Stanley Baxter is a childhood idol of mine so I was delighted to get the chance to make this BBC Scotland documentary with him.
When Alan Cumming Met Stanley Baxter
The Real Cabaret
I presented another documentary for BBC4 entitled The Real Cabaret. In it I interviewed some of the people who'd been involved with the movie and original musical (Liza, John Kander, Joe Masteroff) but also went to Berlin to find out about the real cabaret artistes of the time, and what fates befell them. I also visit the actual flat Christopher Isherwood lived which was where he had the inspiration to write Goodbye to Berlin, the book that Cabaret is based on.
Scotland on Screen
I was asked by the BBC to host a documentary that goes to various parts of Scotland where movies have been shot, and examines how they have represented the areas and also how the locals feel about the films today.
We went to Mull for I Know Where I'm Going, to Glencoe for Braveheart, Cumbernauld for Gregory's Girl (where I toured round the locations with director Bill Forsyth), to Kircudbrightshire for Wicker Man and to Edinburgh for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
My Brilliant Britain
I was asked to make a half hour documentary for the UK channel Blighty about the thing I thought was most brilliant about Britain. I chose Scottish humour, and so went on a madcap journey round my homeland interviewing people (including my mum) about what are the ingredients of Scottish humour, how we use it and how it defines us in the world. Below is the actual film that was broadcast, but first here's a little film I made with my flip video during the shoot.
Masterpiece Mystery
I went to Boston for my annual stint of hosting PBS's Masterpiece’s Mystery.