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Festival Tales: Edinburgh at 70

Jack Whitehall presents a celebration of 70 years of one of the greatest arts festivals in the world. With interviews from Sir Ian McKellen, Shappi Khorsandi, Stephen Fry and more.

Presented by Jack Whitehall, this one-hour documentary celebrates 70 years of one of the greatest arts festivals in the world - from the idealism of its glorious beginnings in 1947, when the Edinburgh Festival was conceived as a 'bond of reunion in a disintegrated world', part of a healing process in the aftermath of the Second World War, to the birth of the Fringe the same year and the creative anarchy that it unleashed.

Jack recalls the miraculous encounters between artists, musicians, writers and performers that Edinburgh has witnessed over the decades, and reflects on what the Edinburgh Festival has done for culture, both nationally and internationally.

Featuring interviews with Sir Ian McKellen, Shappi Khorsandi, Stephen Fry, Claire Bloom, Michael Palin, Nicola Benedetti, Alan Cumming, Alexei Sayle and many more.

59 minutes

Last on

Tue 2 Jan 2018 01:55

Music Played

  • Benjamin Britten

    War Requiem, Op 66: Dies irae

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Jack Whitehall
Producer Sarah Aspinall
Producer James Nutt
Director Sarah Aspinall
Director James Nutt
Executive Producer Matthew Springford

Broadcasts