Funny, wise and uplifting, Damian Barr's beautifully written memoir captures the harsh reality of Scottish life under the rule of Empress Thatcher. STV Productions has also confirmed a second BBC drama commission – Elizabeth is Missing, adapted from Emma Healey’s novel by Andrea Gibb.

I’ll never forget the hard faced bouncers and the sticky carpets, the notoriously disgusting pints of Tennants and the voguing. One of the most horrible moments of the book, especially for me as a teacher, was Barr's shocking experience of Article 28 - an item of UK law passed by Thatcher's conservative Government which made it illegal for schools to promote homosexuality. STV Productions has a track record of producing quality drama, with four part thriller The Victim – starring Kelly Macdonald and John Hannah – transmitting later this year on BBC One.This book had my emotions all over the place in a good way due to being so well written and having me hooked. iv) so is the lesson of his struggle, and this book: I escaped poverty and abuse through my own individual effort and talent, so anyone can do so?

The Irish Times, says: 'A story so powerful it’s a useful reminder of how fiction can illuminate the indignities visited upon those the world has mistreated then forgotten.

Damien's childhood is an amalgamation of abuse, struggle, love, friendship, survival and ultimately triumphant, coming out in a straight world. I am a huge fan of Damian Barr's The Literary Salon podcast (link below) and have been looking forward to this book for ages. On the other he has a sneaking admiration for her, for her work ethic, her advice to get out, and her making it in a world where she is also different.

Still, I enjoyed this well enough as memoirs go, and I would certainly recommend it if you loved Nigel Slater’s memoir mentioned above and/or Boy Erased. Ley said: “The thing that makes the book special is how Damien has managed to bring his young self to make life, retaining that youthful energy and spirit, in this unique and original way that he views the world, which got him through a difficult childhood. As a memoir of growing up in the West of Scotland ami When we began chatting about what it would look like on stage, I thought it would be fun to bring Maggie Thatcher and drag her into the story, rather than her just be present at the beginning of each chapter as she is in the memoir. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.

Granny Mac jumped off the page at me, typical of a woman of her generation and if anything like my own granny she would have had a rough surface sheltering a heart of gold. Inspired by real events, it’s a novel of connected parts which uncovers a hidden colonial history and present-day darkness while exploring our capacity for cruelty and kindness. Because of this, the reader can have no trouble indulging in this lovely piece of writing, supporting its hero all the way, taking the extreme brutality of those early days with a grave nod, and subsequently grinning wildly at the knowledge that Barr is writing it from the life he always wanted. I tell stories to help people better understand themselves and others, to ask better questions not provide easy answers.

We will be collaborating with film and video students from New College Lanarkshire to create a short documentary about the making of the production. I've also co-written two plays for Radio 4 and written a short after play for their Fact to Fiction slot. Director Suba Das is one of the most exciting theatre makers in the UK so I am thrilled he’s lending us his unique and uniquely engaging vision. A society still fraught from the loss of `The Craig' and still stuck in a glorious Labour Voting past securing MP Frank Roy the safest seat in the party.TRNSMT Festival has announced 23 more acts to the already star-studded lineup for this summer’s three-day Glasgow Green extravaganza. There are younger and older versions of me in the play, which will explore what they both need to survive, and how that changes through the course of the play. You Will Be Safe Here is as unexpected as it is unsettling, both in the telling and in the way that telling works to reveal hidden trails through the points of light and darkness. The opening chapters written in child-speak, discussing the early happiness and innocence of childhood. It feels like quite a provocative thing to do in Scotland, but it's not going to be fandom by any means.