DILETTANTE is the real thing! She has won the inaugural New Music Stage showcase for the UK’s most exciting emerging musical talent at York’s Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2025.
At last Saturday’s event, part of the festival’s debut Beyond the Frame strand at York Theatre Royal, Dilettante delivered a set that captivated audience and jury alike with emotive vocals, layered textures and commanding stage presence.
Reflecting on her victory, she said: “What a massive honour to win this inaugural award. I’m a massive film nerd and I’m really excited to see both film and music festivals starting to work together to support artists across forms. Especially great to win in my home county of Yorkshire and in such a beautiful theatre!”
Signed to EMI North, praised by Mojo and Uncut magazines and featured at SXSW(South By Southwest) and The Great Escape, Dilettante – the inventive art-pop project of Francesca Pidgeon – has risen from Manchester basements to now embarking on festival appearances and cross-disciplinary collaborations across music, film and XR (Extended Reality).
Daisy Gill: From The Voice UK to New Music Stage at Aesthetica Short Film Festival
Last Saturday’s 2pm to 11pm curated line-up of breakthrough talent featured acts championed by tastemakers such as BBC Radio 1, BBC 6Music, RTÉ Radio 1 and Mojo and Rolling Stone magazines.
Taking part were winner Dilettante; BLÁNID, an Irish singer-songwriter with one million Spotify streams; Crazy James, lauded by BBC Introducing for his high-energy rap; Daisy Gill, alumna of The Voice UK with Glastonbury and Royal Albert Hall appearances to her name, and Ewan Sim, featured on Spotify Fresh Finds.
Participating too were Isabel Maria, BBC Introducing One-to-Watch and North East Culture Award winner; Emma Johnson, an alt-pop artist featured on BBC Radio 1 and Radio X; Kengo, BBC Introducing-supported hip-hop talent; Messy Eater, immersive art-rock innovator, and Tarian, a Welsh artist who blends hip-hop with emotive pop and classical roots.
The New Music Stage jury brought together leading industry representatives including James Matthew, from Universal Music Group; Rachel Hill, of Futuresound Group, Leeds; Pablo Ettinger, Caffè Nero co-founder; Emma Stakes, of Production Park; Rob Clark, head of media at Imagesound, plus plus musical artists such as Jack Savoretti, The Dunwells, Fauzia Habib, Kat Day (The KVB) and singer-songwriter Rachel Croft, formerly of York, now based in London.
Messy Eater: Replaced Scarborough’s Pleasure Centre in the New Music Stage line-up at York Theatre Royal
The New Music Stage aims to be about “more than performance”, connecting artists with the broader cultural ecosystem being built through such festivals as ASFF.
The showcase combines collaborations with Universal Music A&R and Imagesound with opportunities for national airplay across Caffè Nero as the festival creates a pipeline to connect grassroots talent with national and international audiences.
“Dilettante’s win demonstrates the extraordinary potential of the next generation of musicians,” said festival director Cherie Federico.
Caffe Nero founder Pablo Ettinger highlighted the industry opportunities for emerging talent: “Supporting emerging talent at this level is vital,” he said. “These stages give artists the chance to reach audiences and figures they might not meet otherwise.”
“The New Music Stage promises to grow into a landmark event for UK and global music, reaffirming the vital role of live discovery in the cultural ecosystem,” says ASFF director Cherie Federico
The New Music Stage was set up against the backdrop of the culture of discovering new music live being in decline. Between 2022 and 2023, the UK lost roughly 13 per cent of grassroots music venues, compounded by more than 15 per cent closing or ceasing live music activity last year alone, while audience numbers for live shows have fallen by nearly 17 cent since 2019.
“The New Music Stage addresses this gap, giving audiences the thrill of experiencing music at its moment of emergence, just as grassroots venues once did,” said Cherie.
“By integrating the New Music Stage with film, games and XR, Aesthetica fosters a multidisciplinary creative community. Audiences can witness performances in context with broader creative innovation, and artists gain exposure to delegates from more than 60 countries, industry leaders and tastemakers, helping to launch careers on a global scale.
Rachel Croft: York singer-songwriter on the New Music Stage jury
Running from November 5 to 9, the 15th BAFTA-qualifying ASFF brought together together 300 films, music, games, podcasting, the UNESCO City Of Media Arts EXPO, masterclasses, workshops, the VR Lab, the first Aesthetica Fringe and Beyond the Frame in one immersive environment in York, providing a platform for collaboration, discovery and cultural exchange.
Across five days, York became a hub for creativity, where tomorrow’s stars in film, music, VR, games, and podcasts were discovered first. The festival’s international reach and multidisciplinary programming ensure it is not only a British event but also a meeting point for the most exciting voices in global screen and creative media.
Summarising the festival’s vision, Cherie said: “We’re building a festival where creativity meets opportunity. It’s not just about performances; it’s about creating connections, sparking collaborations and nurturing the next generation of artists across multiple disciplines.
“With this international scale, the New Music Stage promises to grow into a landmark event for UK and global music, reaffirming the vital role of live discovery in the cultural ecosystem.”
Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2025 Best Documentary and Best of Fest winner: JD Donnelly’s The Hold
YORK’S Aesthetica Short Film Festival has concluded its landmark 15th anniversary edition by announcing 2025’s award-winning filmmakers: a new generation of talent poised to shape the future of screen culture.
For 15 years, Aesthetica has been the home of new voices in film, where tomorrow’s BAFTA and Oscar nominees and winners are first discovered.
Across five transformative days, fromNovember 5 to 9, York welcomed filmmakers, delegates and industry professionals from more than 60 countries worldwide, underscoring the BAFTA-qualifying festival’s significance as an international platform for storytelling and creative exchange.
This year’s winners, selected from more than 300 films spanning 15 categories, represent the best in innovation, creativity and emotional storytelling. Audiences were reminded that the filmmakers, writers and artists celebrated here are the stars of tomorrow, destined to become household names on the international stage.
Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2025 Best Director: Reiff Gaskell for Cuerpos
2025 Award Winners
Genre awards:
Best Advertising: Swimming With Butterflies – Karl Stelter
Best Animation: Wild Animal – Tianyun Lyu
Best Artists’ Film: Mother Company – Alexandros Raptotasios; Konstantinos Thomaidis
Best Comedy: Dating In Your 20s – Lily Rutterford; Lucy Minderides
Best Dance: Spoken Movement Family Honour – Daniel Gurton
Best Documentary: The Hold – JD Donnelly
Best Drama: El Corazón – Oscar Simmons
Best Experimental: We Will Be Who We Are – Priscillia Kounkou Hoveyda
Best Fashion: Fugue – Nastassia Nikè Swan Yin Winge
Best Family Friendly: Girls Together – Christie Arnold
Best Music Video: Tank – Garath Whyte
Best Thriller: Scope – Emma Moffat
Best VR & Immersive: Xian’er (Chinese Immortals) – Fang Zhou
Best Game: Blue Prince – Dogubomb
Best Feature (Documentary): Torn – Kullar Viimne
Best Feature (Narrative): Disremember – Matthew Simpson
Best Podcast: Reality Looks Back – Anne Jeppesen
Craft & special awards:
Best Director: Cuerpos – Reiff Gaskell
Best Cinematography: Baby – Simisolaoluwa Akande
Best Editing: No One Really Knows Me Well – Gaia
Best Screenplay: Giants – Alex Oates, Andy Berriman
Best of Fest: The Hold – JD Donnelly
Mark Kermode: Busy festival, playing with his band The Dodge Brothers twice, first at Silent Cinema with Live Score screening of 1928’s Beggars Of Life, starring Louise Brooks, at York Theatre Royal on November 6, then at The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, on November 7, after his In Conversation with Mark Kermode book discussion with Surround Sound co-author Jenny Nelson at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Julie Edwards
Festival Highlights: Five days of creativity, performance and innovation
A Global Programme of Film
Aesthetica 2025 screened more than 300 films across multiple venues, representing genres from drama and documentary to experimental work and immersive VR projects. Filmmakers from around the world attended in person, sparking conversations and collaborations that extended beyond the cinemas into York’s streets and cafés. The festival’s international scale reinforces its role as a launchpad for talent on a global stage.
Masterclasses and industry insight
THE festival’s Masterclass series offered audiences unparalleled access to industry leaders, including:
Peter Straughan (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)
Jasmin John(Adolescence, Boiling Point)
Mick Audsley (Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire)
Industry organisations such as Aardman, BBC, Film4, Framestore, The New York Times, ITV, Industrial Light & Magic and Ridley Scott Associates shared insights into directing, screenwriting, post-production and the creative use of emerging technologies.
Beyond the Frame: Live performance, comedy & music
York Theatre Royal played host to live events and performances:
Comedy Night with Sophie Duker & Friends, featuring Eleanor Tiernan and Bella Hull.
Silent Cinema with Live Score, featuring Louise Brooks in 1928’s Beggars Of Life accompanied by bass player Mark Kermode’s band The Dodge Brothers and Neil Brand.
Mark Kermode in Conversation with Surround Sound co-author Jenny Nelson, exploring the role of music in film storytelling.
The New Music Stage, showcasing ten emerging acts, with Universal Music A&R and singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti attending.
The poster for Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2025
Immersive & Interactive: The EXPO, VR & Games Lab
THE VR & Games Lab pushed the boundaries of storytelling through interactive and immersive media. The Podcasting Lounge celebrated excellence in audio storytelling, while the York UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO highlighted cutting-edge innovation across digital media, visual effects and design. Workshops for children and teens in filmmaking, animation, and coding nurtured the next generation of creative talent.
UK Film Production Summit
THE UK Film Production Summit, held at The Grand, York, brought together more than 150 leading production companies, development executives and commissioners. Chaired by Ridley Scott Associates, discussions explored The Future of Production: Scripted, Unscripted, Film, TV & Streaming, with sessions on AI, virtual production, global streaming and investment models.
Mark Herbert, CEO of Warp Films, delivered a keynote speech on independent storytelling and the future of British production, joined by representatives from BBC Films, Film4, Working Title, Paramount, Clerkenwell (Baby Reindeer), Scott Free and many more.
Festival director Cherie Federicosaid: “Aesthetica is about discovery, ambition, and possibility. Over five days, York becomes a place where the next generation of talent is seen first, where ideas collide, and where creativity thrives across every discipline – from film and music to VR, games and podcasts.
“This festival is the beating heartbeat of the UK’s creative sector, a space where innovation, culture and storytelling converge, shaping the future of our industry.”
Continuing online
AESTHETICA 2025 continues online until November 30, offering audiences the chance to catch up on all the films, see the winners and discover the brightest and boldest talent in screen from around the world. This digital extension ensures the festival’s creativity, innovation and international spirit can reach audiences across the UK and globally. Visit: www.asff.co.uk.
York actress Constance Peel in Service Please at Micklegate Social on November 9
IN its 15th year, York’s Aesthetica Short Film Festival introduces its debut Aesthetica Fringe in a celebration of emerging talent across music, comedy, exhibitions, installations, and performance.
These artist-led events are part of a citywide cultural programme, transforming York into a creative playground throughout November.
“York is a UNESCO City of Media Arts, and our Fringe embodies this status by activating galleries, venues and public spaces with diverse work,” says festival director Cherie Federico. “Together, we bring art, performance and audiences into a shared, inspiring moment.”
Pilot Theatre presents A Guide To Now For Those In The Future, York Explore, Library Square, York, November 5 to 9
YORK company Pilot Theatre’s unique installation, A Guide To Now For Those In The Future, is a bold and immersive experience remixing interviews and footage into a vibrant explosion of sight and sound. Capturing the emotions, dreams and perspectives of young people, it acts as a digital time capsule, reflecting life, culture, and concerns in 2025. Supported by Portakabin Community Support Fund and York Common Good Trust.Age rating: PG.
Wonkystuff and The Sounen Project’s Change Of Phase
Change Of Phase, National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, York, November 5 to 9, 6-8pm
ICE into water, liquid into solid, sound into light, noise into music, soundscapes into stories, digital into analogue: Change Of Phase is a series of sound and light installations with performances, all set around a single, illuminated table. Wonkystuff and The Sounen Project provide the experimental audio landscape guiding the audience through moods. Age rating: PG.
Celebrating Creativity in Creative Ways, York Explore, November 5 to 9
CREATIVE Ways showcases powerful artworks inspired by York’s rich stained-glass heritage. Created by participants exploring creativity for both wellbeing and belonging, the exhibition celebrates connection, confidence and community and reflects the impact of art in a testament to how art can illuminate lives, provide hope and foster inclusion. Age rating: PG.
Bard At The Bar, Cat In The Wall, The Stonebow, York, November 5, 7.30pm
HAVE you always fancied yourself taking to the stage to try out one of Shakespeare’s great soliloquies? Bard At The Bar is a raucous, no-holds-barred night of “karaoke” Shakespeare. This is your opportunity to grab a drink, take a script and climb onto the stage to perform your favourite scenes. No experience necessary, just bring passion. Age rating: 18+.
Erler and Pilot in Crossroads, York Explore, Library Lawn, York, November 5, 5pm and 6pm; November 6, 6pm and 7pm; November 7,12 noon, 1pm, 4pm and 5pm
STEP inside and take the journey to the crossroads in a spooky immersive experience for teenagers and the young-at-heart by Erler and Pilot on Library Lawn, where you will meet your guide beside her trailer of truth. There she will drive you to the place where dreams come true. Age rating: 12+.
Griffonage Theatre’s poster for Kafka By Candlelight at The House of Trembling Madness
Griffonage Theatre presents Kafka By Candlelight, The House Of Trembling Madness, Lendal, York, November 5 to 7, 6.30pm & 8.30pm
DEEP in the cavernous belly of The House Of Trembling Madness, Griffonage Theatre, York purveyors of the madcap and the macabre, present Kafka By Candlelight, an unsettling adaptation of five of Franz Kafka’s strangest short stories, told in the dark, where each piece invites you to confront the bizarre with no guarantee of resolution or escape. Will you be able to stomach it? Audiences will be invited to wear theatrical masks (optional). Age rating: 18+.
Letterpress and Film, Thin Ice Press, York Centre for Print, A Celebration of Silence, Peasholme Green, York, November 5, 2pm to 5pm
EXPLORE the intersection of film and print in hands-on workshops that invite you to experiment with letterpress printing and create title cards inspired by the artistry of silent film. Bring your phone or camera to capture the process and discover the tactile beauty of print while celebrating the visual language of cinema. Age Rating: 12+.
Letterpress Film Night: Helvetica Screening, Thin Ice Press, York Centre for Print, Peasholme Green, York November 5, 7pm to 9pm
ENJOY a screening of Helvetica, a celebration of silent film, and the chance to try letterpress printing. Design and print title cards with the team, capture the process and explore the endangered craft of letterpress printing while embracing the timeless aesthetics of ink. This experience is a chance to explore how film and print intersect. Age rating: 13+.
Black Sheep Theatre Productions in The Inner Selves, The White Horse, Bootham, York, November 5 to 8, 10:30am, 1pm, 3pm
A VIEW into a dying marriage, wherein Henry and Nora represent the end of a marriage torn apart by the loss of their child, alcoholism and depression. They are joined by their Inner Selves (Henry’s Self and Nora’s Self) who torment them about what their lives could have been. Every interaction is heavy with the things left unsaid. Age Rating: 16+.
Dan Poppitt in Black Sheep Theatre Productions’ Inner Selves
The Bluffs present Unwritten, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb Road, Acomb, York, November 5, 8pm
IMPROV based on your literary suggestion, wherein York group The Bluffs take classic short-form improv games and infuse them with storytelling flair. Every show is unique, shaped by audience suggestions and spontaneous creativity. “Who knows where this evening will take us but it will be entertaining, inventive, and entirely in the moment,” they promise. Age rating: 12+.
York Fire Walk, York Minster, November 5, 2pm to 3pm; November 9, 12.30pm to 1.30pm
JOIN York Fire Walk to embark on a journey through the city’s fiery history, meeting by the Roman Column in Minster Yard, and finishing at City Screen Picturehouse. In the company of expert guides, discover how York Minster popped up in the Land of Fire – and then there’s some guy called Fawkes. There’s bound to be fireworks! Age rating: 8+.
Compulsive Light Art Show, Fabrication Store, Stonegate, York, November 6 to 8, 6pm to 8pm
THE inside of the Fabrication shop front is transformed into a living light installation in an exploration of the coexistence between art and inspiration. The window becomes a canvas where the very act of making becomes a performance of dancing light. Passers-by are invited to pause, watch and reflect on the journey from idea to creation. Age rating: PG.
Alice May in Sweet Pea & The Beech Tree, Patch@Bonding Warehouse, Terry Avenue, York, November 6, 7pm to 9pm
JOIN York actress Alice May for a script-in-hand performance of a new one-woman play, then offer feedback to help develop it for stage and screen. Sweet Pea & The Beech Tree is a comic tale of a granddaughter caring for her terminally ill grandmother that asks what caring for someone facing death can teach us. This opportunity invites you to engage with the work in progress. Age rating: 14+.
The Compulsive Light Art Show asks “Why Make Art?”
City Folk & York Creatives, Patch@Bonding Warehouse, Terry Avenue, York, November 7, 6.30pm
DROP into Patch for an all-vinyl DJ set by Mat Lazenby and Jono spinning a curated mix. Meet York creatives. Grab a drink, discuss ideas, find out how to be involved with City Folk magazine, a new publication made in the heart of the city, and be in with a chance to win a print by illustrator Tony Allen. This event is the perfect way to connect. Age rating: 14+.
Kids Just Wanna Fly, Ben Porter photobook launch, Patch@Bonding Warehouse, Terry Avenue, York, November 7, 6pm to 7pm |
LEAP into the unknown, through disposable cameras, polaroids and early iPhones. This is a tale of youthful ambition and the quest to craft an identity through the tumultuous years of young adulthood, comprising an exhibition, a photobook launch and short performances. Audiences are invited to reflect on who they are amidst their youth. Age rating: 16+.
Lara McClure in Oral Tradition, Amnesty Bookshop, Micklegate, York, November 7, 7pm
IN Iron Age Ulster, stories travelled from the mouths of bards into the ears of everyone else, with nothing written down. Storyteller, hypnotherapist and medieval historian Dr Lara McClure’s Edinburgh Fringe show offers a gnarly earful of ancient Ulsterwomen who used sex as a weapon – or, at least, so said the bards. The performance unpacks these bold yet provocative tales. Age rating: 16+.
Transmute- Live, Micklegate Social, Micklegate York, November 7, 8pm to 9.30pm
A SEMI-GENERATIVE particle system moves to an evocative mix of electronica, ambient, orchestral and techno sound. Immersive visuals and rich soundscapes merge, creating a mesmerising, cinematic experience that seamlessly blurs the boundaries between sight, sound and emotion in this exploration of movement, transformation, and connectivity. Agerating: PG.
Dr Lara McClure: Presenting Oral Tradition at Amnesty Bookshop
Rock Soil Scrape, West Park Bowling Club, November 8, 1.30pm to 4pm
AN installation inspired by the earth’s sediments, bringing together interviews with York workers and video projections, as well as food and drink to connect us to our physical environment, cultural histories and deep time. Presented in what was once a bakery, then a bottle shop and bar, the installation highlights the change of the site. Age rating: 12+.
In Limbo, De Grey Rooms, York, November 8, 4pm to 6.30pm
SOPHIE is dead. Probably. She thinks. Maybe. How could the happiest time of her life turn to this? Welcome to a rehearsed reading of In Limbo, Judi Amato’s new play about the realities of early parenthood and postpartum depression. A feedback session will follow the performance to help shape and deepen the development of the show. Age rating: 12+.
Constance Peel in Service Please, Micklegate Social, Micklegate, York, November 9, 2pm & 8pm
ALL Lara wanted was an easy job as she started to write her novel, but she is confronted with the sexist, stressful and chaotic reality of the service industry. This one-woman show by York-born, University of York-educated actress, writer, director (and waitress) Constance Peel plays the Aesthetica Fringe after a four-star debut run at this summer’s Edinburgh Fringe, and is marked by bright humour, artistic ambition and raw honesty. Age rating: 16+.
More, Spark:York, Piccadilly,York, November 9, 6.30pm to 7.30pm
MORE is a raw performance blending dance, visuals and music to explore the restless pulse of addiction – the craving for sensation, escape and wholeness. Through movement and image, it unravels cycles of desire and release in an intimate, sensory journey through the body’s aching longing to feel more and be enough.
The Storytelling Ensemble, Patch@Bonding Warehouse, Terry Avenue, York, November 9, 7.30pm
JOIN The Storytelling Ensemble for tales brought vividly to life with improvised music and original composition. Led by storyteller and composer Joe Allen, the ensemble breathes new life into fascinating fables and yearnful yarns, contributing to the magic of stories told aloud, inviting listeners to lose themselves in worlds ancient and new. Age rating: 12+.
For tickets, go to: asff.co.uk/fringe.
Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2025: Filmmaking In Schools
AESTHETICA Short Film Festival is putting young people at the heart of the festival run from November 5 to 9.
More than 150 students from seven York high schools – Huntington, Joseph Rowntree, Milthorpe, York High, All Saints, Fulford and Archbishop Holgate – will take part in the Filmmaking in Schools initiative, now in its second year.
The programme gives students the chance to develop practical filmmaking skills across storytelling, directing, writing, cinematography, editing and technical production, while also nurturing teamwork, creative collaboration and problem- solving. These skills are highly transferable, helping young people build confidence and abilities that extend far beyond the classroom.
York’s status as a UNESCO City of Media Arts provides a unique backdrop for creativity and innovation. In a city celebrated for its thriving digital media and creative industries, it is vital that students are offered hands-on, practical opportunities to bring their ideas to life.
Councillor Pete Kilbane, deputy leader of City of York Council and executive member for Economy and Culture, says: “It’s fantastic to see so many York youngsters getting hands-on experience in filmmaking. Through initiatives like this, students discover their creativity, learn new skills and get to see the wide range of exciting job opportunities that the film industry has to offer.
The Filmmaking in Schools programme puts this philosophy into practice, enabling students to write, direct and produce their own short films, while applying problem-solving and technical skills in a real-world environment.
Festival director Cherie Federico adds: “Our aim is to give young people a real chance to explore their creativity and find their voice. Filmmaking is a powerful tool for learning, teamwork, and self-expression – and by putting it in the hands of students, we are investing in the next generation of storytellers and innovators.”
Through mentorship, collaboration and the festival environment, students gain practical skills and inspiration that link directly to potential careers in media arts.
Stuart Campbell, head of communications at LNER, highlights the impact of industry partnerships: “The Railway 200 programme is all about supporting and fostering new talent,” he says. “It starts with young people, and here in York, we have the chance to do something truly different, giving students real-world opportunities to explore creativity and storytelling through film.”
The Filmmaking in Schools initiative sits within the context of the BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival, giving students exposure to the professional world of film and insight into the wider creative industries. By combining mentorship, hands-on experience and festival immersion, the programme nurtures the next generation of screen innovators.
While young people are at the centre of this initiative, Aesthetica 2025 also provides opportunities for families to engage with creativity. From specially curated U and PG film screenings to VR and games workshops, interactive art, live music and city-wide Fringe events, the festival offers experiences that encourage children and adults to explore, learn and play together.
By blending professional insight, imaginative activities, and cultural exploration, Aesthetica ensures that creativity is accessible to all ages, inspiring the next generation while bringing the wider York community together.
Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2025: Launching Beyond the Frame programme at York Theatre Royal, November 5 to 8
Comedian Sophie Duker
Sophie Duker & Friends, Wednesday, 7.30m
TASKMASTER champion Sophie Duker, from Mock The Week and Frankie Boyle’s New World Order, tops the bill featuring Eleanor Tiernan and Bella Hull.
Silent Cinema & Live Score with The Dodge Brothers, Thursday, 7.30pm
IN a dazzling collision of classic cinema and live music, The Dodge Brothers bring their live score to Beggars Of Life, the 1928 landmark American silent film starring Louise Brooks.
The Dodge Brothers
Film critic and BBC presenter Mark Kermode, on double bass and harmonica, is joined Neil Brand, celebrated silent film accompanist and star of BBC Four’s Sound Of Cinema, on piano, as this electrifying ensemble transforms a black-and-white masterpiece into a full-blooded cinematic event.
Mark Kermode: In Conversation with Jenny Nelson, Friday, 7pm
HEAR from the co-authors of Mark Kermode’s Surround Sound about the magic of film music. Join film critic Mark Kermode and award-winning radio producer Jenny Nelson for an evening of cinematic insight, sharp wit and passionate debate.
Together, they explore the power of film music, inspired by their new book. From cult classics to blockbuster scores, expect passionate discussion, revealing stories and plenty of chances to ask questions and join the debate. Expect honest, humorous and informed film talk.
Mark Kermode: Discussing his new book, Mark Kermode’s Surround Sound, with co-author Jenny Nelson at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Julie Edwards Visuals
Aesthetica New Music Stage, Saturday, 2pm to 11pm
IN the UK’s first national New Music Stage, BLANID, Jemma Johnson, Crazy Mark, Kengo, Ewan Sim, Daisy Gill, Dilettante, Tarian, Isabel Maria and North Yorkshire band Pleasure Centre will compete in a showcase supported by Universal Music A&R, Imagesound and Caffe Nero. Anglo-Italian singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti will be on the judging panel.
Tickets (and New Stage Passes for the New Music Stage) are available from the York Theatre Royal box office, 01904 623568, or online at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
York Theatre Royal is a venue for the ASFF 2025 line-up of film screenings and masterclasses too. More details on booking festival passes can be found at asff.co.uk/tickets/.
Daisy Gill: Taking part in the Aesthetica New Music Stage event
Mark Kermode Taking part in Aesthetica Short Film Festival’s Beyond the Frame strand at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Julie Edwards Visuals
THE 15th Aesthetica Short Film Festival tops the bill in a week when hauntings and musical buns rise to the occasion, as Charles Hutchinson highlights.
Festival of the week: Aesthetica Short Film Festival, all over York, today to Sunday
NOT so much a film festival as a “screen and media event”, in its 15th year, York’s Aesthetica Short Film Festival is bigger and broader than ever. Not only more than 300 shorts, features, documentaries, animations and experimental films, but also the VR & Games Lab; masterclasses and panels; workshops and roundtables; networking and pitching; Listening Pitch premieres; the inaugural New Music Stage and Aesthetica Fringe shows; Beyond the Frame events at York Theatre Royal; the UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO and the Podcasting strand. For the full programme and tickets, go to: asff.co.uk.
Mary Gauthier: Playing Pocklington Arts Centre tonight
Troubadour of the week: Mary Gauthier, Pocklington Arts Centre, tonight, 7pm
MARY Gauthier hung up her chef’s coat to move to Nashville at 40 to start a troubadour career, going from open-mic gigs to playing Newport Folk Festival a year later. Twenty-five years ago, this courageous lesbian songwriter’s groundbreaking debut album Drag Queens In Limousines announced: “Drag queens in limousines, nuns in blue jeans, dreamers with big dreams, they all took me in.”
The song has become an anthem for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider: as it turns out, all of us. It is typical of her deeply personal, yet paradoxically universal work, written in reaction to what matters most to her, as Gauthier expresses boldly what is often too hard for us to say. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
Bugsy at the double: Zachary Stoney, from Team Malone, left, and Dan Tomlin, from Team Bugsy, in Pick Me Up Theatre’s Bugsy Malone
Young performers of the week: Pick Me Up Theatre in Bugsy Malone, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
LESLEY Hill directs and choreographs York company Pick Me Up Theatre’s cast of more than 40 young performers in Alan Parker and Paul Williams’s musical, replete with the film songs You Give A Little Love, My Name Is Tallulah, So You Wanna Be A Boxer?, Fat Sam’s Grand Slam and Bugsy Malone.
In Prohibition-era New York, rival gangsters Fat Sam and Dandy Dan are at loggerheads. As custard pies fly and Dan’s splurge guns wreak havoc, penniless ex-boxer and all-round nice guy Bugsy Malone falls for aspiring singer Blousey Brown. Can Bugsy resist seductive songstress Tallulah, Fat Sam’s moll and Bugsy’s old flame, and stay out of trouble while helping Fat Sam to defend his business? Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
David Sturzaker’s Gareth Southgate giving a team talk in James Graham’s Dear England, on tour at Leeds Grand Theatre
Sporting drama of the week: National Theatre in Dear England, Leeds Grand Theatre, until Saturday, kick-off at 7.30pm plus 2pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees
JAMES Graham’s Olivier Award-winning play (and forthcoming television drama) takes its name from revolutionary England football manager Gareth Southgate’s open letter during the Covid-19 pandemic.
David Sturzaker plays Southgate, Samantha Womack, team psychologist Pippa Grange, in this “inspiring, at times heart-breaking and ultimately uplifting story” of England, penalties, lost finals and a new-found national identity. Box office: 0113 243 0808 or leedsheritagetheatres.com.
Ben Rosenfield and Laura McKeller in Neon Crypt and The Deathly Dark Tours’ The Wetwang Hauntings– Live!
Halloween horrors and jump scares of the week: Neon Crypt and The Deathly Dark Tours in The Wetwang Hauntings – Live!, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, Monkgate, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
BETWEEN 1986 and 1993, a series of often violent hauntings rocked the small Yorkshire town of Wetwang. The cases went cold and all the records were lost…until now! Join York ghost walk guide Dr Dorian Deathly and his team as they dig into the history and horrors of these cases. “This show is not for the faint of heart,” he forewarns. Suitable for age 13 upwards. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Jessica Shaw’s Forms Of Water, on show at Pocklington Arts Centre
Ryedale exhibition of the week: Jessica Shaw, Forms Of Water, Helmsley Arts Centre, until February 27 2026
BASED on the edge of the North York Moors, printmaker Jessica Shaw explores the impact of water and ice on landscape, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s assertion that “in time and with water, everything changes”.
Combining screenprint, woodcut, monoprint and etching with diverse media such as gouache and acrylic ink, her work draws from organic patterns and shapes made by water and ice, detailing their effect on the North York Moors National Park’s topography by highlighting the shapes of its high ground and the curls of its rivers, to the ephemeral ice patterns found in puddles and windows in winter.
Katie Leckey: Directing Griffonage Theatre in Kafka By Candlelight
Deliciously disturbing stories of the week: Griffonage Theatre, Kafka By Candlelight, The House Of Trembling Madness, Lendal, York, tonight to Friday, 6.30pm and 8.30pm
“NO rest for the week,” say Griffonage Theatre, York’s purveyors of the madcap and the macabre, who are performing Kafka By Candlelight in the cavernous belly of the House Of Trembling Madness cellar as part of Aesthetica Short Film Festival’s debut Aesthetica Fringe, featuring 25 shows across the city.
This one showcases five of Franz Kafka’s strangest short stories, told disturbingly in the darkness with the audience in masks (optional). “Dare to join us?” they tease. Box office: eventbrite.com/e/kafka-by-candlelight-tickets-1815618316259.
Entwined: Nik Briggs’s cooking copper, Ben, and Harriet Yorke’s carer, Gemma, in York Stage’s York premiere of The Great British Bake Off Musical
York musical premiere of the week: York Stage in The Great British Bake Off Musical, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tonight to Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
BAKING battles, singing sponges and a sprinkling of hilarity is the recipe for York Stage’s York premiere of The Great British Bake Off Musical, rising to the occasion under the direction of Nik Briggs, who also makes a rare stage appearance as one of the Bake Off contestants.
Expect a sweet and savoury symphony of British wit and oven mitts, propelled by a menu of jazz hands and jubilant original songs that capture the essence of the Bake Off tent, from nerve-wracking technical challenges to triumphant showstoppers. Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster ride, where cakes crumble, friendships form and dreams become fruitful reality. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Understaffed and overworked: The hotel workforce on clean-up duty in John Godber Company’s Black Tie Ball. Picture: John Godber Company
One helluva party of the week: John Godber’s Black Tie Ball, Pocklington Arts Centre, Thursday to Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
ON the glitziest East Yorkshire fundraising night of the year, everyone wants to be there. The Bentleys are parked, the jazz band has arrived, the magician will be magic, but behind the bow ties, fake tans and equally fake booming laughter lie jealousies and avarice, divorces and affairs, as overdressed upstairs meets understaffed downstairs through a drunken gaze.
The raffle is ridiculously competitive, the coffee, cold, the service, awful, the guest speaker, drunk, and the hard -pressed caterers just want to go home. Welcome to the Brechtian hotel hell of John Godber’s satirical, visceral comedy drama, as told by the exasperated hotel staff, recounting the night’s mishaps at breakneck speed in the manner of Godber’s fellow wearers of tuxedos, Bouncers. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
Offcut Theatre’s poster for Libby Pearson’s Four By Three
Uplifting mini-dramas of the week: Offcut Theatre in Libby Pearson’s Four by Three, Milton Rooms, Malton, Thursday, 7.30pm
PAULINE, Bill and Martin invite you into parts of their lives through three separate monologues before coming together in a short play in Libby Pearson’s hopeful, uplifting, light-hearted look at the need for human contact.
In The Woman Next Door, is Pauline a lonely, nosey neighbour or a woman full of unfulfilled longing? In Silk FM, Bill runs a very local radio station; catch it on Thursdays, 1pm to 3pm, term-time only. In The Picker, Martin is desperate to be acknowledged for his innovative litter-picking ideas. In Shelved, Pauline, Bill and Martin run a volunteer-led library, where the council may have plans for it, but so do they. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Film critic Mark Kermode: Book talk and gig with his band Dodge Brothers at York Theatre Royal in the Beyond the Frame strand of Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2025. Picture: Julie Edwards Visuals
THE 15th Aesthetica Short Film Festival tops the bill in a week when Sir Gareth Southgate and David Walliams are keen to talk too, as Charles Hutchinson highlights.
Festival of the week: Aesthetica Short Film Festival, all over York, November 5 to 9
NOT so much a film festival as a “screen and media event”, in its 15th year, York’s Aesthetica Short Film Festival is bigger and broader than ever. Not only more than 300 shorts, features, documentaries, animations and experimental films, but also the VR & Games Lab; masterclasses and panels; workshops and roundtables; networking and pitching; Listening Pitch premieres; the inaugural New Music Stage and Aesthetica Fringe shows; Beyond the Frame events at York Theatre Royal; the UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO and the Podcasting strand. For the full programme and tickets, go to: asff.co.uk.
Joseph Egan’s club boss Fat Sam from the Team Bugsy cast for Pick Me Up Theatre’s Bugsy Malone
Young swells of the week: Pick Me Up Theatre in Bugsy Malone, Grand Opera House, York, until November 8, 7.30pm, except Sunday and Monday; 2.30pm, both Saturdays and Sunday
LESLEY Hill directs and choreographs York company Pick Me Up Theatre’s cast of more than 40 young performers in Alan Parker and Paul Williams’s Jazz Age musical, replete with the film songs You Give A Little Love, My Name Is Tallulah, So You Wanna Be A Boxer?, Fat Sam’s Grand Slam and Bugsy Malone.
In Prohibition-era New York, rival gangsters Fat Sam and Dandy Dan are at loggerheads. As custard pies fly and Dan’s splurge guns wreak havoc, penniless ex-boxer and all-round nice guy Bugsy Malone falls for aspiring singer Blousey Brown. Can Bugsy resist seductive songstress Tallulah, Fat Sam’s moll and Bugsy’s old flame, and stay out of trouble while helping Fat Sam to defend his business? Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Mark Steel: Addressing the leopard in his house at York Theatre Royal tonight
“Leftie, working-class, BBC Radio 4 favourite” comedy gig of the week: Mark Steel: The Leopard In My House, York Theatre Royal, tonight, 7.30pm
COMEDIAN, nation-travelling radio presenter and writer Mark Steel has not so much an elephant in the room as The Leopard In My House. Under discussion is his battle with throat cancer, one that he is winning (thankfully) and that has spawned his new comedy tour show. Cancer, by the way, has done nothing to dull the edge of Steel’s trademark acute political and cultural observations.
“This show is the story of my year, of wonderful characters and often tricky but bafflingly positive experiences,” says Steel. “Doing the show doesn’t quite make me glad that it happened, but it definitely makes up for it quite a bit”. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
The Magpies: Launching new EP at the NCEM
Folk gig of the week: The Magpies, National Centre for Early Music, York, tonight, 7.30pm
THE Magpies, the folk trio that hosts The Magpies Festival at Sutton House, near York, every summer, combine rich harmonies with fiddle-led fire and lyrical storytelling, wherein Bella Gaffney (banjo, vocals), Holly Brandon (fiddle, vocals) and Ellie Gowers (guitar, vocals) meld Anglo and American traditions.
Tonight’s intimate gig marks the launch of this autumn’s EP, The One Thing That I Know. Lead single Painted Pony is a stirring tribute to the St John and St Lawrence rivers of Canada: a song that flows with memory, movement and the quiet majesty of nature’s imprint. Box office for returns only: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.
George Stagnell in the short film Bomb Happy, part of an Everwitch Theatre double bill
Theatre and film memorial of the week: Everwitch Theatre in Bomb Happy VE Day double bill, Milton Rooms, Malton, Sunday, 3pm
PRESENTED in the lead-up to Remembrance Sunday, whose focus this year falls on 80th anniversary of VE Day, Bomb Happy has been created by writer-performer Helena Fox and actor-vocalist Natasha Jones, of Everwitch Theatre.
From D-Day to VE Day, this powerful one-hour double bill of live performance (30 minutes) and short film (30 minutes) brings to life the verbatim accounts of two working-class Yorkshire Normandy veterans, highlighting the lifelong impact of post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep trauma, not only on war veterans but on their families too. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Leading light Mad Alice: Welcoming passengers to her Ghost Train on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
Train ride of the week: Mad Alice’s Ghost Train, North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Pickering Station, Sunday, 6.15pm and 8pm
JOIN York ghost walk hostess Mad Alice as she takes a spine-tingling ghost-train ride through the haunted heart of the North York Moors from Pickering to Levisham and back again in an hour-long eerie adventure. “I’ll be joined by Jonny Holbek, from York Light Opera Company, and professional actor Joe Standerline to help me tell stories in the carriage,” says Mad Alice. “Plus a few extra ‘ghosts’, who are actually either NYMR volunteers or York Light members – and even my own niece!”
All on board to learn of the mysterious ghosts that still haunt the carriages and stations; hear of supernatural tales and folklore of the land, and enjoy a special retelling of Charles Dickens’s ghost story, The Signal Man, all while sipping Mini Mad Alice’s Bloody Orange Gin & Tonic from York Gin (age 18 upwards). Box office for waiting list only: nymr.co.uk/Event/ghosttrain.
Sir Gareth Southgate: Discussing his new book Dear England at York Barbican…and the subject of James Graham’s play of that title at Leeds Grand Theatre
Ex-England manager at the double: In Conversation with Gareth Southgate, Lessons In Leadership, York Barbican, November 3, 7.30pm; National Theatre in Dear England, Leeds Grand Theatre, November 4 to 8, kick-off at 7.30pm plus 2pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees
SIR Gareth Southgate, of Swinsty Hall, Fewston, Harrogate, makes the comparatively short trip to York Barbican to discuss his eight years of leading England’s footballers on the world stage with a revolutionary management style that combined calm empathy with mental resilience, courageous integrity with strong accountability.
David Sturzaker’s Gareth Southgate, in trademark waistcoat, in James Graham’s play Dear England, on tour at Leeds Grand Theatre. Picture: Mark Brenner
He will discuss his new book Dear England: Lessons In Leadership, a title shared with James Graham’s Olivier Award-winning play (and forthcoming television drama) that takes its name from Southgate’s open letter during the Covid-19 pandemic.
David Sturzaker plays Southgate, Samantha Womack, team psychologist Pippa Grange, in this “inspiring, at times heart-breaking and ultimately uplifting story” of England, penalties, lost finals and a new-found national identity. Box office: York, yorkbarbican.co.uk; Leeds, 0113 243 0808 or leedsheritagetheatres.com.
David Walliams: An evening of frank chat and outrageous anecdotes at York Barbican. Picture: Charlie Clift
Candid comedic conversation of the week: An Evening With David Walliams, York Barbican, November 4, 7.30pm
SKETCH comedian, prolific author, talent show judge and English Channel swimmer David Walliams presents an evening of laughter, storytelling and surprises, discussing his Little Britain breakthrough, Come Fly With Me and his days on Britain’s Got Talent.
Expect the stories behind legendary TV sketches and reflections on his myriad books and the highs and lows of a career. Prepare for candid conversation and outrageous anecdotes, topped off with the chance to put questions to Walliams in the Q&A. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Ben Rosenfield and Laura McKeller in The Wetwang Hauntings – Live. Picture: Emma Warley
Halloween horrors and jump scares of the week: Neon Crypt & The Deathly Dark Tours present The Wetwang Hauntings – Live!, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, November 4 to 8, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
BETWEEN 1986 and 1993, a series of often violent hauntings rocked the small Yorkshire town of Wetwang. The cases went cold and all the records were lost…until now! Join York ghost walk guide Dr Dorian Deathly as the Neon Crypt and The Deathly Dark Tours team digs into the history and horrors of these cases. “This show is not for the faint of heart,” he forewarns. Suitable for age 13 upwards. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Nik Briggs: York Stage director back on stage to play a contestant in The Great British Bake Off Musical
York musical premiere of the week: York Stage in The Great British Bake Off Musical, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, November 5 to 8, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
BAKING battles, singing sponges and a sprinkling of hilarity is the recipe for York Stage’s York premiere of The Great British Bake Off Musical, rising to the occasion under the direction of Nik Briggs, who also makes a rare stage appearance as one of the Bake Off contestants.
Expect a sweet and savoury symphony of British wit and oven mitts, propelled by a menu of jazz hands and jubilant original songs that capture the essence of the Bake Off tent, from nerve-wracking technical challenges to triumphant showstoppers. Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster ride, where cakes crumble, friendships form and dreams become fruitful reality. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Katie Leckey: Directing Griffonage Theatre’s three nights of Kafka’ strangest short stories in the House of Trembling Madness cellar in Lendal
Deliciously disturbing stories of the week: Griffonage Theatre, Kafka By Candlelight, The House Of Trembling Madness, Lendal, York, November 5 to 7. 6.30pm and 8.30pm
“NO rest for the week,” say Griffonage Theatre, York’s purveyors of the madcap and the macabre, who are performing Kafka By Candlelight in the cavernous belly of the House Of Trembling Madness cellar as part of Aesthetica Short Film Festival’s debut Aesthetica Fringe, featuring 25 shows across the city.
This one showcases five of Franz Kafka’s strangest short stories, told disturbingly in the darkness with the audience in masks (optional). “Dare to join us?” they tease. Box office: eventbrite.com/e/kafka-by-candlelight-tickets-1815618316259.
York actor, writer and director Constance Peel: Presenting Service Please at Aesthetica Fringe 2025
In Focus: Introducing Constance Peel, Service Please, Aesthetica Fringe, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb Road, Acomb, York, November 4 and 7, 8.30pm; Micklegate Social, Micklegate, York, November 9, 2pm and 8pm
CONSTANCE (Connie) Peel, York-born director, producer, writer and performer, will present her debut one-woman show Service Please as part of the inaugural Aesthetica Fringe.
“I’ve been working as an assistant director and performer in theatre professionally for the past two years, since graduating from the University of York,” says Connie, 24. “This show explores the reality of working in hospitality, including the harassment and sexism you can face as a young woman.”
Service Please is billed as “a relatable and comedic monologue that follows Lara, a creative writing graduate, who hopes to write the next best-selling fantasy romance novel. There’s only one thing standing in her way, her casual waitressing job that keeps the money coming in.”
“We’ve all been there, but Lara wasn’t ready for the stressful and chaotic reality of working in the service industry,” says Connie, introducing her monodrama. “Can Lara keep her sanity and get her big writing break or will she crumble under the pressure of understaffed shifts, creepy comments and customers who say their only food allergies are ‘women’?”
Hospitality is the fastest-growing economic sector, worth £93 billion to the UK economy. “But it’s under severe pressure with more than 100,000 job losses predicted by the time of this month’s Budget, due to National Insurance rises (according to UK Hospitality),” says Connie.
“It’s evident working in the sector that to continue profits and keep up with the cost of living, food prices and discounts both need to increase while labour hours decrease. Being a server has never been more stressful and unpredictable and this experience (as other working-class experiences) is so often overlooked by theatre.”
Sexual harassment is an epidemic in the hospitality industry too, says Connie. “As many as 47 per cent of workers having experienced it – and 69 per cent witnessed it in 2021 (Culture Shift).
“These statistics, though informative, mask the personal cost to the individuals harassed and abused. My play presents interpretations of my own personal experiences, including those with harassment, and they’re an unfortunate part of the job when working as a waitress.
“They shouldn’t be, and awareness of this experience even in Fringe-scale theatre is always beneficial to the cause.”
Lastly, says Connie, Service Please tells the story of an artist with no clear way into her industry. “This is the most personally accurate part of my script. I wrote and performed the 50-minute monologue while producing and marketing it alone for its six-day debut run at the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe, where it won plaudits from critics and top reviews.
“Though this is hopeful for creatives, both in the execution of the play and my own story behind it, I wanted to show the emotional toll of struggling as an artist, especially as in the past five years there has been one third fewer art jobs (directly impacting my career).
“It was important that I brought this show back to where my career started, in York where I graduated from the University of York and where I’ve been working for the past three years between York and Leeds. I hope this production and my story makes people see the importance of a small-scale play like this in today’s society.”
Aesthetica Short Film Festival director Cherie Federico
THE 15th Aesthetica Short Film Festival, York’s festival of storytelling, creativity and culture, will run from November 5 to 9 in a celebration of film, art and innovation.
The festival has become a transformative force for the creative industries in York, the UNESCO City of Media Arts. Over its 15-year history, the festival has grown from a niche celebration of short films into an internationally recognised event that drives economic, cultural and social impact across York, the North and the UK.
“Beyond screenings, Aesthetica shows us what we can achieve as a city and region, opening doors and creating opportunities for emerging and established creatives alike,” says festival founder and artistic director Cherie Federico. “It brings fresh perspectives, proving that world-class creative innovation does not have to be London-centric.
“By attracting filmmakers, musicians, media artists and industry professionals from around the globe, the festival creates a platform for collaboration, professional development and experimentation.
“It positions York as a hub for cutting-edge media arts, immersive experiences and industry-leading conversations, while championing the UK’s creative industries and nurturing bold new voices.”
Reflecting on 15 years of Aesthetica Short Film Festival, Cherie says: “The festival started 15 years ago as an idea to screen amazing talent in a city that had never had a film festival before. It was an incredible opportunity to break new ground.
“Over the years, it has grown into a globally recognised platform, attracting submissions from more than 80 countries and programming across film, animation, VR, games, podcasts and media arts.
“York itself has grown alongside the festival, evolving into an internationally visible hub for creativity. The festival now bridges traditional cinema with innovative storytelling, offering audiences and industry professionals alike a space to discover, collaborate and experiment.”
Picking the festival’s greatest achievement, Cherie says: “We’ve proved that something of this scale and ambition can thrive outside London. From York, a city traditionally celebrated for its heritage, rather than contemporary creative industries, Aesthetica has built a platform with real global reach.
“For 22 years, it has published and supported independent art and film through the Aesthetica Art Prize, curated programmes and festival screenings, connecting creators from around the world with audiences, industry and media.
“It opens doors to new perspectives and possibilities, showing the city – and the wider UK – what can be achieved with ambition, creativity and vision.”
Mark Kermode: Participating in Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2025 with a talk and a concert by his band Dodge Brothers. Picture: Julie Edwards Visuals
Cherie continues: “Launching initiatives such as the UK Film Production Summit, immersive media labs and national education strands demonstrates how Aesthetica embraces York as a place of innovation, bringing the world to the city, rather than expecting everyone to come to traditional hubs.
“The festival consistently champions bold, original voices, elevates independent arts and merges cultural, social, and economic impact, while showing that excellence in creative industries is not limited to London.”
Beyond being a film festival, the annual event continues to evolve its identity. “The festival has grown beyond a traditional film festival to celebrate all forms of screen and media arts,” highlights Cherie.
“With strands covering VR [virtual reality], gaming, podcasts, music and interactive media, the festival reflects the evolving landscape of storytelling. While a name change could emphasise this broader remit, the festival’s established brand carries heritage, international recognition and prestige. The programming itself now embodies the expansion, giving audiences a rich, multidisciplinary experience.”
Among the initiatives for 2025 is the Beyond The Frame strand of wider programming. “Our Fringe programme’s expansion into Beyond The Frame reflects the festival’s commitment to experimental, cross-disciplinary and interactive media,” says Cherie.
“Partnering with York Theatre Royal, it offers audiences immersive live experiences, combining performance, film and storytelling in innovative ways. Highlights include comedy from Sophie Duker, screenings from Silent Cinema, and special industry talks with Mark Kermode, among others.”
“Beyond The Frame demonstrates the festival’s ambition to push creative boundaries, attract diverse audiences, and provide a platform for both emerging talent and established international artists. It shows York what is possible creatively, blending heritage venues with cutting-edge programming and reinforcing the festival’s role in opening doors and offering new perspectives beyond London.”
This festival may have an international reach but it celebrates York’s identity too, being as much a festival for York and about York as it is a magnet for overseas talent and visitors.
“While the Aesthetica Film Festival has grown into a truly international platform – attracting submissions and participants from more than 60 countries – it remains deeply rooted in York,” says Cherie.
“Local schools, creative hubs and venues are central to the festival experience, ensuring it celebrates the city’s culture alongside global talent. Aesthetica shows York what it can achieve, opening doors to new opportunities and perspectives that are not London-centric.
“By connecting York-based creatives with international filmmakers, musicians, media artists and industry professionals, it provides exposure, networks, and inspiration that would otherwise be less accessible outside traditional industry hubs.”
Cherie continues: “Our initiatives such as Filmmaking in Schools, the New Music Stage, VR and Games Lab and the UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO at the Guildhall ensure that local talent benefits from international engagement.
Aesthetica Short Film Festival: A hub of creative activity in York for five days each November. Picture: Jim Poyner Photography
“This dual identity strengthens community engagement, supports careers and demonstrates that world-class creative innovation can flourish anywhere in the UK, not just in London.”
Launching the UK Film Production Summit positions the festival at the heart of the British screen industry, says Cherie. “More than 100 production companies, commissioners and development executives – including BBC Films, Film4, Working Title, Warp Films, Paramount, Scott Free, and BFI – converge to tackle pressing industry questions, from AI and virtual production to the rise of streaming platforms.
Mark Herbert, CEO of Warp Films, will headline the summit, bringing with him the weight of critically acclaimed productions such as This Is England, Four Lions, and Adolescence.
“Landmark sessions such as The Future of Production: Scripted, Unscripted, Film, TV & Streaming demonstrate the festival’s strategic influence,” says Cherie. “Hosting the summit in York shows that the festival is no longer just a showcase for films. It’s a national platform shaping the future of UK production.”
Looking forward to Aesthetica 2025, Cherie says: “What I’m most excited to see is the seamless integration of new and traditional media across the programme, which reflects the festival’s forward-thinking approach to storytelling.
“The VR and Games Lab pushes the boundaries of immersive and interactive experiences, while the Podcasting strand embraces innovative audio narratives, and the New Music Stage highlights emerging talent and the crossover between sound, performance and media arts.
“Meanwhile, the expansion of Filmmaking in Schools demonstrates the festival’s ongoing commitment to nurturing the next generation, equipping young people with the skills, confidence and opportunities to shape the future of creative industries.
“The UK Film Production Summit is another standout moment. Bringing together the country’s leading producers, commissioners and creative decision-makers in York is both inspiring and transformative.
“These conversations don’t just define what gets made; they influence how stories are told, who gets to tell them, and where creative opportunities can flourish.”
Summing up the ever-growing impact of the Aesthetica Film Festival, Cherie concludes: “The festival offers a dynamic, multi-dimensional experience that celebrates innovation, champions new voices and showcases the full scale, ambition and influence of Aesthetica, positioning York as a hub for creativity and a centre for the future of storytelling in the UK.”
The poster for Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2025
More questions for Cherie
What will happen on the New Music Stage?
“DUBBED by many as the UK’s version of SXSW (South By Southwest in Austin, Texas), the New Music Stage is a major innovation for the Aesthetica Film Festival, celebrating emerging musical talent while driving economic, cultural, and social impact for York, the North,and the UK,” says Cherie.
“The stage brings together acts championed by major tastemakers such as BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, RTÉ Radio 1, MOJO and Rolling Stone, offering national and international exposure to artists across genres.
Highlights include Irish singer-songwriter BLÁNID, who has graced RTÉ 1’s The Late Late Show and surpassed one million Spotify streams; Crazy James, celebrated by BBC Introducing; Daisy Gill, who followed her The Voice UK exposure with performances at Glastonbury and the Royal Albert Hall; Dilettante, praised by MOJO and featured at SXSW and The Great Escape, and Ewan Sim, showcased at SXSW London and featured on Spotify Fresh Finds.
Taking part too are Isabel Maria, BBC Introducing One-to-Watch and North East Culture Award winner; Jemma Johnson, whose alt-pop has featured on BBC Radio 1 and Radio X; Kengo, who has earned BBC Introducing support for her introspective hip-hop; Scarborough’s Pleasure Centre, celebrated for their immersive art-rock sound; and Tarian, praised by BBC Radio Wales with millions of listeners.
“By combining live performance with media innovation, the New Music Stage exemplifies the festival’s commitment to championing new voices, supporting creative industries, and positioning York as a vibrant hub for contemporary culture,” says Cherie.
The VR Lab: very much a reality at Aesthetica Short Film Festival
Why has the VR & Games Lab become so integral to ASFF’s expansion?
“Aesthetica is the only festival in the UK to include gaming as part of its public programme, making us a pioneer in showcasing interactive and immersive storytelling to general audiences,” says Cherie.
“As early adopters of VR technology, the festival has championed virtual reality and gaming as vital mediums for the future of storytelling, long before they became mainstream.”
In 2025, the Lab features more than 50 stations for immersive experiences, giving audiences hands-on opportunities to explore narrative innovation, interactive gameplay, and experimental media.
“It provides a space for collaboration, experimentation and learning, enabling developers, artists and audiences to engage directly with cutting-edge technology,” says Cherie.
“This strand reinforces the festival’s reputation as a thought-leader in creative innovation, demonstrating how film, VR and games intersect to push storytelling into bold new territories while engaging the public with emerging media in an accessible and inspiring way.”
Why has Aesthetica introduced the Podcasting strand for the 2025 festival?
“THE introduction of a Podcasting strand reflects the festival’s commitment to embracing different ways of telling stories, responding to the evolving landscape of narrative and media,” says Cherie.
“Aesthetica was the first UK film festival to include this dedicated strand, recognising that podcasts have become a major platform for storytelling, investigative journalism, audio drama and experimental sound art.
“By incorporating this medium, the festival supports creators in developing, showcasing and networking around audio storytelling, providing practical insight into production, distribution and audience engagement.
“This strand not only expands the festival’s creative scope beyond visual media but also celebrates the diversity of contemporary narrative forms, encouraging innovation and experimentation while offering audiences a rich, multi-sensory experience.”
You champion York’s status as a UNESCO City of Media Arts at every opportunity, hence its prominent involvement in the 2025 festival with the UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO. Discuss…
“Running at the Guildhall from November 6 to 8, it brings together more than 40 creative businesses from film, TV, gaming, VR, design, publishing and interactive media, the EXPO showcases York and North Yorkshire’s role at the forefront of the UK’s creative industries.
“It highlights the economic, cultural, and social impact of the sector, while providing meaningful opportunities for young people and emerging talent.”
The EXPO features such innovative companies as York’s Viridian FX (visual effects for House Of The Dragon), Revolution Games (Broken Sword series), Orillo Productions (Netflix and Amazon Prime collaborations) and Beckview Studios (state-of-the-art recording studio).
Complementing the EXPO are Media Arts exhibitions at York Art Gallery and a vibrant Festival Fringe, turning the city into a living showcase of creativity and innovation.
How important is the Filmmaking in Schools strand?
“The Filmmaking in Schools programme has expanded significantly in 2025, offering workshops, mentorship and screenings for students across York and the wider region,” says Cherie.
“It introduces young people to technical skills, creative storytelling and professional pathways in film and media. This strand demonstrates the festival’s broader commitment to the next generation, ensuring that York’s designation as a UNESCO City of Media Arts is meaningful in practice, not just in title.
“By providing hands-on learning, professional mentorship and exposure to international standards, the programme helps students develop real-world skills, creative confidence and industry awareness.
“It opens doors to future careers in the creative industries, fostering the talent pipeline that underpins the UK’s cultural and economic growth. Through this initiative, Aesthetica not only inspires young people but also showcases how a city can leverage its creative credentials to deliver demonstrable opportunities, nurturing the next generation of filmmakers, media artists and storytellers.”
York Theatre Royal audience on day three of the Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2024
CELEBRATING its 15th anniversary, the Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) transforms York each November into a vibrant hub of culture and creativity next week.
Over five days, from November 5 to 9, and in a digital extension, from November 5 to 30, the city becomes a global meeting point for filmmakers, musicians, technologists and audiences.
Presenting more than 300 films screening across the city, including many Oscar and BAFTA-qualifying titles, the festival champions bold storytelling and new voices from around the world.
Yet Aesthetica’s reach extends far beyond cinema. Its VR & Games Lab, Podcasting Lounge, Aesthetica Fringe and Beyond the Frame events merge film, music, art, comedy and digital culture into one seamless celebration of creativity.
This year, audiences can expect Sophie Duker’s comedy night, film critic Mark Kermode in conversation, a silent cinema live-score performance and the debut of the New Music Stage: a full music festival within the festival, spotlighting ten breakthrough UK artists in partnership with Universal Music and Caffè Nero.
For York and the wider UK, Aesthetica is a cultural catalyst, connecting York venues, supporting artists, boosting tourism and shining a global light on Yorkshire’s thriving creative economy. Driven by the Aesthetica motto that “it’s only an idea away”, ASFF is proof of what culture and creativity do, opening doors, building communities and expanding how we see the world.
Dodge Brothers, featuring film critic Mark Kermode, second from right: Playing at Aesthetica Short Film Festival
Top Ten Things To Do
1. Film screenings
EXPERIENCE more than 300 shorts, features, documentaries, animations and experimental films from across the globe. Many of these titles are Oscar and BAFTA-qualifying, giving audiences a first look at the filmmakers of the future.
Attend the Makers’ Forum to hear from directors and producers, discover new cinematic voices and celebrate bold, thought-provoking storytelling that pushes boundaries and challenges perspectives.
2. VR & Games Lab
STEP into the future of storytelling. The VR & Games Lab invites audiences to explore cutting-edge works in virtual, augmented and mixed reality, plus innovative indie games. Engage with immersive environments, interactive narratives and demonstrations from the frontier of creative technology. Learn how artists are merging code, design and emotion to reinvent what it means to experience a story.
3. Masterclasses & Panels
AESTHETICA’S industry sessions feature icons and innovators from Ridley Scott Associates, Aardman, BBC, Film4 and Framestore. Gain insight into the craft and business of filmmaking, from production design and cinematography to pitching, funding and post-production.
Highlights include Behind the Scenes of Gladiator, Napoleon and Alien and Film4’s From Shorts to Features. Ideal for anyone serious about their creative career.
4. Workshops & Roundtables
GET hands-on with practical sessions designed for filmmakers, producers and writers. From screenwriting labs and pitching clinics to discussions on funding, diversity and distribution, these workshops provide actionable advice from professionals. The roundtable format encourages open dialogue and peer learning: the right space to test ideas, ask questions and gain valuable mentorship.
The Games Lab at the Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2025
5. Networking & Pitching
MEET producers, commissioners and collaborators at Aesthetica’s networking events and UK Film Production Summit, featuring more than 150 companies. Speed-pitching sessions and informal meet-ups give you a chance to share your ideas, find partners and make connections that could propel your next project forward. This is where creative relationships and future deals are born.
6. Parties & Socials
WHEN the lights go down, the city comes alive. Aesthetica’s parties are legendary: relaxed, welcoming spaces where creatives from film, music, gaming and art collide.
Whether you are winding down after a screening or celebrating a new collaboration, the festival’s social scene is where friendships form, ideas spark and stories continue long into the night.
7. Listening Pitch premieres
NOW in its fifth year, the Listening Pitch shines a spotlight on the future of audio documentary. Aesthetica has commissioned ten original documentaries through this pioneering programme, and this year marks the premiere of three new projects.
Previous commissions have gone on to screen at SXSW and Sundance and been acquired by The Guardian. This is the place to discover bold new documentary talent, with live presentations, audience Q&As and an atmosphere that celebrates the art of sound and story.
Comedian Sophie Duker: Celebrating female voices in the festival’s Beyond the Frame strand at York Theatre Royal
8. New Music Stage
FEATURING a line-up of some of the UK and Ireland’s most exciting emerging artists, the New Music Stage blends film and sound in thrilling ways. This year’s acts include BLÁNID, Crazy James, Daisy Gill, Dilettante, Ewan Sim, Isabel Maria, Jemma Johnson, Kengo, Pleasure Centre and Tarian: artists championed by BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, RTÉ Radio 1, MOJO and Rolling Stone.
With performances spanning Glastonbury, The Late Late Show, SXSW and The Great Escape, this new stage celebrates the shared rhythm of cinema and song.
9. Beyond the Frame
STEP beyond the screen and into live performance. Highlights include Sophie Duker & Friends, a comedy night celebrating female voices; Mark Kermode in conversation with Jenny Nelson on film music, and a Silent Cinema & Live Score by The Dodge Brothers with Neil Brand and Mark Kermode. These events blur the lines between film, performance and criticism – cinematic storytelling at its most alive.
10. Aesthetica Fringe
RUNNING city-wide, the Fringe transforms York into an open-air gallery. Expect art installations, theatre, DJ sets, exhibitions and surprise pop-ups across independent venues. The Fringe brings York and international artists together, inviting audiences to see the city through a creative lens in a celebration of community, experimentation and the energy that fuels York’s cultural heartbeat.
Aesthetica Short Film Festival invites you to “be part of the story”. “Whether you’re a filmmaker, musician, gamer or culture-lover, our 2025 festival is your invitation to experience creativity without limits,” says festival director Cherie Federico. “Join us in York and be part of a global conversation about the future of storytelling.”
For the full festival programme and tickets, go to: www.asff.co.uk.
Luxmuralis’s Echoes Of Yorkshire: Art, light and sound in harmony in York Museum Gardens. Picture: Duncan Savage, Ravage Productions, for York Museums Trust
GARDEN art & light installations, wartime memories and Dracula and Cinderella retellings spark Charles Hutchinson’s interest.
Installation of the week: Echoes Of Yorkshire, York Museum Gardens, until Sunday, 6pm to 8.20pm
LET light, colour and music surround you at Luxmuralis’s light and sound installation as artist Peter Walker, composer David Harper and lighting designer Steve Rainsford bring the story alive of the Yorkshire Museum and York Museum Gardens from 1,000 images.
Immerse yourself in the story of the historic site with contemporary light and music showcasing York Museum Trust’s age-defining artefacts and extraordinary exhibits. Tickets: yorkshiremuseum.org.uk.
David Barrott, Catherine Edge and Adam Marsdin in rehearsal for Settlement Players’ production of Party Piece
Calamitous comedy misadventure of the week: York Settlement Community Players in Party Piece, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee
AMERICAN director, writer, producer, historian and stuntman Martin T Brooks directs Settlement Players for the first time in Richard Harris’s calamitous 1992 comedy Party Piece.
Michael and Roma Smethurst are preparing meticulously for their fancy-dress housewarming party as Mrs Hinson, not the biggest fan of her upper-class new neighbours, keeps a criticising eye on the attendees. Then disasters strike: an embarrassing lack of guests, a burning barbeque, a marauding Zimmer frame and a corpse showing up at the front door. Cue chaos. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Cassie Vallance, left, and Jane Bruce in Story Craft Theatre’s Bat, Cackle And Pop! at York Theatre Royal
Children’s Halloween show of the week: Story Craft Theatre in Bat, Cackle And Pop!, York Theatre Royal Studio, today until Friday, 10.30am and 1pm
WINIFRED the Witch thinks everyone has forgotten her birthday. Not so. There will be a big surprise party, but first, a special birthday cake must be made.
“We just need the last three rather spooky ingredients,” say York company Story Craft Theatre’s Cassie Vallance and Jane Bruce. “Our show is bubbling with all sorts of ghosts and ghouls – more silly than scary – and there’s plenty of opportunities to dabble in some spell making, as well as flying with luxury BAT Airways.” Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Jimmy Regal & The Royals: Playing Ryedale Blues Club at Milton Rooms, Malton
Blues gig of the week: Ryedale Blues Club presents Jimmy Regal & The Royals, Milton Rooms, Malton, tomorrow, 8pm
JIMMY Regal & The Royals are a tough and howlin’ harmonica-led three piece from South London, brandishing a sound from Mississippi to New Orleans, Mali to Canvey Island. Signed to Lunaria Records, they are touring to promote latest album Well Boss, a live set recorded at the Temperance in Leamington Spa. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Stage Hammer: Revamping Bram Stoker’s Dracula
High stakes of the week: Stage Hammer in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tomorrow and Friday, 7.30pm; Kirk Theatre, Pickering, Saturday, 7.30pm
WOLVES howl in the forests of Transylvania. Waves crash violently against the cliffs below Whitby Abbey. The infection is spreading. Count Dracula (Stuart Sellens) walks among us. Yorkshire solicitor Jonathan Harker (Callum Mathers) travels to a castle in the Carpathian Mountains to finalise the sale of property for a reclusive nobleman.
When he seemingly vanishes, fiancée Mina (Jennifer Jones) and her closest friend Lucy (Kathryn Lay) fall into the grip of a sinister force. Their only hope for survival is the mysterious vampire slayer Professor Van Helsing (Christopher C Corbett) in East Yorkshire troupe Stage Hammer’s new account of Bram Stoker’s vampire story, adapted by Corbett and directed by Lydia Baldwin. Box office: York, 01904 658338 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk; Pickering, 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.
Fizzy with the singers in Pick Me Up Theatre’s Bugsy Malone: Theo Rae, Isla Lightfoot, Olivia Swales and Beau Lettin
Musical of the week: Pick Me Up Theatre in Bugsy Malone, Grand Opera House, York, October 31 to November 8, 7.30pm, except Sunday and Monday; 2.30pm, both Saturdays and Sunday
LESLEY Hill directs and choreographs York company Pick Me Up Theatre’s cast of 40 young performers in Alan Parker and Paul Williams’s musical, replete with the film songs You Give A Little Love, My Name Is Tallulah, So You Wanna Be A Boxer?, Fat Sam’s Grand SlamandBugsy Malone.
In Prohibition-era New York, rival gangsters Fat Sam and Dandy Dan are at loggerheads. As custard pies fly and Dan’s splurge guns wreak havoc, penniless ex-boxer and all-round nice guy Bugsy Malone falls for aspiring singer Blousey Brown. Can Bugsy resist seductive songstress Tallulah, Fat Sam’s moll and Bugsy’s old flame, and stay out of trouble while helping Fat Sam to defend his business? Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Little Seeds Music: Refreshing the fairytale world in Cinderella Ice Cream Seller
Fairytale retelling of the week: Little Seeds Music in Cinderella Ice Cream Seller, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 2.30pm
OVER the past four decades, Cinderella’s has become the kingdom’s most beloved ice cream company, with a parlour on every street corner, but how did this humble maker become a multimillionaire business woman with her own empire?
Prepare your dessert spoons for a tale of perseverance, princes, palace balls, glass slippers and, yes, ice cream in writer-composer David Gibb’s hour-long family musical, wherein loyal Cinderella’s employees Talvi and Caldwell share her rags-to-riches tale and confront their own desires, hopes and the magic that lies within each scoop. Suitable for age five upwards. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Bomb Happy: Film and live performance double bill for VE Day at Milton Rooms, Malton
Theatre memorial of the week: Everwitch Theatre in Bomb Happy VE Day double bill, Milton Rooms, Malton, Sunday, 3pm
PRESENTED in the lead-up to Remembrance Sunday, whose focus this year falls on 80th anniversary of VE Day, Bomb Happy has been created by writer-performer Helena Fox and actor-vocalist Natasha Jones, of Everwitch Theatre.
From D-Day to VE Day, this powerful one-hour double bill of live performance (30 minutes) and short film (30 minutes) brings to life the verbatim accounts of two working-class Yorkshire Normandy veterans, highlighting the lifelong impact of post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep trauma, not only on war veterans but on their families too. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Chris Smither: Playing All Saints Church, Pocklington tonight
In Focus: Chris Smither, All Saints Church, Pocklington, tonight, 7.30pm
CHRIS Smither, truly an American original, returns to the UK to perform songs from his vast catalogue on his 2025 UK and Irish tour as he approaches his 81st birthday on November 11.
Honing his synthesis of folk and blues for more than 50 years, this profound songwriter and captivating performer, from Miamai, Florida, melds the styles of his two major influences, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Mississippi John Hurt, into his own signature guitar sound.
His music draws deeply from the blues, American folk music, modern poets and humanist philosophers. His songs have featured in films and TV shows and been covered by John Mayall, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt and Diana Krall, among others.
Smither continues to tour festivals, music clubs and concerts halls all over the world. Now he showcases his 20th studio album, 2024’s All About The Bones, produced by long-time friend and producer David Goodrich, which complements eight new compositions with Smither’s renditions of Eliza Gilkyson’s Calm Before The Storm and Tom Petty’s Time To Move On.
The recording sessions took place at Sonelab Studios in Easthampton, Massachusetts, where Smither was joined by Goodrich, Zak Trojano, BettySoo and Chris Cheek.
The New York Times said of All About The Bones: “With a weary, well-travelled voice and a serenely intricate finger-picking style, Mr Smither turns the blues into songs that accept hard-won lessons and try to make peace with fate.”
Singer-songwriter BettySoo is Smither’s guest on the tour. Tickets for tonight cost £21.50 at www.smither.com.
Martha Tilston: Singer, songwriter and film-maker making her York debut tomorrow
A CURSORY click on Martha Tilston’s name online will reveal she is 50 and was born in Brighton in 1975.
Not so, says Martha in conversation. She is in fact 49 and her birthplace was Bristol in 1976, although ironically this phone interview was conducted as Martha walked on Brighton beach, having played Komedia there the previous night.
Singer, songwriter and film-maker Martha now lives in Cornwall. “We spent a lot of our childhood down near St Ives, spending long summers in the same house on a farm,” she says.
“I think for part of me, the first place where you connect with nature, you connect with forever, it resonates forever.” Hence the move to Cornwall in adult years.
“That connection has always got to mean something [when writing songs]. When I teach songwriting, I talk about how the ‘comet’ comes in, and how you then transmute or alchemise it, so you’re like a forge,” she says.
“When a feeling pokes an emotion, I feel alive in that moment or sad. It’s not like a feeling that ‘I’m going to turn this into a song’, but a feeling of ‘I need to do something with it’. That’s what’s great about creativity. It’s beautiful to share it, but more than anything it calibrates experience.”
Martha will be playing York for the first time. “I’ve never played there, though my family are around Hebden Bridge, and my mother’s mother’s from Yorkshire,” she says. “I think the booking came through my new booking agent, James Nicholls. He’s good at marrying me up with venues, and York has been on my radar for a while. Now things are aligned.
“I’ve played Leeds, Hebden Bridge and a lovely festival in Settle, and now York. Playing a place for the first time, generally it’s nice, like meeting an edge, a coastline, dipping your toes in again, because you don’t know how it’s going to go.
“You step on [stage], you read the room, and there’s less expectation – though I like playing familiar places too, where it feels like home – but this feels new and this is what ‘humanness’ is.
“We like things that are new; we crave things that are new. We can get scared of adrenaline but we need to be pushed into it.”
Reflecting on that Komedia gig, Martha says. “It’s always a bit of a conversation. It can be like a family gathering, where there could be a curveball, or things that aren’t being said, but last night was really beautiful because everyone enjoyed it so loudly from the first song. It felt like we were creating the night together.
“But also people come with stuff, especially with what’s happening right now, such a lot of heavy stuff, so there’s a lot of love and people are really energetically open to hope.
“I think humans are not feeling great about themselves, so like a child, we play up more, but a gig is a space where it can remind us that humans are lovely.”
The cover artwork for Martha Tilston’s album Luminous
Martha, who has worked Zero 7,Damien Rice, Nick Harper, Kae Tempest and Aztec Camera’s Roddy Frame, as well as making her own records, writes songs from the heart as a balm for the modern age, inviting her audiences to “connect with longed-for parts of ourselves”.
She does so not only through song but also through storytelling, taking part in songwriting retreats at a “Secret Clifftop House near Penzance” and storytelling and creativity camps on Dartmoor.
“It’s so magical,” she says. “The thing is, we are storytellers, and stories are so important, hearing stories and not just ones we know, but hearing new stories, and not about how we mess things up, but we have to get to stories about being harmonious with each other; stories that take you off somewhere else and touch your humanity.”
If “songs are mini-films”, as Martha describes them, then how apt that she has branched out into film-making too for 2021’s The Tape, a “gripping and surprising” feature film for which Martha has credits as director, writer, singer, star. “It’s a story that’s not Armageddon; it’s quite hopeful! A folk musical of hope and connection set in Cornwall,” she says. “You can find it on Amazon Prime.”
It may have escaped your attention that Martha released her latest album in 2023, as she said in this interview, or February 2024 for its “full release”, as her website states. “It slipped out. No press,” she says of Luminous. “It wasn’t even on Spotify at first. I just wanted to put it out on Bandcamp, as a small release, but it’s one that people have really connected with – and it is now on Spotify!”
Luminous is described on her website as “a collection of songs that soothe, heal, and open our hearts – it feels like now is a time when we might need a little musical balm! So sit back and let the songs hold you”.
“I wanted to write an album that was a balm for our times, for me and my friends, founded on love being the answer as we’ve tried everything else,” says Martha.
“I didn’t want to talk to journalists, to talk it up, before I knew how it landed. I wanted to see how it speaks to people without shouting about it.
“I also though the folk press wouldn’t ‘get’ it because it’s not particularly folky, but I didn’t want to fit in with a crowd that maybe it didn’t fit in with anyway.”
Luminous was a memorable recording experience for Martha. “I sang with the Murmuration Choir from Bristol and the One Voice Community Choir from Cornwall (Penryn], and we recorded the album in my friend’s barn, where we had to stop each time the tractor went by!” she says.
Tomorrow’s audience can look forward to a new Martha composition, River. “It’s about how sometimes, when life can throw us challenges, or as my friend said, ‘life can get lifey’, there’s always a place for us to be at peace, but it’s hard to access. A river under a bedrock that can help you when you’re anxious,” she says.
“So I wrote this song to remind me that there is that place. Sometimes it’s comforting to know that, at times when we go through challenges or are in a moment of suffering.”
Hurricane Promotions presentsMartha Tilston at The Basement, City Screen, York, October 18, 7.30pm. Also St Mary’s, Todmorden, October 19, with special guest Molly Tilston, 7.30pm. Box office: marthatilston.co.uk.” We hope you can join us as we travel round, for a little song, heart and connection,” says Martha.
York ghost storyteller James Swanton: Returning to York Medical Society for a second season of The Signal-Man performances. Picture: Jtu Photography
AFTER a sell-out run last Halloween, gothic York actor James Swanton is reviving his solo production of Charles Dickens’s The Signal-Man from October 16 to 28.
A familiar face from Inside No. 9 and The First Omen, he will give ten performances of his solo show at York Medical Society, Stonegate, York, before transferring to the Charles Dickens Museum in London.
Each performance will incorporate a second Dickens’s ghost story, The Trial For Murder, and the show will run as a partner event with the York Ghost Merchants, in Shambles, whose annual Ghost Week celebrations will take over the city from October 25 to November 2.
“Last year, I was shocked when every performance of The Signal-Man sold out more than a month in advance,” says James. “I think that had a lot to do with the wild popularity of the York Ghost Merchants! I’ve therefore scheduled twice as many performances this Halloween.”
All but one performance – October 21 – has sold out already, matching the popularity of his annual performances of Dickens’s Christmas ghost stories, A Christmas Carol, The Haunted Man and The Chimes since 2018.
“The Signal-Man ranks among the most famous ghost stories of all time – subtle and mysterious, but gradually building to a devastating conclusion,” says James Swanton
Here James discusses Dickens’s storytelling prowess with CharlesHutchPress
If at first you succeed, do The Signal-Man again, but what might differ from last Halloween?
“This year, I’m relieved to have had first-hand experience of the show actually working in performance! That should make everything more collected and confident, though I hope without losing the quiet mesmeric charge. It’s a strikingly different energy to most Dickens, which is where the M. R. James comparisons come in.”
What makes York Medical Society such an ideal setting?
“I enjoy a black-box theatre space, but it’s difficult to beat the immersive feel of antique wood panelling, latticed windows and an open fireplace. The room in which I’m performing puts me in mind of the tavern in Barnaby Rudge. Perfect for relating ghostly tales!”
What form does the partnership with York Ghost Merchants take?
“It’s mainly about connection and community; the Ghost Merchants are always giving back to York. Those who are in the city for Ghost Week may stumble on my storytelling thanks to the Merchants – and in turn, my shows may tip them off to things going on elsewhere.
“I feel this is one story that works far better when spoken out loud than read in private,” says James Swanton of The Signal-Man
“We’ve been collaborating since early 2020 – pre-pandemic! – when I gave a rendition of M. R. James’s Canon Alberic’s Scrap-Book at their Shambles premises. Each ticket included a tie-in yellow-eyed ghost, patterned after the demon in the story. Highly collectable now, I’d imagine.”
How does The Signal-Man differ from Dickens‘s Christmas ghost stories?
“It’s a rather darker show, ranking among the most famous ghost stories of all time – subtle and mysterious, but gradually building to a devastating conclusion.
“I’ve now performed it everywhere from Gad’s Hill – the country house at which Dickens died in 1870 – to a Category C prison. Everywhere it holds audiences riveted. I first gave The Signal-Man with the York Ghost Merchants as one of their online streams during the pandemic, so it’s fitting to be collaborating with them again.”
Without giving away the ending, what happens in The Signal-Man and why does it suit live performance?
“In short form, a wandering gentleman befriends a lonely signal-man on an isolated stretch of railway. He there hears about the signal-man’s uncanny supernatural experiences.
“I feel this is one story that works far better when spoken out loud than read in private. Simon Callow agreed with me after he recorded it as an audio drama.
“Dickens is essentially the character actor’s Shakespeare,” says James
“Even so, I’d recommend that people familiarise themselves with the text in advance. The final revelation takes some digesting, not unlike the ending of Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now. But once the core idea sinks in, it’s forever burned into the memory.”
Likewise, what happens in The Trial For Murder and why does it suit live performance?
“A city gentleman does jury service at the Old Bailey and begins to catch sight of an unsettling figure whose face is ‘the colour of impure wax’. People don’t generally know this story – it also goes by the unhelpful title ‘To Be Taken With A Grain Of Salt’ – so there’s a vital element of surprise.
“After all, a courtroom is itself a type of theatre, and this narrative’s structure is deliberate, verging on procedural, which contrasts well with the shocks.
“The Trial For Murder is less well known [than The Signal-Man] – and in my opinion, something of a neglected classic. Like The Signal-Man, it feels imbued with the spirit of M. R. James. So many of Dickens’s ghosts are family-friendly – just think of A Christmas Carol and how well it lends itself to the Muppets! None of that with these tales. Keep your children away.”
The poster for James Swanton’s double bill of ghost stories for Halloween at York Medical Society
How come you performed The Signal-Man at a Category C prison?
“This came about after an approach from A. G. Smith, who’s highly regarded as a ghostly storyteller through his touring work with Weeping Bank. The prison offered that rare thing: an audience who not only wanted but needed to be told a story.
“They were among the best I’ve ever had; certainly the most attentive. I’m sure they understood the signal-man’s feelings of entrapment in ways I can’t begin to imagine.”
What keeps drawing you back to Dickens?
“His invented people are irresistible; Dickens is essentially the character actor’s Shakespeare. That said, his narration interests me more and more with the passage of time. And there’s rather a lot of that in these two pieces! The eye-catching grotesques melt away and the storyteller takes centre stage.”
James Swanton (in the mirror) and Julia Garner in the film poster for Apartment 7A
What else is coming up for you? Any filming commitments?
“There’s the odd project in the offing, though nothing nailed down. I’ve been continuing my association with Hammer Films this month. They put me back into Christopher Lee’s Creature make-up for last week’s premiere of their restored Curse Of Frankenstein, where I was honoured to shake hands with 90-year-old cast member Melvyn Hayes. Young Frankenstein himself!
“I’ll also be guesting at Manchester’s Festival of Fantastic Films closer to Halloween. But most of the year is now blocked out with stage work, including my return to York Medical Society in the last week of November with A Christmas Carol and The Haunted Man. Tickets are now on sale.”
And finally, James, why should audiences see The Signal-Man?
“Come to The Signal-Man if you want to experience old-fashioned theatrical storytelling in the pricelessly atmospheric setting of York Medical Society. Roger Clarke, esteemed author of A Natural History Of Ghosts, has been good enough to call me ‘the best interpreter of Charles Dickens’s ghost stories alive’. I’ll be doing my chilling best to live up to that praise.”
James Swanton presents The Signal-Man, York Medical Society, Stonegate, York, October 16 to 28, 7pm, except October 27 and 28 at 5.30pm and 7.30pm.Tickets are on sale too forCharles Dickens’s Ghost Stories, The Haunted Man, November 24 and 27, 7pm; A Christmas Carol, November 25 and 28, 7pm; November 30, 2pm and 6pm.Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
James Swanton in ghost story-telling mode at York Medical Society
James Swanton on York’s history of trains and ghosts and Dickens’s railway links
“YORK is as much a city of trains as ghosts. The National Railway Museum is celebrating its 50th anniversary with the opening of its refurbished Station Hall.
“It’s also been an interesting year for Dickens’s links with the railways. 2025 marks 160 years since the Staplehurst accident – a horrifying train crash from which Dickens was lucky to escape with his life.
“It’s this trauma that inspired him to write The Signal-Man, which might also be considered the last story that Dickens completed. All that followed were collaborative works and an unfinished novel.
“Incredibly, Dickens died on the fifth anniversary of the Staplehurst crash. Given that The Signal-Man is so much about our inability to escape our fates, that feels eerily significant.
“I was pleased when the Charles Dickens Museum commissioned me to create a show based on the incident in June. We gave it a sensational title: Killing Dickens!”
James Swanton working with Mark Gatiss. Picture: Sonchia Lopez
Did you know?
JAMES Swanton often appears on film as all manner of demons and monsters. Last year, he was seen in Apartment 7A, Tarot, The First Omen and the final series of Inside No. 9.
He also has a keen interest in the history of screen horror. “Many people first encounter The Signal-Man through the 1976 Ghost Story For Christmas starring Denholm Elliott,” he says.
“In 2023, I became a part of the BBC’s modern Ghost Stories For Christmas tradition – playing the Mummy in Mark Gatiss’s Lot No. 249, chasing poor Kit Harington down those country roads at night – so I’d like to think I’m well placed to present such terrors on stage.
“Recently, I was reunited with Lot No. 249’s make-up man, the Oscar- winning Dave Elsey, to re-create Christopher Lee’s Creature from The Curse Of Frankenstein, in aid of a documentary on the new Blu-ray release. At last, I can say I’ve been employed by Hammer Films!
“I’d stop short of saying I’m now Christopher Lee’s representative on Earth, but it was certainly a singular honour.”
