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Scottish Sun
26 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
New hard-hitting play about suicide in prison stars real-life ex-offenders
'When I heard there was a over 40 per cent increase in suicides in Scottish prisons, I gasped. It wasn't good enough and it never left me' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DEATHS in Scottish prisons are amongst the highest in Europe after increasing by 60 per cent in the past year, a recent report revealed. The Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research found 64 people died in jail in 2024 - up from 40 in 2023 - with 17 of those deaths apparent suicides. 4 Ex-offenders Duncan Stewart and David Ross play cellmates Shug and Rambo. 4 All the cast together at The Fort Theatre in Glasgow where they are staging Fever. 4 Fever is written by Gemma Muir, who was triggered by the high rates of suicide behind bars in Scottish jails. Professor Sarah Armstrong. who led the research for Glasgow University, stated the figures were 'unprecedented'. Chief Features Writer MATT BENDORIS speaks to Natalie Logan, who lost her own dad to suicide in jail, about a new play that aims to turn the spotlight on the blight going on behind bars with a new play called Fever. FEVER is the elation that prisoners feel in the build-up to the day they are set free - but this play was written out of sheer shock at the appalling rates of suicide behind bars. Natalie Logan runs the charity Sisco which works hand-in-hand with the Scottish Prison Service to help offenders return to society. But her community manager Gemma Muir was inspired to put pen to paper after a visit to Barlinnie where she discovered The Scottish Prison Service's Talk to Me suicide prevention strategy had failed - with a 42 per cent rise in suicides since the scheme was introduced in 2016. Gemma, 39, from Bishopbriggs, Glasgow, said: 'Before I started working with Sisco I was very much of the mindset that if you do the crime you do the time. 'But when I started my training the facts and figures that were trotted out from the work book were pretty triggering for me. 'When I heard there was a over 40 per cent increase in suicides in Scottish prisons, I gasped. It wasn't good enough and it never left me.' Four years on it has led to Gemma's first play Fever, following the stories of cellmates Shug and Rambo as they prepare for release. Every actor in the production, which begins a three night run at Bishopbrigg's Fort Theatre from tonight (July 31), are ex-offenders including including Glaswegians Duncan Stewart, 64, from Possilpark, who plays Shug and David Ross, 53, from Springburn, who portrays Rambo. Inside Belmarsh: Secrets of Britain's most notorious prisoners Natalie and Gemma and the rest of the team hear stories like theirs all the time at the Sisco Recovery Cafes they run both inside and outside of Scotland's jails. Duncan said: 'I was first put in the care system when I was 10. That escalated to approved schools, then jail. ' But about 10 years ago I met Natalie and I started getting off my heroin, my crack, my spice, my methadone, my booze. I was still smoking cannabis, but I don't do that now. 'What changed for me? My attitude, I didn't care about myself. But I found people that gave me tools to start caring about myself. 'It took me about seven and a half years for the penny to drop, but they never once asked me to leave.' Asked how he's adapted to being an actor, Duncan just laughs: 'We've been actors our whole life - we knew how to lie and cheat. 'I didn't know it then but that's the same as acting. But then these women took a leap of faith to put me in a play to do it for real.' David also found himself in the care system from a young age, but admits acting out his character Rambo's suicidal thoughts was personally a tough ask. He said: 'I had a similar experience with my last sentence. I was suicidal. 'If it wasn't for me having these people that cared for me, then I might not be here today. 'But we just want to get the message out there that there are other options. That there's always hope - you just need to talk to somebody.' Every scene in Fever is also based on real-life scenarios experienced by all the cast. Natalie, 46, from Springburn said: 'The importance of having lived-experienced actors is we didn't want any of the play to be superficial, fabricated or untrue. 'We wanted it to be as gritty and real as possible and to leave people questioning, does the Scottish Prison Service work? 'Ultimately, at the moment, they don't do enough because they don't have adequate resources to support people.' The mum-of-two has skin in the game after her dad Stephen Logan took his life in jail in 1986. She called her charity Sisco as it was his nickname. She said: 'My father was on suicide watch. Now the bottom line is if someone is on suicide watch you would assume that your family member is in a place of safety. 'A fatal accident inquiry found there was no accountability. Nothing's changed since then almost 40 years on. REVIEW OF NEW PRISON PLAY FEVER FEVER starts with Shug and his 'co-pilot' (cellmate) Rambo getting on each other's nerves. The play follows all their ups and downs from the excitement building to their release, to their hopes and fears over their family relationships down to where they are going to stay. But it doesn't skirt over their rampant drug taking and dealing behind bars with Rambo's kid sister sneaking his supply in during visiting time. There are plenty of laughs too, like the moment Shug says it's 'Willy Wallace day' because he's getting his 'freedom!' It all builds to a Sliding Doors-style climax where Rambo - immediately rearrested after release - can take no more and decides to end his life, alone in his cell. Members of the audience, who were themselves ex-offenders or their families, were in floods of tears. But it ends with an alternative scenario when an upbeat letter from Shug saves the day with Rambo deciding to get back on the straight and narrow, leaving us all with hope. MATT BENDORIS 'Although they're in prison, they're not all bad people. Yes, we have a small cohort of really, really bad people that absolutely should be in prison. 'But I just wish policy makers would come to see this play to see what's going on inside the Scottish Prison Service because if nothing it done then the next set of suicide figures are going to be truly eye-watering.' A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: 'Our staff work hard to support and protect vulnerable people in our care, including in moments of crisis in their lives. 'Following recent Fatal Accident Inquiry determinations, we have committed to delivering rapid and systemic change, which will be enduring and impactful and also look at ways in which we can go beyond them, help our staff build positive relationships with people in custody, particularly those who might be vulnerable, and keep them safe. 'This includes an overhaul of Talk To Me, our suicide prevention programme, based on the advice of independent experts.'
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Extra funding underlines value we place on the arts in Scotland
International Festival director Nicola Benedetti with Culture Secretary Angus Robertson Scotland's festivals are at the heart of our culture sector and national life. They are an invaluable platform for our artists and performers to develop and support their ambition and creativity by providing focal points for activity and opportunities to showcase their work. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Edinburgh is currently the undisputed centre of the cultural world. With both the Edinburgh International Festival and the Festival Fringe now in full swing, the Scottish Capital hosts the best attended annual arts festival in the world. Edinburgh Festivals attract over 3000 events, 25,000 performers, 4.5 million attendances from 70 countries worldwide. Only the Olympics and the Football World Cup exceed the number of tickets sold for Edinburgh's festival events. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Critics have been wowed by the EIF opener and world premiere of Make it Happen, which is a new commission produced by three major Scottish institutions; Edinburgh International Festival, National Theatre of Scotland and Dundee Rep Theatre about the rise, fall and fail of the biggest bank in the world – The Royal Bank of Scotland. The outstanding piece stars Brian Cox and Sandy Grierson, was written by the extraordinarily talented James Graham and directed by the award-winning Andrew Panton. It was a joy to see the premiere and I can't recommend it too highly. At every stage of their planning and their delivery, Scotland's Festivals are renowned for ambition, creativity and excellence at home and overseas. As well as their outstanding work on stage, festivals provide hundreds of millions of pounds to the Scottish and local economies, supporting a pipeline of jobs and businesses. Festivals, like the entirety of the culture sector, have been hit hard in recent years by a series of challenges. Recovery from the pandemic and addressing the challenges brought by Brexit have been made more difficult by increased costs and inflation, together with a challenging public funding environment. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The 2025/26 Scottish Government Budget has provided an important foundation for the work of festivals, recognising the importance of stability and certainty through long term sustained multi-annual funding to support Festival's ambitions for the future. Increasing investment in festivals, as part of the biggest ever increase in funding for culture, underlines the value the Scottish Government places on the arts. Through this increased investment we want to drive up opportunities for participation in creative pursuits, support the festivals commissions and collaborations on new and exciting works, ensuring Scotland's cultural output have platforms at home and abroad. While increased funding has provided greater long term stability, festivals continue to face challenges around transport, accommodation, connectivity and long term sustainability beyond funding to areas like workforce planning and skills development. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad We are committed to working with festivals in Edinburgh, as well as across Scotland through a Strategic Partnership to address these challenges If you haven't already taken time to plan what to see at the Edinburgh International Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe you really should, just as you should look into all of the other amazing festivals taking place in the World's Capital City of Festivals. You should also check out: the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh TV Festival, Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival and many others. Edinburgh's festivals are a jewel in Scotland's cultural crown and are world class events in the global arts calendar. Let's make the most of them.
Scotsman
3 hours ago
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Festival Fringe: Film about Scot known as 'world's foremost elephant scientist' to premiere
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... He is a Scottish conservationist known as the world's foremost elephant scientist, who revolutionised elephant research and became a leading voice against ivory poaching. Now a film chronicling the journey of Scot Dr Iain Douglas-Hamilton will be shown at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to mark World Elephant Day. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The son of Lord David Douglas-Hamilton and grandson of Duke of Hamilton, Alfred Douglas-Hamilton, Dr Douglas-Hamilton is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost authorities on African elephants over his six- decade career. The documentary, A Life Among Elephants, has been made in conjunction with conservation organisation Save the Elephants, which Dr Douglas-Hamilton founded in 1993. The production combines never-before-seen archival footage with intimate family interviews and contributions from renowned figures like Jane Goodall, all set against the backdrop of elephant families in northern Kenya. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Alongside his wife Oria and daughters Saba and Dudu, Dr Douglas-Hamilton, who attended Gordonstoun School in Elgin, formed profound connections with elephant families. The film tells the story of the life of Dr Iain Douglas-Hamilton. | Save the Elephants Born in England, he spent his early years in Scotland and later studied zoology at Oxford University. After leaving Gordonstoun, he pursued his childhood dream of flying around Africa to save animals. The film chronicles Dr Douglas-Hamilton's ground-breaking work, starting in 1965 at Tanzania's Lake Manyara, where he pioneered the study of wild African elephants. His research revealed their complex social structures and distinct personalities, forever changing understanding of the animals. During the 1970s, he investigated the status of elephants throughout Africa. He was the first to alert the world to ivory poaching, becoming instrumental in bringing about the first global ivory trade ban in 1989. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Dr Douglas-Hamilton's pioneering documentation revealed that Africa's elephant population had declined by half between 1979 and 1989. When poaching resurged with an estimated 100,000 elephants killed between 2010 and 2012, Mr Douglas-Hamilton again led the campaign, advocating for stronger protections that ultimately contributed to China's 2018 ivory trade ban. A spokesman for Save the Elephants said: 'The film captures Douglas-Hamilton's poignant return to Samburu following a life-threatening accident, accompanied by his protégé David Daballen, now director of field operations at Save the Elephants. Together, they reconnect with the elephant families that have been central to his life's work. 'Douglas-Hamilton's legacy lives on through a new generation of researchers dedicated to protecting Africa's most iconic species. This compelling documentary not only celebrates his extraordinary contributions to elephant conservation, but also underscores the ongoing importance of protecting these remarkable animals for future generations.' Following successful theatrical runs across Europe, the UK, and the United States, A Life Among Elephants has garnered rave reviews and multiple award nominations, including winning the 2025 DC Environmental Film Festival's prize for Outstanding Artistry in Filmmaking. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
