TV

Hot 100 2012: 1 - Armando Iannucci interview

Triumphant year that featured The Thick of It, Veep breaking the US and an OBE

With the The Thick of It bowing out in a blaze of glory, Veep delighting viewers Stateside and an OBE in the bag, Armando Iannucci has had a triumphant year. Brian Donaldson speaks to this year’s Hot 100 number one

Hot 100 2012: 10-2

John Tiffany, Andy Murray and Luke Fowler among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: 19-11

David Greig, Karen Gillan and Chris Hoy among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: 29-20

Chvrches, Cora Bissett and Grant Morrison among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: 39-30

Konx-Om-Pax, Ingleby Gallery and NVA among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: 69-60

Rachel Sermanni, Limmy and Peter Capaldi among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: 100-90

JK Rowling, Tilda Swinton and Andrew Fairlie among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Comedy DVD Round-Up

We judge the Christmas comedy contenders, from Sarah Millican to Brendon Burns

With a ridiculously vast amount of live comedy DVDs out for Christmas (30 at the last count), it’s a disappointing sign of the times that Pam Ann and Sarah Millican are the only females releasing new work. And it’s a proper shame that Thoroughly Modern…

Film production companies working in Scotland

The companies behind Perfect Sense, Outpost and Idris Elba-starring Legacy

In the late 70s, when French director Bertrand Tavernier announced he wanted to shoot his next film in Glasgow, he was actively warned off the city by London producers who feared he and his cast and crew would be robbed – or worse. Thankfully Tavernier…

Why Scottish television drama goes beyond Rebus and Taggart

Recent TV drama includes Lip Service, Single Father, Waterloo Road and The Field of Blood

Not so very long ago, Scottish television drama was dominated by Rebus and Taggart. The audience-conquering popularity of STV’s Edinburgh and Glasgow cops was such that you could be forgiven for thinking Scotland hosted or produced little but crime…

The animation companies behind The Illusionist, The Ooglies and Aliens: Colonial Marines.

Ink Digital, Ko-lik Films, Axis Animation, Red Kite and Show Them Pictures

When Pixar wants to tell a Scottish story, the world listens. But the global popularity of Princess Merida in Brave is only a small part of the story in terms of Scotland and animation. There’s a growing confidence, skill and expertise in the industry…

Rising stars and familiar faces from Scottish film and TV

Featuring Emun Elliot and Rose Leslie from Game of Thrones and Kelly Macdonald from Boardwalk Empire

Paul Brannigan actor (Glasgow, 1988) Picked from obscurity by award-winning filmmaker Ken Loach, Brannigan made his acting debut in The Angels’ Share and has subsequently starred in Under the Skin opposite Scarlett Johanssen. Rose…

Interview: Karen Gillan on Amy Pond, Doctor Who and Not Another Happy Ending

Roles in upcoming rom-com and horror drama Oculus

After she played Amy Pond in Doctor Who, many wondered what Karen Gillan would do next. Eddie Harrison speaks to the Inverness actor about making the leap to the big screen with her first lead role in Glasgow-set film Not Another Happy Ending

Girls

Lena Dunham's comedy series is slow to develop laughs and characters' humanity

Lena Dunham might be brave, daft, naïve, mining some dark undercurrents of a fractious soul or a combination of all the above, but her role as creator, director, executive producer and main star of Girls (Sky Atlantic, Mon 22 Oct, 10pm) will result in…

Moone Boy

Chris O'Dowd's nostalgic sitcom is a fine mixture of the gently innocent and comedically knowing

The imaginary friend is a recurring staple of much comedy and drama from the loveable Harvey to the satirical Fight Club. In Moone Boy, the unreal buddy is played by Chris O’Dowd, as the psychological crutch to 12-year-old Martin Moone (David Rawle)…

The Thick of It

The ConDem coalition has been both a godsend and an almighty cul de sac for political satirists. Having two sets of people needing to work together for the greater good while not hating each other’s guts in public is almost what The Thick of It has been…

Scandic-themed comedy drama Lilyhammer fails to match up to its peers

So he has the same hair as Silvio Dante, talks and pouts like Silvio Dante, and struts about with more or less the identical fashion sense as Silvio Dante, so why are they calling this Mafioso type ‘Frank Tagliano’? Well, because this is not The…

Top five harmless TV and film aliens

In honour of Arches' Alien War, we name our five favourite friendly extra terrestrials

ET The home-phoning shortarse wouldn’t cut it in the Arches’ terror-filled catacombs. But his torch-finger would be handy.

Filthy, Rich and Catflap

A nostalgic blast of wayward genius from Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson

‘I’m sorry, but did I just detect an effort at humour brilliantly disguised as offensive, mindless drivel?’ Within three minutes of Filthy, Rich & Catflap’s opening episode in 1987, Rik Mayall expressed the standard which was set for the duration of his…

Aaron Sorkin's The Newsroom let down by dialogue

New series spoiled by tedious riffing between too many characters

Aaron Sorkin raised the quality TV bar so high with The West Wing that everything he would do subsequently could only really fall short. But no one would have predicted just how spectacularly his creations would dip with the one-season Studio 60 on the…

Horrible Histories' Barmy Britain comes to 2012 Edinburgh Fringe

Terry Deary praises Birmingham Theatre adaptation of his hit series

Talky Terry Deary is in a brilliantly bolshy mood. For sure, the Horrible Histories creator is excited about the Edinburgh production of Barmy Britain, a new adaptation of some of the true tales from his children’s books. But as for other outposts of…

Veep

Incisive TV politcial satire by comedy writer Armando Ianucci

Armando Iannucci recently stated that Veep should not be viewed simply as a US The Thick of It. Certainly, there’s no obvious Malcolm Tucker figure bellowing and bullying all and sundry and while the language is ripe, the swearing is not quite so…

New detective drama Line of Duty

Compelling if not especially complex drama series

When ‘the best detective in this city’ is on the spot to save a young mother from being mugged at knifepoint in the street, you might expect his hero status to go through the roof. Instead, he is slapped with a ‘yellow notice’ for not declaring the…

Eurovision Song Contest 2012 - listen to the 16 finalists announced so far

Listen to 16 of the finalists ahead of Eurovision final on Sat 16 May

It's Eurovision Song Contest time. The epic, pan-European assault on the senses that everyone loves to ridicule is screening at 8pm this Saturday. It's every European country's annual opportunity to take out their historic and current grievances through…

US drama Revenge suffers from an absence of likeable characters

The drama stars Emily VanCamp and Madeleine Stow

Now here’s a new US show that might well have ideas way above its station with an on-screen quote from Confucius hinting at the multiple tragedies which lie ahead. Revenge (E4, Mon 28 May, 9pm) is populated by characters who take boats down to Haiti for…