdeen on Febrary 23rd, award-winning poet and writer Michael Pedersen ’s with me at Glasgow’s Glad Cafe on March 1st - Siobhan Wilson and Raveloe will play some live music at...

Send us Fan Mail Firstly! A reminder that A Kick Up The Arts is live in Aberdeen, at Granite Noir book festival, where my guest will be the fab Dawn Steele , star of Granite Harbour, Monarch of the Glen, Shetland and more - that’s on the 23rd of February, it’s in the afternoon, and we’re love you to join us.  We’re doing another live recording at Glasgow’s Glad Cafe on the 1st of March with award-...

Send us Fan Mail Before I go any further, I want to tell you that A Kick Up The Arts is coming to a venue near you, very soon!  If you’re in Aberdeen, I’ll be at Granite Noir on February 23rd, which is a Sunday afternoon, with a very familiar face from your telly - she’s a legend, and she’ll join me for an afternoon chatting about her life, and work, and her choice of a favourite Scottish album, f...

Send us Fan Mail Before I go any further, I want to remind you that A Kick Up The Arts is coming to a venue near you, very soon!  I've got some really lovely events to announce in Glasgow, and Edinburgh - and elsewhere all over the country - but, for now, I'm delighted to be coming to Aberdeen's fab book festival, Granite Noir, on the 23rd of February, which is a Sunday afternoon, w...

Send us Fan Mail Before I go any further, I want to tell you that A Kick Up The Arts is coming to a venue near you, very soon!  I've got some really lovely events to announce in Glasgow, and Edinburgh - and elsewhere across the country - but, for now, I'm delighted to be coming to Aberdeen's fab book festival, Granite Noir , on the 23rd of February, which is a Sunday afternoon, with...

Send us Fan Mail This week, I’m revisiting the very first place I ever worked, with one of my very favourite writers… Malachy Tallack was raised in Shetland, so you might think that we’d meet up there - and I’ll hopefully get there soon enough - but we actually caught up in Cupar Library, what with Malachy living in Fife these days. I had a Saturday job there when I was at primary school, so it wa...

Send us Fan Mail Come in, take your coat off, ruffle your hair, and thanks for bringing that bottle of wine. The fire's on, get your feet up... It's time for an A Kick Up The Arts: 'All Back To Mine' special with one of our best-loved actors, and pop stars, thanks to her starring role in Gregory’s Girl, and her brilliant songs with Altered Images, and really that is not the hal...

Send us Fan Mail This week, I'm at Edinburgh’s Fruitmarket Gallery with artist Fionna Carlisle and the legend of stage, screen - and music - that is Barbara Dickson… Fionna’s glorious painting, Eleven Red Roses, was shown in the gallery in the 1980s, and - as such - she features in Holly Davey’s exhibition, The Unforgetting, which is a role-call of the 354 women whose art has been shown there...