Somewhere: for us

Scottish superstar Alan Cumming completes this year of special conversations and gives us so much to look forward to, in a joyful chat recorded remotely in Scotland as he settles into his new role as Artistic Director at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre. A virtuoso of performance arts yet a leading light behind the scenes too, Alan's international and extraordinary career spans 5 decades as an actor...

Lucia August is a 72-year-old lesbian, plus-sized dancer and choreographer originating from the US and now making Scotland her home.  She joins Jules during Pride season to share intimate stories and reflections celebrating inclusivity, coming out for the first time 50 years ago and pursuing our dreams. How can we move forward when everything can feel so backwards?  Lucia provides insight and expe...

Mhairi Black gave an epic maiden speech in the House of Commons as a Member of Parliament for Paisley and Renfrewshire South in 2015, at just 20 years old. There she endured as an MP and became Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in the House of Commons from 2022 to 2024.  She made the decision to retire from political life in 2024, taking to the stage with her debut solo show, 'Pol...

Fàilte gu prògram 14! Settle down for a cuppa with Scottish folk singer and winner of Our 2024 Unicorns Arts Award, Kim Carnie.  Jules meets Kim as her new solo single, Middle of Hope is released and just days after the Scottish premiere of a special documentary made about her life and the impact of being in a secret same-sex relationship for 6 years, from the ages of 16-22.  Directed by Maureen M...

Porty Pride have hosted their 3rd pride festival in the town of Portobello, Edinburgh’s seaside suburb. Jules sets off on an unplanned, day-long adventure to find out how this small regional event with LGBTQ+ organisers at its heart, is building a better community for everyone. Content heads-ups : - seagulls - dogs barking - a bit of wind - a couple of moments of loud cheering - brief mention of h...

Dean Atta is an award-winning author and performance poet and in this touching and revealing episode we hear about the inspiration for his memoir and how the deeply personal book - yo-yoing back and forth from his childhood - stays grounded by its focus on the body "starting at the crown moving through to the roots". The courage present throughout all Dean's work is reflected in the conversation a...

What kind of biscuits do you lay out for a national icon? I settled on gingers and spent too long arranging them on one of my wife’s favourite plates. We record at my home (ten points if you can hear the bin lorry during the chat!) and Jackie was kind enough to come over and share the stories behind this new collection of poems, and its title, ‘May Day’, a chronicle of activism in the UK over six...

Having pressed send on her 8th studio album (and 11th album in total) just hours before we begin, Horse McDonald is back at the starting gate raring to go, but as she soon reminds me in this candid chat, she’s in the same race as everyone else. It's all in the music for Horse, and she's still powerfully singing it out loud and proud some 34 years since her first album, 'The Same Sky' in 1990. In t...

Actor John Bell has been standing out on the small and big screen since 2007 and has been involved in some of TV and Film's most iconic productions.  As a 10 year old he won a part in Dr Who which has since led to a fantastic career playing Bain in the Hobbit film series and longstanding role of Ian Fraser Murray aka 'Young Ian', in Starz TV's epic adventure, Outlander. Hear how it feels to be par...

Following the episode with Greer Ralston and Rachel Dax, Jules heads to Glasgow to meet Lorna who currently features in Ralston's latest exhibition. Lorna is positively gleeful about playing alongside her childhood hero, Horse, and can be found sparkling alongside her with full band and strings, on some the UK's most iconic stages.  More info on Horse's The Road Less Travelled 2023 tour here. Lorn...

Greer Ralston is Giving it All to Art and filmmaker Rachel Dax is telling her story in a forthcoming documentary film.  Dax and Ralston forged a friendship during the Pandemic that has brought their artistic and personal worlds together and chatting with Jules around Greer's dining room table, they share their mutual passion for supporting and championing fellow LGBTQ+ artists. In this episode, fi...

Published in August 2023 "We are here building something together and to hold space for the dreamwork" says Katucha, of the anti-racist and anti-transphobic community she's hoping for.   In this episode, Ru, Katucha and Jules share their Pride stories; past, present and future and what they're hopeful for living in Scotland.  We talk love, language, allyship and how sometimes we need to "kill joy"...

Meet Alice and Eoin!  They are two young Queer people living in the rural town of Grantown-on-Spey, in the Cairngorms National Park.  Their candid conversation with Jules, highlights themes around support, bullying, inclusive education, finding your community and LGBTQ+ visibility. Along with their revealing conversation,  you'll be transported to the heart of Grantown-on-Spey and the town's very...

The episode is supported but the Rural Community Engagement Fund, delivered by Support in Mind Scotland and published alongside Issue 9 of Somewhere: For Us magazine, November 2022 - https://www.somewhereforus.org/ Buy The Hebridean Baker books - Hebridean Baker - Home Alongside our podcast, you can become a magazine member to receive each issue of Somewhere: For Us magazine, featuring over 90 pag...

Storytelling is messy and so are mandla's watermelons.  Join Jules and mandla as they chat about mandla's first solo show and Scottish debut, 'As British as a Watermelon', the importance of queer friendships and how language can provide a necessary layer of protection when sharing a story like mandla's. About mandla rae: mandla is agender and has no pronouns.  Raised (by queer friends) in London a...

About this episode Ellen Galford was born in 1947, in the United States and migrated to Scotland in 1971.  Forming the solid foundations of her illustrious career, Ellen is a much celebrated author of a body of lesbian fiction that includes Moll Cutpurse, Her True History (1984), The Fires of Bride (1986), Queendom Come (1990) and The Dyke and the Dybbuk (1993). Tim is a retired teacher and lives...

It’s our launch episode and Scottish writer Ely Percy chats to Jules about their Saltire-winning Scottish Book of the Year, Duck Feet, the search for a chosen family and why it’s important to write about identity on your own terms. But it all begins with why Bad Girls was a TV treat best enjoyed alone… Ely Percy is a Scottish writer who grew up in Renfrew.  Today, a two-time Saltire award-winning...

Somewhere: For Us is a brand new LGBTQ+ arts, culture, heritage and enterprise podcast for Scotland and beyond, hosted by Jules Stapleton Barnes. Our launch episode features Scottish writer Ely Percy! They chat to Jules about their Saltire-winning Scottish Book of the Year, Duck Feet, the search for a chosen family and why it’s important to write about identity on your own terms. Listen to Episode...