Breaking into the creative industry is never easy, but last night at Arts at the Arms’ 10th Scratch Night, it was clear that Leeds has a platform where emerging artists can genuinely flourish.Â
Founded by playwright Chris O’Connor, actor James Underwood, and arts facilitator Lily Craig, Arts at the Arms has grown from intimate beginnings at the historic Cardigan Arms pub to stages such as Leeds Playhouse and Sunny Bank Mills. What’s remarkable is how the vision of these three to give underrepresented voices room to experiment, develop, and be heard comes through in every performance. Being in that room, it was impossible not to feel the energy and care that underpins the organisation.
The evening opened with Sean Webster, performed by Izzie Smith and directed by Rachael Halliwell. This Northern-rooted piece explored the struggles of working-class families during the miners’ strike. Smith’s grounded, emotionally honest performance, combined with Halliwell’s thoughtful direction, made the story feel immediate and deeply human. The piece reminded everyone in the audience why regional storytelling is so vital connecting history, identity, and lived experience in a way that still resonates today.
Images: Sarah Underwood
Comedy followed, with Karen Flowerdew and Mick Tickner delivering sets that had the room roaring with laughter. Their sharp timing and clever observational humour provided a joyful, lighthearted counterpoint to the emotional intensity of the opening piece, showing the range of voices and styles Arts at the Arms brings to the stage.
A highlight of the night was Gamimi Khurana, whose folk-inspired songs explored her move from India to the UK as a student. Her performance was intimate, introspective, and emotionally resonant, weaving personal storytelling with a clear homage to her cultural heritage. The quiet power of her work lingered in the room long after the final note, a testament to the depth of talent nurtured by Arts at the Arms.
Images: Sarah Underwood
What makes this organisation truly special is the dedication of its founders. Chris, James, and Lily have created more than just a showcase they’ve built a supportive, sustainable ecosystem for Northern creatives. Their commitment ensures that emerging artists have a safe space to take risks, experiment, and connect with audiences, something increasingly rare in today’s arts landscape.
Last night’s Scratch Night was a celebration of creativity at its most raw, authentic, and vibrant. Each performance offered something unique, reflecting the diversity and vitality of Leeds’ creative community.Â
For anyone passionate about new theatre, comedy, music, or poetry, Arts at the Arms is more than a night out it’s an essential experience. Under the guidance of Chris, James, and Lily, Northern talent continues to take centre stage in the heart of the city, and if you ever get the chance to attend, it’s an experience that stays with you long after the lights dim.
Leeds International Festival of Ideas today reveals the full line-up for its sixth edition.
Louis Theroux, Elizabeth Day, Chris Packham CBE, Roman Kemp, Vicky Pattison, James O’Brien, Dame Evelyn Glennie and Megan McKenna are among the amazing names heading to Leeds Playhouse in October for a five-day, ten-event programme.
Louis Theroux, one of the most distinctive broadcasters of our time, will open the festival on Tuesday 6 October with an intimate fireside chat at Leeds Playhouse’s Quarry stage.
The chat will cover four decades of social commentary, from far-right militias to Scientologists, porn stars to convicted criminals, the rich, the broken, and the misunderstood in one night, in Leeds,
Images: Supplied
Tim Minchin will then close proceedings on Saturday 10 October with a career-spanning conversation taking in Matilda the Musical, three decades of songwriting, and Minchin’s refreshingly clear-eyed views on living a creative life.
Across the week, hosts Samira Ahmed, Chris Packham, Miranda Sawyer, Joe Tidy, Laura Hamilton, Amy Irons, Harriet Rose, Jamil Qureshi, Dr Hannah French and Larry Budd will lead a programme of panel discussions tackling the questions defining the moment: the future of the planet, belonging in modern Britain, the legacy of the 90s, the future of parenthood, suicide and masculinity, social media, failure, and what it means to live a creative life.
Martin Dickson, Festival Director, said: "Getting Louis Theroux to Leeds is a real moment for this festival and this city. He's one of the defining broadcasters of his generation, and the kind of name LIFI has been building towards for four years.
"But this is a programme with serious depth beyond the headline — Tim Minchin, Elizabeth Day, Chris Packham, Samira Ahmed, Miranda Sawyer, five days of conversation you genuinely cannot get anywhere else in the country. LIFI has always been about bringing the brightest minds to Leeds and giving the city a stage that punches above its weight. LIFI26 does exactly that."
Tickets go on sale to priority subscribers on Thursday 4 June, with general sale opening next Wednesday 10 June. Sign up to be a priority subscriber here.
The Yorkshire designer who’s put together the official FIFA World Cup scarf collection
Danny Jones
A Yorkshire-born and bred artist and his creative team have earned the huge honour of creating the official FIFA scarf collection for this year's World Cup.
Nothing short of massive for anyone from our part of the world.
The local legend in question is Tom Pitts, who was born in Sheffield and is now based just beyond Leeds, leading the campaign right from the helm.
Hand Drawn Pixels is a graphic design and digital studio based in Otley, and while you'll see plenty of folks wearing football shirts and even the odd scarf on the town's famous pub crawl, these lot are venturing on an entirely different kind of run this summer.
In fact, the work has very much already started, with Tom and co. collaborating directly with FIFA and US manufacturers, Global Scarves, to create the World Cup collection.
With this year's tournament obviously taking place across America, Mexico and Canada, they've joined up with a big LLC, but they describe themselves as "a true English custom scarf company with American parents."
In their words, "We knit scarves for clients all over the world", with a presence both near Leeds and over in Seattle, Washington.
The fixtures themselves kick off next month (England's first game coming against Croatia on 17 June), and so Hand Drawn Pixels have been hard at work meeting the briefs for each of the nations taking part.
Here's a quick breakdown of how the opportunity came about, their vision for the project, and how everything starts for them as a whole process.
You can see more of their work HERE, but as the brand name would suggest, it's pretty simple to begin with: nothing more than a pencil.
It's worth noting that the 2026 World Cup also featured the largest number of teams in the competition's history: 48 qualified national squads, to be exact. So, technically, they've had even more designing to do than they theoretically would have in any of the previous years, too.
Tom confessed that winning this bid is obviously a big deal on its own and that seeing his creations being worn in person by supporters at the stadiums will be a "surreal" experience.
Speaking exclusively with The Hoot, he said: "It’s been an amazing creative challenge for us to truly reflect the individuality and diversity of the nations competing in this prestigious tournament on such an iconic product as the football scarf."
He went on to add that "the whole project has been a huge learning experience, gaining deeper cultural insight into every nation involved."
We can't wait to cast eyes upon a sea of colour and finely crafted fabric in unique but somehow universally familiar patterns, all designed right here in 'God's Own Country'.
Declan Kelly -
13th December 2025 
