Brian Ferguson

Edinburgh Castle’s annual Christmas event has been scrapped. My latest exclusive: www.heraldscotland.com/news/2659626... @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Another day, another story shamelessly lifted by other media organisations without crediting The Herald.

One of Edinburgh’s big festive season attractions has been axed: www.heraldscotland.com/news/2666879... @heraldscotland.bsky.social

🐺 Inside the making of the new Gaelic language BBC horror series set on a stricken CalMac ferry. 🐺 www.heraldscotland.com/news/2665898... @heraldscotland.bsky.social

📺 Really looking forward to seeing how the TV adaptation of The Young Team shapes up. 📺 I spoke to author Graeme Armstrong for this feature for The Herald before filming got underway. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2620834... @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Mòd review: This was a joyful, exuberant end to nine days celebrating Gaelic language and culture www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2... @heraldscotland.bsky.social @juliabraunraven.bsky.social @brianjaffa.bsky.social

Great news - Glasgow theatre forced out by student flats secures a new home www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2... @neilcooper.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social @brianjaffa.bsky.social

The lost city: Striking images reveal a vanished Glasgow www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2... @neilcooper.bsky.social @brianjaffa.bsky.social

👀 This exclusive feature on the new-look Paisley Museum has been one of the most-read pieces on The Herald website over the last few days. www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2... @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Huge thanks to team working on the Paisley Museum redevelopment for showing me around the transformed attraction ahead of its big reopening early next year. My exclusive feature for The Herald: www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2... @heraldscotland.bsky.social @weareoneren.bsky.social

Here’s my in-depth explainer on why Scottish theatres have been telling critics based in Scotland that they don’t want them to review certain shows: www.heraldscotland.com/news/2661283...

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 There has been huge interest from our readers in this extraordinary and surreal story ahead of the launch of new Scottish musical Ceilidh this week. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Catch up here: www.heraldscotland.com/news/2660733... @heraldscotland.bsky.social

What will become of Summerhall? www.heraldscotland.com/news/2660599...

Absolutely gutted by this news - the scran at Tapa in Leith is unbeatable. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2657806...

“Eilidh Loan and Holly Howden Gilchrist bring the two girls to life in devastating and dervish-like fashion.” www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2...

Creative Scotland has triggered a new bidding process for the former CCA building in Glasgow - and revealed its “preference” is now selling the site or transferring ownership. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2657448... @heraldscotland.bsky.social

🎥 Exclusively in The Herald today. Sir Sean Connery’s family reveals plans for a new filmmaking centre in Edinburgh - and launch a hunt for a suitable site for the project. 🎥

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is one of Scottish theatre’s hottest tickets of the year before it has even opened. I spoke to its star, Gayle Rankin, about taking on the role when the new production was first announced. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2558937...

💥 Blast the Monday blues away with Nicola Meighan’s latest column for The Herald. 💥 www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/2656... @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Another must-read exclusive series in The Herald this week. Don’t miss it!

For all those asking… www.heraldscotland.com/news/2656259...

The Skinny latest: 🔴 Scottish Government encourages publisher to discuss financial position with Creative Scotland. 🔴 CS reveals The Skinny has already had £200,000 in funding support. 🔴 CS says it is open to discussing any available funding options. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2654347...

Exclusive: Creative Scotland tells The Herald it is “open to discussing” a possible funding lifeline for The Skinny. Full details: www.heraldscotland.com/news/2654347...

Revealed in The Herald today: The new vision for the home of the Hydro & the Armadillo aimed at transforming the riverside site into a £1 billion-a-year destination. @heraldscotland.bsky.social

10 books everyone will be talking about this autumn www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2... @faberbooks.bsky.social @valmcdermid.bsky.social @canongate.co.uk @heraldscotland.bsky.social @brianjaffa.bsky.social @daveeggers68.bsky.social @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social @vikingbooks.bsky.social

Five-star review: Matthew Zajac’s 20-year-old solo play has had a journey almost as remarkable as its subject, says Herald theatre critic Neil Cooper www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2... @neilcooper.bsky.social @lyceumedinburgh.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social @brianjaffa.bsky.social

In-depth review: The new Arab Strap album is a sprawling, 14 track album - which is worth an hour of anyone's time www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2... @arabstrap.scot @heraldscotland.bsky.social @rockactionrecords.scot

Autumn is packed with uncommonly good theatre across Scotland. Here's theatre critic Neil Cooper's picks www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2... @heraldscotland.bsky.social @neilcooper.bsky.social @alancumming.bsky.social @brianjaffa.bsky.social @irvinewelsh.bsky.social

EXCLUSIVE: The Scottish Government is being warned it risks damaging the country’s global reputation and eroding "already fragile infrastructure" if it targets the arts for cuts as part of its public service reforms. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2652442... @heraldscotland.bsky.social

One of the most-read news stories on The Herald website over the last 24 hours. Do you agree with Essential Edinburgh? www.heraldscotland.com/news/2652313... @heraldscotland.bsky.social

There are more common-sense ideas in this Bella Caledonia piece on Edinburgh’s festivals and the visitor levy than anything I’ve heard from the city council, which seems to want to wish them away. bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/09/02/d...

“Sustainability is not only environmental. The festivals were built on grassroots creativity and on the idea that artists could come to Edinburgh and find an audience. Preserving that openness matters.”

“Festival organisations can make a compelling case that they generate visitors, employment and substantial economic activity. Supporting their resilience is therefore an entirely legitimate use of visitor levy funding.”

“Affordability is already one of the greatest challenges facing the festival model. If performers, technicians, seasonal workers and smaller companies can no longer afford to stay in Edinburgh, the diversity and openness on which the festivals were built will inevitably suffer.”

“There is a temptation every August to cast discussion of the festivals as a contest between residents and visitors, heritage and events, culture and liveability. It is a false choice. Edinburgh benefits enormously from its festivals.”

Now this is intriguing. The Cockburn Association now appears to much more supportive of Edinburgh’s festivals & the case for them to be supported by the new visitor levy than the city council. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2652075...

Why is there so little support for local performers & companies? Why is comedy excluded from Scottish Government funding? Why are many of the busiest streets not more people-friendly? Why is the city not dressed properly? Why has visitor levy money not been committed to these events?

The countdown is now underway to the 80th anniversary of Edinburgh’s festivals in 2027. As the dust settles on another season, I’ve been mulling over some big questions, including how they are supported, the dates dilemma & the state of the city centre. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2651345...

Interesting stuff. I wrote about the lack of public funding support for Scottish comedy earlier this year. Comics are effectively excluded from the Scottish Government showcase at the Fringe & Glasgow Comedy Festival can’t get Creative Scotland funding. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2595635...

As ever, the final Edinburgh Festival Fringe box office figures are fascinating. The overall audience was by far the biggest since the pandemic, up almost 8% year on year. But the later dates & Princes St closure must have affected sales. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2650890...

Reposting an opinion column I wrote during the first week of the Edinburgh festivals, just as the Scottish school holidays were ending, on why there needs to be a rethink to bring their dates together. Any thoughts, folks? www.heraldscotland.com/news/2645503... @heraldscotland.bsky.social

This has been one of the 10 most-read news stories on The Herald website over the last 24 hours. Keen to know what folk who live & work in Edinburgh think. Do you ever feel “traumatised” by the cultural events going on in your city? www.heraldscotland.com/news/2650634... @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Well, this is certainly one way to thank everyone involved in Edinburgh’s festivals for their efforts over the last few weeks. The level of anger at the council’s handling of these events has certainly gone up a few levels. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2650634...

It’s definitely been one of those weeks…anyone else? What will tomorrow bring, I wonder?

Herald theatre critic Neil Cooper picks his favourite 10 shows to see before the Fringe ends www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2... @neilcooper.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social @brianjaffa.bsky.social @edfringe.bsky.social

The pressure is certainly mounting on Edinburgh City Council over the handling of its visitor levy. Will the festivals secure a fair share of income generated from the new charge? www.heraldscotland.com/news/2650051... @heraldscotland.bsky.social

The Herald’s final Edinburgh festivals supplement of the month is out today. Don’t miss it if you’re still trying to work out what to catch and don’t worry - there’s loads more coverage from the capital to come in the next few days.

"The longer-term risk is if Edinburgh under-invests in the cultural product that attracts visitors, it risks gradually eroding the very international distinctiveness on which its position as a world leading visitor destination depends." www.heraldscotland.com/news/2649778...

Eight shows given five stars by The Herald's critics that you still have time to see at the Fringe www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2... @heraldscotland.bsky.social @juliabraunraven.bsky.social @neilcooper.bsky.social @teddyjamieson.bsky.social @clairesawers.bsky.social @brianjaffa.bsky.social

I must have imagined Jane Meagher slagging off the Scottish Government on Princes Street over its “shameful” response to the fire.