ROBBIE WILLIAMS SNOGS EDINBURGH FAN

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ROBBIE Williams kissed a shocked fan on the lips as he performed the first night of his European tour in Edinburgh’s Murrayfield stadium. 
The former Take That star was performing She’s The One to a crowd of 70,000 people at the capital’s stadium when he couldn’t resist the cheeky move on the girl named ‘Debbie’. 
The Angels star who performed hits including Rock DJ and Let Me Entertain You through the drizzle in the stadium was also joined by Pop Idol winner Michelle McManus for a rendition of his old band hit Relight My Fire.
During She's The One, Robbie, 51, went to the front row of his audience and held overwhelmed fan Debbie close to him as he sang the lyrics to She's The One, then as he neared the end he kissed her on the lips as the stadium roared.  
Debbie couldn’t believe it and held her face in her hands and over her mouth as she sobbed while Robbie, in his pink vest top, leapt back on stage and changed his lyrics to  ‘I was her, she was me, I think you just did a little wee.” 
The singer also sang Sunshine on Leith by The Proclaimers and commented: “I think that’s a better song than You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
The star stayed at the five star Gleneagles hotel, a favourite of Prince William and Kate Middleton, during his Scots visit and Ayda enjoyed sampling expensive whisky’s that cost in excess of £1200 a bottle while Robbie had non alcoholic wines as they prepared for his gig. 
The couple also took a tour of Edinburgh castle ahead of his Scottish gig. 

SCOTS AUTHOR SOPHIE GRAVIA GETS TV DEAL

Scottish author Sophie Gravia has revealed she is about to have her first book A Glasgow Kiss made into a major TV series. 
Single mum of two Sophie,32, who is a renal failure nurse, turned her raunchy blog into a self published novel over lockdown and secured a four book deal with major publisher Orion Books.
She became an instant bestseller with latest Hot Girl Summer currently at number one in the Amazon book charts. 
Labelled Scotlands sexiest author, she has now sold in excess of 500,000 copies, with her last book Meet Me In Milan even outselling Harry Potter in Waterstones Glasgow stores. 
Speaking at an author event for 250 women in Glasgow’s Wunderbar she has now revealed: “A Glasgow Kiss has been optioned by BBC Studios. We’ve signed a contract  and I’m buzzing it’s now been optioned by the BBC. It’s still early days but I feel like this is made for the screen and can’t wait to see what happens next.”
Sophie continued: “When you write a book I suppose the goal is to see it on screen and it’s always been in the back of my mind how amazing it would be.
It’s too early to talk cast but Sophie is really excited.  She joked: “If I had someone like Michelle Keegan or Matthew McConaughey we’d obviously we’d need a sizeable budget. Finding the right people to play my characters will be a fun process.”
Sophie, born Sophie Grant, who has also penned What Happens in Dubai, is mother to Olivia, 14, and Grace, 12, - and their names make up her pen name Sophie Gravia.
Hot Girl Summer sees Sophie’s characters go to a school reunion where they realise their lives are not quite on track.
As a result they do their utmost  to ensure they have a Hot Girl Summer.
Sophie’s own life has changed dramatically since she lived in an ex council house, living on tick and constantly tapping her dad to get through the week.
She said: “The success of my three books so far has been incredible. It’s changed my life and my children’s lives. They love it because I’ve cut down my nursing shifts to two days a week now and we get to spend more time together and I don’t have to constantly worry to save up and take them to nice places and we can enjoy life together comfortably.”

CAROL VORDERMAN COMES TO EDINBURGH FOR TV FEST

By K Monroe 

BROADCASTER, writer and campaigner, Carol Vorderman MBE, is heading to Scotland to talk about her life in telly and her views on where it is going. 

Carol will be the Alternative MacTaggart speaker at the 2024 Edinburgh TV Festival supported by Screen Scotland, and will speak to a room full of TV delegates at the annual fest.

Carol, who the showbizlion.com has met on various occasions, is one of the UK’s most popular and successful presenters and, more recently, political commentator and campaigner. With a passion for everything mathematical and a skill with numbers, Vorderman made a name for herself when she started her TV career in 1982 as the maths genius on Countdown, working with the late Richard Whitely for 22 years and then with Des Lynam and Des O’Connor until she left in 2008. 

Awarded an MBE in 2000 for her services to broadcasting and having appeared on and presented a raft of the nation’s favourite TV shows, Vorderman currently hosts a weekly radio show on LBC, a daily quiz podcast ‘Perfect 10’, the Pride of Britain Awards and is now also known for her political activism.  

Vorderman grew up in a single parent family in poverty in North Wales with her sister, brother and her beloved mum. As a free school meals child in a comprehensive, she became the first from North Wales to go to the University of Cambridge when she was just 17 years old. Now with an extensive broadcasting career under her belt, Vorderman has become a significant voice in the political landscape with a passionate determination to hold those in power to account. September this year will see the publication of her new book, ‘Now What? On a Mission to Fix Broken Britain’.  

For the Alternative MacTaggart, Vorderman will bring her extensive experience in TV and frontline of social media campaigning to her address at this year’s Festival. She will then be interviewed in more detail to discuss the themes of her speech.   

On giving the Alternative MacTaggart, Vorderman said:  

”I feel honoured to have been asked to be this year’s Alternative MacTaggart speaker.  As our industry transitions, there is much to discuss. 42 years on the box, hosting shows for all channels, it’s been an interesting life! I choose to live a life outside of the media thrall of London and I live without apology. Beware the post-menopausal woman who doesn’t give a damn! I’ll see you in Edinburgh.” 

The TV Festival Creative Director, Rowan Woods and Advisory Chair, Harj Chhokar, commented:  

“This year’s Alternative MacTaggart will be delivered by a true TV legend. Since making her debut on Countdown, the first ever programme on Channel 4, Carol Vorderman MBE has been part of the DNA of the UK television industry and a mainstay of our screens. She is also a funny, fearless and ferocious commentator on everything from politics to social mobility, sexism and education. We know her Alternative MacTaggart is going to be one of the must-see events of this year’s festival.” 

Other speakers already confirmed for the Festival include multi-platinum music artist and tech entrepreneur will.i.am, multi-award-winning producer, Warren Littlefield,BAFTA winning writer Sarah Phelps, celebrated actors Julie Hesmondhalghand Rakhee Thakrar and The Grand Tourand Clarkson’s Farm executive producer, Andy Wilman, as well as renowned playwright and dramatist James Grahamwho will be giving the prestigious MacTaggart lecture. 

The hugely popular Spotlight On… sessions return with the decision makers from across the mainstream, digital and streamer broadcasters revealing what’s hot and what’s not on their content strategy for the year ahead. 

Further sessions will be announced soon.Passes on sale now. 

SCOTS BOYBAND JUST THE BRAVE GET SEAL OF APPROVAL FROM TOP POP STARS

Scots boyband Just The Brave’s debut single has been given the seal of approval by songwriters Naughty Boy, Nina Nesbitt, MNEK, Eg White, Cathy Dennis and more after reaching the top ten so far in a global Song Academy Young Songwriter songwriting competition. 

It’s a dream come true for 15-18 year olds Seany, Kaiden, Arin, Danny, and Fin from Glasgow and Edinburgh who began making music last year. 

As a band the lads have battled various issues from Tourette’s and Autism to ADHD, and Bullying. 

They have been going around schools in Scotland talking about mental health, bullying, self esteem and more and have already played live gigs in Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall, St Luke’s, Dundee’s Caird Hall, and London’s 02 Academy, as well as appearing on CBBC. 

The boys, who got chatting and banded together after seeing one another sing online and in the flesh across various platforms, are set for big things this summer with festival announcements and gigs including Pride events across Scotland in their diaries. 

Their new single Summer Feelings, which they wrote following a school visit earlier in the year, was a bid to bring  something positive to their fans and listeners. 

Fin said: “There is nothing better than looking up at a clear blue sky and being full of hope for the summer.

Danny added: “It can really help you to feel so positive, and in Scotland where it rains a lot it’s awesome for everyone to celebrate the Summer.”

Kaiden said: “Our debut song Summer Feelings is a catchy feel good layered summer pop anthem with Kygo inspired EDM instrumentals.”

  The lads have already amassed a mass of followers on TikTok and Instagram and have been picked up for promo by companies including Stagecoach, and Toxic Waste. 

Their ‘celebrity‘ followers online including Helen Flanagan, Neil Jones, Forest Blakk, Emeli Sande, Emily Shak, and Nicola Sturgeon!

Seany said: “We have achieved a lot on a budget - our video was shot at Scotland’s scenic Ayr Beach, doubling for Ibiza.”

Arin laughed: “We even got stung by a jellyfish making it.

Summer Feelings by Just The Brave is released across all platforms on July 5 with presave available now

Pre save now on https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/justthebrave/summer-feelings-2 

THE TRAITORS, MR BATES VS THE POST OFFICE AND MORE AT EDINBURGH TV FEST

By K Monroe 

THE Traitors, Mr Bates vs the Post Office, and Late Night Lovett are just some of the shows up for an award at Screen Scotland’s The Edinburgh TV Festival (ETF), the UK’s leading television industry event. 

The annual event in August which brings a host of big names from behind the scenes and front of camera to Edinburgh has announced the shortlist for its prestigious TV Awards, which are supported by Cast & Crew.  

Despite an unbelievably challenging year for many, the television industry has proven to be an impactful force for good for both viewers and society at large, setting the news agenda with the likes of Mr Bates vs The Post Office, creating water-cooler moments with entertainment series like The Traitors, and providing escapism and laughs with programmes like Late Night Lycett. The TV Awards list of nominees reflects the creativity, innovation, passion and resilience of this community, with the UK’s traditional broadcasters dominating the shortlist.  

Double BAFTA Award winning British television personality, chef and musician Zuhair Hassan, otherwise known as Big Zuu, will take the helm as 2024 Jury President, overseeing the voting via juries made up of industry names. Since Big Zuu’s Big Eats launched on UKTV in 2020, he has become a household name and has gone on to host Big Zuu’s Breakfast Show on ITV and Big Zuu’s 12 Dishes in 12 Hours on ITV. Most recently Zuu fronted BBC Two documentary Big Zuu Goes to Mecca, he has also acted in UKTV’s Sneakerhead, hosted the 1Xtra Residency, released a cookbook and launched his own podcast, Feast is Feast. Zuu is a co-founder of Big Productions, an entertainment label specialising in factual and music content with the goal of nurturing and developing diverse talent in the industry.  

Big Zuu said: “It is an honour to be asked to chair the Jury for this year’s TV Awards. Between the pandemic, the strikes and the recession, it has been a really challenging couple of years for our industry. The talent on display in this shortlist is a timely reminder of how valuable our sector is, so I am really excited to be a part of this year’s process.” 

The shortlist for this year’s Awards is packed full of the best acting and producing talent in the television industry from across the UK and internationally. With a broad range of broadcasters and streamers nominated, the BBC leads the shortlist with 23 nominations across the broadcaster and individual talent categories. Channel 4amassed 19 nominations and ITV 10, with global streamers Apple TV+ and Disney+ securing 6 nominations each.

The Edinburgh TV Awards will be held at the EICC on Thursday 22nd August

MARVEL MAN JOE RUSSO BUYS INTO SCOTS CHEF AND OPENS RESTAURANT

AVENGERS: Infinity War director Joe Russo turned up by taxi to launch his own restaurant in Edinburgh after falling in love with the cuisine by Scots chef Sean Clark during a visit to the capital seven years ago. 
And Marvel filmmaker Joe who rushed to his new Under The Table restaurant from St Andrews where he was hanging out with Tom Holland for Sands International Film Festival,  said he and Scotland have a special bond - after his daughter and other family members also studied at St Andrews. 
Joe, who has invested in the venture alongside Sean and former wine merchant Paul O‘ Donoghue said: “It’s super exciting. This is my favourite chef in the world by the way so this is why I’m so glad he’s able to expand his experience from The Table onto a more informal every day event for the people of this town. 
Joe, who opened Simone restaurant in LA in 2018, added: “Anything I can do to get people support him and to get people to come and eat his food, because it’s some of the best food you are ever going to eat, it’s a good day.”
Talking of his love of Edinburgh, he added: “One I love the Scots and two I love these guys. I’ve been supporting this town for a long time. I’ve been supporting Scotland for a long time now. We shot Endgame Infinity War here at Waverley Station almost seven years ago now and my daughter graduated from St Andrews, and two nieces and a nephew graduated from St Andrews so, my family has a real foothold in Scotland.

“This town in particular is a very special town, a very artistic town, craft oriented, you have Iain Macpherson the cocktail panda who just won three awards, an incredible mixologist, on London this last week. And the Table is one of my favourite restaurant experiences in the world for many years now. So the fact that, like I said, we get to support them in opening a new venue, that’s now informal is a really good thing.”
Guests enjoyed a selection of canapés including venison and pigs ear ragu.

SCOTS POSTIE PUNCHES ABOVE WEIGHT WITH GYM GEAR

A Scots postman is punching above his weight after starting up his  own designer sportswear business in his bedroom - and now his creations are being worn by the world’s champion boxers. 
Robbie Campbell , 23, who was born in Alexandria but now lives in Edinburgh began his own sports company ActiveLine wear in late 2022.
The year before he’d started reselling Nike and UnderArmour sportswear online and felt there was a gap in the market for a more affordable designer sports and outerwear brand.
Robbie, who is himself a keen footballer, explained: “I didn’t agree with the pricing of some of the items I was selling like jackets that cost £120 and felt that I could sell my own quality brand for less. 
“I got a logo made and went for a brand and then I began looking for manufacturers. I work with a designer so we are always coming up with new ideas and everything we do is reflective so they are visible if you are running in the dark.”

He added: “I was selling a lot of items through Instagram but learned how to do a website myself and how to make the most of social media.”
I’ve now seen it grow from something small to getting more traction and I’ve been approached by online retailers who now want to stock my clothing.  I’m also supplying to a shop in Glasgow’s Re-Up clothing in the St Enoch Centre. 
Robbie’s new collection will mean he has more than thirty items on his website and he’s  also going to be offering women’s summer collections.
At the moment his shorts and T-shirts are his biggest seller alongside his jackets.
He said: “We’ve got bright colours and a mint range just now that everyone seems to be loving as well as black and grey that anyone can wear. We try and get the balance between bright colours and neutral colours so it will appeal to different people and I do think the price point is a major selling point.  Nike and UnderArmour are selling windbreaker jackets for three or four times the price and it’s too much for a lot of young people.”
Robbie was keen his brand would be taken seriously by sportspeople so reached out to some boxers to see if they’d be interested in being ambassadors for his clothing. 
His designs are now proving to be a knockout with two of them fighting on the biggest stage of them all in coming weeks.
Robbie said: “I chanced my luck and it paid off. We've now got Raymond Ford who is based in New Jersey and is going for the WBA  featherweight world title shot on March 2 in New York.  If he wins he will be the world title holder for the featherweight championship 
He seems to love the clothes and posts him wearing them all the time.”

EBU Champion Gavin Gwynne who will defend his lightweight title against Mark Chamberlain in March 8 in Saudi as the undercard of Anthony Joshua's fight with Francis Ngannou is also regularly seen in Robbie’s brand. 
Middleweight Liam Williams also wears ActiveLine and Welterweight champ Chris Kongo is also an ambassador. 
The brand has gained traction and Robbie is selling across the Uk and Republic of Ireland with other customers in Australia, Amsterdam, Netherlands and beyond. 
He said: “More retailers are approaching us daily and we have doubled our order numbers every month.”
Robbie would love to target footballers and other sports people but acknowledges it might be harder to muscle in on that market. 
He added: “We are focusing on real sportspeople and my hope is that I will soon be able to concentrate on this full time.” 
As he prepares to jet out to the States and Saudi Arabia next month, Robbie said “It’s very early days yet but I’m very excited. If I could attain a fraction of the success of Sir Tom Hunter as a Scot in the sportswear market I’d be over the moon.”

EDINBURGH MUM IS A HIT ON NETFLIX SQUID GAME CHALLENGE FOLLOWING SPLIT

Beverley Lyons 
EDINBURGH IT worker Trudy McCabe wanted to experience life again after splitting with her husband so she entered Netflix blockbuster Squid Game: The Challenge. 
Trudy, 47, who is mum to 16 year old singer Danny McCabe from Scots boyband Just The Brave and his 18 year old brother Ben, joined 455 other contestants to battle it out for a prize of $4.56 million (£3.6 million) on the show. 
Trudy, who is number 427 on the series, said: “I couldn’t tell anyone I was doing it and when I eventually told my family they thought I was crazy. My sons were so proud of me and are still excited in case I’ve won. The winner doesn’t get any prize money until around thirty days after it is shown on TV."
Although she can’t say how far she got in the competition yet, Trudy says she  deliberately stayed out of the limelight as part of her tactic on the gruelling programme. 
Unlike some contestants who have complained about the show’s harsh filming conditions,  Trudy says she loved every minute of the experience.  
She explained: “I recently split with my husband after twenty seven years of marriage and was looking for something to challenge me and allow me to experience life again. 
As soon as I heard they were looking for contestants, I filmed a one minute video that night, and started training myself up for it.”
Trudy, who went swimming with sharks and ran a 5k every day to get herself geared up for the show, said taking part was mentally and physically exhausting. 

But she wanted to prove that a 47 year old woman could be just as fit as the younger ones in the show. 
She said: “I might be getting a bit older but physically I could outdo most people in there. 
Age is just a number and it’s mind over matter. Mentally you need to stimulate yourself because life gets a bit monotonous and you’ve got to live it.”
Fans can now watch the first five episodes with games like Red Light Green Light and cookie cutting being played for real. 
Instead of being killed, contestants are squibbed ie shot with black ink cartridges to signify they are out of the game. 
Trudy said: “I made some really good lifelong friends on the show and it was really sad and emotional when someone got shot. We’ve remained in touch and I plan to see some of them in Canada next year.”
Players were given stacked high bunk beds to sleep in and their diet was so meagre that many lost weight or went to bed hungry.  Trudy’s trousers began to fall down during filming. 
She said: “I tried to be strategic about where I slept. I didn’t chose the bottom or top bunk cause I thought one of the guards might come in during the night and take us out the game. I also picked a block near the toilet because we didn’t have time in the mornings to get showered properly once the music woke us up.”
She added: ”Food was horrendous - porridge everyday and it was not cooked properly, more like slime. I’d force others to eat it because it would give them a bit of energy.  We had small tins with rice and dry chicken in them.  I felt sorry for the big guys because I was starving. I lost a lot of weight and I thought my tracksuit bottoms would fall down at one point.”
For Red Light Green Light, the first game in the show, Trudy admitted it was so cold she couldn’t feel her hands or feet. 
She explained: “It was really cold. It was in January and there was a lot of waiting about.  
When they got squibbed or inked they did verification checks and that took time. 
At one point I was standing still and snot was running out of my nose and I couldn’t wait to wipe it.  
“I couldn’t feel my feet and hands and my shoe came off and I didn’t even know. A really big guy fell on top of me as I was running with just seconds to spare, and I thought I can’t go back to Scotland and tell the boys I didn’t pass the first game.”
“It was everything I thought it would be, the most physical and mental thing I did in my life. I was sleep deprived, didn’t know what day it was and living on rations but afterwards I felt I could get through anything.”
It’s the opportunity of a lifetime to win all that money and I would definitely do it again. I loved every second of it.

WORLD FLOWER SHOW COMES TO EDINBURGH

FLEURS de Villes, the world-renowned floral show behind international blockbuster exhibitions in cities including Sydney, New York, Chicago, Miami and Toronto, has announced the fifteen Edinburgh florists who will star in the UK premiere - in Edinburgh - of its major new exhibition; Fleurs de Villes VOYAGE, along with the fifteen countries being celebrated. They are:

Scotland X KDM Event Styling & Floral Design 

Canada X Petals Flowers

United States X Flowers by Kerry

Australia X Sugarbush Flower Studio

Holland X Nikki’s Fleurs

France X Papaver

Madagascar X Flowers by Minty

China X Simpsons Florist

Japan X Quate & Co

Türkiye X Feather Grass Florals

Peru X Charmed Floristree

Argentina X Flowers for All Occasions

South Africa X Ribbons & Rose

Nepal X Petals by the Shore

India X Gillytree Studio

 

In a coup for the city, and for Scotland, the experiential flower show sensation – known as the “floral disrupters” of the floral world – has announced Edinburgh as the host city for the UK premiere of VOYAGE, which opens this month. Theshowbizlion.Com has seen a preview of the show and it’s something else. 

Now, fifteen of Edinburgh’s stars of the flower world, each of whom have been paired with an iconic country, will be bringing the exhibition’s theme of travel to life in an unmissable globe-spanning floral spectacle. 

This major new show will be staged at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh for ten days, opening to the public on Friday the 15th of September and running until Sunday the 24th of September, 2023.

The fifteen Edinburgh florist extraordinaires will take inspiration from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s awe-inspiring botanical collections, with each talented florist creating fresh floral mannequins celebrating the cultures, people and heritage of the country they have been partnered with. 

 

Visitors will be taken on a fresh floral journey of discovery to experience the vibrant bazaars of Türkiye, marvel at a floral Lone Piper from the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, catch a glimpse of a captivating geisha from Kyoto, Japan, and many more displays at this feast of cultural storytelling - bringing the world to Scotland through flowers like never before.

 

Set within the magnificent grounds of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh; one of the finest botanic gardens in the world, and located just a mile from the city centre, Fleurs de Villes VOYAGEwill be staged inside a beautiful marquee at the heart of the Edinburgh Garden. 

Visitors can admire a striking floral Tesla Model Y before entering the marquee to experience Fleurs de Villes’ signature famous floral mannequins, watch floral demonstrations, and enjoy refreshments from the Moët & Chandon Impérial Champagne and Glenmorangie whisky bars. 

 

The exhibition continues in the adjacent historic Inverleith House where visitors can ‘voyage’ through rainforest, safari and Paris-inspired rooms bursting with blooms, and stop by the Edinburgh Gin ‘filled with wonder’ room to sample a floral gin cocktail. Book here: fleursdevilles.com/edinburgh

 

Enhancing the VOYAGE experience further, visitors can participate in botanical-themed workshops (full schedule here) where they can make floral crowns, tablescapes and bouquets with top local florists, create a Van Gogh-inspired masterpiece, enter a thrilling world of flora and fiction with renowned author of The Fair Botanists, Sara Sheridan, enjoy a sensory scent experience with Scotland’s first fragrance house, or indulge in a botanical gin tasting. Workshops can be purchased as an ‘add-on’ experience when booking VOYAGE exhibition tickets at fleursdevilles.com/Edinburgh.

 

Karen Marshall, Co-founder of Fleurs de Villes said:

 

“We are thrilled to be bringing the UK premiere of VOYAGE to Edinburgh. The iconic Royal Botanic Garden is the perfect stage to showcase Edinburgh’s world-class floral talent, and to bring the global cultural storytelling of VOYAGE to life in flowers like never before through these fifteen Edinburgh florists and fifteen countries. We have been so inspired by the stories shared by fans, florists, and partners in every city Fleurs de Villes has visited across the globe these last few years, and cannot wait to welcome visitors to Edinburgh for what will be a truly unmissable experience.”

 

Kari Coghill, Director of Innovation Projects at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, added:

 

“As admirers of Fleurs de Villes, we are excited to be able to work together to host VOYAGE at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. This beautiful showcase of floral artistry and craftsmanship is a natural fit for the Garden, and we can’t wait for visitors to experience these stunning displays at Inverleith House, located at the heart of the Edinburgh Garden and our magnificent Living Collections.”

 

Tickets to Fleurs de Villes VOYAGE are on sale now and can be purchased at fleursdevilles.com/edinburgh

 

Tickets are priced at £22.50 for adults, £18.50 for seniors and RBGE members, and £10.50 for ages 4-17. A family discount (2 adults & 2 kids) is priced at £55. 

 

The Fleurs de Villes VOYAGE global tour will travel through the US, Canada and UK in 2023, stopping in cities including Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Boston and New York.