Graham Norton becomes Fringe Ambassador
The Fringe Society has appointed legendary comedian, actor and radio presenter, Graham Norton, as the newest Ambassador of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Norton began as a stand up at the Frnge in 1991 before moving on to become Father Noel in Father Ted. He was shortlisted for a Perrier Award in 1997.
Graham Norton said: “It’s hard to believe that my connection to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe dates back nearly 35 years. As an emerging comedian back in the early nineties, everyone in the industry knew that you had to make the journey to Edinburgh and its Fringe for the opportunities that you have to develop your craft with a live audience, but also to meet and network with the thousands of industry that go there to look for talent.
Through my chat show I meet and talk to those across the entertainment industry every week, and you’d be hard pressed to find someone on the sofa that hasn’t been to the Fringe either to perform or to watch shows at some point in the past. I’m delighted to be announced as an ambassador of the Edinburgh Fringe and look forward to visiting the festival next August.”
Poppy Day today
Edinburgh Poppy Day takes place on Thursday live from St Andrew Square throughout the day.
Working in partnership with Poppyscotland to provide the day’s entertainment is BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service) with presenters Mark McKenzie and Jim Gellatly who will host a concert with music from the Band of the Royal Marines Scotland, Edinburgh Military Wives Choir, Rosyth Military Wives Choir, RBLS Dunfermline & District Pipe Band and Wave of the Flood, Royal Marine veteran Richard Kerr and George Heriot’s School Pipe Band. They will also speak to a host of special guests live on air throughout the day from 10.30am to 3.30pm.
Scores of volunteers will also be out on the day to collect the vital funds the charity needs to continue supporting the Armed Forces community in Scotland.
Richard Todd, National Poppy Appeal Manager – Scotland, said: “Edinburgh Poppy Day is always a huge hit across our capital city with locals and visitors taking in the atmosphere and entertainment in St Andrew Square and further afield.
“It is a day where people come together to show their support for the Scottish Poppy Appeal as we lead up to our national day of Remembrance. So, please pop along, donate what you can, wear your poppy with pride and say hello to our wonderful team of volunteers.”
Celebrating Fair Work in Edinburgh
Everyone is invited to Join the Edinburgh Fair Work Action Group on 12 November during Living Wage Week.
This is a group of employers in the city who are trying to grown the Fair Work and Living Wage movements in Edinburgh. During the week they will celebrate any achievements in the capital with this event an opportunity to hear about local employers and what they do.
The event at Edinburgh International Conference Centre will run as follows:
- 4-4.15pm – Arrival with drinks and finger food
- 4.15-4.30pm – Welcome from the Edinburgh Fair Work Action Group
- 4.30-5.00pm – Panel discussions with Living Wage, Living Pensions and Living Hours employers.
- 5.00-5.20pm – Facilitated networking.
- 5.20-5.30pm – Next steps from the Edinburgh Fair Work Action Group
- 5.30-6.00pm – Informal networking.
- Tickets available here
Guide Dogs visit the zoo
Guide Dogs Scotland has teamed up with Edinburgh Zoo, as the charity looked for ways to develop their pups’ confidence around animals and wildlife.
Pups Wynter, Oleg and Lyle and their volunteer puppy raisers recently enjoyed a day out at the zoo, getting up close to the resident giraffes, meerkats and chimpanzees.
It is hoped the visits, and exposure to different animals in such a calm environment, will help prepare the puppies for life as working guide dogs.
Puppy Development Advisor Lynsey Anderson-Fell said: “The main benefit is we can prepare our dogs for places they might visit in the future.
“Once qualified as a guide dog, they may well visit a zoo, safari park or farm with their owner and we want them to be able to do this without being overwhelmed.”
Guide Dogs worked closely with staff at Edinburgh Zoo to prepare both the puppies and the resident animals ahead of the visit.
A stuffed black labrador teddy was placed within viewing areas to help the zoo animals become more familiar with dogs. At home, the guide dog puppies listened to chimpanzee sounds and snuggled up to blankets that smelled of giraffes.
Lynsey said: “The zoo kindly provided blankets with the giraffes’ scent on them.
“This meant our pups could get used to the new smells in a relaxed, home environment before they encountered the real thing. When we took the pups into the giraffe house, they were curious but calm, which was just what we wanted to see.
“It’s not easy taking a young dog into this environment and our volunteers and pups did so well.
“At the meerkats, there was just a glass panel in between the puppies and the enclosure. It was a really interesting interaction, with the meercats chasing after the pups as they calmly walked away.”
The visit formed part of a recent collaboration between Guide Dogs and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS).
RZSS deputy chief executive, Ben Supple said, “We passionately believe that everyone should be able to access nature, so we’re incredibly proud to be working with Guide Dogs Scotland.
“It is an important collaboration because we want everyone to be able to visit Edinburgh Zoo and enjoy the amazing animals in our care, learn more about conservation and find out what changes we can all make in our lives to protect, value and love nature.”
Leith Kino
Leith Kino is Edinburgh’s latest community cinema initiative, screening underseen, underappreciated and unfairly maligned films on a weekly basis in the venue space of Leith Depot on Leith Walk. The Leith-based microcinema has been screening films since the beginning of September to often sold-out audiences, welcoming over 500 people through its doors since its inception. Run by an ever-growing film collective, Leith Kino screens a democratically decided and eclectic range of films, harbouring “an endearingly no-brow attitude to its programming” (The List, Nov 2025).
Leith Kino has a commitment to accessibility, with most tickets for screenings costing £5 and taking place in an accessible space with English subtitles and descriptive subtitles on screen for all events. Each month, we commission a new Leith-based artist to design our risoprint posters and flyers, which are kindly printed by Peanut Press. Our November poster was designed by Maddie Lennon.
The full Leith Kino programme for November and December is as follows:
- 2nd Nov: Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985) – family-friendly fun with this early Tim Burton escapade, starring Paul Reubens who passed away in 2023. (Presented by Malgorzata Bugaj)
- 9th Nov: The Crazy Family (1984) plus Takashi Ito short films GRIM (1985) and ZONE (1995) – wild non-family-friendly fun in this subversive takedown of the traditional middle-class Japanese family system from one of Japan’s seminal punk directors Gakuryu Ishii. (Presented by Hal Young)
- 16th Nov: Double-bill of Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror (2025) and Shock Treatment (1981) – come discover the backstory of the original midnight movie, paired up with its underappreciated follow-up and prescient damnation of reality tv, including some catchy songs! (Presented by Morvern Cunningham)
- 23rd Nov: I Didn’t See You There (2022) – filmmaker Reid Davenport (Life After) sets out to make a film about his worldview as a wheelchair user, while at the same time considering the lingering history and legacy of the circus freak show. (Presented by Charlie Little)
- 30th Nov: Secretary (2002) – Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader star in this sordid tale of an office-based subdom relationship. (Presented by Xuanlin Tham)
- 7th Dec: Seeking Mavis Beacon (2024) – two filmmakers set out on a quest to find the titular star of the 80s typing software programme. Screening with The Flowers Stand Silently Witnessing (2024) as part of a fundraiser event for families in Gaza. (Presented by Jan A)
- 14th Dec: Kim’s Video (2023) – two filmmakers attempt to track down the wild and whacky VHS back catalogue of legendary NY video and music store Kim’s Video, you’ll never guess where it ended up… (Presented by Cinetopia)
- 21st Dec: Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987) – join Leith Kino for the last film in our current season, an anti-festive title that shows how the murderous Santa story runs in the family. It’s garbage day! (Presented by the Leith Kino team)
Tickets for all our screenings are available via: https://ticketlab.co.uk/promoter/leithkino
Bonus photo for Thursday
