Celebrities

Domhnall Gleeson and Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn

10 of the best new historical fiction novels to read right now
The phrase “long-awaited” is overused, but in the case of Long Island, the sequel to Colm Toibin’s Brooklyn, it is justified. On publication in 2009, Brooklyn sealed Toibin’s reputation as one of the UK’s finest novelists, and won the Costa Novel Award. Some years later it was chosen by The Observer as “One of the 10 best historical novels”.

'The bill for curtains for lavish staging of Verdi’s La traviata must have been huge'

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Restore your hairline with high quality transplants in Glasgow and Edinburgh

Billy Connolly, with Brian Wilson on the right, and “super-roadie”, Billy Johnstone, on the left

Billy Connolly, with Brian Wilson on the right, and “super-roadie”, Billy Johnstone, on the left

BIG BANANA FEET

The show must go on - not even the UVF or the IRA could stop Billy Connolly

The play is about the lives of pigeon fanciers

The play is about the lives of pigeon fanciers

'I’ve always been fascinated by them' - Play tells unlikely story of pigeon fanciers

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Lorraine Kelly told she’d never land TV career due to ‘working class Glasgow accent’

Status Quo. Picture: Robert Sutton

Status Quo. Picture: Robert Sutton

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Six decades and more of long hair and denims, as the Quo rock into town

Teddy Jamieson: Sex, death and Mary Beard

Soft Top Hard Shoulder

Soft Top Hard Shoulder

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10 forgotten Scottish movies that (mostly) deserve a second chance

The A-Z Of Orchestral Triangle Playing comes to Scotland

Susan Buckner (right) who starred as Patty Simcox in Grease dies age 72

Susan Buckner (right) who starred as Patty Simcox in Grease dies age 72

Susan Buckner, who starred as Patty Simcox in Grease, dies aged 72

Bernard Hill has died at the age of 79, his agent has confirmed

Bernard Hill has died at the age of 79, his agent has confirmed

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Lord of the Rings and Boys from the Blackstuff actor Bernard Hill dies aged 79

Legal eagle Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) flies high in Suits

Legal eagle Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) flies high in Suits

2

Is Scots solicitor Aamer Anwar really Suits' Harvey Specter in disguise?

Aasmah Mir, pictured with The Rev Richard Coles, when they hosted Saturday Live on BBC Radio 4

Aasmah Mir, pictured with The Rev Richard Coles, when they hosted Saturday Live on BBC Radio 4

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I hated my skin colour as a teenager, says Scots broadcaster Aasmah Mir

Aasmah Mir grew up on the outskirts of Glasgow: Picture: Paul Stuart

Aasmah Mir grew up on the outskirts of Glasgow: Picture: Paul Stuart

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'I didn't fit in. Boys wouldn’t even touch my hand' Broadcaster on Glasgow childhood

Titled Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience

Titled Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience

Van Gogh mega-show is coming to Glasgow: When it's on and where to get tickets

Fellow Humblebum Billy Connolly recalled how Rafferty made him laugh by searching the Berlin telephone book for Hitlers

Fellow Humblebum Billy Connolly recalled how Rafferty made him laugh by searching the Berlin telephone book for Hitlers

RAB'S SCOTTISH ICONS

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Self-destructive genius Gerry Rafferty went 'sober and unafraid' to meet his maker

Duncan Frew (right) says the plan is to be 'a bit like Nike, with Rod as our Michael Jordan'

Duncan Frew (right) says the plan is to be 'a bit like Nike, with Rod as our Michael Jordan'

1

Rod Stewart's Wolfie's Whisky looks to expand its music library

Johannes Vermeer, A Young Woman standing at a Virginal (about 1670–2)

Johannes Vermeer, A Young Woman standing at a Virginal (about 1670–2)

Johannes Vermeer is here: 11 gallery shows and exhibitions to see this week

Hannah Donaldson stars in Granite Harbour

Hannah Donaldson stars in Granite Harbour

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Who is Hannah Donaldson - the Scots star of Granite Harbour?

The View love story 'is one of the most powerful theatre journeys of this year'

Billy Connolly's show

Billy Connolly's show

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Everybody told fearless Connolly not to go to Belfast. He went anyway and he was fab

The wooden artefacts that will be on show are in excellent condition because they were retrieved from the surface rather than the seabed

The wooden artefacts that will be on show are in excellent condition because they were retrieved from the surface rather than the seabed

A sneak preview of Titanic artefacts as fascinating new exhibition comes to Glasgow

Sean Finnigan (left) and Conor Larkman (right) make up LF System, named for an amalgamation of their surnames

Sean Finnigan (left) and Conor Larkman (right) make up LF System, named for an amalgamation of their surnames

Best of Scotland

From petrol station to topping charts: Scottish duo are 'living the dream'

Rufus Wainwright first came to Scotland as a kid in the 1980s

Rufus Wainwright first came to Scotland as a kid in the 1980s

BEST OF SCOTLAND

Rufus Wainwright reveals the impact Scotland has on his music

Crowds gather at Manchester Piccadilly to hear Ethan 9, on The Piano

Crowds gather at Manchester Piccadilly to hear Ethan 9, on The Piano

The Piano is close to perfect - don't let it become another X Factor

Claudia Winkleman, Lang Lang and Mika

Claudia Winkleman, Lang Lang and Mika

1

The Piano is back and there's a visit to Scotland on the cards

Dr Matthew Nolan (Richard Armitage, centre) and DC Li (Jing Lusi) head to the gate

Dr Matthew Nolan (Richard Armitage, centre) and DC Li (Jing Lusi) head to the gate

Alison Rowat's TV: Fasten your seatbelts, Red Eye is about to get very silly

1

I loved Maggie and I hated her, says Damian Barr

Could Taylor Swift pen a break-up song for the SNP and the Greens?

Could Taylor Swift pen a break-up song for the SNP and the Greens?

Herald Diary: Relationships are funny, aren't they?

Peter Howson's drawings and paintings will be on show

Peter Howson's drawings and paintings will be on show

Renowned artist Peter Howson's work goes on show: this is where to see it

The Hounds Of Love by Kate Bush is a perfect album and, unbelievably, turns 40 soon

Jackie Kay. Picture: Mary McCartney

Jackie Kay. Picture: Mary McCartney

'Glasgow is a city with a huge big heart but it is also a city of contradictions'

An exciting new arts event

An exciting new arts event

New exhibition highlights Joe Hargan's blend of imagination and profound artistry

Glasgow-based architect Danny Campbell

Glasgow-based architect Danny Campbell

I want to be the Pablo Escobar of architecture, says new Scots Home of the Year judge

Catherine Prasifka

Catherine Prasifka

'Millennials and Gen Z-ers were the 'guinea pig generation' in online Wild West'

Romesh Ranganathan

Romesh Ranganathan

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Big name comedian joins Radio 2 - will he be a hit or a miss?

Greg Hemphill plays a part in the upcoming Deadpool and Wolverine film

Greg Hemphill plays a part in the upcoming Deadpool and Wolverine film

Scots comedian Greg Hemphill spotted in new Deadpool and Wolverine Trailer

Bruno Brooks, Anthea Turner and Gary Davies

Bruno Brooks, Anthea Turner and Gary Davies

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Ooh, Gary Davies. Where have you been and why - exactly - are you in Glasgow?

She's 83 but nothing can stop this US soul legend from performing in Scotland

James McCartney and his father Paul

James McCartney and his father Paul

A word to the haters: leave the new McCartney-Lennon sons duo alone, please

Wendy’s mammy, Florence, was granddaughter of a Highland crofter. A painter of flowers who thrilled wee Wendy with tales of William Wallace, she worked as a nurse during the Boer War.

Wendy’s mammy, Florence, was granddaughter of a Highland crofter. A painter of flowers who thrilled wee Wendy with tales of William Wallace, she worked as a nurse during the Boer War.

RAB'S SCOTTISH ICONS

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Passionate Scots nationalist Wendy Wood was English but tore down the Union flag

David Tennant and Sharon Small in Good

David Tennant and Sharon Small in Good

Can't get a ticket to see David Tennant on stage? Here's the next best thing

A new museum dedicated to the life, work, legacy and quirky vision of one of Scotland’s best-loved artists opens next weekend

A new museum dedicated to the life, work, legacy and quirky vision of one of Scotland’s best-loved artists opens next weekend

New museum dedicated to visionary artist George Wyllie opens - what can we see there?

The York & Albany pub near Regent’s Park

The York & Albany pub near Regent’s Park

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Squatters vow to remain in Gordon Ramsay-rented pub after ‘deal with owner’

Greg Hemphill in Dinosaur

Greg Hemphill in Dinosaur

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Greg Hemphill’s new Glasgow sitcom has one serious flaw - an absence of laughs

Vincent Friell (centre) in Restless Natives with Joe Mullaney and Teri Lally

Vincent Friell (centre) in Restless Natives with Joe Mullaney and Teri Lally

Restless Natives star and the mystery of who actually rode the ‘scary’ motorbikes

Kirsten Henderson, Naomi Stirrat, Rori Hawthorn, Samuel Pashby, Danielle Jam, Murray Fraser, Ali Craig, and Ann Louise Ross. Picture: Mihaela Bodlovic

Kirsten Henderson, Naomi Stirrat, Rori Hawthorn, Samuel Pashby, Danielle Jam, Murray Fraser, Ali Craig, and Ann Louise Ross. Picture: Mihaela Bodlovic

Theatre reviews

This mighty telling of Grassic Gibbon story puts fearless Chris Guthrie at its heart

The Girls of Slender Means_(L-R)Shannon Watson as Pauline Fox Julia Brown as Selina Redwoodand Molly Vevers as Jane Wright. Picture: Mihaela Bodlovic

The Girls of Slender Means_(L-R)Shannon Watson as Pauline Fox Julia Brown as Selina Redwoodand Molly Vevers as Jane Wright. Picture: Mihaela Bodlovic

Fascinating play gives Muriel Spark's story a fresh sense of invention

The Scotswoman who read Mein Kampf, swam naked in lochs and refused to do housework

This trapped beastie was spotted on an Aviemore train by Dave Brown, who says: “Hopefully that door is triple-locked. A haggis tends to get pretty darned ferocious when it’s cooped up for a long journey…”

This trapped beastie was spotted on an Aviemore train by Dave Brown, who says: “Hopefully that door is triple-locked. A haggis tends to get pretty darned ferocious when it’s cooped up for a long journey…”

Herald Diary: Much respect to this Taylor Swift fan

Macbeth (An Undoing)

Macbeth (An Undoing)

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10 theatre shows to see right now across Scotland

Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain

Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain

'That’s going to haunt me' - Courtney Love reveals how she could have saved Kurt

Rob Moore assumes the food in this restaurant goes down a treat…

Rob Moore assumes the food in this restaurant goes down a treat…

Herald Diary: One good reason why you need a landline