Arts diary: Grant Stott's email from Frank Sinatra song writer and bumper book festival for outgoing founder

Our Scotsman reviewer, David Robinson heralded it as Moffat’s “finest”. And now organisers have revealed a record year with bumper ticket sales, increasing 8.1 per cent on last year, with footfall over the four days up more than fiver per cent at almost 34,000.

Moffat founded the book festival in 2004, setting up a couple of events in a Melrose theatre he was involved with at the time. He is now handing over the reins to Paula Ogilvie, who has also been involved with the festival since the early days.

‘Beacon of light’ Cnoc Soilleir launches new facilities on South Uist

In South Uist, the arts community is celebrating as new facilities for music, dance and Gaelic culture are unveiled.

Cnoc Soilleir has completed the second phase of its project, which includes a bespoke 200-seat performance space, a specialist dance studio, green rooms and rehearsal spaces, all supported by a state-of-the-art audiovisual system.

The project brings to life a 26-year-long vision for the centre, four years after the first phase was unveiled - described by Alex O’Henley, chair of the Cnoc Soilleir Board, as a “beacon of light” for the Gaelic community.

Tears From Behind That’s Fife

It was a viral parody song which shot him to internet fame almost 15 years ago. Now Radio DJ and Edinburgh panto star Grant Stott tells me he was contacted personally by Frank Sinatra’s songwriter over That’s Fife, a parody of the Hollywood icon’s classic.

In an aside for an interview I did with Mr Stott to mark his return to BBC Radio Scotland’s Afternoon Show, told me that the song’s success was a “complete accident”.

Written for an awards night at his former employer, commercial radio station Forth, it Stott later performed it as part of the King’s Theatre pantomime.

But an email sent to his agent by a writer behind That’s Life, initially gave him the fear.

“Viral things tend to be accidental, it’s hard to create a viral hit,” he said. “My viral sensation, That’s Fife, was a complete accident. I put it in as a wee filler at the Forth Awards and it still follows me around.

“Then I got an email through my agent from the guy who wrote That’s Life, for Frank Sinatra and I thought he was sending me a cease and desist note, but he was actually congratulating me on the use of the song, because apparently he had heard of it and got in touch from Hollywood. That was a lovely end to the story.”

He said he has considered performing a Fringe show about the song’s success.

“The last one-man show I did was called Tears from Behind a Mike, it was all stories about when radio goes wrong,” he said. “I thought I could follow it up with Tears from behind That’s Fie, because the journey I went on with that song was incredible.”

Do it, Grant.