Artist, writer and actor Joseph Gilgun with his Talk Small installation at SPARK: York
IN a world first for York, Brassic co-writer and star Joseph Gilgun’s inaugural public artwork will be unveiled at SPARK: York, in Piccadilly tomorrow (21/11/2025).
“York is set to host a landmark cultural moment as internationally acclaimed actor, writer and artist Joseph Gilgun has chosen our city for his first-ever public art installation,” says Craig Humble, curator of Walmgate gallery Art Of Protest, SPARK’s cohort in presenting Gulgin’s large-scale, free-to-view work, Talk Small.
Created in tandem with Art Of Protest Gallery, the installation can be viewed at SPARK and will be complemented by a new exhibition of Gilgun’s framed artwork at Humble’s gallery from tomorrow: one of three independent UK galleries to be opening an exhibition of his art on Friday.
“This world-first installation marks a significant step in Gilgun’s rapidly evolving fine art career,” says Craig. “Over the past year, he has made a striking debut in three independent UK galleries, each exhibition met with critical and public acclaim.”
Tom McKenzie, one of SPARK’s founders, says: “Joe’s affinity for the north of the UK is deeply rooted in his personal history and creative identity. His recent work, focusing on his own struggles with mental health and raising awareness of the issue, is sadly very pertinent for so many people right now.
“It’s our purpose as a creative space in York to champion this kind of powerful and expressive work, and to help raise awareness for a vital issue. We’re completely honoured to host this striking and important piece of public art.”
Much of Gilgun’s creative output, whether on canvas, screen or in immersive public form, is inseparable from his lived experience with bipolar disorder, anxiety, BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) and periods of depression.
Joseph Gilgun’s original painting of Talk Small
Gilgun is recognised as one of the most honest, unfiltered and compassionate public voices on mental health, prompting Craig to say: “ Joe has often described art as a form of catharsis that attempts to process the realities, fears and frustrations that accompany managing mental health conditions.
“This is Joe’s first public installation, where he hopes to channel the turbulence, humour, shame, resilience and fierce defiance that have shaped his life and work. It stands as both an emotionally charged visual statement and a bold piece of outsider art; authentic, vulnerable and unmistakably his.”
The Art Of Protest Gallery, located only minutes from SPARK: York, holds a permanent collection of Gilgun’s work, including original paintings and signed limited-edition pieces.
Run by Humble for eight years, his gallery will host an exhibition from tomorrow offering visitors the rare opportunity to experience the breadth of Gilgun’s artistic practice in one city.
Gilgun has become known widely not only for his writing and acting – he played Woody in This Is England too – but also for his frank and fearless openness about mental health. In discussing the creation of Brassic, the hit series that he co-wrote and stars in, he has spoken of how closely the show mirrors his own experiences.
“Initially, the show was never going to be about mental health,” he said. “They knew I had bipolar and they’d seen me suffer with it. It’s difficult to hide when it gets bad. So the producer said, ‘why not give Vinnie bipolar?’.
“But initially I didn’t want to play him; I wanted someone else to do it. I was agoraphobic at the time, I was struggling to get out of the house and do simple tasks. I was frightened of everyone, constantly nervous and in fear. So I was writing it with someone else in mind because I just didn’t think I could.
Joseph Gilgun’s Talk Small installation in situ at SPARK:York
“Then it got to a stage where the production team was like, ‘You’re going to have to play him, because it’s you. It’s just you.’ We ended up writing about everything – the medicine I took, about my dad being an alcoholic – I drew from everything. Everything I am, all my worst fears, the shame I feel for this mental illness.”
Gilgun decided to “put it all on the TV and see what happens”. “It was terrifying,” he said. “Right up to the wire, even up to the month before filming, I doubted my ability. I rang everyone individually and said, ‘Honestly you must tell me, are we 100 per cent sure that I’m the right choice for this?’
“Honestly, dude, for me it was so real. I’m going to ***k this up and let everybody down. And fortunately I didn’t. It was quite life-changing. It’s been a massive deal.”
Gilgun’s visual art carries the same raw, humane and unfiltered honesty: part confession, part confrontation, part compassion. “His installation in York continues this trajectory, offering a powerful reflection of his inner world and an invitation for others to feel seen within it,” says Craig.
“Mr Gilgun himself is not available for interview or questions on this occasion,” he adds.
Did you know?
THE Art Of Protest Gallery Christmas party is in the diary for December 6. “At this event we will officially open the top two floors to become the largest independent contemporary gallery in the city,” says Craig Humble, founder and owner.
Katya Shikhova’s artwork for Loneliness in the Digital Age
THE topic of Loneliness in the Digital Age will be highlighted in next weekend’s independent exhibition at SPARK: York, Piccadilly, York.
Directed by Katya Shikhova, this public multimedia arts exhibition project explores “connection and isolation in today’s chronically online world”. Admission will be free.
The exhibition on November 29 and 30 is organised by University of York students and recent graduates. Taking part alongside Katya will be Anna Wilkinson; Anzhelika Nikolaeva; Boaz Parnas; Charlotte Jones; Fierce Fine Art; Harvey Ryan; Heather Jones (Fern and Heather Art); Lyra Robinson and Rohit Jayade.
“Our aim is to create a platform for artists, support York’s growing art community and ensure that proceeds from sales and donations go toward helping participating artists cover the costs of their practice, from transport to materials,” says creative director Katya, who is in the final year of her Business of the Creative Industries studies.
Anna Wilkinson’s artwork for Loneliness in the Digital Age
“I’m considering a career in art management, and together with my student friends, we’ve decided to organise this exhibition.”
Explaining the focus on Loneliness in the Digital Age, Katya says: “I’ve noticed that more and more people are raising concerns about communication in the contemporary world.
“With the increasing popularity of such TV shows as Adolescence (2025) and Severance (2022-2025), these concerns have become more visible. What is particularly interesting is that it seems not only older generations are concerned, but also people who grew up alongside rapid digital development.
Rohit Jayade’s artwork for Loneliness in the Digital Age
“More and more young people have begun noticing signs of depression, partially triggered by decreasing real-life communication and increasingly chronic online behaviour. Therefore, my team and I decided to reflect on this issue through the prism of contemporary art.”
Katya and her cohorts in the LitDA team created an open call for artists in the UK who wanted to engage with this topic, showcase and maybe sell their work and explore the themes of the exhibition together.
“We received around 40 submissions and selected ten works to be exhibited at SPARK Studios. Some of the selected works include photography, paintings, a digital painting and an abstract visualisation,” she says. Limited prints by exhibited artists and some who were not shortlisted will be on sale.
The poster for the Loneliness in the Digital Age exhibition
Don’t Dox Me, by Harvey Ryan
“I would like to highlight that submissions were free,” says Katya. “Artists will be financially supported, with each artist receiving an allowance for transportation and commuting costs, and the main source of funding for the exhibition is donations. We’re very keen on supporting the artists as much as we’re able to.”
Loneliness in the Digital Age will be on show on November 29, 1pm to 7pm, and November 30, 11am to 7pm. In addition, a limited-entry, invitation-only event for friends and family will be held at 7pm on November 29. “This will be a great chance to hear directly from the artists about their works and the theme of the exhibition,” says Katya. “The audience will have the opportunity to ask questions.”
York actress Maria Gray puts on a dazzling display of green in Emerald City High Street in the Long Gallery at Castle Howard. Picture: Tom Arber
CLW Event Design began working on The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz as long ago as January, and now the Yellow Brick Road is stretching through the rooms and corridors of the transformed North Yorkshire country house to dazzling effect.
Headed up by Charlotte Lloyd Webber and York-based Adrian Lillie, working in tandem with Leeds theatre company Imitating The Dog, this immersive experience is on the grandest scale yet since Castle Howard first partnered with CLW Design in 2017.
Huge set pieces were fabricated and built on the Castle Howard Estate before being moved into the house in an installation process that took ten days to complete, requiring 30,000 baubles to be put on display, while the creative team has reused and recycled products where possible and favoured more sustainable materials such as paper and glass.
There really is no place like this home, now dressed in set pieces, decorations, floristry, projections, lighting and soundscapes that culminate in the show-stopping Emerald City High Street in the Long Gallery, with its life-size fabricated shop fronts inspired by York and Malton’s Shambles (or Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley, if you insist).
The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz creative team in the Great Hall at Castle Howard, led by CLW Event Design’s Charlotte Lloyd Webber and Adrian Lillie. Picture: Tom Arber
Look out too for Castle Howard’s famous 28-foot Christmas tree that sparkles in the Great Hall, installed by a team of 30 using a specialist forklift and winch system.
Unique musical compositions accompany each room in the house, alongside the soundscapes that bring the narrative from the original book to life.
The momentum provided by Wicked and now this week’s opening of Wicked: For Good made The Wizard Of Oz the ideal choice for the 2025 show; momentum further buoyed by Castle Howard receiving the Historic House Restoration of the Year award at Sotheby’s for its 21st Century Renaissance project, topped off by the unveiling of the lost Tapestry Drawing Room.
The journey down the yellow brick road is all the more magnificent for this once-in-a-generation transformation as Castle Howard enters its busiest time of the year, when as many as 100,000 visitors will enter the building: one third of the year’s total, condensed into the Christmas season.
The Wicked Witch of the West in Christmas at Castle Howard with The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz. Picture: Celestine Dubruel
“We’re very much thinking about the house whenever we decide what to do, and this time we’ve gone back to L Frank Baum’s original 1900 story, which seems to fit really well with the house, designed by playwright John Vanbrugh,” says Adrian.
“So some things will be new to you that differ from the 1939 film. Like the slippers being silver, not ruby, and we feature all four witches [whereas the film combined the Good Witch of the North and Glinda the Good Witch of the South into one character, Glinda].
“We’ve also played with colours, so each territory has a tone, such as blue for the Munchkins, yellow for the Winkies [as opposed to green in the Judy Garland film], red for the Quadlings, and white for Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.”
In the original story too, everything looked green in the Emerald City as everyone was equipped with green glasses to look through, another detail acknowledged amid The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz props.
The Wicked Witch Of The West in an Andy Warhol-style portrait in The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz at Castle Howard. Picture: Celestine Dubruel
CLW Event Design continues to set itself ever bigger challenges for the Christmas season, this year expanding its portfolio from three to six sites: Castle Howard, Bamburgh Castle; Kensington Palace, Polesden Lacey, Beaulieu, and Chiswick House.
Castle Howard remains the jewel in the crown. “We are always developing our team, and in the week leading up to Castle Howard, we had 18 people working here, and 23 on the night before we opened, including the Imitating The Dog team,” says Adrian. “What I’m most proud of is that our team has really delivered. I was nervous at the beginning as to whether we could do it, but we’ve pulled it off.”
Charlotte adds: “I have to say the most spectacular achievement is the Emerald City High Street that transforms the Long Gallery into The Wizard Of Oz’s Shambles.”
Detail is important and so is humour, typified by Imitating The Dog’s soundscape. “We do have our Dorothy with a North American accent, but just as we had a Yorkshire-voiced Peter Pan, we now have a Good Witch of the North with a Yorkshire accent,” says Charlotte.
There’s no place like home: Dorothy’s bedroom in The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz at Castle Howard. Picture: Celestine Dubruel
The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz draws on source material aplenty. “There are more than 14, maybe 17 books in L Frank Baum’s series. I got through four books, then I stopped,” says Adrian. “You have to extrapolate and you have to make sure all the magic parts are in there, but it’s good to go back to the roots and look at how it would fit into the house.
“The thing that we were very clear about from the start was that we really wanted to embrace this year’s redecoration of the house to integrate it into our design and we have certainly done that.”
Summing up this year’s wizard show, and the creativity that went into it, Adrian says. “Out of the six Christmas shows that we’ve done this year, this would always be the project that we would be working on up to the last minute. It’s just the scale of this house and our ambition as artists that demands we do that.”
CLW Event Design’sThe Wonderful Wizard Of Oz dazzles at Castle Howard, near York, until January 4. Tickets: castlehoward.co.uk.
The poster for Christmas at Castle Howard with The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz
Christmas at Castle Howard events
Christmas at Castle Howard with the Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, in the House, until January 4
Father Christmas in the Castle, in the House, November 22 to December 24
Santa’s Grotto in the Boathouse, December 6 to 24
Oz Twilight Tours, November 28, December 5, December 12 and December 19
Wreath Making Workshops, in the Garden Centre, available selected Thursdays and Fridays, November 20, 21 and 28; December 11 and 12
Christmas Afternoon Tea, in the House, until December 31
Accessible Events
CASTLE Howard is offering an expanded series of accessible events to open The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz immersive experience to even more people, including British Sign Language- interpreted shows and Calm Sessions.
Calm Sessions
Saturday, November 15, 9.30am to 10.30am
Tuesday, November 25, 2.30pm to 3.30pm
Friday, December 19, 5.30pm to 6.30pm
Thursday, January 1, 3.30pm to 4.30pm
BSL Interpreted Session
Saturday, December 13, 11am and 3pm
Follow the Yellow Brick Road through Castle Howard with The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz. Picture: Tom Arber
Touch Boxes
AVAILABLE in select rooms as part of the Christmas at Castle Howard with The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz experience. Touch boxes are sensory objects creatively designed to tell the story of the space and are available for anyone who would like to use them as part of their experience. Available to everyone on the day of their visit.
Father Christmas in the Castle
Relaxed performance: Friday, December 19, 6.30pm
Santa’s Grotto in the Boathouse
Relaxed performance: Saturday, December 6, 4.40pm
BSL-interpreted performance: Saturday, December 13, 10am
Did you know?
CASTLE Howard has employed 100 additional Christmas staff from the area to facilitate its Christmas event, on top of their year-round staff. They are supported by a team of 200 volunteers too.
Did you know too?
CASTLE Howard is hosting a Bettys shop in the Stable Courtyard for the duration of the Christmas event, selling confectionery, chocolates, teas and coffees. alongside Castle Howard’s Farm Shop with Christmas food-to-order service, Courtyard Café with seasonal winter menu, Garden Centre selling British-grown Christmas trees and marshmallow fire pit are open too for Christmas shoppers.
And finally
A DOCUMENTARY film crew has followed the Christmas creative team, CLW Event Design, as they prepare Castle Howard’s Christmas experience. The documentary will be broadcast in the Christmas At… spotlight on Channel 4 this winter on December 9.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road at Christmas at Castle Howard: The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz
FROM The Wizard Of Oz wonderland at Castle Howard to daytime dancing at York Barbican, Gothic tales to Dickensian ghost stories, ’tis the season to be out and about, reports Charles Hutchinson.
Christmas transformation of the week: The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, Castle Howard, near York, until January 4 2026
CASTLE Howard becomes an immersive Christmas experience, dressed in set pieces, decorations, floristry, projections, lighting and sound for The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, set to delight tens of thousands of visitors over seven weeks.
Created by CLW Event Design, headed up by Charlotte Lloyd Webber and Adrian Lillie, the show-stopping Emerald City High Street in the Long Gallery is the highlight of this winter’s transformation, with life-size fabricated shop fronts inspired by York’s Shambles, while the 28ft Christmas tree sparkles in the Great Hall. Leeds theatre company Imitating The Dog has provided the projections and soundscapes. Tickets: castlehoward.co.uk.
Day Fever co-founders Jonny Owen and Vicky McClure: Bringing the fun of daytime dancing to York Barbican on Saturday
Dance party of the week: Day Fever, York Barbican, Saturday, 3pm to 8pm
LAUNCHED in early 2024 by Trigger Point actress Vicky McClure, filmmaker and broadcaster Jonny Owen, Reverend & The Makers frontman Jon McClure (no relation), brother Chris McClure and Sheffield businessman James O’Hara, Day Fever has fast become a cultural sensation, built on people craving a space to let loose, laugh and dance, all before 8pm.
“It feels like a massive house party at your nan’s,” says Vicky. “No drama, no egos, just people acting daft, getting dressed up and having the best time.” No dress code, no pressure, only wall-to-wall feel-good tunes and an open invitation to dance like nobody’s watching. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
The Primitives: Playing The Crescent tonight
Indie gig of the week: The Primitives, The Crescent, York, Saturday, 7.30pm
COVENTRY band The Primitives emerged from the UK independent music scene in 1984 with a sound that distilled the shimmering guitar chime of The Byrds, the buzzsaw style of The Ramones and Sixties’ girl group melodies into quickfire pop gems. After debut album Lovely, breakthrough single Crash and further albums Pure and Galore, they split in 1992, only to re-form in 2009.
This year, Elefant Records released the double vinyl collection Let’s Go Round Again – Second Wave Singles & Rarities 2011-2025, adding new material to A sides, B sides and more besides from the past 14 years. Tonight they head to York with a line-up featuring original members Tracy Tracy, vocals, Paul Court guitar/vocals, and Tig Williams, drums. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.
Musical of the week: NE Theatre York in Roald Dahl’s Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, Saturday and Sunday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm; November 25 to 28, 7.30pm; November 29, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
DIRECTED by Steve Tearle, this musical will take you to a world of pure imagination in Roald Dahl’s devilishly delicious tale of young golden ticket winner Charlie Bucket entering the scrumptious chocolate factory. There, he and his grandpa Joe, along with five more children, will meet the mysterious confectionary wizard Willy Wonka for an adventure like no other.
“The story of chocolate is at the very heart and history of this amazing city and it is only fitting that NE Theatre York brings Charlie And The Chocolate Factory to York,” says Steve. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Mohammed Moussa: Headlining Say Owt’s bill on Sunday at The Crescent
Poetry gig of the week: Say Owt presents Mohammed Moussa, The Crescent, York, Sunday, midday
YORK spoken-word collective Say Owt welcomes Gaza Poets Society founder, Palestinian poet and podcaster Mohammad Moussa to The Crescent. Now living in Turkey, he writes with urgency, humour and hope, seeking to build connections across borders.
Supporting Mohammed on Sunday’s bill of shared personal stories will be York-based poets Nadira Alom and Minal Sukumar. Nadira writes about mental health and her experiences as a woman and a Muslim; Minal is a writer, performance poet and doctoral researcher at the Centre for Women’s Studies, University of York. Box office: thcrescentyork.com.
James Swanton: Returning to York Medical Society with a brace of Charles Dickens’ ghost stories
Storyteller of the week: James Swanton presents Charles Dickens’ Ghost Stories, York Medical Society, Stonegate, York, November 24 to 30,Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 7pm; Sunday, 2pm and 6pm
YORK storyteller supreme and Gothic actor James Swanton returns to York Medical Society with two of Dickens’ seasonal ghost stories: A Christmas Carol, the famous saga of Scrooge (November 25 and 28, 7pm, and November 30, 2pm and 6pm), and The Haunted Man, a neglected Gothic classic (November 24 and 27, 7pm).
“Their words unlock a world teeming with chain-rattling spectres, with dark and shadowy doubles, with Ghosts of Christmases Past and Present and Yet To Come,” he says. “These tales chill the marrow and tickle the funny bone, but always they enchant, as only the works of a master storyteller can.” Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Meanwhile, Robert Lloyd Parry’s performance of three M R James ghost stories, Not Truly Dead, at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, on November 23 (7.30pm) has sold out.
O’Hooley & Tidow: Playing NCEM
Folk gig of the week: O’Hooley & Tidow, So Long For Now, National Centre for Early Music, York, November 26, 7.30pm
AFTER 15 years of performing together, eight studio albums, four BBC Folk Award nominations, composing Gentleman Jack as the BBC/HBO drama theme tune and gigs at hundreds of UK and European venues and festivals, Yorkshire folk duo Belinda O’Hooley & Heidi Tidow have made the momentous decision to say farewell for now to explore other adventures.
To help their loving and loyal audiences process this news, they are embarking on one last tour of all their favourite venues from over the years, taking in the NCEM next Wednesday. Tickets update: Sold out. For returns only, ring 01904 658338.
Ross Noble: Geordie surrealist tapping into his Cranium Of Curiosities at the Grand Opera House, York
Comedy gig of the week: Ross Noble, Cranium Of Curiosities, Grand Opera House, York, November 26, 8pm
THE Wizard of Waffle, the Rambler Royale, the Noodlers’ Noodler is touring a tornado of tangents. “What the show will be about is anybody’s guess, but that’s all part of the fun when you look inside my Cranium of Curiosities,” says Newcastle-upon-Tyne stand-up comedian and actor Ross Noble, who cut his comedy teeth in York as the bygone Comedy Shack’s master of ceremonies at The Bonding Warehouse. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Rebecca Vaughan: Telling haunting tales of the festive season in Dafyd Productions’ Christmas Gothic at Theatre@41, Monkgate
Frailties of human nature of the week: Dafyd Productions in Christmas Gothic, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, November 27, 7.30pm
REGULAR York frequenters Dafyd Productions return with Christmas Gothic, an invitation to come in from the cold and enter into the Christmas spirit as a dark and spectral woman (Rebecca Vaughan) tells haunting tales of the festive season, lighting a candle to the frailties of human nature and illuminating the chilling depths of the bleak, wintry dark. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 49, from Gazette & Herald, 19/11/2025 onwards
Adrian Lillie and Charlotte Lloyd Webber, of CWL Design, standing by the 28ftChristmas tree in the Great Hall at Castle Howard, where their Wonderful Wizard Of Oz immersive experience enchants until January 4. Picture: Tom Arber
SNOW storms with clowns, Castle Howard’s immersive Wonderful Wizard Of Oz and Count Arthur Strong and Adam Z Robinson’s solo takes on A Christmas Carol put the ‘yes’ into November for Charles Hutchinson.
Christmas transformation of the week: The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, Castle Howard, near York, until January 4
CASTLE Howard becomes an immersive Christmas experience, dressed in set pieces, decorations, floristry, projections, lighting and sound for The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, set to delight tens of thousands of visitors over a seven-week period.
Created by CLW Event Design, headed up by Charlotte Lloyd Webber and Adrian Lillie, the show-stopping Emerald City High Street in the Long Gallery is a highlight of this winter’s transformation, with life-size fabricated shop fronts inspired by York’s Shambles, while the 28ft Christmas tree sparkles in the Great Hall. Leeds theatre company Imitating The Dog has provided the projections and soundscapes. Tickets: castlehoward.co.uk.
Slava’s SnowShow: Arrival in York coincides with forecasts of snow across the North
Weather forecast of the week: Slava’s SnowShow, Grand Opera House, York, 7.30pm, today to Saturday; 2.30pm, tomorrow and Saturday; Sunday, 2pm and 6pm
ENTER an absurd and surrealistic world of “fools on the loose” in Slava Polunin’s work of clown art, wherein each scene paints a picture: an unlikely shark swimming in a misty sea; clowns and the audience tangled up in a gigantic spider’s web; heart-breaking goodbyes with a coat rack on a railway platform, and audience members being hypnotised by giant balloons. The finale is an “out-of-this-world snowstorm”. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Kerry Godliman: Welcome to the life of a middle-aged woman who has outsourced her memory to her phone in Bandwidth. Picture: Aemen Sukka, of Jiksaw
Straight-talker of the week: Kerry Godliman: Bandwidth, York Theatre Royal, tonight, 7.30pm
WHILE parenting teenagers, bogged down with knicker admin and considering dealing HRT on the black market, Kerry Godliman can’t remember what was in her lost mum bag after outsourcing her memory to her phone. Welcome to the life of a middle-aged woman who lacks the bandwidth for any of this.
Godliman, comedian, actor, writer, podcaster and broadcaster, from Afterlife, Taskmaster and Trigger Point, builds her new stand-up show on straight-talking charm and quick wit. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
York artist Lesley Birch at work in her studio for her Flower Power exhibition at Pyramid Gallery, York. Picture: Esme Mai Photography
Blooms of the week: Lesley Birch: Flower Power and Jacqui Atkin: Ceramics, Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, until mid-January 2026, Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm
LESLEY Birch is showing 22 paintings from her Flower Power series in an exhibition that coincides with the publication of her small artbook of the same title by independent York publisher Overt Books, also featuring Esme Mai’s photographs of Lesley’s home studio and the York artist’s free-verse musings. On show too are Pottery Showdown potter Jacqui Atkin’s ceramics.
Dickens of a good show: Count Arthur Strong Is Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol, York Barbican, tomorrow, 8pm; Whitby Pavilion Theatre, November 23, 7.30pm; Scarborough Spa Theatre, November 27, 8pm
IN response to public pressure, doyen of light entertainment and raconteur Count Arthur Strong is extending his fond farewell with new dates aplenty for his one-man interpretation of A Christmas Carol, performing his own festive adaptation in the guise of literary great and travelling showman performer Charles Dickens. Box office: York, yorkbarbican.co.uk; Whitby, whitbypavilion.co.uk; Scarborough, scarboroughspa.co.uk.
Gerard Hobson: Cut out for three days of Christmas art
Christmas exhibition of the week: Gerard Hobson, 51, Water Lane, Clifton, York, Friday and Saturday, 10am to 4pm; Sunday, 12 noon to 4pm
YORK printmaker Geard Hobson’s artwork comprises hand-coloured, limited-edition linocut prints and cut-outs focused on nature and wildlife, inspired by the countryside around where he lives in York.
As well as prints and bird, animal, tree and mushroom cut-outs, he creates anything from cards, mugs, cushions and coasters to chopping boards, lampshades, tea towels, notepads and wrapping paper. This week’s festive exhibition focuses on Christmas gifts, cards, prints and cut-outs.
Mexborough poet Ian Parks holding a copy of his new book The Sons Of Darkness And The Sons Of Light. The Basement at City Screen Picturehouse awaits on Friday
Word-and-song gathering of the week: Navigators Art presents An Evening with Ian Parks and Friends, The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, Friday, 7.30pm
YORK arts collective Navigators Art plays host to An Evening with Ian Parks and Friends, where Parks reads from his new collection, The Sons Of Darkness And The Sons Of Light, and will be in conversation with Crooked Spire Press publisher Tim Fellows.
Joining Parks will be award-winning York novelist and poet Janet Dean, poet and critic Matthew Paul and singer-songwriter Jane Stockdale, from York alt-folk trio White Sail. Tickets: £5 in advance at bit.ly/nav-events or £8 on the door from 7pm.
Rant: Scottish quartet of fiddle players heads for Helmsley Arts Centre
Fiddlers of the week: Rant, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm
SCOTTISH chamber-folk fiddlers Rant return to the road after releasing third album Spin last year, featuring their ambitious, bold and reflective reinterpretation of influential tracks by bands and players from across the globe from their formative years.
In the line-up are Bethany Reid, from Shetland, Anna Massie and Lauren MacColl from the Highland peninsula of the Black Isle, and Gillian Frame, from Arran, whose live set reflects years of honing their sound together and their love for the music of each home region through their writing, repertoire and stories. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Adam Z Robinson: Playing Scrooge and 27 more characters in A Christmas Carol at Helmsley Arts Centre
Ryedale solo show of the week:The Book of Darkness & Light Theatre Company in A Christmas Carol, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm
MARLEY was dead.. to begin with. So starts The Book of Darkness & Light Theatre Company’s ghostly staging of Charles Dickens’s festive tale, performed by Adam Z Robinson, whose solo adaptation “teases out the gothic aspects” and requires him to play 28 characters.
Join miserly misery Ebenezer Scrooge on a supernatural journey into the past, present and yet-to-come. The chilly atmosphere of Victorian London is brought to life and the spirits of Christmas return from the dead, all through the spellbinding art of storytelling that combines gripping narration with eerie recorded voices and an immersive soundscape. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Becky, left, and Rachel Unthank: Playing All Saints Church, Pocklington, this weekend
Recommended but sold out already: The Unthanks At 20, All Saints Church, Pocklington, Saturday, 7.30pm
POCKLINGTON’S Hurricane Promotions bring North Eastern folk band The Unthanks to All Saints Church as part of their 20th anniversary scaled-back, intimate series of shows in support of “today’s best small venues”.
The Unthanks play Pocklington fresh from singing sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank and pianist Adrian McNally being part of the cast of eight for the October 22 to November 2 theatre piece for Bradford UK City of Culture 2025, creating and performing the music for Javaad Alipoor’s staging of York author Fiona Mozley’s Booker Prize-shortlisted novel, Elmet.
The show poster for The Sounds Of Simon at the Kirk Theatre, Pickering
Tribute show of the week: The Sounds Of Simon, The Music of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, Old Friends, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, Saturday, 7.30pm
THE Sounds Of Simon, the UK’s longest-running tribute to Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, takes a musical journey from their years as Simon and Garfunkel to the successes of their solo careers, as they explore the friendship that led to songs such as Mrs Robinson, The Sound Of Silence and Bridge Over Troubled Water, onwards to You Can Call Me Al, Graceland and Garfunkel’s Bright Eyes.
The show incorporates elements of the duo’s famously fractious relationship, as well as replicating their beautiful harmonies, complemented by video clips, stories and memories from more than 50 years. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.
York illustrator Ric Liptrot with his hot-off-the-presses York Calendar for 2026, his follow-up to 2025’s York Past & PresentCalendar
YORK illustrator Ric Liptrot has produced his third calendar, depicting the city’s independent scene.
The 2026 calendar features new illustrations of Heima, in Gillygate, for January; Haxby Bakehouse, February; York, Home of Independents poster, March; Bettys’ Easter window, in St Helen’s Square, April; Watkinsons Shoes, in Goodramgate, May, and Janette Ray Booksellers, in Bootham, June.
Turn over to July to reveal Heppni Bakery, in Swinegate; August, Two Hoots ice cream boat, by Dame Judi Dench Walk; September, Sir Thomas Herbert’s House/York Gin, in Pavement; October, Forty Five Vinyl Cafe, in Micklegate; November, Rustique, in Castlegate, and December, Silvarious, in Low Petergate.
“We’re so lucky to have so many great independent businesses in York,” says Ric, whose parents owned a newsagent shop in his hometown of Runcorn. “Perhaps it’s this upbringing that has impacted on my beliefs to stand up for the small shops, cafes and pubs of the local community.”
Too Hoots ice cream boat, Ric Liptrot’s choice for August in his 2026 calendar
Explaining how he selected his chosen 12 for 2026, Ric says: “I have a list of shops, pubs and cafes that I would love to draw. They usually have colours or shapes that grab my attention.
“For example, Heima, on Gillygate, I love the shop-front with its beautiful household objects; they’re interesting shapes to draw.
“Some months, such as December, were easy to choose as I was commissioned last year by Silvarious Jewellery to create an illustration. At the time I drew it, they had their festive window display, so I knew this would make a great December image.”
How does Ric assess the present welfare of independent businesses in York, when more and more look to be opening, but mainly yet more cafes! “You’re right that there’s more and more cafes and bars opening, which is why I feel quite strongly about celebrating the small shops,” he says.
The cover to Ric Liptrot’s York Calendar for 2026
“I’ve only lived in York for 15 years but I’ve heard of some lovely shops that have sadly closed; people still have fond memories of them. The saying ‘Use it or lose it’ comes to mind. I try to avoid using Amazon to shop. I get a buzz from buying locally; you feel like you’re making a positive purchase.”
Ric works out of a studio in the artist-led community at PICA Studios in Grape Lane. “I begin each artwork with a sketch taken directly in front of the subject. It’s here that I can take time to capture the detail and take note of shapes and colour,” he says.
“When I’m out sketching on the street, there’ll usually be one or two people who stop to have a nosey or ask what I’m drawing. I’m always happy to stop and chat. I think it’s nice that people take an interest and sometimes they’ll give me a story or fact about the subject I’m drawing.
“Then, using acrylic paint, collage and dip pen, I’ll transform the sketch into a full-colour illustration.”
Heppni Bakeri, Ric Liptrot’s July independent shop for his 2026 calendar
Some shops featured in the 2026 calendar commissioned Liptrot Illustration’s services, among them Watkinsons Shoes in celebration of their 120th anniversary.
“It hangs pride of place in our store and is absolutely stunning,” says manager Alice Preece “Ric’s art and interpretation of the shop has captured the spirit of Watkinsons and what makes us unique. Thank you, Ric for an amazing experience from start to finish throughout the commission.”
2025 North Yorkshire Open Studios participant Ric was delighted to receive this commission from one of his favourite shops. “Watkinsons is a great example of a successful independent shop in York,” he says. “I have people telling me they went there to get their first pair of shoes and now take their children. I love to draw places that people have a connection with.”
Picking highlights of his 2025 diary, Ric says: “There have been fantastic commissions, not only from Watkinsons Shoes, but Heppni Bakeri and Rustique too,” he says. “I was asked by York Independent to produce a cover for the free small newspaper they produce. That was fun, using York’s archways and bridges to frame elements of the independent businesses. The artwork for this is on my March page.
The 12 illustrations for Ric Liptrot’s 2026 calendar celebrating York’s independent shops and businesses
“I was asked to create an illustration of York to wrap around a candle holder for the lovely Born Of Botanics shop on Stonegate. It was my first bit of package design that I’d made.”
Looking ahead, how will Ric be filling his 2026 calendar? “I’m in the middle of working on some designs for the York Cocoa Works on Castlegate. I’ve had some good conversations with Sophie Jewett, the owner, and we’re hoping to produce a map and possibly some chocolate bar packaging,” he says.
“I’m also working on an illustration for a grand hotel just outside of York, Aldwark Manor. The original artwork will hang in the hotel and it will feature on their promotional material.
“I visited the estate recently to make some sketches and was blown away. It’s a stunning building and I can’t wait to start working on the illustration.”
Forty Five Vinyl Cafe: October’s choice for Ric Liptrot’s 2026 York Calendar
Should you be wondering if Ric will just stick to putting up one of his own calendars in the Liptrot home, he says: “There are some great York calendars around and I usually do a swap with artist friend Elliot Harrison, known as York 360, who makes a nice calendar.”
Ric will launch the 2026 calendar at the PICA Studios Winter Sale on November 29 and 30, when fellow PICA Studios artists will be selling work jewellery, ceramics, textiles, prints and paintings from 10am to 5pm each day.
Priced at £15.99, the calendar also will be on sale at the pop-up artists’ shop, at 22 High Petergate, York, or you can order via www.ricliptrot.bigcartel.com.
Ric Liptrot at work on a sketch
Festive final question for Ric
Do you have a Christmas tradition that no Christmas would be complete without?
“IN recent years we’ve headed to York Minster to hear the Choral Matins; it’s a lovely way to start the day. I find it a real, hairs-on-the-back-of-your-neck- pricking- up moment.
“We’ve also been enjoying a pint at the local pub on Christmas Day. The last couple of years we’ve popped into the Volunteer Arms [in Watson Street, Holgate] and the atmosphere has been brilliant, full of folk in a festive mood.”
A trio of York Nutcracker Trail 2025’s designs in preparation for street duty
YORK Nutcracker Trail returns for the festive season with the Kids Takeover theme for 2025.
From now until January 4 2026, you can embark on York BID’s city-wide trail to discover ten giant nutcrackers, each designed uniquely by children from across York and the surrounding area.
Each design has been brought to life with delicacy by York artist Marc Godfrey-Murphy, also known as MarcoLooks, who has hand-painted the children’s creations onto the full-size nutcracker sculptures.
Kids Takeover brings young people’s imagination to life after York BID (Business Improvement District) invited budding young artists to submit their dream nutcracker designs last year. From hundreds of colourful entries, ten were selected to be transformed into life-sized sculptures to brighten York’s historic streets.
Mark Godfrey-Murphy painting one of the Kids Takeover designs for the York Nutcracker Trail
Rachel Bean, project manager at York BID, says: “We wanted to do something truly special this year: to hand the creative reins over to York’s young people. We asked kids across York to let their imaginations run wild, and the designs we received were full of colour and fun. It was so hard to pick just ten!
“York Nutcracker Trail has become a real festive favourite in York, and I can’t wait to see lots of people with trail maps in their hands across the city again this year”
Marc says: “I remember when York BID first talked to me about working on this project with them. From the moment I found out about the concept, I immediately wanted to be involved.
“I used to be an animator for CBeebies, so I know how discerning children’s imaginations can be. Their ideas and minds are bold, brave and limitless. It’s been a joy spending time working with designs from their perspective.
The map for the York Nutracker Trail 2025 with the Kids Takeover theme
“Some of our young designers have used colour combinations I would never think of, but as an artist illustrator, it’s been wonderful to discover the joy in colour and pattern from their world view.”
York Nutcracker Trail maps are available to pick up from the Visit York Information Centre on Parliament Street to help you discover each nutcracker’s location and enjoy a fun, free festive adventure through the city.
Find all ten Nutcrackers and collect their names on your trail map to enter the prize draw for a £250 York Gift Card. That’s not all: by answering the bonus question, you could win an art hamper filled with MarcoLooks goodies.
Submit your completed trail map to the Visitor Information Centre or post it in Santa’s Post Box in York Museum Gardens to enter the prize draw.
York illustrator Marc Godfrey-Murphy
Marc Godfrey-Murphy/MarcoLooks: back story
GRADUATED from Character Animation course with Aardman Animation studios (the people behind Wallace & Gromit).
Worked as animator for CBeebies on Numberblocks and Tree Fu Tom. Now a freelance Illustrator and independent card and calendar publisher in York, he founded MarcoLooks in 2018.
His delightfully daft, quirky and colourful greetings cards and prints, coasters and mugs are stocked in many shops across the UK. From punning animal titles to illustrations of York landmarks and cheeky birthday card messages, “everything pops in bright and happy colour palettes”.
Marc has worked for Fenwick department stores, Oxfam, The Hole In Wand, York BID and Indie Makers and is the founder of the Draw As You May online drawing challenge. He also is a part-time animation tutor and mentor to newbie artists/makers who want to start making money from their creative practice.
You can find Marc across social media as @MarcoLooks. To find out more, visit www.marcolooks.com or go to Fabrication, on Stonegate, to discover his greetings cards and York illustrations.
Professor Peter Burman seated by “Perspective Is The Temple Of Decision” in 2019
PROFESSOR Peter Burman, co-founder of York Art Workers Association (YAWA), will be the association’s guest speaker at December 1’s meeting at Southlands Chapel, 97 Bishopthorpe Road, York, at 7.30pm (doors 7pm).
Prof Burman, formerly of the University of York, is a long-standing member of the Artworkers’ Guild in London. On his move to York, he co-founded YAWA to bring together people working in the traditional craft skills in and around York.
He will reflect on his “life on the edge” between conservation and creativity. Soon after completing his studies in History of Art at Cambridge, he became assistant secretary to the Council for the Care of Churches, where he remained for 22 enjoyable years.
During that time he became an active member of the Art Workers’ Guild, and when he joined the University of York to lead the Centre for Conservation Studies at King’s Manor in 1990, he jointly founded the York Art Workers Association in 1994.
Meetings are held on the first Monday of each month to hear talks by a wide variety of renowned craftspeople from all over the country. Anyone who has an interest in art, crafts, buildings, their contents and surroundings, is welcome to join. Non-members are welcome to attend too.
Admission is £3 for members; £7 for non-members, with no need to book. Feel free just to turn up!
A copy of YAWA’s 2026 programme will be available at the meeting or can be obtained from www.yorkartworkers.org.uk.
York Waits, by John Scarland, one of the Christmas cards on sale at Kentmere House Gallery, York
KENTMERE House, Ann Petherick’s gallery in Scarcroft Hill, York, will be open every weekend in December until December 21, from 11am to 5pm each day, then on January 3 and 4, 11am to 5pm.
The gallery also will welcome visitors every Thursday evening through to December 18, 6pm to 9pm, and at other time by arrangement on 01904 656507 or 07801 810825.
Work by more than 70 artists is on show and for sale. “Those who have everything may be the bane of your Christmas list, but you can be absolutely certain that what they don’t have is any of the paintings available from Kentmere House Gallery – because all are originals,” says Ann.
“The Aladdin’s cave that is Kentmere House Gallery has paintings by gallery favourites such as Susan Bower, Jack Hellewell and John Thornton, along with work from nationally known printmakers, including Lisa Hooper and John Brunsdon.
“Look out too for more of David Greenwood’s pastels of familiar York buildings and work by an amazingly talented new artist from South Yorkshire, William Sculthorpe.”
Kentmere House Gallery’s poster for December’s opening hours
Prints are for sale at £50 upwards, paintings from £200, plus lavishly illustrated art books unique to the gallery from £10. “That means there is a wide range of gifts both affordable and truly original,” says Ann. “Please note these prints are genuine and handmade, not the mass-produced ‘limited-edition’ prints you might find on the high street.
“If it’s still all too difficult, the gallery has a gift voucher service, allowing the recipients themselves to make the choice. A voucher can be issued for any amount from £10 and the gallery will add five per cent to the value of any voucher.
“Alternatively, if you buy a painting as a gift and the recipient would prefer another, return it by the end of January & a full credit will be given against another painting.”
Ann has a further suggestion: “For something really special, why not commission a painting? Maybe a portrait, a house portrait, a favourite pet or a landscape that has a special meaning? The possibilities are endless; you can choose from more than 70 artists, and the gallery is happy to advise.”
Kentmere House Gallery favourite Susan Bower picked for Actors’ Benevolent Fund charity Christmas card. On sale soon
Susan Bower’s Taking Five: the Actors’ Benevolent Fund’s selection for its 2025 Christmas card
THE Actors’ Benevolent Fund has selected Kentmere House Gallery regular artist Susan Bower’s painting Taking Five for its 2025 fundraising Christmas card.
Born in 1953, Susan graduated with degrees in Biology and Psychology but pursued an artistic career on returning her Yorkshire birthplace. Exploring her life-long love for painting, she creates pieces that explore various facets of the human condition.
Susan’s work is on permanent display at Kentmere House, where the Christmas card will be on sale soon.
Did you know?
KENTMERE House Gallery is York’s original “gallery-at-home”, housed in the relaxed setting of a large Victorian house on Scarcroft Hill.
It sells work by some of the finest artists working in Britain and has a reputation for showing nationally known names alongside promising newcomers.
The featured artist changes each month and, in addition, there is always a rolling exhibition of work by 50 other artists.
Danny Horn’s Ray Davies leading The Kinks in Sunny Afternoon, on tour at the Grand Opera House, York, from next Tuesday. Picture: Manuel Harlan
SUNNY Afternoon’s Kinks songs for dark nights, Dibley comedic delights and drag diva Velma Celli’s frock rock catch Charles Hutchinson’s eye.
Musical of the week: Sonia Freidman Productions and ATG Productions present Sunny Afternoon, Grand Opera House, York, November 11 to 15, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday, Friday and Saturday matinees
RETURNING to York for the first time since February 2017, four-time Olivier Award winner Sunny Afternoon charts the raw energy, euphoric highs, troubling lows, mendacious mismanagement and brotherly spats of Muswell Hill firebrands The Kinks, with an original story (and nearly 30 songs) by frontman Ray Davies.
The script is by Joe Penhall, who says: “As a band The Kinks were the perennial outsider – punk before punk.” Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
MarcoLooks: Exhibiting at Inspired – York Artists & Designer Makers Winter Fair at York Cemetery Chapel
Christmas presence of the week: Inspired – York Artists & Designer Makers Winter Fair, York Cemetery Chapel, Cemetery Road, York, today and tomorrow, 10am to 5pm
NINE York artists and designers will be selling their work for the Christmas season in the divine setting of York Cemetery Chapel. Among them will be collagraphy printmaker Sally Clarke, jewellery designer Jo Bagshaw, artist Adrienne French, printmaker Petra Bradley and illustrator MarcoLooks . Enjoy a winter walk in the beautiful grounds too. Free entry, free parking.
Clive Marshall RIP: York Railway Institute Band and York Opera perform in his memory at The Citadeltonight
Marshalling forces: York Railway Institute Band and York Opera, Clive Marshall Memorial Concert, The Citadel, Gillygate, York, tonight, 7.30pm
YORK Railway Institute Band and York Opera members come together tonight for a charity musical tribute to much-loved colleague Clive Marshall (1936-2025). Expect soaring choruses, heartfelt arias and the very best of operatic overtures in tonight’s programme of popular classics, in aid of St Leonard’s Hospice, where Clive spent the final days of his life in March this year.
He was chairman of the RI band, leading the trombone section for many years, and first performed for York Opera in 1968, going on to play multiple character roles and stage direct myriad productions too. Box office: https://tickets.yorkopera.co.uk/events/yorkopera/1793750 or on the door.
At your service, in the French style: Nicki Clay’s Reverend Geraldine Granger in MARMiTE Theatre’s The Vicar Of Dibley
Village drama of the week: MARMiTE Theatre in The Vicar Of Dibley, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, November 11 to 15,7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
NICKI Clay is going doubly Dibley for MARMiTE Theatre in the new York company’s debut production of The Vicar Of Dibley, having played Geraldine Granger for The Monday Players in Escrick in May.
Martyn Hunter directs Ian Gower and Paul Carpenter’s cherry-picking of the best of Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer’s first two TV series, bringing together all the favourite eccentric residents of Dibley as the new vicar’s arrival shakes up the parish council of this sleepy English village. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Velma Celli: Rock Queen, with a nod to David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane slash make-up, at York Theatre Royal
Drag night of the week: Velma Celli: Rock Queen, York Theatre Royal, November 12, 7.30pm
YORK’S international drag diva deluxe Velma Celli follows up her iconic October 1 appearance in Coronation Street soapland with an “overindulgent evening celebrating and re-imagining the best of rock classics” with her band.
The alter ego of West End musical star Ian Stroughair, who has shone in Cats, Fame, Rent and Chicago, cabaret queen Velma’s live vocal drag act has been charming audiences for 14 years, whether at Yorktoberfest at York Racecourse, her Impossible Brunches at Impossible York, or in such shows as A Brief History Of Drag, My Divas, God Save The Queens, Equinox, Velma Celli Goes Gaga, Show Queen and Divalussion (with Christina Bianco). Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
The poster for Toby Lee’s 2025 tour show, An Evening of Blues & Soul, at The Crescent
Blues gig of the week: Toby Lee & James Emmanuel plus Isabella Coulstock, An Evening of Blues & Soul, The Crescent, York, November 12, 7.30pm
BLUES prodigy Toby Lee’s musical journey started at only four years old when his grandmother bought him a yellow and green ukulele. This little instrument went everywhere with him, and he played it constantly, mainly tunes by Elvis and Buddy Holly. At eight, he received his first electric guitar for Christmas while staying at a Cornish. By chance, staying there too was Uriah Heep’s Mick Box, who duly gave him tips and picks. From that moment, Lee knew precisely what he wanted to do when he grew up.
Now 20, he has shared stages with Buddy Guy, Billy Gibbons, Peter Frampton, Slash, Lukas Nelson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and his hero, Joe Bonamassa, at the Royal Albert Hall, as well as touring as Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra’s special guest. On Tuesday, he is joined by James Emmanuel and Isabella Coulstock. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.
Beth McCarthy: Heading back home to York to play Big Ian’s A Night To Remember at York Barbican. Picture: Duncan Lomax, Ravage Productions
Charity event of the week: Big Ian’s A Night To Remember, York Barbican, November 12, 7.30pm
BIG Ian Donaghy hosts a “night of York helping York” featuring a 30-strong band led by George Hall with a line-up of York party band HUGE, Jess Steel, Beth McCarthy, Heather Findlay, Graham Hodge, The Y Street Band, Simon Snaize, Annie-Rae Donaghy, fiddler Kieran O’Malley, Samantha Holden, Las Vegas Ken and musicians from York Music Forum, plus a guest choir.
Proceeds from this three-hour fundraiser go to St Leonard’s Hospice, Bereaved Children Support York, Accessible Arts & Media and York dementia projects. Tickets update: Balcony seats still available at yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Staff woes: William Ilkley, left, Levi Payne and Dylan Allcock in John Godber’s Black Tie Ball, on tour at the SJT, Scarborough
One helluva party of the week: John Godber’s Black Tie Ball, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, November 12 to 15, 7.30pm plus 1.30pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
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: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
Amit Mistry: Topping the Funny Fridays bill
Comedy gig of the week: Funny Fridays, Patch@Bonding Warehouse, Terry Avenue, York, November 14, 7.30pm to 9.30pm
African rhythms of the week: N’Faly Kouyaté, National Centre for Early Music, York, November 12 , 7.30pm
Guinean multi-instrumentalist N’Faly Kouyaté: Starting his Finishing tour at the NCEM
AFTER gracing stages across the world with Afro Celt Sound System, avant-garde griot N’Faly Kouyaté has embarked on a profoundly personal journey that finds him opening his autumn UK tour in York, playing the National Centre for Early Music for the first time.
This masterful Guinean multi-instrumentalist, multi-linguist, inspired vocalist and living bridge between ancestral heritage and future sounds returns with his September 12 album Finishing, whose songs stir the soul, provoke reflection, elicit smiles and set bodies moving.
Finishingis billed as a “a spiritual call to action – an artistic manifesto shaped by the soul of a griot and the conscience of a world citizen”
Conceived during nine reflective months along the banks of the Bafing River in Guinea, then recorded in Brussels, this album is both a deeply personal reflection and a universal cry for justice, compassion and balance.
“Finishing is my musical answer to a world searching for meaning,” says N’Faly. “It is the echo of my ancestors carried by today’s rhythms, a call to reflection and action. I wanted every note to be a question, every chorus a step towards a fairer, more conscious future.”
Hailing from the illustrious Konkoba Kabinet Kouyaté lineage – he is a member of the Mandingue ethnic group of West Africa; his father was the griot Konkoba Kabinet Kouyaté, who lived in Siguiri, Guinea – N’Faly is a master of the kora and balafon, a genre-defying composer and a cultural custodian with a mission.
His journey has taken him from Guinea to the Royal Conservatory of Belgium in 1994, where he formed the ensemble Dunyakan, onwards to global stages with the Grammy-nominated Afro Celt Sound System and now his solo projects, all speaking to his ability to weave past and future into the sound of now.
Should you be asking “what is a griot?”, let N’Faly explain.”The griot is an advisor to the people and the king in West Africa,” he says. “The griot is from the Mandingue kingdom; Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso.
“The king of this kingdom was the ancestor of Salif Keita, the Malian singer-songwriter. The griot is like the Bard in Celtic culture because we advise the king, the people, and if there’s a war somewhere, the griot comes to make peace.
“I continue the griot social class. I am griot, my father and my ancestors were griots. You can’t become griot; but you are born griot.”
How does this influence Finishing, N’Faly? “We griot, we advise all society. With this album you imagine the artist finishing his dream to end all these horrible things in the world,” he says. “My dream was that if all these troubles could be finished, we could be happy. What a finishing that would be. For the people, we’re asking for the finishing of all this horror in our world.”
Finishing is an album rooted in a wish for healing. “We can use music to say to the political world ‘what we need is peace and love’,” says N’Faly, who spreads that message by singing songs in Mandinka (the language of Mandingue), Soussou, Pular, French and English as he dares to imagine a world where war, lies, theft and violence suddenly stopped.
The cover artwork for N’Faly Kouyaté’s Finishing album
Each track on Finishing pulses with urgency and purpose. Free Water, a collaboration with reggae luminary Tiken Jah Fakoly, is a passionate plea for water protection, while Khili Kanè condemns the corrosive effects of slander.
Mandela stands as a reverent salute to the late South African statesman and peacemaker, and Kolabana, featuring Senegalese hip-hop icon Didier Awadi, takes aim at global indifference in the face of crisis.
Elsewhere, songs such as Mökhöya, Halala and Kawa reflect on the quiet erosion of human value – mutual aid, dignity and humility – reminding us that these virtues are not nostalgic relics, but essential foundations for a liveable future.
“In my concerts I explain the words of all the songs and I use the job of my ancestors to play traditional music as well as modern,” says N’Faly, whose trademark “Afrotronix” sound is a fusion of AfroBeat, AfroTrap, AfroPop, RnB, Jazz and traditional Mandingue instrumentation as electronica meets djembe and kora.
“I am the protector of culture and tradition, and for me, we can use technology to serve tradition. If you want to interest young people, you have to sing in the language they want to hear and use the instruments and style of who they like – and statistically, much of my audience is aged 18 to 44 and upwards to 66-70.”
N’Faly will be joined on the NCEM stage by his wife, Muriel Kouyaté and Jay Chitul after rehearsing together in Brussels. Bring your dancing shoes,” he advises. Finishing will be on sale at the concert, along with T-shirts. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.
Did you know?
N’FALY Kouyaté’s collaborators range from Peter Gabriel and Sinead O’Connor to Tayc and Robert Plant, affirming how he is as comfortable in ancient traditions as he is on the modern sonic frontier.
“When I finished my studies in Belgium, I started to work with Afro Celt Sound System, whose albums were produced by Peter Gabriel, and we worked with him many times, recording at Real World studios in Bath and performing on stage with him.” says N’Faly.
He undertook an acting role in William Kentridge’s musical The Head And The Load, performing in Miami, Amsterdam, London and New York.
The Wild Man of the Woods telling a wartime ghost story by the soldier’s sculpture at St Anthony’s Gardens on November 5
GHOSTS: The Untold History has opened for an already sold-out run – or, rather, walk – at St Anthony’s Gardens, Peaseholme Green, York. There’s not a ghost of a chance of a ticket, alas.
Set among the atmospheric Ghosts In Gardens sculptures, bathed in ghostly light, this new 40-minute nocturnal storytelling experience uncovers York’s hidden histories and haunted past.
The candle-lit walk weaves together York’s spectral figures with previously untold stories spun by Yorkshire storyteller The Wild Man of the Woods (alias Dave Vale).
Guests wander through York’s snickelways and shadows, discovering tales that blend 2,000 years of myth, folklore and the city’s rich, chilling history, from ancient gods, through Jorvik times to the Second World War, with matters of sex and death often to the fore.
Ghosts: The Untold History storyteller The Wild Man of the Woods
Carl Alsop, York BID (Business Improvement District) operations manager, selected St Anthony’s Garden, on the back of the success of last November’s inaugural Ghosts After Dark showcased York’s tapestry of historical figures with light, sound and storytellers for four nights in York Museum Gardens.
Mad Alice, of the Bloody Tour of York, Lady Brigante, of the Polite Tourist, Dr Dorian Deathly, of the Deathly Dark Tours and York Dungeon’s Dick Turpin and Guy Fawkes, along with The Wild Man of the Woods, all told tales.
Ghosts After Dark and now Ghosts: The Untold Story forms the companion piece to the Ghosts In The Garden sculpture trail, which began five years ago with ten ghosts installations in York Museum Gardens and has since expanded to feature 58 3D wire mesh sculptures, all created by York company Unconventional Designs.
The translucent figures, including ten new additions for 2025, were on show from September 19 to November 2 in a trail through York’s public gardens, ruins, hidden corners and green spaces with free entry.
York BID presents Ghosts: The Untold History at St Anthony’s Gardens, Peaseholme Green, York, until November 9, from 6.30pm night. SOLD OUT.For more information, go to: theyorkbid.com/ghosts-untold-history/.
Red sky at night: two of Unconventional Designs’ Ghosts In The Gardens wire-mesh sculptures in St Anthony’s Gardens
