First ever Glasgow Telly Festival comes to city this summer
People will be invited to produce one-minute pilot scenes alongside other events from the 29th of May to the 1st of June
Last updated 9th May 2025
It is hoped Glasgow's first ever Telly Festival will inspire a new generation of talent into what is said to be an "industry in crisis".
The event is the brainchild of Scottish author, producer and screenwriter CS (Claire) Duffy, who plans to shine a spotlight on Glasgow’s TV talent while also driving change to help save the crisis-hit Scottish TV industry.
River City's Colin McCredie and Still Game star Sanjeev Kohli will be performing during the festival alongside a host of Scottish TV talent.
Taggart’s Blythe Duff, Scots Squad stars Jordan Young, Karen Barke and Chris Forbes, along with celebrated actor Siobhan Redmond will be speaking at panel events and interacting with young talent.
Other festival supporters include Scottish TV stalwarts including actors Brian Cox, Dawn Steele, Joe McFadden and Shauna Macdonald, along with presenter Carol Smillie and Still Game and Chewin’ The Fat Director Michael Hines.
A series of events will be held across the city from 29 May to 1 June, putting Glasgow’s talented writers, producers, directors and actors centre stage.
The festival will also put the Glasgow public - which is well known in the entertainment world for its direct feedback - at the heart of spotting potential TV hits through an audience feedback app.
Claire Duffy said: “It’s so exciting to be at this stage of festival prep.
"Not many people realise that TV was actually invented in Glasgow almost 100 years ago - with the first ever television broadcast taking place from the Grand Central Hotel in 1927.
“So it was incredibly meaningful to launch our programme of events at the same venue and, while we may have lost our way in the Scottish TV industry in recent years, it’s so inspiring to be at the start of what I truly feel will be a resurgence for Scottish TV talent.
"The Glasgow Telly Festival will be the catalyst to a new way of doing things to help bring back hope, creativity, risk-taking and opportunity into the TV industry again, and we can’t wait to share our talented creatives with Glasgow audiences.”