‘I love that there’s this big gay thing in the middle of Scotland’: Ian McKellen and Graham Norton join Alan Cumming for Out in the Hills

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 3 min read 100% complete by Mark FisherJanuary 19, 2026 at 12:14 PM

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

Pitlochry Festival Theatre in Scotland launched its first LGBTQ+ festival, "Out in the Hills," over the weekend. Curated by Lewis Hetherington and spearheaded by new artistic director Alan Cumming, the three-day event featured talks, workshops, and performances. Sir Ian McKellen participated in a rehearsed reading of Laurie Slade's new monologue, "Equinox," directed by Sean Mathias. Graham Norton also joined Cumming for a conversation about Norton's career. The festival included events such as a Queer As Folk! ceilidh, a conversation between Jo Clifford and Catriona Innes, and Kilted Yoga. The festival aimed to create a vibrant and inclusive atmosphere at the theatre.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Malin Lewis Trio 30% Finlay Wilson 30% Catriona Innes 30% Sean Mathias 40% Coinneach MacLeod 40% Jo Clifford 40% Laurie Slade 40% Lewis Hetherington 50% Pitlochry Festival theatre 60% Graham Norton ×270% Alan Cumming ×480% Ian McKellen ×590%

Keywords

lgbtq+ festival 100% out in the hills 90% theatre 80% alan cumming 70% gay 70% ian mckellen 70% graham norton 60% pitlochry festival theatre 60% equinox 50% performance 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Positive

Score: 0.70

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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lgbtq+ festival out in the hills theatre alan cumming gay ian mckellen graham norton pitlochry festival theatre equinox performance

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