An open and candid conversation with Irvine Welsh about his life and work, the legacy of Trainspotting and his favourite places in Glasgow.

We chatted ahead of the premiere of new documentary film Reality Is Not Enough about his work, career and daily life.

Irvine Welsh is at a crossroads in his life. After finding huge success with several film adaptations and six million books sold worldwide, he has become acutely aware of his mortality. Now, with his hedonistic days drawing to a close, join the outspoken author as he takes on a wild new journey that explores the boundaries of consciousness through a hallucinogenic trip.

This captivating piece of autobiographical filmmaking combines intimate observational footage, rare archive film clips and readings from his novels narrated by Liam Neeson (Batman Begins, Star Wars), Maxine Peake (The Theory of Everything, Shameless), musician Nick Cave, Ruth Negga (Ad Astra, Passing) and Stephen Graham (Adolescence, The Irishman).

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Midge Ure grew up in Cambuslang and started out in Glasgow bands as a teenager in the late 60s before going to London to follow his dreams, becoming a key member of Ultravox after gaining attention with Salvation, later Slik, in 1974. Displeased with Slik’s direction, he joined the punk-pop group Rich Kids, led by former Sex Pistol bassist Glen Matlock. After their only album in 1978, Ure briefly joined the Misfits before forming Visage, leaving to replace Gary Moore in Thin Lizzy. He then joined Ultravox in 1980, driving their mainstream success and working as a producer. In 1985 he led the Live Aid concerts with Bob Geldof that became a global phenomenon.

I spoke to Midge about Glasgow, synthesisers and Crolla’s ice cream.

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Born and raised in Glasgow, Paul Donnelly realised at an early age that all he wanted to do was cook. He decided to attend culinary school at Glasgow Metropolitan College while working at Cameron's Restaurant and staging at Gordon Ramsay’s Amaryllis. Upon graduation, Donnelly set off for a culinary adventure in Sydney.

The first job he landed there was on the wok at Japanese restaurant Ivy Teppanyaki, followed by Sailors Thai. In 2010, Donnelly interned with David Thompson at the Bangkok location of Nahm. He then returned to Sydney to work as head chef at Ms.G’s under the tutelage of the award-winning Vietnamese chef and restaurateur Dan Hong.

In 2016, longtime friend Eddy Buckingham approached Donnelly about opening a Chinese restaurant in Manhattan. By the time Donnelly arrived, he had no suppliers and almost no staff, only a menu and a sous chef. They opened Chinese Tuxedo two weeks later inside a historic Chinatown opera house and it has become one of lower Manhattan's most celebrated restaurants.

We spoke to Paul about his life in the kitchen.

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Craig Ferguson kickstarted his entertainment career in Glasgow as a drummer for a punk band - the lead singer was Peter Capaldi - then as an actor and stand-up comedian in the late 80s.

After a successful turn at the Edinburgh Festival and shows at Glasgow’s Tron Theatre - he credits Sir Michael Boyd, the artistic director of The Tron as the person who persuaded him to take to the stage - he moved to the United States in 1994, going on to star in The Drew Carey Show, writing and appearing in movies before securing his role as the host of the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson in 2005.

The show ran for eleven seasons featuring interviews with celebrities including Betty White, Jon Hamm, Steve Carrell, Rashida Jones and Mila Kunis. A multiple Grammy nominated, Peabody and Emmy Award-winning actor, writer, producer, director and comedian with a diverse career that encompasses film, television and the stage, Ferguson is a New York Times bestselling author and has recorded numerous stand-up specials for Netflix, Epix, Comedy Central and Amazon.

In a candid and revealing chat, Craig talks about his memories of Glasgow and how the city shaped his career.

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Elaine C Smith talks about her life and career in Glasgow as she is presented with the Freedom of the City.

Actress and comedy star Elaine C Smith was granted the Freedom of the City of Glasgow as part of the city's 850th birthday celebrations. She is sitting in the Lord Provost’s dining room at City Chambers and says she has found the award “overwhelming” but is looking forward to being joined by her family for the occasion.

Elaine said: ”As a newly minted Freeman of Glasgow, I must say, it's quite the honour. But let's be clear, while I may be a 'Freeman' by title, I am, and always will be, a freewoman at heart.”

Elaine has a prolific career spanning more than 40 years in radio, television, film, and theatre. She is best known for her roles, portraying strong female characters, in television comedy series such as City Lights, Naked Video, as Mary Nesbitt in Rab C Nesbitt and her award-winning role as Christine in Two Doors Down.

We sat down to look back over her career and talk about her life in Glasgow.

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Peter Capaldi tells us how his new album is inspired by Glasgow in the early 80s and shares memories of growing up in the city.

As a man who is familiar with alternative timelines from his previous work in Doctor Who, I asked Peter Capaldi if there could have been a version of his life where he was an art student in the early eighties, sitting drinking a Brandy Alexander in Nico’s, and he could have been approached to sign a record deal. It’s well documented that Peter was in a band while he was at the Glasgow Art School - he talked about it while on Craig Ferguson’s talk show, who had been the drummer in the group. I was keen to find out if that was a real attempt at pop stardom or just some fun, youthful posturing.

Glasgow was alive with musical talent at the start of the 1980s. A new generation was finding its voice. Bar staff from the Rock Garden, waitresses from Spaghetti Factory and Ubiquitous Chip were ending up on Top of the Pops. Could Peter Capaldi have been in the right place at the right time and seen his career take off in a rock band direction?

“Well, obviously we weren't in the right place at the right time”, he cackles at the thought. “It wasn't for want of trying, but that never really worked out for us. But we would've loved something like that to happen. And yes, of course, that was very much what the vibe was on the scene, it really was.

“People would be knocking about Great Western Road dressed as baby goths and then the next week they'd be signed and then the next month they'd be on Top of the Pops or whatever. So it seemed quite possible for all these things to happen, but sadly it didn't happen to us.”

Early work in theatre in Glasgow and some writing led to more acting. Then, in 1983, Bill Forsyth cast Peter in his film Local Hero and that accelerated things along a different path: “It was such a great accident. A great piece of fate plucking me out of hanging about the Amphora or the Mars Bar or the College of Building and Technology Bar. Going into this other world that I was also very, very interested in.

“I thought, well, I've got to go with this. So I stopped pursuing actually being a signed up pop person. There were a few kind of residual things that happened. I was always sort of half in bands and half out, there are lots of recordings of bits and pieces. Things that we did and various studios that never went anywhere.

“But I think my heart had gone out of it really, and I just wanted to get on with acting, which was kind happening for me. But that was quite terrifying as well. I didn't really know how to do that. Here we are.”

Join the conversation as The Glasgow Podcast features the life and times of Peter Capaldi.

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